Inside Hookah - Online Hookah Lifestyle Magazine - Rising Star

After circling the block a couple times, I finally arrived to the tucked away diamond that is Retro-Revolution. The front of the building was decorated in a gorgeous eccentric mural, featuring Ganesh – the Hindu deity of fortune, good luck, and wealth- smoking a hookah: I knew that if the side of the building was this cool, that the store had to be amazing. I walked through the door around 10:00 PM and the dedicated shopkeeper was still finishing her closing duties, even though the store was supposed to close at 9:00 PM (Given that it was a Saturday). As I entered, my eyes were inundated with colors and captivating trinkets. Words like bohemian and radical wouldn’t even begin to describe this wonderland of treasures from far and near.

From clothing and accessories to home décor, Retro-Revolution functions as the DFW’s very own eclectic target. The shop carries African art pieces, Asian and East Asian pieces, and clothing fit for both trend setters and trend followers in the front room. Through a set of doors that would appear to lead to an office or storage room, you’ll find the tobacco smoker’s dream: a pipe room. Retro-Revolution carries any kind of pipe a tobacco enthusiast could wish for, including hookahs! The walls of this room are covered in tapestries which pay homage to Bob Marley, Jimmy Hendrix, Pink Floyd, and the great rock legends of the 60’s and 70’s . As the store’s owner, Kim, continued to frantically finish her closing duties she jokingly commented, “It’s crazy owning a business, but I must like crazy.”

Kim has been in the retail and fashion industry since 1992, when she owned a tie cart in a mall. Retro-Revolution started as another cart in the mall in 1996. Kim opened her first full fledged store in Plano in1999, and has just recently opened a second store on Dallas’s chic and trendy Greenville Ave. last June. As a California native, the theme for Retro-Revolution was inspired by several of the shops found on the infamous Melrose Ave. in the 1980’s (ie: Let it Rock, The Soap Plant, etc.). In addition, both her mother and father owned vintage and antique stores, and her grandmother was a painter of East Asian images. Kim’s background combined with her love for Egypt, Morocco, India, and Nepal contribute to her selection in product.

Kim was introduced to the hookah world by the Hookah Brothers when she came across them at a tradeshow in New York in 1992. In 1996 she added hookahs to her line up when she opened Retro-Revolution. The owner finds it most important to ensure a large variety and prides herself on matching her inventory to her customer’s buying patterns. She prefers custom and unique hookahs with fancy bases. Right now her product line consists of a diverse mixture of items. She carries an ever growing range of tobaccos varying in flavor and brand, some of which include Nakhla and Hookah Hookah brands. Furthermore, she carries an assortment of Egyptian and Chinese custom hookahs. From bases with textured dots, to swirls, and bright colors it is impossible not to find a unique hookah at Retro-Revolution. In the future, Kim would like to continue penetrating new markets, and bring awareness to the communities that surround them.