Downtown Dallas: Retail

lakewoodhobo
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby lakewoodhobo » 27 Jul 2018 08:42

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DPatel304
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby DPatel304 » 27 Jul 2018 09:30

I haven't walked by this one, but it looks bigger and nicer than the one I went to in Austin (I'm sure Austin has big/nice ones too, I just happened to go into a smaller one).

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Jay9398
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Jay9398 » 27 Jul 2018 10:13

Very excited about Royal Blue opening.

Also, heard a rumor that the old Chase Bank branch at Main and Akard will become a Chipotle.

cowboyeagle05
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 27 Jul 2018 10:22

Jay9398 wrote:Very excited about Royal Blue opening.

Also, heard a rumor that the old Chase Bank branch at Main and Akard will become a Chipotle.

Not a terrible idea I still like Chipotle and its good to balance the local places with affordable brands like that.
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mdg109
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby mdg109 » 27 Jul 2018 13:31

Will definitely check out Royal Blue this weekend. Having Chipotle at this corner will be great. Hopefully it stays open late like Chop House and Freshii.

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dallaz
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby dallaz » 27 Jul 2018 15:39

The scoop on the new Royal Blue Grocery opening in downtown Dallas Saturday

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/ret ... own-dallas

Downtown Dallas residents and the commuting lunch crowd have been peering in the windows of the Royal Blue Grocery taking shape in recent weeks.

Saturday, they finally get to partake.

The 3,500-square-foot grocery store is opening at the corner of Main and Ervay streets in the Mercantile Building across from Neiman Marcus. A Verizon store recently opened on the other side of the building, just steps from AT&T's headquarters.

"We got our certificate of occupancy yesterday and we've been busy stocking shelves," said Zac Porter, owner of Royal Blue in Dallas. He opened the first of the Austin-based concept in Highland Park Village in 2015.

"We're still amazed that this corner was still available," Porter said. "I've been watching downtown for 15 years and we were always saying, it's time is coming. And now the energy is higher than I've ever seen it." He credited the momentum that was started a few years ago by developer Tim Headington who owns the Joule hotel and Forty Five Ten, the renovation of the old Statler Hotel and the former library that now houses The Dallas Morning News, several corporate moves to downtown and redevelopments of existing high-rise buildings into residential properties.

He's starting construction next month on a second downtown Dallas store in the Arts District on the street level of the Trammell Crow Center.

Also, Porter is pursuing City Hall approval for patio seating for Main and Ervay. There's also some seating inside the store.

The new downtown store isn't as big as the 6,000-square-foot store he opened in Highland Park Village, but it's larger than the downtown Austin locations of Royal Blue, he said.

"We think it's the right size for the neighborhood," he said. "We're going to carry a little bit of everything and tweak it as we get customer feedback."

Royal Blue will sell fresh produce, grab-and-go prepared meals, pantry staples such as pasta, rice, grains, cereals and soup. There will be a lot of beverages and waters.

"We're also going to have a great wine department," he said. Café items will include Royal Blue's signature breakfast tacos and Stumptown coffee. Salads, wraps and hot panini sandwiches are on the menu.

lakewoodhobo
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby lakewoodhobo » 27 Jul 2018 15:46

Jay9398 wrote:Also, heard a rumor that the old Chase Bank branch at Main and Akard will become a Chipotle.


That's a perfect location for them.

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mdg109
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby mdg109 » 27 Jul 2018 17:02

Patio seating for RB will be really good. They do a really good job of this in Austin.

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dallaz
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby dallaz » 28 Jul 2018 14:41

Did anyone get to checkout the new Royal Blue?

itsjrd1964
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby itsjrd1964 » 28 Jul 2018 17:10

Looks like Downtown Dallas Inc. has been inside, they posted about it earlier on Facebook.
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Matt777
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Matt777 » 29 Jul 2018 10:11

I live in the building and did stop by yesterday morning for free coffee and breakfast tacos that they were giving to guests. It was quite busy. The store looks gorgeous, but there are still things that need to be completed. Also, prices were not up for most items. The prices that were up ranged from normal to insane. I saw some bags of tortilla chips listed at $11.98, but hopefully they meant $1.98...... I think they will do very well if prices aren't insane. I do wish they would go with a local coffee co rather than Stumptown from Portland. And maybe make breakfast tacos in house rather than sourcing from Tacodeli which always feel a bit off to me having grown up in South Texas where breakfast tacos are king.

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tamtagon
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby tamtagon » 29 Jul 2018 11:49

Matt777 wrote:And maybe make breakfast tacos in house rather than sourcing from Tacodeli which always feel a bit off to me having grown up in South Texas where breakfast tacos are king.


mmmmmmmmm

tacos and kolaches, what else is there?

