Businesses Losing at Victory Park
N9NE Steakhouse the latest in string of casualties
By LINDSAY WILCOX
Updated 11:05 PM CST, Thu, Feb 5, 2009
It's been billed as one of the premier destinations in Dallas, but looking around, no one is visiting Victory Park.
"I don't know if maybe it's not being promoted as much or what. I wish there was more people," said Maria Tinejera, who works nearby.
High-end eatery N9NE Steakhouse is the latest in a string of business casualties. Representatives said a lack of foot traffic and a bad economy were mostly to blame.
Still, its closing was a surprise to other businesses struggling to survive.
"They'd always been very successful, whether it was a slow period or a busy period, so we just assumed they would be able to make it through the tough times just as everyone else is," said Victor Rojas, general manager of Victory Tavern.
Despite high-rise living, big-name concerts and sporting events, Victory Park can't seem to regularly bring in the crowds.
Last month, retailer LFT shut its doors. Before that, it was Nove Italiano.
"I think the retail, most of them are trying to do more high-end, maybe because of the W Hotel and the American Airlines [Center], but if they were to come down and be a little bit more reasonable, more people would come out," Tinejera said.
Perhaps that's the secret behind West Village's success, just a few miles north.
West Village was packed with people on Thursday afternoon, and management said the first phase of retail space is 100 percent leased.
It's one of the reasons Haven-Dallas, currently a Victory Park tenant, will soon be packing up and moving there.
A man who worked on the Victory Park development for three years said the bad economy is the biggest problem, because the development couldn't be finished. But he said he believes Victory Park will ultimately find its niche.
Calls for comment to Victory Park and its parent company, Hillwood Properties, were not returned.
First Published: Feb 5, 2009 5:31 PM CST
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