more business bits

Garland Road is a state highway, and TXDOT has indicated support for the project. The Arboretum’s new Children’s Garden, set to open Sept. 21, has a capacity for about 1,500, turning over twice a day. Right now, there are 1,260 parking spaces throughout the grounds. “We have a critical need for parking,” says John Armstrong, the Arboretum’s vice president of property development. “This handles the occasional surge, so there’s not a chance that parking could bleed into the neighborhoods.” The project will be privately funded, in part by using revenue from the paid parking garage to repay a private loan, and the estimated cost of the garage hasn’t been officially released. The Arboretum will file that permit application “in the near future.” The project will then go before the City Plan Commission and City Council, where nearby residents will have opportunities to voice support or opposition.

—Emily Toman

First Alamo Drafthouse in Richardson Heights shopping center

The first DFW location of the Austin-based Alamo Drafthouse will open Aug. 9 just northwest of Lake Highlands in the Richardson Heights shopping center. The theater boasts a restaurant with a patio and seven auditoriums, with one featuring a 60-foot screen — the largest in the franchise’s history. Since opening its first theater in Austin in 1997, the company expanded to 28 theaters nationally. “Just because you get bigger, it doesn’t mean you have to lose that community feel,” chief operating officer Bill DiGaetano says of Alamo’s expansion. Plans are under way for the theater to be involved in upcoming film festivals, including underwriting the Arts Incubator Richardson, a non-profit festival dedicated to fostering local creativity, later this year. Read the full story at lakehighlands.advocatemag.com. Search: alamo.

—Whitney Thompson

Half Price Books 5803 E. NORTHWEST HIGHWAY 214.379.8000

HALFPRICEBOOKS.COM

Starbucks 5905 E. NORTHWEST HIGHWAY 214.363.4678

STARBUCKS.COM

Dallas Arboretum 8525 GARLAND 214.515.6500

DALLASARBORETUM.ORG

Alamo Drafthouse 100 S. CENTRAL 972.534.2120

DRAFTHOUSE.COM/DFW

Rare 8052 PARK 214.306.4490

RAREPARKLANE.COM

Tom Thumb 8698 SKILLMAN 214.340.1266

TOMTHUMB.COM

1 Rare, a new sushi and steak concept from chef Andy Tran, a former chef at Nobu, is now open at the Shops at Park Lane. 2 The remodeling of the Skillman/ Royal Tom Thumb is complete. The biggest changes include a new in-store Starbucks and elimination of one of the front doors. The wood-look floors, expanded produce, bakery and floral sections, and brighter, modern layout resemble other updated stores.