Sep 10, 2008
Cook Children's Buys Former 8th Avenue Carnival
By: Kevin Buchanan
The Dallas Business Journal is reporting that Cook Children’s has bought the former Carnival grocery store at 8th Avenue & Allen in the Near Southside and will be renovating it into office space.
Disappointing news from a neighborhood perspective – at the very least, I was hoping to see some sort of grocer return to the site, and ideally I was hoping to see the building demolished and replaced with a properly urban-designed building rather than the box behind a parking lot that sits there now (something to counteract the horrible suburban Schwarz-Hanson-designed medical office building that went up across the corner).
Yeah, that is kinda stinky news. Too bad that lot isn’t part of Fairmount. Then they’d have to build something nice there.
Definintely disappointing news, but it could be a lot worse and I’m glad something’s going in there rather than sitting vacant.
I would love to have it but I think any grocery store is going to struggle at this point in our ‘hood. I know the Urban Market in Downtown Dallas was struggling and not sure how it’s doing today.
Honestly, I don’t hold much faith for 8th Ave ever truly being urban and hold out more faith for Magnolia and some parts of Hemphill.
Chewy,
Urban Market is now doing well and is planning two or three more locations around downtown Dallas.
I think a grocer would succeed in the Near Southside, but a lot of the bigger chains are reluctant to think outside the box. It’ll come from an unexpected source.
That’s good to hear on Urban Grocery. I used to eat lunch there every once a while but they changed the menu about a year ago and just haven’t been back. I hadn’t seen any articles recently so I wasn’t sure how they were doing.
I agree it won’t come from a big grocer because they won’t be able to replicate the revenue per square feet they need in most likelihood.
I do think it could be a unique grocer like Urban Market that offers part grocery and restaraunt or something similar.
I think getting Oleander Walk more built out and getting Rosedale enhanced for pedestrian traffic could really help out as density grows between Magnolia and Rosedale.
I did try persuading Sprouts to consider this location, but to my chagrin. Perhaps, TJ would be a nice alternative (other than Fiesta).
I agree with all posters. We need to get rid of the big box retailers in favor of locally owned, or at least Central Market style retailers.
But, at least it won’t stay empty, like so many other big box stores (Walmart, Target).
Hey Kevin – looks like they are on the Urban Design Commission agenda for September 18th: http://www.fortworthgov.org/uploadedFiles/Public_Meetings/2008/09/0918_UDC.pdf
Might be a prime time to give them your two cents; however the only items up for consideration are parking lot cap and parking lot screening.
If the Home Health is being relocated from its current location (a couple blocks away); perhaps, grocer (Sprouts, TJ, etc.) could give another consideration – not to mention, expansion (now-defunct Mr. Jim’s next door).
Also, you can go to this page and send Trader Joe’s an e-mail requesting a location in Fort Worth: http://www.traderjoes.com/contact_us_selection.html
Make sure to choose the subject as “Location Requests”
The more requests they get – specifically for the Southside or Downtown, the more they might look in to this area as a target for a new location!
Sorry…using your blog as an excuse to avoid studying…
[...] and replaced with something not situated behind a big barren parking lot, here’s a bit of disappointing news. The former Carnival (which began life as a Buddie’s supermarket when first built) has been [...]
Not to bump/hijack the thread – I did see some activity on the location; however, I wonder what would happen with the smaller building on the southern side of the same lot. Aldi’s/TJ?