Save-A-Lot opens new Southern Dallas location at Crest Shopping Center
Categories: Business, Dallas, Economic Development, Featured, Justice/Law Enforcement, Media, Politics and Elections, Sports
Written By: Shawn Williams
On Tuesday, Save-A-Lot held a “Dollar Cutting” ceremony for their newest store at Crest Shopping Center in the Lancaster-Kiest Corridor. The store is completely new construction and replaces an abandoned theater, located at 2611 South Lancaster.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Dwaine Caraway were both on hand to participate in a “breakthrough shopping cart event” where they competed in a time race to grab groceries to benefit a family in need. Leppert was competitive as usual, racing around the store grabbing oatmeal and spaghetti, throwing them into the basket while Caraway pushed a neighborhood girl holding their item list.
View Map of Sava-A-Lot Location
Tenants at Crest Plaza are pleased with the progress. “This is of vital importanance,” says Vincent Hall, owner of Mickey’s Catfish.” We want business from all over the city and for people to feel comfortable spending their money in the area.” Hall also praised Caraway’s efforts working with the Crest Plaza owners to update the center.
Save-A-Lot donated 5,000 lbs. of food to the North Texas Food Bank on Tuesday, but Councilman Caraway challenged the community to do their part now that the new Save-A-Lot has come on board. “It is this community’s responsibility to make sure that this Lancaster-Kiest corridor continues to thrive.”
Crest Shopping Center is undergoing a face lift as the owners are putting a new facade on the entire plaza. “We want to be part of the revitalization of this area,” says shopping center owner Jonathan Shokrian. “It’s been kick started by Councilman Caraway,” he said. Cato Stores plans to enter the shopping center by the end of summer and Shokrian says other tenants are in the works.
Also on hand to help celebrate the store opening were State Representative Barbara Mallory-Caraway and City Plan Commissioner Michael Davis. Save-A-Lot has 19 stores in Texas with 11 of those being in Dallas-Ft. Worth.
This store is not a net gain for Southern Dallas because they already had a location in the plaza before, but does represent progress. Grocery stores are few and far between on the south side of town.
Caraway and Leppert see Lancaster-Kiest as a key area for Southern Dallas development due to its proximity to the DART Rail. There are plans to eventually construct a hotel in the area was well as other mixed-use developments.
June 10th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Hey Shawn, always ready to poo poo any good news south of I-30, Tod Robberson over at the DMN’s Gap blog threatened to ban me after I called him a “elitist snob” by taking this comment of his to task:
“I’m not always thrilled with the profile of Save-a-Lot stores, which don’t tend to invigorate the investment climate in areas they serve.”
Isn’t the point to “serve” as in serving the people living there? What good is a Central Market when people can’t afford to afford to shop there? It’s about market research.
I told him that comments like his help to further perpetuate a stereotype that keeps all the “good” development out of the southern sector.
Of course, he says nothing of the fact that nobody really needs a high mark-up store and that there’s nothing wrong with Klaxton’s brand yellow mustard for $0.59 compared to Frenches at Tom Thumb for $1.29.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:57 am
I appreciate that this store opened in one of the areas I most like most across the Trinity. It shows how desperately under-funded our half of the city is when it’s news to have any grocery store open. That part is sad. What makes me happy is that times are changing, and this store opening with the Mayor present, etc., is a great indication that it’s not all talk at this point.
June 12th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Good piece Shawn. Here’s some video from the event.
http://dallasprogress.blogspot.com/2009/06/more-than-grocery-store-with-video.html
June 24th, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Though I’m very happy though that the strip mall is getting a face lift,
I really don’t feel ’saved from starvation’ because there’s there’s a much larger Fiesta 2 blocks from Save-A-Lot and an even larger Minyards a little further down at Lancaster & Ledbetter.
Oak Cliff may have fewer stores per capita but, there’s a lot of just, land, per capita so I expect to have to travel further for some things some times.
Anyway, this google “grocery store 2600 S Lancaster Rd, Dallas, TX?” pulled up QUITE a few stores around that Save-A-Lot. I can’t vouch for ANY of them other than Fiesta & Minyards and, I know 7-11 is not where people shop for groceries but, still, it’s not like Save-A-Lot is all alone in a sea of hungry people.
June 24th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Oops.
I left out the context … I followed a link that got my gander up so I was feeling defensive about my neighborhood. Here’s the link bait that got me … It said:
http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2009/06/12/the-really-big-news-of-the-week/
The Really Big News Of The Week
Posted on June 12th, 2009 2:55pm by Wick Allison
Filed under Business, Local News
A new grocery store opened in South Oak Cliff. If you think Whole Foods was a big deal for East Dallas, it is nothing compared to what Save-A-Lot means to the area east of R. L. Thornton.
June 30th, 2009 at 11:08 am
where did the other businesses around the old Sav-A-Lot go?