The New Shops to Know at the Round Top Antiques Show in Texas

Southern Beasts has herded its collection of beloved textile taxidermy to the new expanded space. Mary Lou Marks creates a delightful sculptural menagerie out of opulent antique fabrics and trimmings. Longhorns, deer, horses, rabbits, pigs, canines, and more make it into Mark’s contemporary take on trophy heads. Inspiration arrives directly from her rare textile collection, sourced by pickers from all over the country. Marks was recently featured in Architectural Digest for her work on the Top Gun House, an 1887 cottage that appeared in the original Top Gun movie starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis.

Marks’ new space includes vintage and antique furnishings, paintings by Lenore Prud’Homme, and more. Joining her is her daughter, local musician Kellye Kephart, who helps craft Southern Beasts’ signature pieces to keep up with ever-increasing demand.

Also sharing the historic building’s first floor is a haven for handsome handmade Asian textile creations. Sapana, which means “dream”  in Nepali, is the vision of owner Jolie Helms, who discovered a passion for Indian and Nepali textiles while living in Malaysia. An avid Round Top show-goer for more than 20 years, Helms has been importing fabrics from Southeast Asia and turning them into wearable coats, quilts, and totes since she returned to Texas. Empowering artisan weavers in villages around Jaipur and beyond, Sapana transforms traditional Dhurrie rugs and vibrant Kantha quilts into garments and accessories imbued with mindfulness and meaning — the opposite of fast fashion. A regular exhibitor at The Arbors including the upcoming fall show, Helms is no stranger to retail, but the Henkel Square space will be her first solo venture.