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2406 Emmett Drive Dallas thepetropolitan.com 469.930.9827 ping center that was the vortex of their teenage universe.

“Girls coming in wearing bikinis all the time,” he says. “At that age, it’s like I’d died and gone to heaven.”

In Hawaii, employers always feed their workers lunch. The guy who owned the Baskin Robbins told Grover and company, “Since I can’t offer you lunch, you can trade ice cream with anyone else in the shopping center.”

“So I would trade for gas, dry cleaning, nachos…” Grover says.

He worked there for about two years, and his sister worked there for a time, too. Later he waited tables during the week and played gigs with his band on the weekends. He did that for a couple of years before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a music career.

Some lessons from Baskin Robbins have stuck with him, Grover says. The shop’s owner was the first to tell him the first rule of real estate (or retail): “Location, location, location.”

Is it any wonder he set up shop in Oak Cliff?

I hadn’t given this question much thought until recently, just like I haven’t pondered whether I am sufficiently “on fleek” or appropriately “woke.” (Yes and most definitely.)

But for the last few weeks, I’ve been mulling over the concept of “haters” — specifically civic haters — ever since I found myself on a short list of people categorized as such by a certain Dallas City Councilmember.

Last month, it was discovered that Lee Kleinman, who represents parts of northern Dallas, had created a list called “Haters” on the social media platform Twitter, ostensibly for those he had weighed in the balance and found, well, hating.

Among others, the list includes councilmembers Philip Kingston and Scott Griggs, City Hall watchdog and anonymous internet commenter “Wylie H.,” Dallas Observer columnist Jim Schutze, and D Magazine publisher Wick Allison. (The respective publications of the last two are likewise included on the “Haters” list, apparently tainted by Schutze’s and Allison’s extreme animus.)

I am going to make a giant assumption here and presume that this list represents people who — according to a certain worldview — “hate” our city. These are people who are happier criticizing Dallas than celebrating it, who would rather tear down our city than acknowledge its greatness. These are people who do