WHAT'S THE BUZZ ABOUT GIVE & TAKE?
D Magazine: Give & Take's Vintage Treasures
A former CFO turns Riverfront Boulevard shop owner by Joslyn Taylor
Plenty of people have creative passions that are unrelated to their straight-laced day jobs (the guitar-playing lawyer, the engineer who paints). But very few give up a steady paycheck to follow their bliss. So when Jean Nelson left her post as CFO of Haggar to open a vintage furnishings and consignment shop, it was a leap of faith.
An art history and vintage furniture buff, Nelson fills her Riverfront Boulevard store, Give & Take, with pieces ranging from campaign dressers to brutalist wall sculptures to iconic midcentury chairs. She also stocks a selection of paintings, both vintage and sold by local artists. But not all of her inventory boasts a pedigree or a high price tag. In the nearly eight months that Nelson spent culling treasures prior to opening the 5,600-square-foot space, she says she focused on pieces that were “unique, interesting, and high-quality.”
Give & Take specializes in “ready-to-go” merchandise, as opposed to furniture that needs a complete overhaul (although there is a smattering of “diamonds in the rough” stashed away in the store’s backroom). “Most of my customers come in looking for great pieces that are beautiful and don’t need to be refurbished,” Nelson says.
Surrounded by her beloved Knoll, Donghia, and Mies van der Rohe furnishings, Nelson says she’s found her true calling: “I had a great career, but my job in finance was a security blanket. Now I just wonder why I didn’t do this a long time ago. I haven’t looked back.”
FD Luxe: Designs New Guises
Oddball vintage scores? Ultra-fresh midcentury modern? SAMANTHA REITMAYER SANO sleuths what the best-dressed domiciles are wearing.
Give & Take
It’s a simple concept really, a place for an exchange. You buy, you sell — except here we’re talking Knoll, Baker and Donghia, certainly a luxurious transaction. Give & Take is a vintage and consignment showroom adding beautifully to the fold of better design shops in the rapidly growing Design District. Owner Jean Nelson comes from her own multifaceted background as a former corporate-troubleshooting executive, rescuing companies in distress. Now she turns those talents and business skills to vintage furniture. Nelson studied art history and interior design, and opening a store has always been a dream. While acting as CFO for Haggar in the midst of a potential sale of the company, she decided to take the leap to a 5,600-square-foot Riverfront Boulevard space (next to another furnishings haven, Antiques Moderne), filling the place with ready-to-go pieces, whether consigned that way or refurbished by Nelson. The room vignettes are clever, creative and hyper-chic — the taste level here is much more Kelly Wearstler than corny-cool. You’ll spot the likes of Kjaerholm, Breuer, Paulin and Corbusier, mixed with one-off decorator pieces, long sofas and Danish Modern lovelies. Nelson doesn’t take in just any midcentury refugees here — and it shows. 1216 N. Riverfront Blvd., 214-704-1787
Modern Luxury: In-House Shops
For the Taking
Jean Nelson has a head for business and a passion for fine midcentury furniture. A former financial professional whose hobby is collecting vintage modern, Nelson recently opened Give & Take, a deluxe midcentury consignment store in Dallas. “I like the simplicity and great craftsmanship of 20th century designers,” says Nelson, who personally hunts down vintage pieces that include designs by Baker, Milo Baughman, Directional, Donghia, Fritz Hansen, Knoll, Hove Möbler and Harvey Probber.
Atlantis Home: Give & Take Consignment
I wanted to share with you my new favorite consignment store in Dallas. Give and Take. Located on Riverfront in the Dallas Design District, Give and Take consigns high end classics from the 50′s to the 80′s along with funky accent tables, art, lamps and more. Owner, Jean Nelson takes great care in arranging small vignettes throughout the shop to showcase her great collection–but don’t skip the back room where you’ll find more treasures waiting to hit the floor. I don’t think my camera could do justice to all of the wonderful things I saw on my last visit to Give and Take, so if you’re in the Dallas Design District, stop by and have a look for yourself!
