Tool Time

Iconic Dallas hardware store relocates to hot Design District 'hood

Elliott's Hardware is a Dallas institution that draws the likes of Sen. John Cornyn.

Photo courtesy of John Cornyn

Uprooted once already, the original Elliott's Hardware is on the move again, migrating in April to a bigger location in the Dallas Design District. The local hardware institution has been at its current address on Denton Drive since 2010, where it moved after selling its location at 4901 Maple Ave. to Kroger.

At the time, Elliott's said it needed a smaller space, and positioned itself in that manner as a "small building, serious inventory, great people."

But its location on Denton Drive is about to be turned into a mixed-use development with retail and apartments. Neighboring restaurant Herrera's Tex-Mex is also getting the boot; Herrera's owner Gil Bonifaz is looking for another location in the Love Field area, while simultaneously opening a new branch at the Omni Dallas hotel in downtown Dallas.

Elliott's new location at 1331 Inwood Rd. is about two miles from Denton Drive, but it puts the store in the thick of the Design District. It's going into a warehouse space that's been unoccupied for some time. That area was negatively impacted by construction while the Hampton Road bridge was being redone, but it's experiencing a comeback with the addition of stores such as Zeus Comics.

Spokeswoman Andrea Spencer says that they're grateful for the opportunity to move to a bigger location and are glad to be in the Design District. "We felt it's important to stay close to our roots near Maple Avenue and the Medical and Design Districts," she says.

Elliott's was founded in 1947 and had been at 4901 Maple since 1984. It also has branches in Plano, Mesquite, and Casa Linda, which opened in December 2014. The Elliott family sold in 2012 to Central Network Retail Group, a Memphis-based company that owns home centers and hardware stores.

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Swedish Fish News

Popular Ikea furniture chain to open 4th Dallas store in Rockwall

IKEA

Ikea sign - instantly recognizable

Dallas-Fort Worth is getting a new Ikea store in Rockwall. Located at Stodghill Road and I-30, it'll be the third Ikea in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and is due to open in December 2025.

Ikea is the world's largest furniture retailer, founded in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, and known for its simple, modern approach to interior design at an affordable price, its ready-to-assemble furniture, and its amusement-park-like stores.

Ikea will be the anchor in a 65-plus acre mixed-use development with a location chosen for its accessibility not only to the east side of DFW but also to major highways that connect to faraway towns like Texarkana and Little Rock. Rockwall to Texarkana is 155 miles or a 2-hour-and-22-minute drive — surely doable if you're hot to get a great quality mattress at a good price or stock up on Swedish gummy red fish.

According to a release, the store represents Ikea's intention to become more accessible, affordable, and convenient for the many here in the U.S., even those who live in places like Casa View and Mesquite, and the store will offer a new way of reaching customers both in-store and digitally.

The store's footprint is 108,000 square feet — almost a third smaller than the existing locations in Frisco and Grand Prairie, which both span 293,000-plus square feet (although Grand Prairie is one story while Frisco is two-story). There's also a pickup-style store in Southlake that's 10,809 square feet.

“Our expansion goal is simple. We will be where people are, whenever and however they want to experience Ikea," says Ikea U.S. Ceo and Chief Sustainability Officer Javier Quiñones. “We have been testing different store formats to increase customer convenience, make home delivery more cost-efficient, and reach our customers where they live, work, and socialize. IKEA Rockwall represents a key milestone in this ongoing journey.”

Though smaller than the other area behemoths, Rockwall will nonetheless be serving Ikea's trademark meatballs at a new Swedish Deli concept, a Swedish cafe to enjoy meals onsite, and a Swedish Bistro for quick takeaway items that can be enjoyed in the outdoor seating area or at home.

The space will include multiple fully furnished room settings that showcase “local living” solutions reflecting the unique needs of the residents of the local community. Rockwall embroidered pillows, maybe?

Additionally, Ikea Rockwall’s design will include features for improved sustainability, specifically solar power, LEED certified construction, EV chargers, onsite recycling and native plant materials to reduce water consumption.

“We are strongly committed to the communities in which we operate. IKEA Rockwall provides an even more seamless omnichannel shopping experience throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, and we look forward to welcoming residents and surrounding neighbors to this new Ikea experience,” says Ikea U.S. Area Market Manager Rob Parsons.

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