Renfields closed last week.

AggieFanatic09 said:

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cruised down McKinney after the Stars game for the first time in a looonng time.

Man the demographics of that part of town have changed tremendously.

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How so? I don't get down there much.

He's saying it's turned mostly black folks and he's absolutely correct.

Bingo.

Do they live there?

Some do but it's still a white majority.

All of the youngins have started to move out a bit but don't go out in uptown really. It's all deep ellum, cedars, trinity grove, etc.

Danny Vermin said:

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He's saying it's turned mostly black folks and he's absolutely correct.

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For about 6 hours of the entire week

Maybe but that's enough to chase out the white people. It happened to Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville which is why the both became ghosttowns for a while.

Danny Vermin said:

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Maybe but that's enough to chase out the white people. It happened to Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville which is why the both became ghosttowns for a while.

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Yes for some of uptown bars for 6 hours of the week....

I suspect renfelds has closed as that corner has been marketed for sale for about a year now and the owner isn't going to renew

Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville became ghost towns because of robberies, stabbings, and shootings.

Wasn't there a shooting on cedar springs outside Kung Fu not too long ago?

Didn't have that crap going on in 2013 in uptown. Only had to avoid the halfway house on Mahon and Routh.

Yea at level. That bar is a big problem and the neighborhood bas been doing whatever it can to hurt their business but not sure how much luck they've had. When it does eventually close a big part of this "problem" will go away

Yes, because hood rats invaded those places. The crime rate in uptown has also risen quite a bit according to my DPD friend.

Just wanted to say also that its "mostly black folks" is also just laughably incorrect.

Danny Vermin said:

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Maybe but that's enough to chase out the white people. It happened to Deep Ellum and Lower Greenville which is why the both became ghosttowns for a while.

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It's nowhere near the situation that existed in Deep Ellum when the businesses starting leaving.. That was a bunch of underaged kids hanging out on the streets, not patronizing any of the clubs and bars.

Just because some of the McKinney bars have been catering more to black clientele, it doesn't mean white people are being "chased out".

I understand what you're saying but then you look at a place like Tate's which has transformed into an almost entirely minority spot. And it's been that way for quite some time. And always seems to be doing just fine business-wise. The blackballing thing doesn't hold water if you know how to run a bar.

I just don't see Uptown going the same way that Deep Ellum did before.

dave94 said:

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I understand what you're saying but then you look at a place like Tate's which has transformed into an almost entirely minority spot. And it's been that way for quite some time. And always seems to be doing just fine business-wise. The blackballing thing doesn't hold water if you know how to run a bar.

I just don't see Uptown going the same way that Deep Ellum did before.

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I don't think people will ever be run off from Uptown... it's just, people want neighborhood establishments to be represented of the neighborhood.

Not invaded every weekend by other, non-like minded folks.

Back to my OP, it was just an observation. I moved out of uptown in 2015 to the burbs and got married, like a square, so what do I know.

When I lived there, it was yuppies of the neighborhood all week and then yuppies + 30k millionaires + service folks and SMU kids on the weekend.

Didn't see weaves getting yanked on or pants around knees walking up and down McKinney.

It is still yuppies all week and yuppies + SMU kids on the weekends. What has changed is that Sunday nights is when the minorities go out and everyone in uptown will be able to tell you that. Even still they stick to the same 2 or 3 bars. That is what you saw after the Stars game.

The situation isn't nearly as dire as some people are trying to make it out to be. The bar scene is cyclical and will turn eventually.

Tates is the perfect example. Yes they are super busy but the crowd they bring in causes problems for the area and everyone knows it. Other businesses do not want to be around them. The same thing happened to Glass, Spy club etc. I hate the way this thread has gone but as someone who has tons of friends in the service industry, it's always been a problem.

Btw I've been told that kung fu, clutch and concrete are moving to Deep Ellum within the next couple of years.

I don't really have a dog in this fight as I don't frequent bars in uptown. I will say, to my huge surprise, that I did go to the MAT a year or two ago because my buddy from Austin loves that place. When he was in town, we would always meet up there. Always your younger yuppie crowd back in the day.

This last time I met him there I got there first and walked in the front door and was immediately greeted with camera flashes, clapping, and about 100 black people. I was massively confused. A guy at the bar sees me, can tell I'm confused, and waves me to the bar. Turns out it was the owner (who I think was a former local news guy?) and I had walked into a campaign event for a local black judge running for office. One of our many left wing dumbass judges we have now.

Anyway, I ended up sitting next to a dog at the bar and had a drink while waiting on my friend. So, for about 30 minutes, it was me as the lone white guy there drinking at a bar with a dog sitting in a high chair next to me while attending a black politicians campaign event. It was rather amusing.

Quote:

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confused, and waves me to the bar. Turns out it was the owner (who I think was a former local news guy?)

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It's Al Mack ,part of the kidd kraddock show, known him for years He closed down the MAT and now has bars in waxahachie and Kaufman.

And the dog is Curtis

I think he means t sips?

Well, this thread has gone to hell....

Danny Vermin said:

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You can use the sarcasm emoticon all you want but I was in the service industry back then and i know what the f*** I'm taking about. There is unspoken rule for any bar , you have too many minorities and your bar gets blackballed and will eventually close down. The list of places that has happened to is long and distinguished . It's not racist, it's fact.

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I actually witnessed this happening at a ****** club called Lush on Lowest Greenville many moons ago. I lived near there back in the day and went there a few times with a GF at the time. (I don't remember why as I rarely frequented places like that). Anyway, actually had a good time the first few times I went and then the last time we ever went we showed up and it was 100% Asians.

We felt out of place so we left. It closed down a few weeks later.

Log said:

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Anyone remember Ghost Bar and it's demise?

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That was part of a greater victory park demise as well at the time, but yes - it went the same way,

With Uber opening an office in Deep Ellum I think it's turned a corner that will see it explode to something it never has. I live in Deep Ellum and bought a place around 4 years ago there. So far I've enjoyed it and love being within walking distance of everything I pretty much need. Plus my drive to work is about 6 minutes with is awesome.

https://www.guidelive.com/food-and-drink/2019/06/25/dallas-restaurant-primos-reopening-original-spot-uptown-margaritas

https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/circo-tx-closed-this-weekend-heres-the-inside-story-of-dallas-biggest-restaurant-disaster-11682462

The story of a pretentious restaurant's crash and burn.

double aught said:

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https://www.dallasobserver.com/restaurants/circo-tx-closed-this-weekend-heres-the-inside-story-of-dallas-biggest-restaurant-disaster-11682462

The story of a pretentious restaurant's crash and burn.

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I read that this morning too. The original write up is pretty good too. I do feel bad for the second chef. Guy apparently got fired for taking time off after his mom passed and appears to have a scarlet letter now at restaurants he has applied to.

aggie2812-2 said:

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With Uber opening an office in Deep Ellum I think it's turned a corner that will see it explode to something it never has. I live in Deep Ellum and bought a place around 4 years ago there. So far I've enjoyed it and love being within walking distance of everything I pretty much need. Plus my drive to work is about 6 minutes with is awesome.

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It has turned a corner but I think it's more because people actually live there now (with more on the way) . Its becoming an actual neighborhood, not just an entertainment district. That, more than anything else, will sustain it through the boom/bust cycles of the past