Brian Bolke

Amid an ongoing 'retail apocalypse' that’s wiping out thousands of stores, retailers are staking their future on a new generation of brick-and-mortar shops that are radically different from their predecessors.

The president of the Dallas-based luxury boutique, which was acquired by Texas billionaire Tim Headington three years ago, has departed to pursue consulting projects.

The 2008 financial crisis put many local American retailers out of business, but the survivors are now stronger than ever.

In a world where many brick-and-mortar stores are struggling, the ability to curate a buy for the quirks of local taste has given some independent retailers rare power.

Tim Blanks takes an exclusive first look inside Brian Bolke's new boutique, which is at the heart of the downtown Dallas renaissance.