EZ's - the old Kip's Big Boy

[txdore]

I know it's been demolished and the 7-11 has expanded, but does anyone know what happened to EZ's? Did they just close shop, move, or planning on reopening somewhere else?

Silly question, but I was wondering. They had good shakes.

[BigD5349]

This is not an answer for you, but I was driving by there yesterday and saw the pathetic replacement -- another 7-11 right next to the existing one. grrrrr......................

[shaun3000]

I live just down the street but haven't been at that corner for a while. I knew EZs was gone but iddn't know it was being replaced with another 7-11! What's wrong with the one RIGHT NEXT DOOR? If you as me, the old one is in a better location as it's on the corner. You can get to it from Hillcrest or Northwest Highway. Now you have to turn onto NW HWY to get to the 7-11. It doesn't look bigger. Maybe a few more pumps. The store actually looks a little smaller. What gives?

[freewaytincan]

We're Americans and we like new, shiny, big things that cost money.

[Columbus Civil]

I don't.

[Insidetheloop]

It's a good story. The owners of the land upon which the current 7-11 resides tried to double the lease rates for the property. That 7-11 is the most profitable 7-11 in the United States. It sells more cigarettes, beer, wine, Slurpees and beef jerky than anyplace else. It also sells more of the expensive profit makers that are lucrative to 7-11 like hot deli food.

7-11 was so pissed that the rates were being doubled that they are doing the unthinkable. They bought the EZ's property, bulldozed it and built a new 7-11. The day that the new 7-11 opens, the old 7-11 will be bulldozed leaving a clean pad. The owners of the current 7-11 property will be screwed.

Don't mess with 7-11. 7-11 tried to be fair and was willing to pay aboove market rates and even buy the property, but it was a no-go.

Maybe some of you might remember but there was a Cactus Jacks, owned by Keller's on that location in the 1980's. It was not there long but I think the Keller's might still own that property.

[Kelley USA]

Good for 7-11!

[Lakewooder]

Ahh Cactus Jack's had those frozen beer mugs...

Wasn't there a big drive-in movie theater at that locale way before my time?

Also, are any other old Kip's buildings still around besides the severly modified bank building on Gaston at La Vista in Lakewood? The one at Mockingbird and Greenville was torn down and I remember another on Buckner.

On Senior Day the Big Boy statue would wind up in front of our school...

[gc]

Where are we talking about?

[Lakewooder]

NW corner of Northwest Hwy and Hillcrest...

[BigD5349]

It's a good story. The owners of the land upon which the current 7-11 resides tried to double the lease rates for the property. That 7-11 is the most profitable 7-11 in the United States. It sells more cigarettes, beer, wine, Slurpees and beef jerky than anyplace else. It also sells more of the expensive profit makers that are lucrative to 7-11 like hot deli food.

7-11 was so pissed that the rates were being doubled that they are doing the unthinkable. They bought the EZ's property, bulldozed it and built a new 7-11. The day that the new 7-11 opens, the old 7-11 will be bulldozed leaving a clean pad. The owners of the current 7-11 property will be screwed.

Don't mess with 7-11. 7-11 tried to be fair and was willing to pay aboove market rates and even buy the property, but it was a no-go.

Maybe some of you might remember but there was a Cactus Jacks, owned by Keller's on that location in the 1980's. It was not there long but I think the Keller's might still own that property.

Wow, guess I missed that. The owner will just flip that corner property into a new development that will probably bring more money, and 7-11 will be obscured behind it. What a waste of a neat (Kip's) property.

[Columbus Civil]

How will 7-11 be obscured if they're right on the corner?

[Insidetheloop]

Lakewooder,

There was a huge Drive-In at Northwest Highway and Hillcrest where the El Fenix is today. I think that the El Fenix, the Centennial Liquor Store and the Hearing Aid place are original tenants of the strip mall.

[gc]

NW corner of Northwest Hwy and Hillcrest...


Thanks

[Insidetheloop]

Wow, guess I missed that. The owner will just flip that corner property into a new development that will probably bring more money, and 7-11 will be obscured behind it. What a waste of a neat (Kip's) property.

Have you seen the layout? It's right on the corner of whatever street runs parallel to Hillcrest. The layout will make it easy to get in and out. The new property is still larger than most 7-11's I've seen.

Edit: I don't see what could be put there in it's place that could command high lease rates. Maybe a liquor store or a McDonalds. But I don't think that dog would hunt. I will predict it will stay empty for a long time. The rest of that area along Hillcrest was vacant a very long time before Slider and Blues, the BBQ joint, the picture framing store and the detail shop opened. Before that it was vacant for almost all of the 1990's.

[hamiltonpl]

I did see an EZ's on Coit just north of the George Bush Turnpike.

(My wife and I were up in the Great White North visiting friends.)

[BigD5349]

Have you seen the layout? It's right on the corner of whatever street runs parallel to Hillcrest. The layout will make it easy to get in and out. The new property is still larger than most 7-11's I've seen.

