Reply With QuoteIt's the only way I can get someone to eat with me.
Nice pics. This is still a great project IMO. CC will be buying a lot of us dinner soon.
Thanks for the pics.
“We shape our Cities, thereafter they shape us.”
It's the only way I can get someone to eat with me.
Dallas uber alles
^ Wouldn't doubt it! lol j/k, no i'm not (meh take your pick)
The InterUrban site has many more floor plans posted, with closer approximations to the price. The old page had only six archetypical floor plans. You should only see units having missing floor plans if that unit is already rented out. Units are more expensive on higher floors than lower.
The numbering can be a little confusing at first. If it says something like "the '01'", that means the same unit is on several floors, e.g., 201, 301, 401, etc. If it gives an exact unit number, then that floor plan is unique. Couryard, First Floor, and Eight Floor (penthouses) have mostly unique floor plans, while floors 2 - 7 have a lot of similar floor plans. Mine is unique, and am still waiting for the fax of what it looks like. :bounce:
More in store?
Grocer flavors downtown mix with one more ingredient
06:50 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 12, 2005
By DAVID DILLON / The Dallas Morning News
Thriving downtowns have certain things in common, such as housing close to jobs, a resident population with money to spend and amenities that include parks, museums, strolling streets, affordable transit and, ah yes, grocery stores. Being able to buy something other than Cheetos and a Diet Coke at a minimart is one definition of urbanity.
Having survived for decades on this meager fare, downtown Dallas residents now have a full-blown grocery store called Urban Market, located in the former Interurban Building on Jackson Street.
<!-- Refer begins here -->Also Online Read a review of Urban Market Cafe
<!-- Refer ends here -->Opened in July, it is smaller and more pragmatic than Central Market or Whole Foods, selling detergent and cat litter along with tofu and extra-virgin olive oil. Yet many of the standard ingredients are there: cafe, deli, wine store, flower shop. There are cushy chairs for reading, free wireless access, even a quesadilla bar.
True to its name, Urban Market features raw concrete floors and columns, exposed ducts and pipes in the ceiling, and large plate-glass windows looking out on a passing parade that hasn't quite formed. Clearly, you aren't in Plano. The upper floors contain 134 apartments with an attached parking garage, creating that synthesis of eating, sleeping and mobility that urbanists are always touting.
"Our intention is to create a real neighborhood gathering place," says developer Chip Johnson, emphasizing the last two words. He wants the market to be a destination and a diversion, as well as a place to pick up pasta and a cheap red for a late-night dinner. The cafe is doing a brisk breakfast and lunch business during the week, he says, and its bar is picking up, "though we haven't tapped the happy-hour crowd yet." The market has hosted a few parties and business meetings and is on the hunt for more.
It's far too early to say whether all this effort will turn into profit and permanence. Downtown Dallas is still terra incognita for merchants, and all predictions of a renaissance should appear in quotation marks.
According to the Central Dallas Association, 3,000 people live inside the freeway loop, and roughly 30,000 within a one-mile radius, most of them in Uptown, which is becoming its own chic world. In diagnosing the health of downtowns, planners often refer to the 4 percent rule, which says that when 4 percent of a city's population resides downtown it has a fighting chance. In Dallas, that would mean 40,000 residents within the freeway loop, which at this point is stargazing.
"We're looking for 10,000 residents inside the loop in five years," says the association's Kourtny Garrett. "We believe that's a realistic number."
More residents will mean more shops, restaurants and grocery stores, but they won't guarantee success. Other things are needed. Downtown is desperate for parks and recreation space, those essential grace notes of urban life. It also needs quick and affordable cross-town transit to connect its scattered attractions and a couple of superior grade schools that could bring the middle class back downtown faster than you can say sushi.
The folks at Urban Market, and Dallas City Hall, are looking to the massive renovation of the Mercantile block and adjacent buildings to resuscitate the moribund east end of downtown and generate the kind of street and commercial life that has been only a rumor for decades. It may happen, though the Mercantile is a complex project with many uncertainties.
In the meantime, you can stroll over to the Urban Market and order up a barbecue pulled-pork quesadilla washed down with a mocha frappe. That's progress.
