As Reported by CultureMap Dallas

For the fourth consecutive year, Unbranded, an innovative Downtown holiday pop-up retail experience, will return in the heart of the city. As in years past, Unbranded will provide free retail and event space to a curated group of entrepreneurs, designers, photographers, artists, chefs, and more. The holiday pop-up shop features 8-10 different brands each week, so there is always something new for holiday shopping.

Each week, there will be rotating vendors, a complimentary gift-wrapping lounge, super-fast internet connectivity provided by AT&T Internet and AT&T Business Wi-Fi, coffee from Flying Horse Cafe, drinks, crafts and workshops, and more!
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A park in the middle of Downtown Dallas is getting some improvements. Crews have begun work to expand the dog run and install new playground equipment at Main Street Garden.

"We have seen tremendous use, especially here at the playground area and the dog park," said Dustin Bullard, Vice President of Public Space and Design for Downtown Dallas, Inc. "So what we tried to do was respond to residents' concerns...to expand the playground and bring in better equipment."

Since the park opened in 2008, the surrounding neighborhood has changed. "We've seen a tremendous growth around the park with both residents and a hotel," said Bullard. The park is located on Main Street between the UNT Dallas College of Law and the Statler Hotel and Residences.

Dallas City Council Member Philip Kingston believes the park has been a great addition to the area. "I don't think we could have predicted the extent to which it has become both the neighborhood's front yard as well as one of the most vibrant event spaces you can imagine," he said.

The number of annual visitors is up more than 13 percent in the last five years.

Spending by visitors to Dallas rose by more than $650 million in the last five years.

Though hotel occupancy rates dipped slightly, hotels raised the revenue per available room by nearly $3 in 2017-18 to a five-year high of $86.14.

Hotel room revenue topped the $1 billion mark for the first time last year.
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Real estate firm Todd Interests made a splash at the start of the year when word went out the developer was buying up nearly two dozen properties in the southeast sector of Downtown Dallas’ Central Business District. The acquisitions encompass parts of the Main Street District and Harwood Street Historic District, but CEO Shawn Todd had a vision to convert them to a destination with a new identity — East Quarter.

A ceremonial groundbreaking took place in the spring, but it was more of a reveal about the company’s intentions. Observed piecemeal, this is one of the more modest projects to emerge in the Downtown area. The 18 buildings purchased are relatively small, all constructed in the 1920s and 1930s.

The project budgets for the first round of restorations amount to a few million dollars per building. What makes the plan stand out is the parts assembled are greater than their whole, not just because of their historic significance but because the East Quarter is the last piece of the puzzle in this area — it connects Main Street District to Deep Ellum and the Farmers Market district, all regions that have experienced development revivals for years now.

It also helps that Todd has a history of doing respectful restorations of historic buildings. In defining the boundaries of East Quarter, he’s pulled in a number of prominent projects recently completed or underway by other developers, mainly the Statler Dallas and an adjacent multi-story, multi-family project that downtowners owe to developer Centurion American, as well as a new city park that’s yet to be built. 

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