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Content from our friends over at Dallas Progress

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

New Oak Cliff Save-a-Lot is more than just a grocery store

by Michael Davis of Dallas Progress

Yesterday was a great day in Oak Cliff. The Save-A-Lot grocery store had its official ribbon cutting for the brand new store at the Crest Shopping Center in the 2600 Block of Lancaster (map). Note: the Google street view also shows how it looked before the renovation.

Dwaine Caraway and I, along with Mayor Leppert, city staff, neighbors, and the shopping center developer have been working on this for nearly two years. We were first looking at putting the store across the street from its current location. Everyone settled on keeping the store in the shopping center. The neighbors' input was used in creating the store, from the items stocked on the shelves and beyond.

Save-A-Lot is an important part of this community. In these times, Save-A-Lot provides the opportunity for a family to get a healthy, balanced meal for $5. Compared to buying fast food every night for dinner because it's cheap, a void is being filled in this neighborhood. People couldn't wait to get into the store, as you can see people pushing carts by us even as the press conference progressed.

One major bonus: Save-A-Lot donated 5,000 pounds of food to the North Texas Food Bank! According to one of their reps that translates into 100 full carts of groceries for needy families at a time when donations are shrinking.

As I have said from the beginning, this is bigger than just a new grocery store.

In the process, the new store also provided us an opportunity to get rid of the asbestos filled theater that was on the north side of the center. The theater had been vacant for years and could not be rented due to the aforementioned issues. Now there's a new grocery store in its place.

Mickey's Catfish, owned by Vincent Hall, has just opened in the last couple of months. The mall and the neighborhood has a lot more energy now vs. before Dwaine took office.

You will also see that the entire mall is undergoing an extensive renovation and repaving, which was spearheaded by everyone working with the owners of the center as part of our Lancaster Road Initiative.

One of the comments that struck me the most were the ones made by Rick Meyer from Save-A-Lot:

"I'd like to take Dwaine on some road shows with me, (and) teach some folks in other communities what it's all about to be a good partner."

A comment like that makes it all worthwhile. When you see the various articles and conferences held with respect to what Southern Dallas needs to bring growth and development, this is what it's all about. You can say it and claim you're a leader all day long, but just like a World Series Championship baseball team you need a starter and a closer. We have that in our Mayor and Dwaine. This is one of the reason that I'm glad they're both in office and in leadership positions on City Council. In his remarks, the Mayor also hinted at another store to be announced for District Four pretty soon!

This store and center will always be special to me. It's where Dwaine's campaign office was located when he first took office. The neighborhood was promised that this center would be a catalyst for positive change in that part of Oak Cliff and along Lancaster Road. I can't count the number of nights we walked the center hoping that we could someday be a part of its turnaround. It's here, but there's more to come. The work is not done, but we're moving in the right direction.

Video is below:

Remarks from from Rick Meyer, Vice President of Save-A-Lot.

Remarks from Vanessa Foster from Save-A-Lot and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.

Remarks from Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway

Remarks from Cathy Misko and Vanessa Foster of Save-A-Lot and officials from the North Texas Food Bank.

Pegasus News content partner - Dallas Progress

Staff
Verified User
Anonymous

Great news for Oak Cliff..

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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That old place I used to hood at, needs more grocery stores and good ones too....good story lets get more on this action....A/T once upon a time in the O.C hood....and it felt good.......OAK CLIFF....

alexander troup Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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This person needs to rename his internet life "I Love Dwaine Caraway" or "Could Dwaine Caraway Please Appoint Me to Some Kind of Council Like Next Tuesday?"

DC Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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One thing I forgot to mention: the shopping center owner kicked out the cabaret and dance hall tenants, which has also helped the neighborhood.

Michael Davis Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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I agree with ya mike, this is a good thing for the southern sector, as there isnt alot of decent "true" grocery stores in the area. I applaude the city and private business getting together to get this done.

Chris Kidd Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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This isn't really Oak Cliff. Cedar Crest, maybe. Fruitdale?

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Nope..that is Oak Cliff..

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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The neighborhood is Cedar Crest Village... but it's in Oak Cliff

Michael Davis Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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No.

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Did DC have his cronies rap about sagging pants? Because we all know that is very important.

Ondre Sembera Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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I like the use of "cronies" and "rap" in the same sentence. I'm not sure I could have pulled it off myself.

Robert Kelly Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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If you want to know where Oak Cliff is here is a map.

http://www.oakcliff.com/Images/Oak-Cl...

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Ask those folks where they stay and I bet they will say Oak Cliff...

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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I'll show them the map and then they'll know better. Like you do now.

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Good luck with that..

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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"I like the use of "cronies" and "rap" in the same sentence. I'm not sure I could have pulled it off myself." - R. Kelly

I'm fairly positive Nas already covered that particular base sometime before the millenium...

ch0 Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Christ, can't believe people get so butthurt about unofficial turf wars.