E-mail ddillon@dallasnews.com
Does anybody know if the InterUrban Market can take special orders? If they have Bob's Red Mill on account, I'll cycle through a bunch of grain and bean items through them rather than order off the web site.
Also, with the Tom Thumb stores becoming scarcer, do you suppose IUM could start carrying the Deep Ellum cheeses from The Mozarella Company?
You could try contacting them either via their feedback page or their email address.Originally Posted by infoscott
That's what I'd do, were I you.
Thanks, great idea!! I gave them feedback and asked if they want the Bob's Red Mill special order. I'll get back to the forum either with a success story or why they couldn't do it.
According to a letter slipped under the door of IUB residents, the building is now 40% occupied. They also unbolted the door that connects the residential lobby to the back of the cafe, no longer requiring residents to leave the building and come back in. The door has a lock activated by the key fob that also gives access to other parts of the building.
The building is suprisingly quiet, I was expecting a lot more urban ruckus. There are still construction sounds during the day, but from the second floor they're pretty muted, nothing that wakes me up or keeps me up. My hallway still smells of drying paint. Much of the finishing touches are been completed, such as the clear floor treatment for the lobby and first floor hallway.
People are definitely being drawn to the display units in the front of the building visible from the street (one of which also acts as the leasing office). Even the SBC technician who was troubleshooting my landline, a fellow from New York, was really impressed with the insides and the affordability of the DTD area. It's funny that the penthouse units are selling well, not just the less expensive units. The building is no way as tall as edifices such as DP&L, but the south windows have a great view of the Mayor's office from the top floor.
So far I have lived here nine days, and am very, very pleased with the experience. I shop about every other day at the Market, just for a few items each trip to keep me going. Once the DSL line goes in and can get some real work done, I'll be able to rate the experience from a telecommuter's/SOHO perspective.
^That sounds great. Once again, welcome to Dallas.
^ Ditto. Glad the experience has been good to you so far.
“We shape our Cities, thereafter they shape us.”
Just an FYI:
http://www.guidelive.com/portal/page...&item_id=38242
The Chicago chef [Rick Bayless] signs his new book, Mexican Everyday. There will be free hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.
Where:
Urban Market Cafe
1500 Jackson St
Dallas, TX 75201
When:
4-6 pm Tue Nov 15
Price:
Free
...these devils of yours they need love
Come and kneel with me Body and Soul...
Thanks for the heads-up!
Okay, here is the followup. For special or bulk orders, ask for Dawn. The email thing didn't work. Dawn used to work at Whole Foods and did their bulk ordering. Somebody else placed a large order for blueberries with her. I placed an order for 180 pounds of organic grains and beans, and just got the shipment this morning. Total order came in under $225, much better than if I had ordered it direct from the Internet when you consider shipping costs. She really knows her bulk foods!Thanks, great idea!! I gave them feedback and asked if they want the Bob's Red Mill special order. I'll get back to the forum either with a success story or why they couldn't do it.
Also, the InterUrban Cafe is really getting some traffic. During lunch time the place is packed, and the bar is now starting to get some decent business during happy hour. They've done a good job of scheduling groups and special events; a 25th anno AIDS event was conducted there a few days ago. What really helps on the Cafe side is they have all the chef talent that works on the Market's deli side. It's real easy for them to whip up plates of appetizers for after hour group events.
Regarding IB Market's liquor selection.
The cafe has full bar. The Market only has a license for beer and wine, which also means no port or sherry. I'm making fruitcake and need rum, and when I cook with sherry I use the good stuff, not cooking sherry. But there is Spirits in Deep Ellum that I'll be checking out shortly.
Nevertheless, the wine selection is impressive for their limited shelf space. Includes some nice Shiraz and Cabs from Australia, and some good premium stuff that's still around $12 - $15. Yesterday I saw a bottle from Caceres region of Spain, 1998 reserve, for about $13.
(Manuel is really good about getting things that may have got overlooked. He and I separately both noticed the absence of marjoram, which he got on the shelves by Thanksgiving.)
I think State Street Spirits will deliver to downtown.
http://www.statestreetspirits.com/St...etSpirits.html
I used them for several parties--they are awesome!
Regarding construction:
Nearly all the renovation is complete. The contractor is still going through and fixing deficiencies, and some of the warranty work is also still going on (and will probably continue while new residents moving in discover deficiencies). The amount of construction noise and traffic has dropped off considerably.
