20 December 2021 | prestonhollowpeople.com
Business
BCA Seeks Entries for Annual Contest R E G I S T R AT I O N Early deadline: Jan. 15 for 10% discount Final deadline: April 15 Visit ntbca.org/omot.
Longtime tenants like The Sample House, Fish City Grill, Talbots, Marco’s Pizza, and Tip Top Cleaners are finally moving back to Preston and Royal after an October 2019 tornado decimated the shopping complex. (PHOTOS: BETHANY ERICKSON)
A ROYAL WELCOME
Shopping center hardest hit by tornado returns By Bethany Erickson
bethany.erickson@peoplenewspapers.com
J
ust an hour after The Sample House opened its doors at its Preston and Royal location for the first time in two years, the store hummed with the busy and excited chatter of shoppers and workers and the slide of the cash register drawers. “We just got our official occupancy certificate, and we are absolutely thrilled to be back,” Ellen Poole Aiken said. “We have missed our customers, and most of our original team will be back.” Aiken runs The Sample House stores with her family. Her parents, Foster and Nancy Poole, opened the first store in 1958. “The store is set (minus a few last-minute preps), and tomorrow cannot come soon enough,” Aiken added. It’s been a long two years since an EF3 tornado carved a path of destruction across North Dallas, decimating the Preston-Royal intersection and, in particular, the Preston Oaks Shopping Center, home to several popular shops, including Central Market. In October 2020, Regency Centers central region director Patrick Krejs predicted some beloved stores would be back
in the summer of 2021. “I’m pleased to be able to announce here today a projected construction completion date of June 2021,” Krejs said in 2020. “At that time, we’ll be turning over the rebuilt shopping center to our merchants for them to start their interior build-out. “Our goal is to have them open and operating for next holiday season.” Central Market reopened in June. A handful of other businesses — Nothing Bundt Cakes, McDonald’s, White House Black Market, and Prosperity Bank — are open again, too. “Our Central Market Partners and the entire Preston Royal community stepped up during this time of rebuilding and recovery,” Stephen Butt, president of Central Market, said at the store’s reopening. “While this was a total community effort, I am especially proud of our Preston Royal Partners, who have gone above and beyond to continue to serve this neighborhood. The silver lining here is that our
Preston Royal store is stronger and better, and we are ready to welcome back our loyal customers to provide them the service and shopping experience they deserve.” But the merchants in the south end of the shopping center had a longer wait. That mostly destroyed strip had to be rebuilt from scratch after demolition. The exterior construction is complete, and, true to Krejs’s earlier predictions, the shopping center has been turned over to the merchants. Workers are scurrying to complete their interiors and storefronts, with Preston Animal Clinic, Fish City Grill, Hollywood Feed, I Heart Yogurt, Sample House, Talbots, Tip Top Cleaners, and Marco’s Pizza set to return. Restaurant D.L. Mack’s and Dorado Nail Salon will arrive as new additions later this year, Regency Centers spokesperson Eric Davidson confirmed.
We have missed our customers, and most of our original team will be back. Ellen Poole Aiken
— People Newspapers intern Emilea McCutchan contributed to this story.
Don’t just doodle during boring business meetings. Showcase that artistic talent in the office to inspire creativity. Companies who participate in On My Own Time (OMOT), a trademarked corporate art competition from the Business Council for the Arts (BCA), use the program to engage, inspire, and create camaraderie for their employees. “The program enriches our institution by showcasing the passions and talents of employees at every level of the organization and beyond our scientific and medical mission,” said Courtney Crothers, art curator for UT Southwestern Medical Center. The hospital has participated in the competition for 19 years, she said. “Many employees participate every year; it’s a rewarding experience for everyone involved.” Now in its 28th year, BCA’s On My Own Time (OMOT) links business and the arts in a collaborative exhibition of creativity from the home studios of those who are business professionals by day and talented artists by night. From pilots to engineers and managers to salespeople, professionals in North Texas are writing, drawing, painting, sculpting, and making creative statements on their own time. BCA touts several benefits of the competition. On My Own Time: • Sparks creativity and inclusion in the workplace • Connects workers from diverse personal and industry backgrounds • Enriches employee experience and strengthens company culture • Creates dialogue between employees and the arts community • Engages employees vertically and horizontally • Recognized creative talent – Staff report
After companies hold in-house or online exhibitions, the Business Council for the Arts showcases the best On My Own Time art entries at NorthPark Center and literary entries at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. (PHOTO: COURTESY BUSINESS COUNCIL FOR THE ARTS)
214-402-5780 nortexgreenscapes@gmail.com nor-texgreenscapes.com
