Dead Shopping Centers & Strip Malls Can Be Revived. 

Many investors and developers fell into developing various configurations of strip malls, beginning forty years ago.  Rather than retain experts in retail center design, leasing and management, they assumed there were no particular tricks to any of it. 

Prospective tenants didn't know much better, so leasing went smoothly and that further validated for all involved in the development and leasing that they were right - there was no need for experts.

Then the centers' retail sales began to fall, tenants moved out, sales failed further.

Well cities are full of these failed centers.  Some have a handful of marginal tenants; others have no tenants at all and are for all practical purposes, boarded up.  Dallas and the surrounding area are full of them.

Unless the neighborhood demographics and the drive by traffic have changed dramatically, almost all of those centers could be redesigned and remodeled to accommodate and attract appropriate tenants.  Oddly, few if any are being addressed, so it appears to me there are some real bargains to be had for new investors.

Over the past twenty years, several of my associates and I have joined together to consult the redevelopment of entire old downtowns and neighborhood centers.  Our projects were all successful.  And we're available to do others, anywhere in the U.S.

Meanwhile, over the next couple of days, I plan to post some of the items that shopping center leasing agents and managers must address if their projects are to be and remain successful. If you're involved in the commercial side of real estate, you may find these will be good check lists.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

Our 43rd Year Selling Texas

9936 Windlake Circle, Dallas 75238

214 503-8563

DALLAS' SHERRY LANE - HOME OF THE PRINTER & THE BAKER 

Finding a decent print shop to do small potatoes orders like mine is never easy.  More often than not, they fail to meet the agreed deadline, the prints are not clear and crisp, or they want an arm and a leg for the work.  And in days past, many had their own personal wars with their whiffs of the ink. 

Seemed to make them a bit irrational from time to time.

By a hit ,miss and by-golly method, I found Minuteman Press on Sherry Lane just off of Northwest Highway between Preston Road and Douglas Avenue.  It's owned by graduate engineer Eric Pirpich bought it for a career change when he decided he's had enough of engineering.

We discovered in our first meeting that through some odd and round-about genealogy, he and I are probably kin -- kin on the Cherry-side.

Well Cousin Eric prints my monthly newsletters, mail-outs and on and on, and he's The Man in Dallas printing as far as I'm concerned.  What a find!

Now precisely next door to Cousin Eric's at 6063 Sherry Lane is Jeff and Sophie Rotundo's Panini Bakery.  Wow!  This most certainly is the place for elaborate pastries, cakes and a quick lunch of soup and sandwich. 

Last week Patty and I stopped by for éclairs,  While she was also looking for a desert for our dinner party, I talked Sophie into letting me see the kitchen.  You want clean and neat without white flour all over everywhere?  This is it.  Floor to ceiling stainless steel, all polished better than that in our home  kitchen.  And on the table was the biggest pot of custard I've ever seen. 

So there you have two good reasons to venture over to Sherry Lane.  Eric Pirpich's Minuteman Pressand Jeff and Sophie Rotundo's Panini Bakery.

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS

DALLAS, TEXAS

Celebrating our 43rd Year Selling Texas

                                   214 503-8563

                                  On the Web

SAINT JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH, DALLAS -- A GOOD PLACE

Most of us consider Dallas and the surrounding area as a significant part of the Texas Bible Belt.  And when we're talking about the Bible Belt we primarily consider it composed of the churches of Baptist, Pentecostal, Bible and non-denominational.

But even with that in mind, there are twenty-four Episcopal churches in the city of Dallas, and quite a number in the outlining areas like Plano and McKinney.  In fact, one of the top three Episcopal churches in the United States when it comes to membership is in Dallas.  It's Saint Michael and All Angels.  We're all members of the Diocese of Dallas, led by The Right Reverend James M. Stanton.

When Patty and I first moved to Dallas, we began our search for the Episcopal church and congregation that was closest in feel to old Trinity Episcopal in Galveston where I was a lifelong member.

That was quite a chore, although it shouldn't have been.  All in all, we seriously attended three of the churches and visited about five others.  That process took almost three years.

About two months ago, we decided to attend a service at Saint James Episcopal Church.  It's on Audelia between Northwest Highway and Walnut Hill (9845 McCree Road.)

The rector is 59-year old The Reverend Cliford Gardner, and he is one ball of fire.  He reminds me so much of one of Texas most famous and beloved Episcopal ministers, The Reverend John Francis Caskey.  It's a happy place with lots of activities for children and adults.  And the facilities are absolutely lovely...and to think it all started less than twenty years ago in a strip center storefront. 

Interestingly, Saint James is less than twenty blocks from our Lake Highlands home. Why did it take us so long to try it out? Patty said, "Sign us up."

BILL CHERRY, REALTORS 

9936 Windlake, Dallas

214 503-8563