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mdg109
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby mdg109 » 29 Jul 2018 15:33

I stoped by yesterday as well like around 3pm and it was pretty busy. It's almost like a mini-Whole Foods/Central Market. I noticed a dessert bar with cakes, which I'm looking forward to trying out on my next visit. Hours weren't posted, but I think I overheard one of the managers say it's open from 7am to midnight.

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Jbarn
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Jbarn » 29 Jul 2018 15:36

I went this morning and was terribly disappointed. Very small, and very small selection, unless you want a bottle of wine. Basically a glorified 7-11.

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tamtagon
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby tamtagon » 29 Jul 2018 16:11

^It's a neighborhood grocery store, not a Wal-Mart Supercenter....

DPatel304
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby DPatel304 » 29 Jul 2018 19:05

Jbarn wrote:I went this morning and was terribly disappointed. Very small, and very small selection, unless you want a bottle of wine. Basically a glorified 7-11.


Maybe your expectations were a bit too high? I've been to one Royal Grocer in Austin and it was smaller than this location. This was never supposed to be a full-sized grocer, and, from what I see in the picture, I'm pretty pleased with how this turned out.

itsjrd1964
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby itsjrd1964 » 29 Jul 2018 20:03

Well, it's a start. And, it's definitely a better/more prominent location than the UrbanMarket was. Hopefully, as more come to downtown to live (as well as work, or stay in hotels, etc) there will be more demand as well as more awareness by developers as to the need for more retail/grocery options in and around the CBD.

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Jbarn
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Jbarn » 29 Jul 2018 20:05

tamtagon wrote:^It's a neighborhood grocery store, not a Wal-Mart Supercenter....


By no stretch of the imagination would this be considered a “grocery store”. More like a convenience store. You would be hard pressed to find enough ingredients of any kind here to even cook half a meal.

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tamtagon
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby tamtagon » 29 Jul 2018 21:30

Jbarn wrote:
tamtagon wrote:^It's a neighborhood grocery store, not a Wal-Mart Supercenter....


By no stretch of the imagination would this be considered a “grocery store”. More like a convenience store. You would be hard pressed to find enough ingredients of any kind here to even cook half a meal.


Would be great if other near-grocer convenience stores & take out bistro types open to fill in the pantry staples lacking at Royal Blue. One brand focus is produce, one brand is more bakery, one is protein.... something like that. Or, maybe an actual grocery store :(

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 30 Jul 2018 08:51

I have been reading the Downtown Residents council facebook group and it sounds like here people who want more from Royal like a full-service grocery store or are more realistic of what it is and is supposed to be. Keep in mind in Dallas we are spoiled we are very used to the suburban grocery store and those grocery runs were we stock up the pantry in one big trip. This is a corner market that is designed to sell a combination of local goods and some grocery staples better than a convenience store along with in-house made ready-to-go food. It's not quite a bodega but its meant to be the in-between those large grocery runs and the grab and go person who needs a snack on their afternoon walk. It's perfect considering they don't have a parking lot and don't need one. Its an option for those who can and will be able to afford it.

Tom Thumb will soon open two full-service grocery stores a quick Uber ride away within the next 6 months or so. Aldi will never build a store downtown the numbers don't make sense for there target market. Kroger doesn't build Urban stores in as much as they keep making noise like they want to. Trader Joes seems to have paused on expansion in DFW. Walmart has no desire for a serious urban product in Dallas either. Target seems to care still more about the suburban shopper with their CityTarget product. I will close with my favorite facebook comment about the Royal Blue.

royalblue-comment.png
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“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

cowboyeagle05
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 30 Jul 2018 09:05

Someone tell, Brandless the online store that sells all products with their own generic brand to open a brick and mortar location with self-checkout or we need Amazons new corner market/grocery store market concept they have been testing in other cities.
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 30 Jul 2018 09:57

https://www.dallasnews.com/business/ret ... own-dallas

The new downtown store isn't as big as the 6,000-square-foot store he opened in Highland Park Village, but it's larger than the downtown Austin locations of Royal Blue, he said.

"We think it's the right size for the neighborhood," he said. "We're going to carry a little bit of everything and tweak it as we get customer feedback."

Royal Blue will sell fresh produce, grab-and-go prepared meals and pantry staples such as pasta, rice, grains, cereals and soup. There will be a lot of beverages and waters.