A former CFO turns Riverfront Boulevard shop owner by Joslyn Taylor
Plenty of people have creative passions that are unrelated to their straight-laced day jobs (the guitar-playing lawyer, the engineer who paints). But very few give up a steady paycheck to follow their bliss. So when Jean Nelson left her post as CFO of Haggar to open a vintage furnishings and consignment shop, it was a leap of faith.
An art history and vintage furniture buff, Nelson fills her Riverfront Boulevard store, Give & Take, with pieces ranging from campaign dressers to brutalist wall sculptures to iconic midcentury chairs. She also stocks a selection of paintings, both vintage and sold by local artists. But not all of her inventory boasts a pedigree or a high price tag. In the nearly eight months that Nelson spent culling treasures prior to opening the 5,600-square-foot space, she says she focused on pieces that were “unique, interesting, and high-quality.”
Give & Take specializes in “ready-to-go” merchandise, as opposed to furniture that needs a complete overhaul (although there is a smattering of “diamonds in the rough” stashed away in the store’s backroom). “Most of my customers come in looking for great pieces that are beautiful and don’t need to be refurbished,” Nelson says.
Surrounded by her beloved Knoll, Donghia, and Mies van der Rohe furnishings, Nelson says she’s found her true calling: “I had a great career, but my job in finance was a security blanket. Now I just wonder why I didn’t do this a long time ago. I haven’t looked back.”
FD Luxe: Designs New Guises
Oddball vintage scores? Ultra-fresh midcentury modern? SAMANTHA REITMAYER SANO sleuths what the best-dressed domiciles are wearing.
Give & Take
It’s a simple concept really, a place for an exchange. You buy, you sell — except here we’re talking Knoll, Baker and Donghia, certainly a luxurious transaction. Give & Take is a vintage and consignment showroom adding beautifully to the fold of better design shops in the rapidly growing Design District. Owner Jean Nelson comes from her own multifaceted background as a former corporate-troubleshooting executive, rescuing companies in distress. Now she turns those talents and business skills to vintage furniture. Nelson studied art history and interior design, and opening a store has always been a dream. While acting as CFO for Haggar in the midst of a potential sale of the company, she decided to take the leap to a 5,600-square-foot Riverfront Boulevard space (next to another furnishings haven, Antiques Moderne), filling the place with ready-to-go pieces, whether consigned that way or refurbished by Nelson. The room vignettes are clever, creative and hyper-chic — the taste level here is much more Kelly Wearstler than corny-cool. You’ll spot the likes of Kjaerholm, Breuer, Paulin and Corbusier, mixed with one-off decorator pieces, long sofas and Danish Modern lovelies. Nelson doesn’t take in just any midcentury refugees here — and it shows. 1216 N. Riverfront Blvd., 214-704-1787
Modern Luxury: In-House Shops
For the Taking
Jean Nelson has a head for business and a passion for fine midcentury furniture. A former financial professional whose hobby is collecting vintage modern, Nelson recently opened Give & Take, a deluxe midcentury consignment store in Dallas. “I like the simplicity and great craftsmanship of 20th century designers,” says Nelson, who personally hunts down vintage pieces that include designs by Baker, Milo Baughman, Directional, Donghia, Fritz Hansen, Knoll, Hove Möbler and Harvey Probber.
Atlantis Home: Give & Take Consignment
I wanted to share with you my new favorite consignment store in Dallas. Give and Take. Located on Riverfront in the Dallas Design District, Give and Take consigns high end classics from the 50′s to the 80′s along with funky accent tables, art, lamps and more. Owner, Jean Nelson takes great care in arranging small vignettes throughout the shop to showcase her great collection–but don’t skip the back room where you’ll find more treasures waiting to hit the floor. I don’t think my camera could do justice to all of the wonderful things I saw on my last visit to Give and Take, so if you’re in the Dallas Design District, stop by and have a look for yourself!
