Dallas Group Finds an Alternative to World Trade Center
A group of Dallas-based showroom owners have struck a deal with real estate developer Brook Partners Inc. to establish 100,000 square feet of showroom and office space at the firm’s Southwestern Plaza building in the city’s Arts District.
The center, which will be known as the Fashion Industry Guild (FIG), will occupy about one-third of the 300,000-square-foot building and will house mostly women’s contemporary and better men’s lines, including Frankie B., Trina Turk, Nicole Miller, Tommy Bahama, Petro Zillia, Puma and Michael Stars.
The deal comes after another Dallas developer, Paul Stell of Stellar Development Co., attempted to launch an alternative project to the Dallas Market Center’s Fashion Center Dallas, the successor of the soon-tobe- shuttered International Apparel Mart. Fashion Center Dallas is slated to open next January in the city’s World Trade Center.
After Stell’s deal fell through because of time constraints and other issues, a group of contemporary wholesalers voiced support for a market in Dallas’ revamped downtown area, which has been teeming with new urban- renewal projects. Some complained that they did not want to be grouped with neighboring gift vendors at the WTC.
The Southwestern Plaza is located at 1807 Ross Ave. in uptown Dallas, near Interstate 35, Interstate 45 and U.S. 75. The building is located in the Arts District near the Dallas Museum of Art, Neiman Marcus and the Fairmont Hotel. Developers will immediately begin design and construction on Phase I, which involves 50,000 square feet of the center. Brook Partners expects the space will be ready for occupancy in January 2004.
“This urban and urbane location represents the crossroads of commerce and culture in Dallas, Texas, and we at Brook Partners intend to marry FIG’s superior location with a contemporary high design for which our development company is known,” said John Sughrue, chief executive officer of Brook Partners, in a statement.
Additional lines to be carried in FIG are: Tracy Reese, Plenty, Nanette Lepore, Me & Ro, Rozae Nichols, Garfield & Marks, Rayure, Renfrew, Axis, ISDA, Fork, Charlotte Tarantola, So Low, Matt and Nat, Teenflo, Bekke, Cake, Go Silk and Parameter. Suzanne Collier, Federico Mariel, Larry Traub, Julie Hall, Greg Mider, Jo Cobb, Pam Martin and Peter Rauch are among the showroom owners who have signed leases. Gavin Smith has been named director.
When complete, FIG will operate approximately 85 permanent showrooms and 20,000 square feet of temporary exhibit space. The complex will host five to 10 trade shows per year, according to Brook Partners.
The Terry Sahagen Sales and Findings showrooms, located in The New Mart in Los Angeles, played a key role in getting FIG off the ground, Sughrue said.
“They do not have permanent showrooms in Dallas but have determined to do so in our FIG location,” he said. “And we expect to announce similar first-time commitments in the weeks ahead. With the launching of FIG and the repositioning of the World Trade Center, Dallas is experiencing a tremendous fashion renaissance. In my tours through L.A. and New York, it is clear to me that the fashion industry considers Dallas an important marketplace and, for the prosperity of the industry, is counting on the Dallas market being restored to a preeminent position. We intend to contribute significantly to this goal.”
—Robert McAllister
