Michael Cason Longcrier

Michael Cason Longcrier, a Dallas prophet of vintage clothing who once told a reporter he would give his last dollar for a pair of fabulous plastic earrings, died of cancer at home with loved ones around him on Saturday, Dec. 28. He was 66.

Michael got his start in the vintage clothing business at age 14, riding his bike to garage sales. He’d return home with dresses, costume jewelry and the like — to his mother’s dismay — which he then sold from a booth at Snyder Plaza.

Michael was born in Richmond, Virginia, in 1958, and his family moved to Dallas in 1966. His mother, Jane Eleise (nee Cason) Longcrier, was a homemaker, master gardener and early force behind the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden. His father, H.L. “Les” Longcrier Jr., was a commercial general contractor and later a real estate broker and environmental contractor.

After attending St. Mark’s School of Texas, Michael spent time at Roger Williams University before returning to Dallas to open his vintage clothing store, Ahab Bowen. Located at 2614 Boll St. just west of McKinney Ave. in Uptown, the store was named after the farmer who built the folk Victorian dwelling (around 1874) where the store resided for 35 years until Michael sold the building in 2011 and it was turned into a bar and restaurant called Bowen House.

There’s a historic landmark plaque out front of Bowen House, if you’d like to learn more.

Press accounts over the years referred to Ahab Bowen as, variously, “the vintage clothing shop extraordinaire" and “Dallas's best-curated collection of vintage clothing and accessories.”

Ahab Bowen alumni include Michael’s protégé Gretchen Bell, who owns the Dolly Python vintage clothing stores. Michael’s other early vintage clothing establishment, Eclectricity — co-owned by Blair Bryant and Michelene Kerfonta — was located on Lower Greenville in the early ’80s.

Michael later met and married Marcos Moran, the love of his life, despite living on different continents. Michael learned Spanish, Marcos English, and they kept in constant contact over the years.

In addition to his husband, Michael is survived by his brother Hank Longcrier and his wife, Ellen (nee Carpenter), of Lindale, Texas; brother Steve Longcrier of Evans, Georgia; niece, Rebecca Pue (nee Longcrier), and her husband, James, of Fairfield, Texas; nephew Jonathan Longcrier and his wife, Candice (nee Dobbs), and their children, Olivia and Cason, all four of Van, Texas; and nephew Christian Longcrier and his wife, Kaitlin (nee McDermitt), of Nashville.

Not prone to mild opinions, Michael once told D Magazine “people don’t take ’70s clothes seriously, and they shouldn’t.”

Michael’s friends and customers are invited to a memorial gathering on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 5-8 p.m. at the Dallas Design Center, 1250 Slocum St. entrance, in the Arsin Rug Gallery, Suite 747. Please note: Michael requested that guests wear cocktail-hour attire, not funeral attire.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a gift in Michael’s name to the SPCA or the Humane Society.