The seventh floor is nearly vacant, which is just below the eighth floor penthouses. Pity that, as almost half the units have a clear view over the parking structure due south, usually within line of sight with City Hall, and also gets direct sunlight not blocked by the parking structure.
On Tuesday nights, I believe from 5p-8p, they're doing wine tasting. Last week, they had champagne to taste.
Fa lalalala la la la la
...these devils of yours they need love
Come and kneel with me Body and Soul...
I debated whether to say anything, because I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to defame the Urban Market. But I'm going to post this, just to let people know.
Last night I bought a curried chicken salad sandwich from Urban Market and brought it home. 10 or 20 minutes after I finished eating, I got terribly sick. Food poisoning. I know restaurants make mistakes, and I'm trying to take that into consideration. But last night was the night from hell, and I'm still feeling the after-effects.
No fun.
TG2
I tell everyone...I smile just because...I've got a city love...
^
This is the beginning of the end.
Sorry, tgirlI got food poisoning at Jack in the Box and have never returned.
Dallas uber alles
I never realized how utterly retched it is to have food poisoning. My parents drove up here to stay with me, and I was close to needing a trip to the hospital.
I tell everyone...I smile just because...I've got a city love...
That's horrible. You should seriously contact Manuel Zambrana and tell him what happened so he can pull it all off the shelves. I'd hate for someone else to get a bad batch and get sick as well. I'm also sure he'd like to rectify the situation in any way he could.
I'm always leery about purchasing premade salads and chili because I'm always paranoid of food poisoning.
No don't call him. Bad idea. Let the news circulate through here for a few weeks first.
Dallas uber alles
Well I didn't do this to blast UM. I like it, and I think it's a good thing to have down here. I don't intend to run a smear campaign or anything.
I tell everyone...I smile just because...I've got a city love...
I purchase premade food from them every week and have never had a problem. Though I am sure that every once and a while something has gone bad. It could happen everywhere. Hope you feel better.
I know from personal experience that food poisoning is absolutely one of the worst illnesses one could have. The pain can, at times, be unbearable.
I applaud your positive outlook towards UM after this incident. The fact that you don't want to boycott them, despite your negative experience, is a testament to your commitment to being a DT dweller.
You are a true urban hipster. I tip my trucker cap to you.
A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool because he has to say something. - Plato
Yes, I think you are being very diplomatic about this, TG2, and I hope you feel better.
I agree with Effulgent, though. It might be a good idea to call the manager and let him know what happened. I'm sure he would want to know, especially since they seem very service-oriented.
Usually it takes 8-24 hours to develop food poisoning so if you fell ill within 30 minutes of eating the food chances are it was not your chicken sammich. From what I have read it takes some time, a number of hours, for the bacteria to build up in your body to cause all the problems. Maybe it was something earlier in the day???
It happens at the best eateries in town. The last time I got food poisoning was last year at this time at Bob's Steak and Chop House. Everyone at my table got very sick. Our only meal eaten together was at Bob's and we all went our seperate ways after the meal. The symptoms took 12-18 hours to develop between the 4 of us. Wicked. I have also gotten food poisoning from the Central Market Chef's case egg rolls. That was ultra wicked. I'm not one to get sick on a regular basis either, never missed a day of work from being sick...but food poisoning leaves me a cripple.
I would say it's not the chicken sammich though.
Insidetheloop has a point. The one time I got food poisioning was from some bad ranch dressing from Chuck E. Cheese. It took 18 hours for it to hit me. The other guy who had some got sick w/in 12 hours. If you got sick w/in 30 minutes, I'd bet it was because of something you'd eaten earlier in the day or the day before, or there was something in the sandwich you were allergic to.
My money is on the sandwich.
It's people. The chicken was made out of people. They're making our food out of people.
Dallas uber alles
^ Its apart of Dallas new homeless initative.... You should see a drop in homeless people as chicken sales rise.
Somethings ya just can't change.
Hmmmm, a little soylent green???
Hope to see some of y'all tomorrow night at the Art Mixer. I'll be there. I'm looking to buy, so hopefully I'll see some art I like.
"You look at Chicago, New York, San Francisco, you'll find lots of small businesses. But here in Dallas, they hold up big businesses and kick out small businesses, and that's not good."