OEsophagus, linked image is "original" Oak Cliff - <a href="http://www.oakcliff.com/getting_to_north_oak_cliff.htm">per same site</a>:

The "original" Oak Cliff is pretty much what we now call "North Oak Cliff." North Oak Cliff is where you'll find the historic homes, Bishop Arts District, Kessler Neighborhood, Methodist Hospital, Lake Cliff, the Texas Theater, and lots of oak trees and quiet neighborhoods.

Goes on to say:

Some folks call everything in Dallas south of the Trinity River "Oak Cliff," but in reality that area is made up of a bunch of communities and towns that were gradually absorbed into the city of Dallas. If you include all of that area -- Oak Cliff has about 400,000 people in it and is as big as Buffalo, New York!

Get over yourself.

Scott Doyle Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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This is rich. When people in Lakewood, M-streets, Forrest Hills etc take pride in their neighborhood, add street sign toppers and generally take care of the place, it's OK to guard that "turf." When people who live south of the river claim their neighborhoods as distinct areas they must "get over" themselves. Is that it?

The map on the site is correct. It doesn't mean the rest of the information on the site is correct. Why would you assume that?

In the same vein, just because "some folks" do something, it does not make that something correct. Meaning that just because you and a few other uninformed people insist on generalizing a swath of southern Dallas as "Oak Cliff" doesn't make it so.

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Ondre, Im guessing Doonie Da Priest is about at the level of celebrity that maybe a dozen or so people would come to see him open a supermarket or a gas atation. Why didnt Droopy Dwaine or Mayor Tom didnt invite him is a question we all should be asking.

OE, Neighborhood pride is something all of south dallas needs to embrace. But, to be honest, original Oak Cliff is, for all intents and purpose, the area just south of the trinity.

Lastly scott, butthurt is something that I think is a requirement to live over in bishop arts district (rim shot)

Chris Kidd Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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Who said anything about anywhere else but Oak Cliff? I'd call any of those areas out too if they were obviously wrong.

The map on the site is correct.

It was correct...circa 1890 when it was drawn up. Bottom of the page I already linked to (which is where you got the image) clears this up nicely.

*It doesn't mean the rest of the information on the site is correct. Why would you assume that?*

Because it's the neighborhood's site...describing their neighborhood. Apparently that's unreasonable to you?

Stay under your North Oak Cliff rock, pls.

Scott Doyle Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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LOL deep throat...I have lived in around around Oak Cliff for most of my life and I don't depend on a website to tell me whether or not I'm in the hood or not.

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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It IS correct.

Oak Cliff was a real town with real, verifiable borders. That's still the area today. It doesn't expand because you want it to, or because a website wants it to. And more to the point of this story, a grocery store on Lancaster and Illinois is not going to be visited by people on Hampton and Davis ... which is in Oak Cliff.

You can point to misinformation all you want and claim to have "lived in and around" the place, but it doesn't make it true. Sorry.

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 2 weeks ago
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"Oak Cliff was a real town with real, verifiable borders."

Thank you, Captain Obvious..BTW..where are you from?

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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Butthurt TX, duh!

ch0 Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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cho, I doubt it...and if so then I dunno where it has been hiding, cuz I never met anyone who would try and be contrary when you said you lived in the OC..They tried segregating us with the freeways, but the old skoolers called it like they liked it..You know, like my family that has been here since the 50's...

Travis Bush Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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You can point to misinformation all you want

Take it up with them, I don't live there and don't really care to. Simply pointing out that here and now the neighborhood's website declares OC expands beyond your 1890 map. And that's my understanding of it, along with pretty much anybody who's ever been south of Dallas.

Until one random internet person substantiates a claim against the very site who insists the borders have grown...I'll continue believing the neighborhood's website about their neighborhood.

Scott Doyle Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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You people sure are crazy over OC

Jesus Valadez Verified

5 months, 1 week ago
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It takes brave men to stand up to logic and say, "We'll take our information from common misunderstandings and a website, thanks."

OEsophagus Anonymous

5 months, 1 week ago
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You are the one who decided to bring a website into the discussion, dingus..Everyone knows there was a small town named Oak Cliff. It doesn't exist any more..deal with it. And yes, everyone knows there are different areas that also used to be small communities surrounding downtown. Those don't exist anymore either..deal with it. You have parts of Dallas that exist in what the citizens now refer to as Oak Cliff...it starts when you cross the Trinity and stretches south with the boundary being I-45 and I-20..it also stretches North with the boundary being Singleton avenue where it meets West Dallas, and far west it stops around the Chalk Hill/Arcadia Park area. Ask people who live in those areas and they will tell you they live in Oak Cliff. That is all that matters..nuff said.