The long-awaited Alamo Drafthouse and surrounding restaurants at Skillman-Abrams is becoming a reality.
That flurry of activity you may have noticed at the shopping center surrounding the old Tom Thumb (the even older Simon David) is the work of landlord, Retail Plazas, Inc. (RPI). The company’s contractors, which moved onsite this week, are beginning redevelopment of the center, which they are renaming Creekside. “It’s not always the case that landlords and neighborhoods work this well together,” laughed Trey Hodge, VP of RPI as we stood in the center’s parking lot watching construction vehicles and work crews buzz about, “but lots of people from around here have contacted me to say they are excited about what’s coming. It’s been blighted and ugly for some time, and we get that. Neighbors want the Alamo Drafthouse, they want the new restaurants, and they are going to get them.” RPI began refurbishment last week, working to get the façade ready for Alamo to begin “inside work” this week. “The optimists say Alamo will be ready to open in four months,” said Hodge, laughing again. “The pessimists say it will be six. We will see.” While Advocate readers in both East Dallas and Lake Highlands have debated in which neighborhood this project is located, movie buffs to the north and south will have a new option for cinema, not to mention the restaurant possibilities, coming soon. Article courtesy of Lakewood Advocate, written by Carol Toler
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It's not about what it is, it’s about what it can become,” says the Lorax, Dr. Seuss’s sneakily radical environmentalist, disguised as a children’s book character. In much the same way that the Lorax saw seeds as trees, East Dallas artist Carrie Sharp sees rocks as canvas for art.
Sharp, who is entirely self-taught, had been quietly painting and selling her rocks for a few years when she decided to up the ante. She posted plans for her first-ever “rock hunt” last Halloween on the “Lakewood, Dallas” Facebook page. After delicately detailing rocks with hand-painted “Peanuts” comic characters, grinning pumpkins and other spooky designs, she walked the blocks, hiding them for neighborhood children (and art-loving adults) to find. Parents showed their gratitude by posting photos of their grinning kids clutching rocks emblazoned with Snoopy and witches. She’s planning another hunt, appropriately scheduled around Easter — but more on that later. Sharp’s path to the paintbrush was winding and unexpected. Artist Carrie Sharp started on canvas and incorporated rock painting into her pallette. The painter spends about an hour painting each rock, and hides them in local parks for children to find. (Photo by Rasy Ran)While she grew up in Rockwall, most of her weekends were spent at White Rock Lake with family and friends. When she married Little Forest Hills resident Matt Sharp 28 years ago, they made East Dallas their home. College came in fits and starts, but Carrie Sharp earned an associate’s degree in accounting. “Of all things,” she laughs. “I never used it.” For full Advocate article CLICK HERE After six-plus years, Unrefined Bakery, the gluten-free sweets purveyor, is closing its original location on Buckner Boulevard and moving to a surprising new address. The new shop will be at 6464 E. Northwest Hwy., better known as Medallion Center, and will open in mid-March.
This is the same center that's home to the un-super Target store, and which is undergoing a renovation. The bakery will go into the same section as Subway and Fish Bone Grill. "It's the sixth store, but it will be the fifth, since we are closing our original location," says Taylor Nicholson, who founded Unrefined with her mother, Anne Hoyt. The other four outlets are in Frisco, Rockwall, and Dallas, with locations on Greenville Avenue and in Preston Center. The Buckner Boulevard store will shutter on March 22. The closure is the result of many factors, she says. For full Culture Map story CLICK HERE Developer Southern Land Company sought public input before bringing its six-story, high-density retail/apartment proposal on Oram to the city. While City Councilman Philip Kingston said recently he has not yet been approached by the principals on the project, neighbors got an early look at the new plans last week.
The proposal would change the skyline of Lakewood, bringing the towering building where the one-story, 6,200-square-foot Teter’s Faucet Part has sat since 1947. The new plans include a retail section on the first floor topped with five stories of residential units, 140 in total at about 975-square-feet a piece. That would mean an uptick in density, current zoning allows for a floor area ratio of 1.5:1, while this project seeks to increase that to 3.45:1. An architectural rendering of the proposed six-story building at 6337 Oram.Two stories of underground parking would support the building, although only one parking stall is provided per unit and the total number of spots has not yet been decided. There would also be “head-in parking” for shoppers on Oram. In total, the project is predicted to bring 2,682 cars per day coming and going on the quiet street. Southern Land Company would also add sidewalks, crosswalks and landscaping to improve walkability around the project. To read the full Advocate article CLICK HERE. Retail closed but biweekly Co-Op starts 3/9!
