If you are popping in to read this post, chances are high you have some Dallas Market dates dotting your calendar. Or maybe you simply gathering information to see if a trip to Dallas Market hall is right for you.
I was lucky enough to be invited along for my friend’s maiden voyage to Dallas Market Week in January. We attended the Home and Gift market. It was an experience! I received a true education in all the things. On the five-hour drive back home to Arkansas, my friend and I did an electronic brain dump of tips for others who might be planning to attend Dallas Market Week for the first time.
Read on for all the details! We’ll start with where to stay in Dallas for Dallas Market and what to pack for a Dallas Market trip.
This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something, I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. I use various programs to include affiliate links in my blog posts – such as the Amazon Associates Program and various travel partner programs – to earn from qualifying purchases.
Where to Stay – Hotels Near Dallas Market Center
There are multiple convenient hotels close to the Dallas Market Center.
Hilton Anatole Dallas
We stayed at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas. It is across the interstate from the Dallas Market hall – though still very close. The hotel offers complimentary shuttles to and from the market throughout the day. There is a shuttle schedule posted in the hotel Atrium.
The Hilton Anatole is an 7-acre incredible property full of authentic international art pieces – mostly Asian inspired collected from around the world. Included are pieces of the Berlin Wall, marble sculptures from Vietnam, a Terraccotta solider from China, and so much more. According to one of the hotel workers, the newest owner of the Anatole owns the Dallas Museum of Art as well. However, I have not tracked down any information online that confirms this connection.
In total, there are 27 floors, over 1,600 guest rooms, 79 meeting rooms, three swimming pools, a seven-acre park, and (originally) more than eight restaurants/bars. (I will mention that during our visit, the majority of the restaurants were closed – for remodeling/construction and some were possibly permanently closed. It was rather disappointing given the on-site restaurants are part of the appeal of this hotel property.)
The Renaissance Hotel (Marriott)
I cannot speak to the quality of an overnight stay at The Renaissance Hotel Dallas. We did not stay at this Marriott-owned hotel, obviously, since we stayed at the Anatole. However, we did eat dinner two nights in a row at the Asador Restaurant, the restaurant housed in the Renaissance Hotel. Yes, two nights – it was THAT good. See more about this restaurant in the restaurant section below.
As I mentioned in the tips section above, the Renaissance Hotel Dallas is super convenient to the Dallas Market hall. My friend and I discussed the likelihood of staying at The Renaissance on the next visit to market. It just makes sense. The swanky hotel is located right next to the Dallas market and the restaurant is spot on.
Aloft Dallas Downtown
Another hotel just steps from the Dallas Convention Center is Aloft Dallas Downtown. Wowzers! This place is colorful and fun! Even the gym is stylish and cool!
I keep thinking I have our next place to stay chosen, but who knows…it seems any of these four places above are winners when it comes to upscale hotels in downtown Dallas.
HALL Arts Dallas Hotel
Located about five miles from the Dallas Love Airport is HALL Arts Dallas Hotel Dallas. This place is a Curio Collection Hotel. And, man, do I love the Hilton Curio Collection line of hotels! They are so art-focused and modern…right up my alley!
What to Wear to Dallas Market Week
As I mentioned above, the decision of what to wear to Dallas Market Week should center around comfort. Comfy cute. You will be on your feet a lot – hours and hours. Be mindful when packing for Dallas Market!
I personally found most people dressed in a casual chic kind of way. Few people were super dressed up. Most had on cute sneakers, comfy leggings and tunics or jeans and slouchy sweaters (in January).
You can see what my friend and I wore on our two days. We were dressed perfectly fine for the crowd at Dallas Market days when we attended the Dallas gift market.
Where to Eat in Dallas Market District – Casual Dining Restaurants Near Dallas Market Hall
As I’ve already mentioned, the Asador Restaurant was worthy of a double-visit during our weekend trip. If you go to Asador Dallas, I highly recommend the crab cake sliders and the truffle fries! My fried raved about the steak. The cheese board was nice, too. This place has some serious modern vibes and is a farm to table establishment. Can’t complain about that! Also, we were perfectly dressed for this restaurant in the same clothes we wore to market – casual dining attire.
Our waiter was super helpful with giving us tips and details about the seasonal menu at Asador Dallas. He also gave us recommendations for other places we might try out during our weekend when we asked for suggestions. Some of the hotel staff and locals at the bar and grill at the Anatole also named some of their favorite eateries not too far from Dallas Market District. Some of these restaurants are located in the nearby Bishop Arts District or the downtown area.
- Rodeo Goat – a casual house-ground burger joint with an impressive tap (The sweet valet guy at our hotel assured us the burgers were beef and not goat.)
- Meso Maya – authentic Mexican food with tastes from Chiapas, Yucatan, and Vera Cruz (Sign me up next time!)
- Beto and Son – another modern take on Mexican food with “impressive taste” according to our source
- Republic Texas Tavern – a self-proclaimed bar-centric restaurant with a menu loaded with mouth-watering appetizers and entrees (I don’t see it on the current menu offerings, but our source raved about the ravioli. He also recommended the meat board was enough for a meal and praised the broad wine selection with concierge service by the bottle.)
