An amateur's improvment plan for Victory Park

June 15, 12:26 PMDallas Shopping ExaminerQuia Querisma

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Victory Plaza. Image courtesy of City-data.com

It's easy to tell people what to do when you're not the one responsible for everything. But after hanging out at the Havana Social Club on Saturday night, I still want to throw in my two cents about the state of Victory Park. The 2008 departure of N9NE, Nove and LFT marked a very serious turning point for the development and I suspect I know what a key problem is. Victory Park alienates the majority of the Dallas population.

It's understood that the project was ignorantly expensive and no one wants to muddy it up with the likes of pedestrian little people like me and the rest of my chain-store-shopping contemporaries, but let's be real here. Who actually had the money to shop in Victory Park? Three percent of our population? Many of the development's shops folded way before the recession hit its peak, and I'm certain the exclusionary nature of the tenants contributed to it.

Catering to the top sliver of society is seductive and has worked in the past (see: Highland Park Village). But you do have to consider urban planning. Downtown Dallas struggles to keep a grocery store--do you really think they'd be able to maintain two $$$$-grade restaurants side by side and a throng of boutiques with almost nothing available for under $100?

The "build it and they will come" mentality was all wrong for this project. I was very excited during Victory Park's construction, but even as someone who checks in a bit above the median HH income for the city of Dallas, I couldn't maximize my Victory Park experience. I attended LFT's parties religiously, but I didn't purchase a single thing from any of the Victory Park shops. Like most of my peers, the bars and restaurants got the bulk of my business and that's because they've got the good sense to have happy hour.

Victory Park's boutiques would probably flourish in a Highland Park Village or even the Shops at Legacy because of the urban planning. The flagship Neiman Marcus has a price point that can easily crush that of Victory Park boutiques but not only has the relationship been established for generations, it's STILL in a good location.

So, since Victory Park has that obstacle in their way, it's time to give the rest of Dallas a reason to make the effort. Put H&M in the LFT space. Open a CB2. Set a regular show times (yes, like a movie theater) for the big screens in the plaza. Partner with the Arts District to bring more of the outdoor family fun and music into the plaza... and bring misters during the summer. Court galleries to join Christopher Martin. Open a Potbelly Sandwich Works, Freebirds and a Grand Lux Cafe. Maybe even concoct a Target concept store to carry only the fashion and home decor that has made them great. There'd be plenty of Uptown and Downtowners who'd appreciate relief from the Cityplace location. Besides, Target has poured ridiculous amounts of money into sponsoring the Victory Park development, why not deliver the brand-loyal directly to them, while delivering a relatable experience for the rest of us.