Lakewood Could Use a Little Park Cities
I’m going to be honest with y’all. Three years ago, when I applied to be the managing editor of People Newspapers, it wasn’t the flagship Park Cities paper that attracted me to the job. In my eyes, the jewel of the chain was Lakewood People. See, I grew up in Lakewood. The M Streets, Tietze Park, the Lakewood Shopping Center — those were my stomping grounds. Editing a paper about my neighborhood sounded really cool.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to do it for long. Two months to the day after I took this job, we closed Lakewood People, as well as Lake Highlands People and West Plano People.
This is all on my mind because Steve Brown has a story on the cover of today’s Dallas Morning News about changes to the Lakewood Shopping Center. He quotes Highland Park Village owner Ray Washburne, who is planning to open a Mi Cocina next to the Lakewood Theater. “Lakewood has been a sleeping giant,” Washburne told Brown. “People are finally waking up to the potential in Lakewood.”
Brown also quotes an anonymous blog commenter (my favorite kind): “Outside forces are trying to make Lakewood into the Park Cities. We don’t like that way of life!”
Calm down, Mystery Man. I’ve gotten my fair share of “that way of life” over the past three years, and it strikes me as customer-friendly and community-oriented. What’s wrong with that?
While it will be odd to see a Mi Cocina where Matt’s is now, having an owner sink money into an old neighborhood shopping center should be at the top of any neighborhood activist wishlist. I visited Matt’s two weeks ago and was told 1)they don’t have to vacate until the end of the year, 2)they haven’t found a new location, 3)they will find another location.
I just left Lakewood for West Highland Park, and the move has really emphasized for me how lacking Lakewood is in decent restaurant options. I heard a lot of whining over there about MiCo replacing Matt’s and the yuppie-ization of the neighborhood, but there is a very upscale demographic over there that wants to live near the lake but not drive to Uptown, Knox-Henderson, or the Park Cities for a decent meal. They’ll support any improvements to Lakewood Village like they’ve supported the new Whole Foods, Times Ten Cellars, and Pomodoro.
That really sucks that Matt’s is being forced out only to be replaced by one of the most overrated chain restaurants in Dallas.
notice to all park citizens-
visas are required to cross
central. i have noticed cars
with hp bumper stickers at
tom thumb and fuzzy taco
at m-bird and abrams.
we don’t congest your neighborhood,
at least since jack’s opened on
our side of central, you don’t
congest ours.
welcome to lakewood.
now go home.
Mi Cocina is not even comparable to Matt’s. I’d rather eat at El Fenix than Mi Cocina.
Hoefully, the luxury class people bring their little squirrel dogs, surgically altered bodies, and expensive leased vehicles operated with continuous cell phone distraction.