SHOPPING

BEST CHILDREN’S STOR E

WINNER - FROGGIE’S 5 & 10 TOY STORE

2ND - THE LITTLE THINGS

3RD - ROCKET FIZZ DEEP ELLUM

BEST FURNITURE STORE

WINNER - THE COLLECTIVE

2ND - COCO & DASH HOME

3RD - JULIA’S RESALE SHOP

BEST GIFT SHOP

WINNER - TALULAH & HESS

2ND - SAMPLE HOUSE & CANDLE

SHOP

3RD - TEXAS GOODS COMPANY

BEST HOME DECOR

WINNER - TALULAH & HESS

2ND - CURIOSITIES ANTIQUES

3RD - BETTY LOU DALLAS BOUTIQUE

BEST JEWELRY STORE

WINNER - SERGIO’S JEWELRY

2ND - LOWER GREENVILLE JEWELRY

3RD - RALPH AUSTIN JEWELERS

BEST MEN’S CLOTHING

STORE

WINNER - BONOBOS - KNOX HEN -

DERSON

2ND - THE BLACK TUX

3RD - STAG PROVISIONS FOR MEN

BEST PLANT NURSERY

WINNER - RUIBAL’S PLANTS OF TEXAS

2ND - REDENTA’S GARDEN SHOP

3RD - WALTON’S GARDEN CENTER

BEST THRIFT/ CONSIGNMENT

WINNER - DOLLY PYTHON

2ND - UPTOWN CHEAPSKATE

3RD - BUFFALO EXCHANGE

BEST WOMEN’S BOUTIQUE

WINNER - FAVOR THE KIND

2ND - CANAL CLOTHING

3RD - KEEPSAKE snacks — at least, that’s what Herman and Kelly have heard from the kids.

But the adults love the house, too.

One time, the night of the Hexter Elementary fundraiser and subsequent afterparty at Goodfriend, 30 adults collectively decided to keep the celebrations going at the Guerras’ house. They ended up ordering about 100 tacos from Taqueria Taxco.

“We killed like 80 of them,” Herman says. “Then we woke up the next morning to taco grease all over that deck. It was a brand new deck.”

Some parties are far less spontaneous, though.

The Guerras have had five or six tamale-making parties, held annually around the holidays. It started small, but as years progressed, Kelly began receiving calls from people wanting to come.

They had as many as 50 people — parents and kids — in their house for the holiday party. The Guerras would move all of their furniture and set up tables. Guests would bring their own pressure cookers, using every available outlet.

A white elephant gift exchange was also part of the festivities.

“That became more of the draw and not so much the tamales,” Kelly says. “And then it was just more to have a party, and we’d just get done with the tamales real quick so that we could hang out and not work on making tamales.”

Last year, they and a small group of friends decided to skip the tamales and instead have a holiday gathering at Hudson House. The event had just gotten too big for the Guerras’ house.

They’ve also hosted an employee appreciation party for Greenville Avenue Pizza Co. at the request of the owner, Sammy Mandell, who’s a friend of the Guerras. Many birthday parties, some featuring mechanical bulls, smoked pigs and carnival games, have been held in the backyard.

The Guerras, who own HG & Co. Home Improvement, say the hardest part about hosting is cleaning. But when guests stay in the backyard, the cleanup is a little easier.

“I actually do like hosting,” Kelly says. “I mean, that’s not why we put a pool in, but that’s definitely something you have to think about, when you make your backyard nicer, because people are going to want to come over.”