Houston Lassoes Up Its Own Flea Style Store With Hat Bar Buzz — River Oaks Shopping Center Goes Western

If any store in Houston has been Rodeo ready from the get-go, it’s the new boutique Flea Style which opened in River Oaks Shopping Center last week. Not as a pop-up shop, but as a year-round source for all things Western and covetable.

Some might remember The Houston Flea that attracted savvy shoppers to Silver Street Studios for several years. It was that endeavor by Brittany Cobb that laid the groundwork for her Flea Style brand and its companion The Original Hat Bar.

“Houston has always felt like unfinished business in the best way,” Cobb says. “I’ve wanted a store here since opening our first Flea Style location in 2018. I spent eight years patiently waiting for the perfect space, and we have finally found it.

“We are thrilled to bring Flea Style — and our Original Hat Bar experience — back to our beloved Houston customers at River Oaks.”

This hat bar has already captured the attention and love of celebrities Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Leon Bridges and Post Malone.

The Houston shop, the ninth Flea Store overall, is chock full of unisex hats and all the trimmings, as well as fashion with a country/boho-chic slant, accessories and vintage Western boots for women. Sign me up for the brown suede fringed shawl and the silk-like pink lounge pajamas embellished with prancing stallions.

You wouldn’t recognize the former home of Mad Potter. Cobb has transformed the 1,540-square-foot space into the most delightful tableau of Texas chic. Decorative touches, fixtures and furnishings were sourced from flea markets, in particular Round Top. Commanding attention is the 10 and a half foot long vintage oak saloon bar, the crown jewel of the space and the hub of the brand’s interactive hat bar.

Styling hats is the heartbeat of Flea Style. Walk-ins are welcome and reservations are accepted for a private session with a stylist. The wool and straw hats, hundreds waiting to be adorned, line the shelves. Baskets of decorative bands, pins, feathers and patches are at the ready for creating striking one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect one’s personal style and spirit.

A loft space is available for private parties, brand activations and special moments, offering hat lovers a VIP way to celebrate milestones, gatherings and creative experiences. Flea Style invites all for decorative hat parties. When you reserve online (up to 15 people), you’ll score a free hat box, a delish drink or a single suede hatband to use in your unique design.

As part of the launch, Cobb has brought in 30 custom decorated hats crafted in Flea Style’s studio in Dallas, where Cobb hangs her hat full-time.

So successful has her chapeau-inspired business been that on April 21 Cobb is set to release her debut book titled How To Style a Hat with forward by Miranda Lambert.

Houston’s new Flea Style store is located at 1963 W Gray Street, Suite A. It is open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 am to 6 pm and Sundays from noon to 6 pm.