- Bishop Cidercade – Okay. This one is more of a drinkery than an eatery. But it came highly recommended by our waiter. (And we had every intention of going, but we were so wiped out each night after visiting Dallas Market, we were unable to make it. Plus, we’re old and 9:30 p.m. dinners were pushing it. However, I did try the Crackberry at Asador Restaurant and bought the Pecan Pie Ciders at Buc-ees on our way home. The Pecan Pie Cider is made with Texas pecans. We hope to visit next time, and I will add some pictures.) This establishment is an adult-inspired arcade and bar all in one. You pay $10 for all-day access to the games, or you can buy a $15 recurring monthly pass. There are over 25 ciders and other beverages on tap. After 8 p.m., the Cidercade has a 21-and-up age limit. Also, bring a debit or credit card. Unlike old-school arcades, this place doesn’t deal in coins and dollars. Important to know…Bishop Cidercade does not serve food, but you are welcome to bring your own food in or have something delivered!
Tips for the First Time to Dallas Market
- Read the map. Find the map and get a basic overview of the layout of Dallas Market hall. The place is massive. Understand the number of floors and what is on each floor. Otherwise, you will waste a lot of time. You can print the map off of the Dallas Market Center website. Apparently, once upon a time the market organizers sent paper booklets with maps to all the participants, but that is no longer a thing, it seems.
- Make appointments with vendors months in advance. Some of them fill up quickly!
- Reserve a hotel room on the same side of the interstate as the Dallas Market Center. The Renaissance Hotel (Marriott) is right next door and you can actually walk to the Dallas Market Center if necessary (although there are shuttles available).
- If you do stay at another nearby hotel – like the Anatole – you can shuttle to the market and back throughout the day.
- From your major vendors, you should know ahead of time what the specials/promotions are (free freight?, giveaways with certain dollar amount spent?).
- Schedule your first day without appointments and simply acclimate yourself with the layout of the market. It can be OVERWHELMING! Use your first day to simply walk around, browse and make a note of any showrooms you want to try to make an appointment with (and do it immediately if you can since many vendors book months ahead).
- Take an extra bag for sample sales and cash and carry sales on the 7th floor. Many people bring rolling luggage.
- For cash and carry sales, most vendors only accept cash for purchases below $50. And they prefer cash.
- Don’t spend any significant time in any one place.
- When planning, make a list of the showrooms you would like to visit. It might be best to plan for four days at market. You might wind up making more orders in shorter periods of time because you feel rushed and panicked. When rushed, you have an “I just need to get this order done and move on to the next showroom.” Giving yourself more time at market means giving yourself more time to think.
- There are dining options on the first floor, and there are more sprinkled throughout Dallas Market Hall. Some showrooms also offer food and drinks for their clients or visitors. This might range from cucumber water to packaged snacks to gourmet cupcakes to frozen Bellinis and margaritas to breakfast/lunch entrees. You might want to pack a few light snacks in your bag, just in case you have to go a long time without real food.
- In the day one scoping, go to the major showrooms you are interested in or have appointments at on a future day and check into the food situation there. This will kind of guide your dining plans for the next days.
- Budget how much you want to spend on each category for your store in advance. Determine you want to allot $3,000 in kids’ apparel and $1,000 in gourmet foods for your gift shop, for example. This way you will not overspend and come up short in product or find yourself overstocked for a certain category.
- Comfortables shoes and clothing are a must. What to wear to Dallas market? Whatever you want. I go into this in more detail below.
- Pay attention to which showrooms will offer sample sales and which ones won’t. You can often find a cling sticker in the glass doorways of the showroom that states whether they offer sample sales or not. Most sample sales are toward the end of the show. The vendors are selling the items that were used in the showroom.
How to Find the Upcoming Dallas Market Dates
If you are trying to get your calendar in order to squeeze in some Dallas Market dates, be sure to visit the Dallas Market website (linked above) and check its full calendar for the year. There are different markets (Total Home and Gift, Apparel and Accessories, KidsWorld, International Trade Show, etc.) happening multiple times throughout the years.
Some Buzzwords and Phrases Overheard at Dallas Market Week
Throughout our time at Dallas Market week, I overheard the same questions being asked by my friend as well as random other buyers in the showrooms. I also heard lots of buzzwords used by reps and buyers.
Does it move easily? (asked by buyer to rep)
What are your top three? (asked by buyer to rep)
What’s your minimum buy in? (asked by buyer to rep)
Have you been able to move those….? (asked by rep to buyer)
It’s area protected. (spoken by rep)
And there you have it – our big brain dump from our first trip to the Dallas gift market!
I told you. My first visit to Dallas Market week was a true education! I learned so much about the real workings of supply and demand and the process of manufacturer to distributor/rep to vendor/store to customer!
More Travel Posts from Planted in Arkansas
I think Dallas makes for a great girls’ trip even if you are not planning to visit the Dallas Market. If you are planning for a girls weekend or family travel, be sure to check out some of my other travel-inspired and retail-inspired posts.
Guess and Company Christmas Warehouse in Des Arc
5 Fun Things to do in St. Louis
Places to Eat at Branson Landing
What to Do in Panama City, Panama
Leave a Reply