"We're also going to have a great wine department," he said. Café items will include Royal Blue's signature breakfast tacos and Stumptown coffee. Salads, wraps and hot panini sandwiches will also be on the menu.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

cowboyeagle05
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 30 Jul 2018 09:58

Also last I heard the Trammel Crow tower location will be bigger and work with this location to balance out product needs.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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exelone31
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby exelone31 » 30 Jul 2018 13:03

"This business has been open one day and isn't exactly what I want, tear it down!"

lakewoodhobo
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby lakewoodhobo » 30 Jul 2018 13:45

ArtVandelay wrote:What's the story with this HART building? Why is it empty? And what's up with the sketchy night club in the back?


They have new signage on the building with new name and website. It doesn't look like there's a tenant signed yet: www.1933elm.com

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willyk
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby willyk » 30 Jul 2018 22:25

exelone31 wrote:"This business has been open one day and isn't exactly what I want, tear it down!"


Plenty of floor space to add more stuff. If that is what the market wants I suspect they will respond

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 31 Jul 2018 08:30

lakewoodhobo wrote:
They have new signage on the building with new name and website. It doesn't look like there's a tenant signed yet: http://www.1933elm.com

DB24EE50-F73E-44A4-837B-61A284DAD348.jpeg


The only way to make that little area work is to fill in those god-awful plazas across the street from this building surrounding the sky bridge and build them out as retail space to complement and create some energy. Donut store or something the morning office workers would use and hotel patrons? That and fill in the parking lot next door with something besides just another parking garage.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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dallaz
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby dallaz » 31 Jul 2018 08:31

cowboyeagle05 wrote:I have been reading the Downtown Residents council facebook group and it sounds like here people who want more from Royal like a full-service grocery store or are more realistic of what it is and is supposed to be. Keep in mind in Dallas we are spoiled we are very used to the suburban grocery store and those grocery runs were we stock up the pantry in one big trip. This is a corner market that is designed to sell a combination of local goods and some grocery staples better than a convenience store along with in-house made ready-to-go food. It's not quite a bodega but its meant to be the in-between those large grocery runs and the grab and go person who needs a snack on their afternoon walk. It's perfect considering they don't have a parking lot and don't need one. Its an option for those who can and will be able to afford it.

Tom Thumb will soon open two full-service grocery stores a quick Uber ride away within the next 6 months or so. Aldi will never build a store downtown the numbers don't make sense for there target market. Kroger doesn't build Urban stores in as much as they keep making noise like they want to. Trader Joes seems to have paused on expansion in DFW. Walmart has no desire for a serious urban product in Dallas either. Target seems to care still more about the suburban shopper with their CityTarget product. I will close with my favorite facebook comment about the Royal Blue.

royalblue-comment.png

Wow. Who could hate a (grocery) store coming into an area, which were none before? I would be excited just for that alone, if I lived in Downtown.

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exelone31
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby exelone31 » 31 Jul 2018 08:36

willyk wrote:
exelone31 wrote:"This business has been open one day and isn't exactly what I want, tear it down!"


Plenty of floor space to add more stuff. If that is what the market wants I suspect they will respond


For sure, I was more joking about the folks knee-jerking after the store has been open less than a week. They've got a model that has worked in other urban and quasi-urban (see HPV) spots. I think they'll be really great for the neighborhood.

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby dfwcre8tive » 31 Jul 2018 14:27

cowboyeagle05 wrote:
lakewoodhobo wrote:
They have new signage on the building with new name and website. It doesn't look like there's a tenant signed yet: http://www.1933elm.com

DB24EE50-F73E-44A4-837B-61A284DAD348.jpeg


The only way to make that little area work is to fill in those god-awful plazas across the street from this building surrounding the sky bridge and build them out as retail space to complement and create some energy. Donut store or something the morning office workers would use and hotel patrons? That and fill in the parking lot next door with something besides just another parking garage.


Those little plazas are owned/maintained by 1600 Pacific and serve no purpose other than to link the parking garage to 1600 Pacific and Comerica Tower. Keep the connectors but integrate them into new development that combines the plazas with the small garage parcel for a mid-rise office/hotel/residential project (with no need for extra parking). Emphasize the stairs and create a 2nd level beer garden for pre/post events at the Majestic.

e681c4571c71144604430f1ad0f0b86e.jpg


While you're at it simplify the skybridges and turn them into an elevated park.

24266f93-128a-4397-9344-b4b16ceb0d4d.jpg
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cowboyeagle05
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 01 Aug 2018 08:13

The small parking garage between the two plazas is the parking garage for Corrigan Tower residences and I am fine with the connector existing cause I have no choice but the plazas should be filled in with ground floor activating businesses. Also, 1600 Pacific across the street got approval to add a ground-floor restaurant in the space facing Elm as well. Seems like you could have a nice little active section of the street if a few more i's were dotted. Then you could have the hotel bar/Resturant, a restaurant in 1600 Pacific ground floor space, Majestic Theater and its scheduled performances, Hart Furniture restaurant space, and the two plazas could contain some fast-casual concepts.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 01 Aug 2018 08:22

Another article on Royal Blue with some slightly new information.
https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaura ... e-10966919

Downtown Finally Has a Grocery Store, But This Produce Doesn't Come Cheap
Everybody had really nice things to say even though we’re about 40 percent stocked with inventory. ... We normally take four or five days to stock ... but the neighborhood was excited, so we wanted to get it open...

