Highland Park Village Announces New Tenants And Says GoodBye To Old Ones

There's a whole lotta changes happening over at Dallas' toniest shopping center, Highland Park Village. Yesterday a press release went out announcing store closings and openings. Here's the good news:

• goop – a “pop-up” store created and curated by Gwyenth Paltrow. This exclusive engagement opens November 17 and closes December 14. 
• Giuseppe Zanotti – Italian designer of men’s and women’s footwear, jewelry and accessories. This is the first Giuseppe Zanotti boutique to open in Texas and it is slated to open in early spring. 
• Dior Beauty – a jewel box of a boutique at only 500 square feet, this is the first Dior Beauty boutique in the United States and is slated to open in late spring. 
• Bluemercury – a multi-brand beauty and skin-care boutique with expert advisors selling top brands. This is the first Bluemercury store to open in Texas and is expected to open in early summer. 

But alas, as often happens, there is bad news that is accompanying the good news.  As previously announced, Summers also confirmed that Tom Thumb will close its Highland Park Village store on November 30, 2014. Tom Thumb’s parent company, California-based Safeway, informed Highland Park Village ownership and store employees that the store must close by December 1 in order to complete the acquisition by Albertsons that was announced in March 2014.  “We are excited about the new tenants coming to Highland Park Village. They will complement our existing retailers and add to our shoppers’ experience,” said Summers. “We also want to assure our patrons and local residents that we are in talks with potential retailers and grocers to provide some of the services and goods that will be lost when Tom Thumb closes and we’ll have more to share on that as we get closer.”

While Summers seems super excited about the changes, there are many who are not happy with the changes being implemented. There is a lot of grumbling from consumers (Parkies in particular) that HPV is pricing themselves out of the reach of even the higher-than-average consumer. When I moved to Park Cities 10 years ago you could find stores like The Gap, Ann Taylor, Banana Republic and Harold's. Today, the center is filled with high-end luxury designer boutiques with average price points that 95% of Dallas shoppers cannot afford. If HPV is all about quality over quantity, then they are right on the mark. Many residents of Park Cities are all up in arms over what they see as the demise of what has been a family-oriented destination for the community. Gone are the days when children could ride their bikes over for a frozen yogurt or french fries. No longer will you be able to pop in for a gallon of milk before you hit the carpool line at Bradfield Elementary. What some see as radical change for this community watering-hole, Summers sees at positive change for the 92-year old shopping center.

What do you think about the direction HPV is going? Discuss....