H-E-B will not be opening another Central Market foodie haven in East Dallas at Mockingbird and Abrams. Neither will it be opening the first Dallas H-E-B grocery store at that location. In fact, H-E-B no longer even owns the former Albertsons-turned-Minyard Sun Fresh Market. It has sold the store to Dallas-based developer Lincoln Property Co.
The company announced that it bought the Mockingbird-Abrams store along with five other Minyard stores in September for two reasons: the new Central Market stores it will open in Uptown and Preston Hollow.
“We purchased the entire package of properties in order to acquire the Midway Road and McKinney and Lemmon Avenue locations,” said Mabrie Jackson, director of public affairs at Central Market. Senior vice president of Central Market, Stephen Butt, added that “we have had our eye on these two prime locations for many years” and that “Central Market takes a very disciplined approach in selecting the best locations for our special brand.”
Mockingbird and Abrams was not deemed special enough, or perhaps just too close to the Lovers-Greenville Central Market. And despite all the speculation that H-E-B might finally bring its titular store to Dallas, that doesn’t look likely, either.
“Plans for the remaining three stores are still under evaluation; however, these will likely be sold or leased to other retail tenants,” Jackson said in the release.
Central Market currently has two Dallas stores, the one at Lovers and Greenville and its newer Preston-Royal location, which opened in 2012 and is only 4 miles away from one of the two newly announced stores. H-E-B believes, however, that it will accommodate residents of western Preston Hollow and other nearby neighborhoods.
Councilman Philip Kingston, who lives in and represents parts of East Dallas, also represents the Uptown neighborhood where Central Market will open. In the release, he noted that Uptown residents “will be thrilled” and “I am thrilled to welcome a beloved grocery store to Texas’ most vibrant neighborhood.”
Lincoln Property Co. and Central Market go way back; Lincoln brought the company to Dallas and has provided the San Antonio-based grocer with all of its Dallas-area locations. Elsewhere in our neighborhood, Lincoln owns part of Lakewood Shopping Center and also Arboretum Village and Lakeview Shopping Center at Gaston-Garland-Grand.
The Fresh Market grocery store anchored Arboretum Village until May, when it closed all three DFW stores in Lincoln-owned shopping centers. Tom Thumb announced in September that it would take over those spots, and its sign is up at the former Fresh Market location on Gaston.
It’s safe to say that Lincoln won’t be leasing its newly purchased grocery store to Tom Thumb, as the company already has a large store kitty corner on Mockingbird-Abrams.
Additional reporting by Elissa Chudwin