Mind you, this is probably not your main stop for your weekly grocery haul — you still might have to drive for that. Deals aren’t Royal Blue Grocery’s thing.

...A downtown Dallas Facebook group was flooded with posts this weekend from people disappointed by — and defending — Royal Blue's prices. "Wow. Just wow. $6.50 for a gallon of reg whole milk non-organic," one user posted. "$5.50 for a cup an[d] a half of watermelon. $15 bucks for a jar of pasta sauce. Well Royal Blue, at those prices it’s not [worth] paying to just take an elevator downstairs. 3-4x the price as Tom Thumb an even 2x the price as Whole Foods."

“Before we got here, you were kind of limited to apples and bananas from a convenience store, not produce that you cook with,” Porter says. “We got a lot of snack foods, people can grab food on the run; then we’ve got pantry staples, things to make entrees and dinners with. We’ve got ingredients for your recipes.”

...A few things are still on Porter’s waiting list: a freezer for more frozen options, chairs to go with the two-top tables and a little bar that will offer seating against the westward-facing window.

Porter says he’d like to add outdoor seating one day.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 01 Aug 2018 08:24

From what I hear the cost of a permit to have outdoor seating is not worth it right now cause the city still charges big bucks to be permitted to have a sidewalk seating area for rights to the public right of way. Its the number one reason these things disappeared back in the day was the city started increasing fees for sidewalk cafe seating to increase revenue.
“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell”

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exelone31
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby exelone31 » 01 Aug 2018 09:28

cowboyeagle05 wrote:From what I hear the cost of a permit to have outdoor seating is not worth it right now cause the city still charges big bucks to be permitted to have a sidewalk seating area for rights to the public right of way. Its the number one reason these things disappeared back in the day was the city started increasing fees for sidewalk cafe seating to increase revenue.


That is insane to me. I ready similarly in the D Magazine New Urbanism edition that the city charges for awnings and planters outside of businesses as well. What an awful way to nickel and dime business owners.

Let's just go ahead and ban every business from having signs or displays in the windows. People shouldn't even know anything is inside those buildings. Ugh.

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Hannibal Lecter
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Hannibal Lecter » 01 Aug 2018 11:40

The city use to charge our building $1000 year for an "awning" (actually a decorative strip that extends six inches out over the sidewalk that we would love to get rid of but aren't allowed to because it's "historic") and for the right to plant some trees and groundcover between our building and the street. We finally got them to waive it.

exelone31 wrote:Let's just go ahead and ban every business from having signs or displays in the windows. People shouldn't even know anything is inside those buildings. Ugh.


They already did that: https://ij.org/case/gilliland-et-al-v-city-of-dallas/

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exelone31
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby exelone31 » 01 Aug 2018 13:54

Hannibal Lecter wrote:The city use to charge our building $1000 year for an "awning" (actually a decorative strip that extends six inches out over the sidewalk that we would love to get rid of but aren't allowed to because it's "historic") and for the right to plant some trees and groundcover between our building and the street. We finally got them to waive it.

exelone31 wrote:Let's just go ahead and ban every business from having signs or displays in the windows. People shouldn't even know anything is inside those buildings. Ugh.


They already did that: https://ij.org/case/gilliland-et-al-v-city-of-dallas/


My jaw is dropped, I guess this sign ban is still a thing? I'll have to look around and see what the rationale is there, because it's definitely not apparent. Unbelievable.

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 01 Aug 2018 14:32

The sign ban was related to the fact that many corner stores gas stations and the like would jam their windows with so many signs it looked cluttered and was a danger to safety. I say that because that's what was in the papers at the time when they pushed it into city code. Some convenience stores didn't seem to be able not to fill every inch of their windows with signs advertising so many products it made it hard to look at. Whether you agree with that or not is another story.
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Tivo_Kenevil
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Tivo_Kenevil » 01 Aug 2018 15:40

Ah yes the multiple signson window... The horror, the danger.

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Tivo_Kenevil
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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby Tivo_Kenevil » 01 Aug 2018 15:41

But is this even enforced?

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Re: Downtown Dallas: Retail

Postby cowboyeagle05 » 02 Aug 2018 08:25

I think like many things its enforced when a cop needs to or is compelled to by complaints.
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