A new thrift store has opened in Fort Worth, where the owners hope to promote the environmental sustainability of thrift stores, build a sense of community and raise awareness about the history of indigenous people.
The store – Vintage and economical Flipstone – is on White Settlement Road near Carroll Street, west of downtown Fort Worth. The road’s name is evidence of a time when white settlers came to the Fort Worth area in a push that displaced and killed many indigenous people.
The store is owned by Dancing Iglesias, 31, her sister Lily Mekeel, 28, and Iglesias’ husband, Jesse. The store’s name is a rebrand of the Iglesiases’ previous business, Flipstone Furnishings. “Flipstone” is a play on the cartoon “The Flintstones,” originally altered to reflect a furniture flipping business.
Vintage t-shirts, bags, shoes, hats, scarves, jackets and jewelry fill the thrift store’s main room, where nothing costs more than $10.
The Gem room is what separates Flipstone from other thrift stores, the owners say. The room contains several paintings, vintage plate sets, golden lamps shaped like tall plants, collections of Regal dolls, and books. The store is aimed at non-avid investors looking for more modern and unique clothing, vintage clothing, furniture and decor, Dancing Iglesias said.
The store’s motto: “Spend less on an item, more on your community.”
“It’s trendy for a lot of people, which I don’t particularly mind, because it’s better for the planet to buy secondhand,” Mekeel said.
Also inside Flipstone Vintage and Thrift there is a space for the sisters, of indigenous descent, to defend environmental sustainability and raise awareness among indigenous people, using the name of the road where the store is located as a gateway for conversations.
History of the White Settlement Road
White Settlement Road was paved in 1956 and named for White Settlement, a western suburb of Fort Worth. At the time White Settlement was established in the 1840s, originally where Westworth Village is today, it was the first white community surrounded by seven Native American villages, inhabited by members of the Comanche, Cherokee and Seminole tribes, according to the White Settlement Historical Museum. The modern road generally follows the Fort Worth trail west to the village.
Early settlers called it the White Settlement to distinguish it from the lands of indigenous peoples.
In summer 2021, construction of the new White Settlement Road bridge to downtown took Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker and the city council are considering changing the road’s name. After a few years of discussion and public input, the decision to change its name disappeared.
The sisters say they can use the road and its history to help create dialogue and unity and to educate people about the history of the region and the indigenous people who once called it home.
“I think it gives a great opportunity for people to really learn the history if they decide to do it,” Iglesias said. “Instead of just saying, ‘We’re not going to change the name, but we’re also going to ignore the whole situation.’ ”
Iglesias and Mekeel were born in Fort Worth but grew up in Nashoba, Oklahoma. Their mother is of Lakota descent, one of three tribes — along with the Dakota and West Dakota — of the Great Sioux Nation. Their original territories consisted of Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Iowa.
Iglesias and Mekeel grew up in a house with two other brothers. Their mother, who had a difficult life growing up, had a soft heart for Indigenous children and adopted four Indigenous siblings.
Their mother took them to powwows, gatherings and dances with other indigenous nations. Their mother also made regalia, moccasins and beadwork.
Saving out of necessity
Growing up, the sisters and their brothers saved out of necessity, not to impress. Today people save as a conscious decision to be sustainable and modern, Iglesias and Mekeel said.
The sisters’ closets are full of cheap clothes, which they consider environmentally friendly.
Both moved back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area nearly 10 years ago. In January, the sisters started talking about opening a thrift store. In April they signed a lease and opened the store a month later. Then the customers started telling them about the history of White Settlement Road.
Their education and passion for community building is reflected in a program they are developing called The Thrifted Home. The program would involve small businesses that focus on dying activities such as seamstress restoration, lacquering and upholstery. It would provide a resource for the community to repair rather than discard their secondhand items and keep these small and necessary businesses open, the sisters said.
The sisters hope to expand the idea across the country to help the environment and small businesses that support second-hand living.
“We’re saving hundreds of items from the landfill right now, but I would definitely like to work on a much larger level where people who don’t necessarily want to save or like to save learn to see the value in it,” Iglesias said.
