BIZZ BUZZ

WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

Abandoned In East Dallas

Another grocery store will not breathe life into the vacant Minyard Sun Fresh Market at Mockingbird and Abrams after all. While some speculated H-E-B would occupy the space after the company bought six Sun Fresh Markets in September, the grocer decided to open two Central Markets in Preston Hollow and Uptown instead. “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. The Mockingbird-Abrams store then was sold to Dallas-based developer Lincoln Property Co.

Food News

Seven Five Patio Bar is scheduled to open in February in the spot Nodding Donkey occupied until this past spring. The college hangout’s menu will be modeled after owner Aaron Morrison’s previous venture, Plano-based bar Lantern St. Grill. Pizza, wings and two dozen beers on tap will be available until 2 a.m.

Sasa Sushi is replacing Jerry’s WoodFire Dogs, which shuttered in September because of rising rent costs. An opening date has not yet been announced as of press time.

Smoky Rose , a “chef-driven smokehouse,” has found a home across from the Dallas Arboretum on Garland Road. Its grand opening will take place on Dec. 22.

C’Viche Tequila Bar just entered the local restaurant scene this past February, but it already closed its doors because of “economics,” according to the restaurant’s Facebook page. The Latin bar and restaurant prided itself on its fresh, fast meals and indulgent cocktail menu.

New To The Neighborhood

The vacant space at the Medallion Center on Northwest Highway will soon be housed by a CVS pharmacy. As of press time, an opening date had not yet been set, but Venture Commercial says construction is expected to take no more than six months

The $15 million assisted living facility Simpson Place opened at Simpson Street and North Hill Avenue this past November. Geared toward low-income residents, the 95,000-square-foot facility has 150 units. That same month, senior living community The Vista, a 10-story complex overlooking White Rock Lake, also opened its doors.

A new boathouse at White Rock Lake is in the works, and former opponents of the plan finally have given their seal of approval. “It sounds too good to be true, but it is, more or less, true,” says Michael Jung, the White Rock Neighborhood Association president who is part of both the White Rock Lake Task Force and the Dallas Plan Commission and who strongly opposed the former boathouse proposal. The 8,300-square-foot structure with a metal roof would cost approximately $350,000 to construct and has received widespread support. The previous plan, which many felt was too gaudy, was to construct a 9,000-square-foot, $4 million boathouse.