'Spring is in the air’ in Dallas, and here are plenty of excuses to get out and enjoy the delightful 80 degree sunshine, and experience something new in the Metroplex! Take a look at the upcoming events at the Dallas Arboretum in conjunction with Dallas Blooms and check out the AFI Dallas International Film Festival. Chef Rathbun of Abacus fame has now opened a new concept on Luther Lane, the country-style Blue Plate Kitchen for your culinary palette. The Park Lane Project and the Newflower Farmers Market offer a variety of new retail outlets. While many businesses are experiencing slowdowns in these economic times, some are clearly not! Enjoy! Contact Judy Switzer & Associates, your expert in Dallas real estate, at www.JudySellsDallas.com for more information on any of the following openings and events in Dallas, TX.
BLUE PLATE KITCHEN, Kent Rathbun's new restaurant turns to local farmers
Chef Kent Rathbun's new Blue Plate Kitchen, 6130 Luther Lane in Dallas, uses local foods in its country-style kitchen. Local foods help the area economy and cut down on the amount of oil it takes to move food from farm to table. Visit www.kentrathbun.com/blueplate/dallas/ to see what’s on the menu.
DALLAS COWBOY hopefuls gear up for Michael Irvin's reality show
Participants in Michael Irvin's upcoming reality TV show talk about the opportunity to win a roster spot for Dallas Cowboys training camp. http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/cowboys_gen/index.html?nvid=340685&shu=1.
DALLAS ARBORETUM celebrates 25th Anniversary Of ‘Dallas Blooms, It’s A Classic’ March 7- April 12
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Dallas Arboretum’s largest festival Dallas Blooms, presented by Chase, a signature event that millions of people have enjoyed. Over the years it has grown to be the largest outdoor floral display in the Southwest and has been named one of the top ten places to visit in the country, this spring by MSN. Dallas Blooms features 450,000 spring-blooming bulbs including tulips, daffodils, Dutch Iris and hyacinths which will bloom alongside over 100,000 pansies, violas, poppies and thousands of other spring annuals and perennials. Visit www.dallasarboretum.org/Events/Blooms.htm to check out special activities associated with this event that runs through April 12th.
ARTSCAPE FINE ART SHOW & SALE TO BLOSSOM DURING DALLAS BLOOMS ON MARCH 21 AND 22
ArtScape is the Dallas Arboretum's fine art and craft show and sale. This two-day art fair is moving to spring when our garden is at it's peak and so is our attendance. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of Dallas Blooms, ArtScape is moving to the third week of the festival when our gardens are in full bloom and our publicity is at its peak. ArtScape weekend will feature artists from around the country, wine tasting, entertainment and food and fun for everyone. You won't want to miss it! For additional activities going on during ArtScape, visit our events page.
6TH ANNUAL PLANT SALE MAY 2 and 3
The first weekend in May marks the 6th annual plant sale at the Dallas Arboretum. With over 23,000 plants for sale, including perennials, succulents and summer annuals, amateur gardeners and seasoned horticulturists alike will have the difficult task of deciding which plants they fancy most. The sale is open to the public and free of charge on Saturday May 2nd 8am to 5pm, and Sunday May 3rd 8am to 12pm in the parking lot behind Rosine Hall. With plants starting at $1 and Dallas County Master Gardeners on site to help with your selection, this event cannot be missed.
2009 AFI DALLAS International Film Festival
AFI DALLAS 2009 is a reason to celebrate. For eight days beginning March 26 through April 2, the festival will inspire and continue to fuel your passion for the arts. There will be more than 180 screenings from filmmakers around the world, many of which will be in attendance. Visit www.afidallas.com for an index of fims, events and programs of this year’s event.
THE NORDSTROM RACK, Grand Opening at Park Lane, across from Northpark Center
The 33.5-acre Park Lane mixed-use development, across Central Expressway from NorthPark Center, today announced that it's open for business -- which is to say, four of the fifteen announced restaurants and retailers will commence to sellin' beginning tomorrow. First up is Nordstrom Rack, followed by the bows of Dick's Sporting Goods, which only yesterday saw its stock price rise after an analyst deemed it "well-positioned to weather the economic downturn".
PARK LANE PROJECT AT A GLANCE
Whole Foods and smaller shops with surface parking face Greenville Avenue on an elevated level. The rest of the tenants are at the same level as the North Central Expressway frontage road.
WHAT'S THERE (with tentative opening dates):
Entertainment
Splitsville Lanes – Fall
Retail
Nordstrom Rack – Today
Dick's Sporting Goods – Today
Lane Bryant/Cacique – April 3
Children's Place – April 24
Aveda Institute – July (opened temporary space Monday for job fair and student applicants)
Old Navy – Fall
Whole Foods – late 2009 or early 2010
Dining
Bailey's Prime Plus – Summer Fresh Berry – Summer/fall
Gordon Biersch – Fall
Planned but no opening date announced: Hotel Sorella and SportsClub/LA health club
SOURCE: Harvest Partners
NEWFLOWER FARMER’S MARKET Grand Opening this Week
East Dallas is the latest neighborhood to benefit from the expansion of organic and natural food stores. Founder and CEO, Mike Gilliland is positioning his organic food chain as a low-price leader vs. competitor Whole Foods Market.
Newflower Farmers Market has its grand opening today on Henderson Avenue just north of Ross Avenue in a former Carnival store, two weeks after Whole Foods Market opened its new Lakewood store.
Newflower founder Mike Gilliland is competing against Austin-based Whole Foods for the second time. He also co-founded Wild Oats and says his latest chain is designed to stand up against the world's largest organic grocer in ways that Wild Oats couldn't.
Fresh produce takes up one-third of the space in Newflower Farmers Market stores. The Colorado company looks for real estate bargains and uses refurbished equipment, cases and fixtures whenever possible. Like Whole Foods, its cash registers use double-sided receipts to reduce paper waste 40 percent. But the former Carnival store was more expensive to restore than he anticipated: "We had to touch every surface."
He put organics on sale often and added other regular specials, such as a rotating selection of wines each week at three for $10. www.sfmarkets.com will take you to the parent company website for daily specials.
In today's economy, the company's tag line of "serious food at silly prices" has proved fortuitous seven years after he made it up. He started with private labels in key grocery categories. The Wednesday sale circular is filled with loss-leaders, especially on the cover. "We lose money on the first page of every circular."
The olive bar and coffee prices are less than those at Whole Foods, and he doesn't try to compete with Whole Foods' extensive prepared-food departments. "We think shoppers will come to us for basics and go to Whole Foods if they need a fancy cake," he said.