Our retail store is no longer open but because we have short term access to our space at 3614 Greenville Ave (using the kitchen to make our amazing bone broth), we are offering a bi-weekly local pick up CoOp for some of our favorite items (like our addictive chicken meatballs, granola, bone broth, elderberry syrup, meats and more)! Click here to browse our online store, place your orders by Saturday 3/5 5pm and pick up all orders Thursday 3/9 430-630pm. Order and pick up times are strict so don't be late! We hope y'all order with us so we can see your happy faces next week. We would love to see you! What else is happening... Many of you have become fans of our Green Grocer Bone Broth and our Cassie Green Health Elderberry Syrup. These two delicious and immuno-supportive products are sold online as well as in several DFW area stores (and we can ship broth as well nationwide). Check the links for "Where to Buy" pages coming soon. We will continue our Bi-Weekly Meat Share program (still pickup at the Greenville Ave location every other Thursday 430-630pm until further notice). Please follow up on Facebook or Instagram (as well as this newsletter) in order to keep updated on that program. Neighborhood shopping centers are hot commodities these days and another one just changed hands.
Northwood Retail has purchased Hillside Village, a shopping center open since 1954 in the Lakewood area of East Dallas. The 169,299-square-foot retail center is located on 11.91 acres on the northeast corner of Mockingbird Lane and Abrams Road. Its tenants include Stein Mart, Olivella's Neo Pizza, Dream Café, White Rock Coffee and Manny's Lakewood Tex-Mex. "We have a long 10 to 15 year view for this shopping center," said Ward Kampf, president of Northwood Retail in an interview. The shopping center was last remodeled in the 1990s. "A lot of parts of the Dallas area may be over retailed, but many of its mature densely populated neighborhoods are underserved," Kampf said. The Mockingbird and Abrams intersection has more than 428,000 residents within a five-mile radius, he said, and about 63,000 vehicles a day pass by the center. "Lakewood is one of the hottest areas of town," he said, adding that big box stores at the intersection would be an underutilization of the property. He likes the local restaurant mix there now and sees the center evolving into even more of a place where residents can fill their everyday needs for food, health and beauty, fitness and other services that don't compete with online shopping. Northwood purchased Hillside from local owners Jim and Rebecca Tudor. For Hillside Village, Northwood has hired Dallas-based SHOP Cos. to help lease it. To read the full Dallas News article CLICK HERE News of a Starbucks moving to the corner of Ferndale and Northwest Highway has many in the neighborhood defensive on behalf of their beloved, locally owned White Rock Coffee, located just a couple doors down from where the java giant’s dirt and building materials are flying. The recently razed Backus Shell station that occupied the spot for more than 50 years seems all but forgotten. But Starbucks isn’t alone in new construction here along the 10100 block of E. Northwest Highway. White Rock Coffee owners Nancy and Robert Baker are erecting a training center for WRC baristas, in a building that sits between their 12-year-old “mothership” and the incoming Starbucks. “Our baristas undergo thorough training, some are certified at [the highest levels],” Nancy says. “We have outgrown the original building — it’s so busy, they are hopping from training to customers, too much.” The training facility, which will inhabit an extensively renovated former cash-lending store, is slated to open sometime this spring. It will include office space and a conference room and will be equipped with the latest gadgets and state-of-the-art espresso machines, “so the baristas can stay on the cutting edge of espresso/coffee technology,” Nancy says. Who knows, she adds, she and Bob might even launch classes for the public. Parking conditions at this Northwest Highway locale, about the only regular complaint, should improve. “We are aware it’s a little treacherous, parking, which is one reason we didn’t put another retail location there. We plan to maximize the lots for parking.” To read the full Advocate article CLICK HERE The Bath House Cultural Center. Photo by Danny Fulgencio It was a labor of pure lake love, and about $200,000 in donations, that built the White Rock Lake Museum in 2004. But this month, without any discussion with the people who built it, the City of Dallas handed the museum an eviction notice giving the group 60 days to vacate the Bath House Cultural Center.
