Crowns, Commerce & a Little Retail Therapy in Downtown Rockwall

We came. We shopped. We charged.

EDITOR’S NOTE

ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 20, 2026) There are special occasions when a woman should wear a tiara. Our friend Kristy Tyra decided a shopping tournament was one of them.

Sheri Parks, Cindy Tayem and I happily embraced her royal vision. Together, we became Retail Royalty, complete with tiaras, pink sashes and leopard print. Subtlety was never going to be our competitive advantage.

We recently joined more than 80 women downtown for the 2026 La Tee Da Fall Shopping Tournament, presented by Hanby Insurance through the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce’s Professional Women’s Alliance. Teams earned points through purchases and social media engagement before gathering for a mixer, awards and raffles.

Shopping. Friends. A legitimate reason to post about it. Finally, a sport that understands me.

Full disclosure: Retail Royalty did not win any team awards. We were, however, awesome. As both a participant and the editor, I feel qualified to put that on the record.

Perhaps we crowned ourselves a little early.

Besties for the Restie claimed first place with 460 points and gift cards from Revive Aesthetics & Healthcare. The Shopping Queens took second with 368 points and Covebourne gift cards. Clearly, ours wasn’t the only claim to the throne.

The Saucy Supersized Sisters earned Best Spirit and A Little Kitschy gift cards; Cyber Chicks won Wild Card. We graciously acknowledge your victories while reserving the right to wear our tiaras anyway.

Thanks to SouthState Bank’s designer handbag raffles, Eva Hummel won a Kate Spade handbag, and Dee Ellis won a Tory Burch purse.

Which brings me to a little rabbit hole: When does shopping become community service?

That sounds suspiciously like something I’d say while explaining a credit card statement to my husband. But every downtown storefront represents someone’s work, investment and willingness to take a chance. Someone selected the merchandise, opened the doors and hoped we’d come in.

La Tee Da gave us a fun reason to do exactly that. Purchases supported local merchants, while social posts introduced their businesses to potential customers. A tournament ends; a new customer relationship can keep going.

Thank you to the participating merchants, presenting sponsor Hanby Insurance, and event chairs Lynette Coughlin of Providence Place Bridal Boutique and Tammy Escobedo of The Pink Door Studio/Mary Kay, along with the sponsors, volunteers, PWA Advisory Committee and Chamber staff.

We came home without a team award, but with our royal standing intact. According to us.

And if they add Most Confident Despite the Results next year, we’re ready.

By Dawn Redig, Editor, Blue Ribbon News.

  downtown, feature, la tee da, retail royalty, Rockwall, shopping