10 January 16 - 22, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents Torn Apart Businesses on Com- merce Street struggle as sidewalk reconstruction covers their entrances and limits parking. BY SIMON PRUITT L ast fall, the city of Dallas began a construction project on Com- merce Street. In a letter sent to business owners, a two-year timeline outlined a sidewalk re- construction project designed to reinforce pavement, improve stormwater drainage and adjust the water main and other water systems. The construction will also add bike lanes and improve the area’s walkability. De- spite the two-year estimate, the city is allow- ing 950 calendar days, accounting for delays. The entire project is projected to cost $29.9 million. Shortly after the letter went out, demoli- tion began; storefront sidewalks on the south side of Commerce Street were fenced in and the streets reduced to rubble. The work has moved to the other side of the street now, forcing businesses to work around the construction zone as they strug- gle to maintain a flow of customers. “I’m at the mercy of the project,” says Pete Zotos, owner of St. Pete’s Dancing Mar- lin. “We haven’t seen how bad it’s truly gonna be yet.” St. Pete’s, at the corner of Commerce and Crowdus streets, has already been affected by the decreased parking options and lack of foot traffic. “I’m scared,” Zotos says. “I’m lucky be- cause I’m on the corner, but it’s not going to be easy.” Zotos says that sales have dropped 19% since the construction started, a sentiment echoed by Twisted Root’s Shevondala Walker. As the general manager of the burger chain’s location on Commerce, she has seen a 20–30% drop in sales since No- vember. “They’re putting us to the brink where we’re barely able to let our employees sur- vive,” she says. As a salaried employee, Walker has been forced to work extra hours to save money after paying part-time work- ers for the slow shifts. “I’ve been having to work open-to-close,” she says. “People who are scheduled till 4 have to leave by 1. It’s been horrible.” Twisted Root has been scrambling to find efficient solutions to the problem, including closing the restaurant an hour early to con- serve money. People at Cane Rosso, across the street from Twisted Root, have been outspoken about their grievances with the construction on social media. In September they posted a photo of the front of their restaurant with a message: “In what can only be described as a piece of complete buck-futtery of near-cos- mic proportions that the universe/City of Dallas hath thrust upon Cane Rosso (and Deep Ellum, in general), Commerce Street is a total disaster area right now, and we have people out there thinking we are closed.” The photo demonstrates how a passerby could easily assume Cane Rosso is closed for construction. “A number of businesses have already va- cated Deep Ellum over the past year,” the post continues. “We’d certainly hate to join that growing list!” Jeff Amador with PILF, the parent group of Cane Rosso, likens the situation to when the Tiger King famously bemoaned, “I’m never going to financially recover from this.” “Yeah, that,” Amador told the Observer. “We honestly don’t know if Cane Rosso, a longtime staple of Deep Ellum, is going to make it out of this project, as we still have at least two more years of our access streets be- ing torn up.” He confirms they’ve had to cut their la- bor, and says it’s difficult to make the restau- rant seem like a “hip and happening place” when there are only a few workers and a few guests in at a time. The Deep Ellum Foundation (DEF) is well aware of this trend. The nonprofit works with local businesses to improve the neighborhood and has been behind some of its largest developments in recent years. DEF Executive President Stephanie Hudi- burg says the group has consulted with the affected businesses regarding the design of the new sidewalks and is helping produce temporary signage that can be displayed over the construction barriers. “We work with the businesses weekly and host a meeting monthly with the con- struction project managers to help the busi- nesses stay on top of what is going on and troubleshoot issues,” she says. In September, Dallas City Council mem- ber Jesse Moreno, who represents Deep El- lum, told NBC 5 that he would work to “connect business owners with the city of Dallas staff for small grant funding opportu- nities.” Moreno said in a statement to the Dallas Observer on Jan. 9 that work in Deep Ellum is necessary to improve long-ignored infra- structure and will greatly improve traffic flow in Deep Ellum. “This project also builds on the work identified in the 2012 and 2017 bond pro- grams, which received significant commu- nity input,” Moreno added. He says he understands the hardship these improve- ments are bringing to local businesses. As for those funding opportunities — that hasn’t come through. “I had reviewed the possibility of using funding from the Small Business Center, which has unfortunately been discontinued by City leadership. I am optimistic that we will revive such programs soon, and it is my hope that we can utilize this necessary City resource for the vulnerable Deep Ellum business community,” Moreno wrote in his statement. Westlake Brewing has taken a slightly lighter stance on the construction. “I’m not excited about the possibility of just shy of 1,000 days of construction out- side my front door,” says owner Art Harvey. “However, I am still very positive towards the eventual outcome.” Early in the project, the crew accidentally broke a water main, resulting in disruptions to Westlake and many other businesses. “We’ve shifted our brewing production process and schedule to be less dependent on a consistent water supply,” he says. Despite the incident, Harvey says that the negative effect on his business hasn’t been as bad as he expected. “I’m finding that most of our regular cus- tomers already expect to park a few blocks away and walk to us, and our tourists take an Uber to our door,” Harvey says. At times, he takes a positive note. “I’ve even had a couple of people tell me that they’ve driven right by our door for years on their daily commute, and they fi- nally noticed that a brewery was right here while sitting in traffic on Commerce due to the construction,” Harvey says. The city has stated that the estimated completion date for this project is Novem- ber 2026, just over two years after its start- ing date. These next two years will be a test of resilience for local businesses forced to improvise and adapt. “I’m excited about the wider sidewalks, two-way traffic and slowing cars down to make the neighborhood more pedestrian- friendly,” Harvey says. “I just wish it was something closer to three months of con- struction instead of 30 months.” ▼ OPENINGS YOUR DAILY BREAD NEW VENEZUELAN BAKERY REPLACES A DRY CLEANER IN A WIN- WIN FOR EVERYBODY. BY HANK VAUGHN A dry cleaner in our neighborhood closed a while back, and the other day we noticed that a Venezuelan bakery had taken up residence in its place. Sounds like an upgrade, doesn’t it? Who cares if one’s shirts need to be Martinized if there are sweet, fresh, flaky baked goods to be consumed? The laundry can wait. Jaiver Diaz is the pastry chef and owner behind Pan Pa’ Vos, and he’s totally made the space his own. It’s bright and sunny with warm wood tones and even a second level with a balcony overlooking the front coun- ter. There’s also a large window where one can watch the artisans at work preparing the croissants in a space once filled with sports coats and dresses covered in plastic on a mo- torized conveyor belt. Again, an upgrade. The menu is simple, offering both sweet and savory along with a coffee bar where you can indulge in that double cappuccino or espresso. The savory includes croissant sandwiches as well as loaves of fresh bread, and the sweet options include croissants and croffins of several varieties. Sandwich options include pulled pork with coleslaw and barbecue sauce, turkey with let- tuce and cream cheese, egg with bacon and cheddar, hot or mild fried chicken with ranch and pepper jack, and brisket with roasted jala- peño. All looked fantastic, but we were here for something sweet this particular day. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by all the choices. There are croissants stuffed with dulce de leche, Nutella, caramel and pista- chio, as well as red velvet, and several crof- fins of similar flavors. We finally settled on a couple of croissants and a croffin along with a small latte. | CITY OF ATE | ▼ Dish Simon Pruitt Twisted Root’s Commerce location is resorting to cutting employees’ hours because of slow business. Hank Vaughn Several varieties of croissants and croffins are available, as are sandwiches, loaves of bread and coffee.