“It took a community to build this museum; it’s going to take a community to save it,” says Kurt Kretsinger, president of the museum board. Why exactly the museum was given an eviction notice remains murky. Marty Van Kleeck, who manages the center, referred questions to David Fisher at the city’s Office of Cultural Affairs, which oversees the building. After agreeing to an interview, Fisher didn’t answer his phone when the Advocate called. But in an email to Kretsinger, which included the eviction notice, Fisher wrote: “Text-based, static, interpretive exhibits are just not efficient uses of space anymore. After more than a decade, we feel the museum has lived its useful life. In addition, the number one resource we hear that is needed by the cultural community is more gallery space for emerging artists. Hence, we are requesting that you remove the museum panels so that we can replace them with an emerging artist space. This helps the Bath House and Office of Cultural Affairs further their missions of supporting the arts and artists in Dallas.” To read the full Advocate article CLICK HERE. Finding the right flavor
Consistency is key at Pho Hanabi, so Eric Ton spent years searching for a practical and flavor-filled recipe. He constructed a kitchen in his backyard reminiscent of a mad scientist’s laboratory to experiment with seasoning and cooking methods. He traveled to 10 states across the country to sample the Vietnamese noodle soup, too. “The culture of eating pho is so different from not just state-to-state but city-to-city,” he says. Ton — a consultant who launched the Northwest Highway restaurant — embraces the unconventional. The engineer and culinary enthusiast is not a restauranteur, but he has a business-savvy mind and years of pho-making experience that he hopes will make the eatery a permanent neighborhood fixture. His process is under wraps, but the soup contains an array of spices, including cinnamon and cardamom, and is served with bean sprouts and basil leaves. “As a science and engineering guy, it does not make sense if we do it the traditional way,” Ton says. “It takes longer, and it doesn’t bring out all the flavors.” Besides the quality of the menu items, Ton is focused on providing his staff with a positive experience, which he believes will translate into customer service. “The most exciting part is my employees,” he says. “They are young and energetic and willing to learn. I feel like I can share more with them than making pho or working at a restaurant.” Did you know: In Vietnam, pho typically is served for breakfast. Pho Hanabi Ambiance: casual eatery Price Range: $4-$12 Hours: 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Sunday-Saturday 10675 Northwest Highway, suite 1635 214.221.0903 phohanabi.com Is the Dallas City Council's vote to reorganize Park Board leadership just a way to put Fair Park in the State Fair's pocket?On paper, it looks like a simple reassignment of duties. Item number 18 on this week’s Dallas City Council agenda calls for a “consideration of appointments to boards and commissions and the evaluation of duties of board and commission members.” But between the lines of the bureaucratic mumbo jumbo, the agenda item represents nothing less than a hatchet job.
First, let’s translate it into plain English. Tomorrow the City Council will decide whether Dallas Park and Recreation Board Vice Chair Jesse Moreno should remain vice chair, or if Sean Johnson, another board member with professional connections to the State Fair of Texas, should assume the position. The timing is significant. Two weeks ago, Moreno and Johnson locked horns in a park board meeting over the State Fair of Texas. Officials from the State Fair were invited to City Hall on January 26 to give a presentation of “highlights” from last year’s event. Some park board members wanted to use the visit as an opportunity to ask fair officials some tough questions, particularly relating to findings of a city audit that questioned whether the State Fair was adequately fulfilling its contractual obligations as a tenant of Fair Park. When city staff told the board that the agenda item only allowed for the State Fair to present “highlights,” and not to be questioned by the board, Moreno slipped a second item onto the agenda that would allow for an open discussion of the State Fair. However, after the State Fair made their presentation and the open conversation began, the fair officials split. They just left. No conversation. Jim Schutze covers the whole thing here. Schutze was in the park board meeting room at the time, which is good because I was watching the meeting online and just when the juicy part of the back-and-forth kicked in, the sound on the live feed mysteriously dropped out. Schutze reports that Johnson went to bat for the State Fair, calling his colleagues’ attempts to grill the State Fair officials during the briefing “embarrassing.” To read the full D Magazine article CLICK HERE. |
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