Baskin-Robbins Headed Back to Preston Center

Michael Hamer and his family were among the final customers to enjoy Baskin-Robbins ice cream in The Plaza at Preston Center before the store closed  in December 2012. (Photo: Allison Slomowitz)
Michael Hamer and his family were among the final customers to enjoy Baskin-Robbins ice cream in The Plaza at Preston Center before the store closed in December 2012. (Photo: Allison Slomowitz)

The family who operated a Baskin-Robbins store in The Plaza at Preston Center for decades is in the process of opening a new location across Preston Road.

Chiang Lee, her husband, and her sister have signed a lease on a 1,324-square-foot space in the Berkshire Court building, between Snuffer’s and California Pizza Kitchen. They expect to be open in early April.

“We don’t have a firm date yet, because right now we’re under construction,” Lee told me this morning. “Construction should be complete by the end of this week.”

The family’s store in The Plaza at Preston Center closed for good in December 2012. Mike Geisler, who oversees the shopping center’s leasing and management for Venture Commercial Real Estate, declined to renew their lease, citing decreasing sales. The Plaza at Preston Center, which is in University Park, has since added a Sprinkles Ice Cream shop.

Joe Cicardo, senior vice president for the NAI Robert Lynn Retail Division, brokered the deal for the new space on the Dallas side of Preston Road, which he described as “a labor of love.” He and his daughters were frequent patrons of the Lee family’s Baskin-Robbins.

“I looked at multiple locations within and outside Preston Center until I found an excellent location at Berkshire Court for them before it was on the market,” Cicardo said. “It was very important for my clients to remain at Preston Center to serve their loyal customers from the surrounding neighborhoods.”

Lee said Cicardo worked “really hard” to find the new location. “He is really good,” she said.

3 thoughts on “Baskin-Robbins Headed Back to Preston Center

  • March 10, 2014 at 3:28 pm
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    Looking forward to a few waffle cones in April.

    Reply
  • March 19, 2014 at 8:24 pm
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    trying to picture what is between Snuffer’s and CPK, maybe a Yogurt place and also a Sandwich place? And isn’t there a Marble Slab across the street?

    Reply
  • May 18, 2014 at 3:34 pm
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    I’m so pleased that the Lee family will once again be a part of our community! I personally will avoid Preston center & will shop in Snyder plaza, because I wouldn’t want one cent of my money to go to the group that made it impossible for “my” Baskin Robbins to stay where it had been since my childhood. My only worry is how safe is it for our children to cross Preston rd? Not very…

    Reply

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