expressions and vivid hues, and over the decades, he’s established a style that is wholly, unmistakably his. He also specializes in intricately crafted wall platters, lucky cats and musician jugs. The potter has a thick Rolodex of lifelong patrons who are all enamored of his one- of-a-kind style. Fair warning: as soon as you buy one of Block’s face jugs, you’ll never be able to stop. carlblock.com Best Place to Buy Outdoor Furniture Sunnyland Outdoor Living With the summer heat fading and fall approaching, you might be eyeing your back patio with the hope of enjoying the brief respite North Texas gets now and then. If you have a soul, though, you could also be thinking about a local shop that sells the outdoor furniture you need to get your yard in shape. Look no further than Sunnyland Outdoor Living in North Dallas. For owner David Schweig, patio furniture is a family business, and his family boasts three generations in the game. Sunnyland has more than 35,000 square feet of showroom space stocked with patio tables, chairs, umbrellas, firepits and whatever else you dream of BEST BOARD GAME STORE > COMMON GROUND GAMES Kathy Tran surrounding your house with. 7879 Spring Valley Road 972-239-3716, sunnylandfurniture.com Best Place to Get a New Tire Overnight 24 Hour Rodriguez Tire Shop When fate strikes, it doesn’t care what time of the day or night it is. Who hasn’t gotten a flat tire late at night and found themselves stuck on the roadside (or somewhere worse) waiting for help? If you’re in Dallas when the blowout hits, though, you don’t necessarily have to wait for roadside assistance or leave your car stranded on the shoulder until the shops open the next morning. 24 Hour Rodriguez Tire Shop is open, well, 24 hours a day. They don’t have a website, so you’ll have to phone them or catch an Uber that way. 2745 W. Northwest Highway 214-353-2955 Best Place to Buy Running Gear Fleet Feet Dallas Depending on whether you prefer light jogs, cross country or trail running, the kind of shoes you wear when you take off will make a big difference. Whatever your fancy, Fleet Feet Dallas has plenty of choices, plus just about every type of running-related gear, supplements, gadgets or accessories you didn’t know you needed. Energy gels, compression socks, anti-chafing balms — Fleet Feet has it all. The folks there also organize free running groups if you need a gang of pals to hold you accountable. There are two stores in Dallas and others in Richardson, Coppell, McKinney and Frisco. Check out Fleet Feet Dallas’ website to find the location nearest you. fleetfeet.com/s/dallas Best Board Game Store Common Ground Games Today’s board game selections are so varied and complex that there are stores dedicated to selling them and tons of specialized accessories to go with them. Common Ground Games is one of the first retail places in DFW to offer a wide selection of popular and independent party, role- playing, strategy and cooperative board and card games. Now it’s even bigger. The Inwood Road board game store moved into a huge space just a few doors down from where it started. It has twice as many games — rare favorites you can find only online to the God-knows-how-many versions of pop culture-themed Monopoly. The truly great thing about Common Ground Games is its sense of community. Even after all these years, you can still walk in and play games 39 38 dallasobserver.com | CONTENTS | UNFAIR PARK | SCHUTZE | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | MOVIES | DISH | MUSIC | CLASSIFIED | DALLAS OBSERVER MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 SEPTEMBER 22-28, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER CONTENTS | SHOPPING & SERVICES | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | FOOD & DRINK | SPORTS & RECREATION dallasobserver.com
