3 days ago
Hidden Gem At DFW Airport: Inside The Employee Store Near Gate C2 With Airline Merch, Travel Gear, And Unique Gifts
The DFW Employee Store adjacent to gate C2 sells unique merchandise and travel equipment, and is open to the public.
I thought I had seen it all at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. I fly through a couple times a month, always on American Airlines. It's an airport of great size and distance, where the journey between two gates can be formidable. But I've come to know the place pretty well. I've found my 'secret' bathrooms that always tend to be empty and chill, and I know which eateries offer the best bang for my buck, especially in Terminals B and D, which I often frequent.
So it was with surprise that I discovered the DFW Employee Store in Terminal C, adjacent to Gate C2, on a recent layover. It caught my eye before I even knew what it was. I noticed its administrative-looking sign from a couple gates away. It was the first interesting store I'd seen at an airport in some time, and turns out, it's open to the public. So I wandered in.
It immediately felt like I had flashed back to some golden age of travel; something about the store made it seem like it was a few decades behind (fittingly, its website is copyright 2018 but looks like it could be from 1993).
The DFW Employee store sells a mix of airline merchandise, travel equipment, and model toys.
The store was a mix of airline merchandise, travel equipment, and model toys. There were both branded and gag (Marry Me, Fly Free) airline t-shirts for sale, and a whole selection of luggage, tags, and footwear for pilots, flight attendants, and desk agents.
The section that caught my eye was the destination sock collection, which popped with color. It had a big variety of cities and states and could make a good stocking stuffer for someone down the road.
Pop by on your next trip through Dallas-Fort Worth to kill time; it's worth the wander. If you're looking for easier access to airline merchandise, you can shop a large selection online from the company behind the DFW Employee Store, who told me that the DFW Employee Store is the only brick-and-mortar location they have at the moment.
If anyone knows of any other public employee stores in other airports, do find me below and let me know.