I live at 1001 Ross and go to the urban market every once and a while. Have tried everything on their menu and have to say their food is good in regards to portions, presentation, and selection but otherwise I find it bland. No spices, no distinction, no zest. Just blah. It is a good place to go if you are hungry and dont feel like driving anywhere. Have friends that live in the building who say the same thing. We need a Taco Cabana downtown. Get good food and a margarita!!! And CHEEAAP!! Yeah BABY!
Sherry Jacobson:
Downtown grocery shops for customers
11:20 AM CST on Saturday, January 7, 2006
Teresa Dickerson is the kind of customer the developers of downtown's Urban Market were hoping to attract when the grocery store/cafe opened last summer.
She has been willing to walk four blocks from her downtown loft to shop several times a week at the new store at 1500 Jackson St.
"The first time I came here, I loaded up and had about 15 bags to carry home," Ms. Dickerson recalled during a recent visit. "Now I choose to buy smaller amounts and come more often."
This European approach to grocery shopping is common among Urban Market customers.
In nearly six months of operation, the tendency has been for people to buy just enough groceries for their next meal, spending about $12 to $13 a visit, rather than loading up on a week's worth of food.
While it's easy to understand the need to shop in small doses, the trend could become a problem for an urban grocery store that depends on averaging about $24 in sales per customer.
When it opened in July in 20,000 square feet of the historic Interurban Building, the store was teeming with customers, browsers and civic supporters.
Things have gotten busier in the cafe but quieted down noticeably on the grocery side of the business.
"We need more business, that's obvious," said Manuel Zambrana, Urban Market's operator and co-owner, as a handful of customers milled about the store one morning this week.
"We knew from the beginning that there was not enough population in the downtown area to sustain a grocery store at this time," he said. "My biggest challenge is changing consumers' purchasing habits. It's an extremely difficult thing to do."
Potential customers are so tantalizingly close, yet so far away from this dynamic store that combines a full selection of groceries with gourmet items, most of which are reasonably priced.
Beyond the 3,500 people who live in the central business district, there are as many as 125,000 people working in downtown offices who could be enticed to shop at Urban Market before they head home.
"We'd like to see some fill-in purchases from the downtown workers," Mr. Zambrana said of plans to offer grocery deliveries starting next week.
"Unfortunately, the perception is that we're a small, independent store and our prices aren't competitive. That's not true. We've been selling bananas, milk and organic lettuce cheaper than anybody in the city."
Some downtown workers have become regulars, but primarily as buyers of lunch fixings, particularly from the market's hefty salad bar.
"This is the best thing that has happened to downtown, if you want to eat healthy," said Amy Grissom, who works for the federal government. "It's like three stores rolled into one: Whole Foods, Central Market and a regular grocery store."
She and two co-workers were carrying away soup, salad and soft drinks after forking out $5 to $7 apiece.
The store's steadiest customers live on the upper floors of the Interurban Building, which has been carved into 134 loft apartments offering amenities such as the only in-ground swimming pool in downtown Dallas.
If you ask these residents why they live and shop in the same building, they turn into unstoppable advertisements for the place.
"This is fabulous, and we want them to do better," said Ward Whitney, who moved into the building over Labor Day and uses the grocery store like most people use their kitchens.
He said he chose the building because the northern light in his loft was perfect for painting and sculpting, his full-time job. And he got rid of his car more than two years ago, which sealed the deal.
"Everything I need is right here," Mr. Whitney said as he left the store with $2.89 worth of lunchmeat and cheese. He said he would be returning later for the makings of his dinner.
There might be more exciting things going on in downtown Dallas right now than people buying lunchmeat and cheese. But there is nothing more important than what this store represents.
Urban Market is a symbol of the future of downtown as a place to live. That makes it paramount that the venture succeeds.
E-mail sjacobson@dallasnews.com
Somethings ya just can't change.
I hear that there is a lot of backstabbing and ego bruising going on in the management there, even some in-house theft. They need to clean up their act before they run off the few customers they have. Some have already given up. All this hype won't help them if they can't run their business. The employees arent happy and know what needs to be done to fix things. The owners had better pay attention to what is goin on in their store and lose some of their high falluting ego. Reporters are always clueless about what is really goin on.
