New Entrepreneur Center Could Spark Growth in Dallas' Fair Park Neighborhood

In his southern Dallas neighborhood, George Battle III can hear the subtle hum of business, despite the vacant lots and shuttered shops. He knows a woman who makes flower arrangements in her home, caterers who cook in church kitchens, and a man who does carpentry and plumbing work."It's almost like they're below grass-roots," he said.Those hidden entrepreneurs will soon get their own kind of storefront: an entrepreneur center at the corner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards.The Fair Park District Entrepreneur Center, or the District for short, will be funded by the United Methodist Church's North Texas Conference as part of the Zip Code Connection, an initiative to spark economic growth in areas with generational poverty. The center is expected to open in March or April.The new entrepreneur center will be across town from most of Dallas' startup hubs and co-working spaces. Its surroundings -- an empty plot of land, a boarded-up convenience store and panhandlers -- reflect the struggles of the Fair Park neighborhood.  Continue reading...