Edit: I don't see what could be put there in it's place that could command high lease rates. Maybe a liquor store or a McDonalds. But I don't think that dog would hunt. I will predict it will stay empty for a long time. The rest of that area along Hillcrest was vacant a very long time before Slider and Blues, the BBQ joint, the picture framing store and the detail shop opened. Before that it was vacant for almost all of the 1990's.

I guess I got it backwards, will pay more attention next time I drive by.

[KBilly]

It's a good story. The owners of the land upon which the current 7-11 resides tried to double the lease rates for the property. That 7-11 is the most profitable 7-11 in the United States. It sells more cigarettes, beer, wine, Slurpees and beef jerky than anyplace else. It also sells more of the expensive profit makers that are lucrative to 7-11 like hot deli food.

7-11 was so pissed that the rates were being doubled that they are doing the unthinkable. They bought the EZ's property, bulldozed it and built a new 7-11. The day that the new 7-11 opens, the old 7-11 will be bulldozed leaving a clean pad. The owners of the current 7-11 property will be screwed.

Don't mess with 7-11. 7-11 tried to be fair and was willing to pay aboove market rates and even buy the property, but it was a no-go.
............
Actually, 7-11 owned the EZ's land for a long time (1980s) before this ever happened and didn't buy it just to spite their leaseholder. There was quite an effort by Preservation Dallas to get that wonderful building saved. All to no avail.

See http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2005/060805.htm

It's also my understanding that the 7-11 there sells one hell of a lot of gas, as the next nearest stations are at Preston, Greenville and Lovers respectively.

[Insidetheloop]

Wasn't there a big drive-in movie theater at that locale way before my time?



The Drive In on Northwest Highway and Hillcrest

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6606/northwest7zi.jpg

[AndyIvey]

I do not know where to start with this one other than just diving in…
Everyone is correct in assuming that the 7-11 at Hillcrest and Northwest Highway is one of the busiest in the area. They regularly filled the old EZ's parking lot during rush hour. 7-11 does not own the property at the corner of Hillcrest and Northwest Highway. They do own the property next door (previously EZ's). They demolished EZ's and built a new 7-11 on the property they do own. Why this seemingly unusual maneuver?

TXDOT is revamping the intersection and will be placing a turn lane on top of the existing 7-11. Slider and Blues and (possibly) more of the strip north will be losing some frontage also. This is possibly enough frontage to render the entire strip unusable. Please note that this is a rumor based on some verifiable facts, but I do not know where the fact ends and any “creativity” begins.

Play nice.

[RobertB]

I think this topic resonates because "developers gone wild" is a common theme. Consider downtown Carrollton, which is poised for an enormous boom.

An old-style barber shop called "Ed's Clip Joint" had been on the square since time immemorial, but was given the boot because the owner wanted something more in line with the upscale shoppers the city promises will soon be strolling the block. Ed's moved down Belt Line to a nondescript strip center, and is doing quite well. There was no tenant lined up for the former Ed's spot, and it sat vacant for months. Finally, it got a tenant... a beauty salon. I can't imagine that the beauty salon is going to bring in enough additional revenue to make up for the months of vacancy, plus the lost goodwill.

[tamtagon]

I think this topic resonates because "developers gone wild" is a common theme. Consider downtown Carrollton, which is poised for an enormous boom.

An old-style barber shop called "Ed's Clip Joint" had been on the square since time immemorial, but was given the boot because the owner wanted something more in line with the upscale shoppers the city promises will soon be strolling the block. Ed's moved down Belt Line to a nondescript strip center, and is doing quite well. There was no tenant lined up for the former Ed's spot, and it sat vacant for months. Finally, it got a tenant... a beauty salon. I can't imagine that the beauty salon is going to bring in enough additional revenue to make up for the months of vacancy, plus the lost goodwill.

what a shame

[younggreenanne]

Any idea when the drive-in photo was taken? And which street is Hillcrest, and which is Northwest Highway?

I'm trying to identify the streets by using longtime landmarks like Preston Village Apartments and Temple Emanu-el, but I just can't site it in my mind's eye!

The new 7-11 is open now (it opened last Friday, 10/18) and the old one is boarded up and the gas pumps are gone.

[Insidetheloop]

Any idea when the drive-in photo was taken? And which street is Hillcrest, and which is Northwest Highway?

I'm trying to identify the streets by using longtime landmarks like Preston Village Apartments and Temple Emanu-el, but I just can't site it in my mind's eye!

The new 7-11 is open now (it opened last Friday, 10/18) and the old one is boarded up and the gas pumps are gone.

The Drive-In was at the northwest corner of the intersection in the current parking lot shared by the El Fenix and Walgreens. The road in the photo is Hillcrest. It was taken in 1945. For reference, the 2 story building with the slant windows is the Southwestern Bell switch station which I think was replaced with the new one that currently sits on it's spot. Could be the same building though.

[younggreenanne]

Wow - that blows my mind. I've lived a few blocks from the area in the photo for most of the last 20 years.

To see evidence of this area open and undeveloped is lovely but slightly rattling. The neighborhood has such a sense of permanence now.