Last edited by Mephis Gooseberry; 07 January 2006 at 05:00 PM.
yup.. as a regular, I've made quite a few friends up there... and from what I understand a manager (who's name I won't mention) was just let go..
I'm about to send an email to Manuel Zambrana about a less-than-positive experience I had at the Cafe the other night.
I've found that the grocery staff is always very friendly and knowledgable, it's the Cafe staff that could use some improvement.
Their prices are very competitive, and their selection isn't too bad. There are some things we prefer to get elsewhere, but we really do prefer UrbanMarket for our every day purchases.
I recently visited the market and found it to be a very interesting operation.Much larger than I had anticipated ,with an excellent array of offerings but very few customers. We made some purchases for a visit to a friends apartment after browsing for a bit and found he staff to be attentive and helpful. Hope it survives because it could be an important asset to the emerging downtown revitalization that was very noticable during my visit to Big D.
Monogodo I have to agree with you. I use the grocery store part about twice a week and have always found their staff to be great and very helpful. NOW, the cafe staff on the other hand, I have had some issues. I am probably one of the nicest guys in the world and it doesnt take much to set me off...but I have had to bite my lip a couple of times in the cafe. Rude, unattentive, coughing on the food, and acting like they generally don't want to be there. I wont be going back to the cafe for a long time with the current staff they have.
it's the Cafe staff that could use some improvement3rd that!!!acting like they generally don't want to be there
What times is the market the busiest? I have not been there on the weekends for some time, but everytime I go there during the week, usually on my way home from work, the place is pretty dead. I hope the place makes it, but I have my doubts. I ate at the cafe for the second time Friday, and it was worse than the last time I ate there.
I stopped by today and was surprised to see customers in just about every area I went to. I know it sounds sad but there were probably a dozen people buying groceries --and actually carrying stuff around. I guess my Urban Market Fertility Dance is slowly working.
...these devils of yours they need love
Come and kneel with me Body and Soul...
What exactly does that look like?
I hope it doesn't look like Elaine Benes on Seinfeld!
Trolleygirl2's fake salmonella report probably accounted for a lot of the drop in sales. This board gets a lot of traffic.everytime I go there during the week, usually on my way home from work, the place is pretty dead.
Dallas uber alles
They should hire the employees from the Subway on Elm Street to work in the cafe area. Those folks are always upbeat....and make great sammiches.
Insidetheloop,
Thinks the DMN stole post #199 from this thread
Good Press from dhomeandgarden.com blog spot. (http://blog.dhomeandgarden.com/archi...2683.html#more)
-----------------------
January 09, 2006
URBAN LEGENDS
So I spent this great beautiful morning (FRESH from our editorial retreat!) at Urban Market in downtown Dallas. (If you have not been there, run!) As I was driving down from PH, I could not believe the construction and activity taking shape in our central core... total opposite of when I moved here from NYC in 1979 and started working at Channel 4, which was then on Griffin. I remember asking back then, this is a city, where are all the people?
There are people everywhere downtown now, and though it made it difficult to hear at times, the sound of latte machines grinding away is proof. Urban Market is at 1500 Jackson street just below the Interurban Building, cool and affordable apartment rentals in the 1916-built Interurban Train Station that just opened about a month ago. Rentals start at $800 per month, with direct inside access to Urban Market Grocery and Urban Market Cafe. As property manager Jeffrey Benton says, you can walk down to grab a latte in your bedroom slippers.... hence all that noise! Totally check it out at www.Interurbanbuilding.com and if you are looking for a wonderful rental (loft, tall ceilings, granite counters, great appliances, pool, parking) get in your car and head downtown now --- Benton says his building is at 70% occupancy!
Posted by Candy Evans at January 9, 2006 04:17 PM | TrackBack
Salutations All. For the longest time I have refused to post - because I like the Interurban Building and had no cause to bash it.
I still really enjoy the place, but now have a reason to... comment on cafe service. I must preface by saying that for the most part - I think all the folks that work there are great.
Yesterday, this morning cafe girl was really snotty to me. The others just absolutely ignored me. So... Interurban Building Cafe didn't get my business that day.
Now, with that said - I expect any other posts from me will all praise the Interurban Building and their staff.
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