New website gathers local furniture, decor, and fashion so Texans can shop small

Furnishing or redecorating your home? Refreshing your wardrobe? Say goodbye to evenings lost to scrolling through countless websites and social media accounts.

Attic.city, a curated search engine that focuses on indie businesses, has launched in Texas. It makes finding just the right coffee table or the perfect handbag so much easier.

Attic Austin-San Antonio includes thousands of furniture, home decor, and clothing/fashion products from over 75 independent stores, with everything from artisan-made coffee mugs to modern credenzas to vintage clutches.

The website's unique technology continually indexes products from local shops, adding new items daily. Unearth great finds by browsing, and discover even more with searches like "earrings," "clutch," "dining chairs," or "dresser," for example.

"Shopping local, especially from smaller stores, has so many benefits," says its founder, Tarek Anandan. "For one, there's the thrill of finding something a bit more interesting, perhaps even unique. Then there are the environmental benefits that come from reduced shipping, and even more green benefits if you're shopping for vintage goods. Ultimately, the greatest impact may come from the simple fact that the people behind these shops are part of your community — they're your neighbors."

Founded in 2015, Attic already exists in such major markets as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.

The expansion to the Austin-San Antonio region comes at a time when small retail businesses throughout the country — especially brick-and-mortar stores — are facing extraordinary challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the ongoing growth of big-box, national retailers.

Attic.city, by driving thousands of online shoppers to small businesses every month, hopes to help defend against these forces.

Shoppers in Austin and San Antonio can expect to unearth treasures from Contact Modern, Chic'tique, and Sundown Vintage, to name only a few, and more local stores and boutiques will continue to be added in the future.