The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses
Did you know that Dallas Plumbing Company, based in our neighborhood, has been around for more than 100 years? In 1903, founder Ward Downs began serving Dallas customers from his horse-drawn wagon. In the early 1900s, Downs helped construct some of the most prominent homes and structures in Texas, including Fair Park and Highland Park Village. During World War II, Dallas Plumbing helped build structures to support the armed services, and after serving in the war, Lt. Fred Downs became the company’s second-generation leader. In 1981, his son, Johnny, became the third-generation family member to manage the business. Today, third and fourth generations of the Downs family own and operate the company. Visit dallasplumbing.com for contact information and a full list of services.
Lakewood residents Mike & Kimberly Wylie recently launched babyphotographers.com, a website listing more than 6,000 professional photographers in 50 states and 14 countries who specialize in baby and children’s photography. Folks in search of a photographer can filter their search by location, get a “snapshot” of each photographer (often including galleries and video), review other parents’ comments on featured photographers, and contact the photographers directly from the website. Kimberly Wylie is an award-winning photographer based in our neighborhood; her work recently was featured on the cover of “Professional Photographer” magazine. She identified the need for such a resource in the industry, and with the help of her husband, Mike, an internet marketing executive, their brainchild became a reality. Babyphotographers.com also offers parents advice for taking their own photos, what to expect or ask of a baby photographer and the best times to schedule sessions (in terms of day and age).
Cobblestone Shoe Repair recently moved to 5340 E. Mockingbird (near Park Cities Storage). Previously located nearby on Southern Methodist University-owned property, the business (which occupied the space for more than 15 years) relocated after receiving word the university has “plans” for the original location. Cobblestone, established more than 100 years ago in south Texas, plans to open a second location in Dallas at Preston and I-635.
If you wind up being one of the first to own an all-electric vehicle, Half Price Books wants your business. While you’re inside browsing the store, your car can be outside getting its fill of free electricity from Green Mountain Energy. Half Price spent about $10,000 setting up the charging station (the first in North Texas) at its flagship store on Northwest Highway near Central. Half Price will allow free fill-ups through September 2011, when the program will be re-evaluated by company execs. The charging station can accommodate two cars at a time, but customers shouldn’t expect that to speed up the process too much, as some cars will take hours to receive a full charge. The high-tech charging station can send text messages to drivers about their vehicle’s charging status while they’re inside checking out merchandise or chilling at the café.
Professional Bank, which has a Lakewood office across from Whole Foods on Abrams, recently was sold to Veritex Holdings Inc. Veritex CEO Malcolm Holland joined other former executives of Colonial Bank to look for a neighborhood bank chain to buy and grow. Current Professional Bank CEO James Miller will remain with the company as executive vice president, and Lakewood branch president Mark Smith also will be sticking around. Professional Bank’s new name will be Veritex Community Bank beginning next year.
For months, rumors have been circulating about In-N-Out Burger coming to Dallas. The iconic West-coast burger joint is rumored to have six locations “under contract” in the Dallas-Fort Worth area., and it appears that a Dallas-based real estate company has signed a deal leasing the former Steak ’n Shake restaurant at Caruth Haven and Central to the popular restaurant chain. Bill Hanks of Rosebriar Properties says the spot will be In-N-Out Burger’s inaugural restaurant in Dallas. An opening date hasn’t yet been announced.
Il Cane Rosso is going from mobile to mortar by the end of the year. The authentic Neapolitan-style pizzeria has become a hit among Dallas foodies not only for its gourmet pizzas but also because of its unique business model — a mobile pizza-slinging operation that makes weekly appearances throughout our neighborhood and beyond, including Green Spot on Thursday evenings and Times Ten Cellars on Wednesday evenings. Now Il Cane Rosso is opening up a permanent shop at 2612 Commerce in Deep Ellum. Owner Jay Jerrier studied Italian and trained in Italy with pizzaioli (certified master pizza makers) from the Associazone Verace Pizza Napoletana. Jerrier opted to hit the road with his pizza oven at the end of 2008 after doing the math; a mobile biz would be cheaper to start up and allow him the flexibility to research potential permanent locations. The pizzeria’s new digs previously were occupied by a slew of bars over the years, including the Texas Tea House, Gridlock and Blue Cat Blues.
Jerrier also has been tagged to develop the menu for Brackets, the new sports bar and social club opening in the space that was formerly Trader Vic’s at Hotel Palomar (East Mockingbird at Central Expressway). Its menu includes unique sandwiches, frittatas and other wood-fired dishes with an Italian accent. Bar-esque activities will include table tennis, shuffle board, billiards, darts and Wii. It will also offer a weekend brunch and late night menu. Brackets is expected to open before the end of the year.
For those of you who didn’t get the memo about Trader Vic’s: A burst pipe in January caused extensive damages in the 3-year-old restaurant and led to what was expected to be a temporary closing. After several months of no word and no reopening, Trader Vic’s released a statement that read, in part: “We tried tirelessly to find a way to keep the doors open, but the cost of remodeling was just too high. We will not be reopening Trader Vic’s Dallas.” The Dallas Trader Vic’s originally opened in 1967 in what was then the Dallas Hilton. It closed in spring 1989, but was kept somewhat intact, with much of the original décor still in place. In 2006, the hotel became the Palomar, and Trader Vic’s reopened downstairs.
The Granada Theater just launched an update of its website, granadatheater.com. Visit to check out the lineup and purchase tickets for upcoming shows. Each show listing includes a “goes good with” pairing, which gives potential patrons an idea of each artist’s genre and vibe by comparing it to other, often more well-known bands with a similar sound. The Granada, which has been a music venue since 1977, recently celebrated its sixth year under new ownership. Mike Schoder, former owner of CD World stores, envisioned a better music venue for Dallas, and restored and updated the 65-year-old former movie theater.
