HOUSTON CHRONICLE
If you needed a reason to throw a house party, here's a great one: Kim Etheridge has opened sophisticated party goods store Emerson Sloan in Rice Village. Catering to both kids and adults, the shop sells modern toys, costumes and dress-up kits and themed party goods - think cups, plates, napkins, straws, garland and hats adorned with dinosaurs, ballet dancers, pirates, westerns and (of course) princesses. For grown-ups, there are candles, cake stands, confetti, coasters, cute cards and hundreds of other fun extras you never knew you needed to host (or attend) the perfect soirée. Moms can drop kids in the corralled play area while they shop, but kids of all ages will have a hard time resisting the candy cart in the middle of the store, stocked with gumball and sweet treats by Shuglove and Hammond's.