I believe Preston Village Apartments were originally built as military housing for married soldiers stationed at Love Field during World War II, but have never been able to research it. I have no idea where to begin or where to look.

Now that I know what I'm looking at, though, the buildings set in squares at the top of the photo appear to be part of the phase one PV development. More were built, and most has been demolished in the last five years. But the oldest buildings are still here - and if I'm not mistaken, they're the very ones shown in the photo.

Thanks for posting that picture.

[txdore]

Opps, i've left this thread unguarded. How dare ya'll ...

Anyway, i'll add my rumors to the story.
7-11 owns the old Kip's /EZ lot and didn't renew thier lease and planned to expand since the original corner 7-11 is really small, but really profitable. I was under the impression that the corner lot would become more parking and another gas island for the new 7-11 - making it a super 7-11, or even a 6-12.*

The offices behind the 7-11 lots are somehow into the act too. I don't know how, but one of them is under demolition. I had the impressions that Blues was coming down, but obvoiusly it hasn't.

If that's the old Southwestern Bell central office in the photo, it's probably on the same site because they don't move those buildings. There's way too many wire going into it. This one's called the Emerson CO. I've been in a lot of the CO's in town and the Whitehall CO in N. Oak Cliff (one of the oldest) is like 4 or 5 different buildings and additions. The old park is really old and basically built over and around by the newer parts. The downtown CO (riverside, now called Bell Plaza 3) was once a small building, but it actually was moved, but i forget why. It's got pictures of the move in the museum on the second floor.


*There is a 6-12 convenience store in Oak Cliff on Hampton, near Colorado. But then again, there's probably a lot of 6-12s out there. The original 7-11 was an ice house on the corner of 12th and edgefield across the street from Griener MS. It shut down a few years ago.

[AndyIvey]

The old 7-11 on the corner has been torn down. The new one (next door) at the corner of Northwest Plaza Drive and Northwest Highway has been open a few weeks and is very busy. You are correct in that 7-11 owned the (now demolished) building behind the new store. The other office buildings are owned by another firm. I am fairly certain that the strip of land along Hillcrest that is occupied by Slider & Blue's, Smokehouse, Paint/Donuts, and the Car Wash are owned by one person. They will lose all or much of the land to the construction of a new turn lane at a revamped Northwest Highway/Hillcrest intersection.

[Insidetheloop]

If that's the old Southwestern Bell central office in the photo, it's probably on the same site because they don't move those buildings. There's way too many wire going into it. This one's called the Emerson CO.

*There is a 6-12 convenience store in Oak Cliff on Hampton, near Colorado. But then again, there's probably a lot of 6-12s out there. The original 7-11 was an ice house on the corner of 12th and edgefield across the street from Griener MS. It shut down a few years ago.

-Some SBC guy told me that if someone were to drive a truck into that building or if it were to catch fire that all of North Dallas would be without phone service for a month. That's also the same building that all the SBC DSL service equipment is in for all of North Dallas. The closer you live to that intersection the faster internet speeds you get.

-That original 7-11 in Oak Cliff is now a LULAC afterschool center. I believe up until about 5 years ago there was a plaque on the brick outside denoting that it was the site of the first 7-11 but it has now been removed.

[dp2]

-Some SBC guy told me that if someone were to drive a truck into that building or if it were to catch fire that all of North Dallas would be without phone service for a month. That's also the same building that all the SBC DSL service equipment is in for all of North Dallas. The closer you live to that intersection the faster internet speeds you get.

-That original 7-11 in Oak Cliff is now a LULAC afterschool center. I believe up until about 5 years ago there was a plaque on the brick outside denoting that it was the site of the first 7-11 but it has now been removed.

Removed or stolen?

[KBilly]

-Some SBC guy told me that if someone were to drive a truck into that building or if it were to catch fire that all of North Dallas would be without phone service for a month. That's also the same building that all the SBC DSL service equipment is in for all of North Dallas. The closer you live to that intersection the faster internet speeds you get.
Not to stray OT, but he SBC guy needed to define "north Dallas" as there are CO's all over Dallas (and DFW) and if you live within ~10,000 feet of any one, you will all get the same DSL speeds based on what tier you buy.

There are also RT's (remote terminals) everywhere that accomplish the same thing, because not every DSL home or business can be within 10,000 feet of a CO without sharing the same bathrooms and back yards 10 times over!

[txdore]

Well, true, if the Central Office were offline, much of that neighborhood would be too (phone and most data). Somewhere, there's an online map showing all the CO's and thier areas. KBilly is right about the service areas and data services. Ever notice those big silver SBC utility sheds/cans on the side of the road?

Those buildings are stout, built for a very heavy floor loading. They ain't just your typical office building construction. Do you remember the massive (5?) tornado in Jasper a few years ago? Well, the Central Office was gone, just plain gone, there was nothing but the foundation. (I can't remember if it was a slab-on-grade with a u/g cable vault, or if it was a full basement with cable vault.) Either way, it was a major deal for local SBC service.