Upscale Grocery News

Highland Park Village restocks grocery store with royal Austin favorite

Highland Park Village got its grocer niche filled.

Courtesy photo

Highland Park Village officially has its grocery slot refilled with Austin-based Royal Blue Grocery, which opened, softly, on October 30, picking up the slack from the dearly departed Tom Thumb.

Co-owner Craig Staley says that the store saw plenty of customers, which they didn't anticipate with the weather and it being Halloween.

"The traffic we saw, even with it being such a rainy weekend, was phenomenal," he says. "We were blown away. But a lot of people in Dallas have been to our stores in Austin, and know us and the brand."

Staley and his partner George Scariano founded Royal Blue in 2005 as a compact urban market, to fill the "bodega" need for in-town shoppers. It occupies a unique niche, combining elements of gourmet shop, convenience store, regular grocery, and cafe. There are five locations in Austin, but the Dallas store represents a slight departure, Staley says.

"We made some changes to the store, mostly expanding categories," he says. "The cafe space is much bigger, with 70 seats inside and out. And the wine department is four times the size of anything in Austin."

At 6,500 square feet including seating areas, the Dallas store is also larger than most of the Austin stores, which Staley says typically run 2,500 square feet.

Royal Blue won the prized slot over other well-known operators including Dean & DeLuca.

"When Tom Thumb went away, the folks who own and manage Highland Park Village looked at our stores and were very interested in what we do," Staley says. "At the time, they were talking to Dean & DeLuca, who were also interested. But one thing we do that they don't are the basics: Windex, dish soap, and they weren't interested in adding that. They chose us because we were going to be able to do your regular grocery items and serve as a comprehensive convenience store, which is the way Tom Thumb was being used."

Features include a butcher counter with meat from Niman Ranch and deli meat from Boars Head; coffee beans from Stumptown of Portland, Oregon; a bike rack in front (Staley is a big bicycling advocate); and a cafe menu that Staley calls "grab-and-go driven."

"We do a lot of things that are already prepared, so we're faster than a sandwich shop," he says.

The menu includes salads, breakfast tacos, cold sandwiches like the muffuletta sandwich, hot sandwiches heated on a panini press, and pizza by the slice. Royal Blue is also stocking Dallas items such as breads by Empire Baking and pastries from Bisous Bisous.

The store occupies the end cap, with a presence both to the rest of the center as well as Preston Road. Staley is gratified to be in the former Skillern's Drug Store space, which was there in the 1930s. "We're occupying the entire footprint that was once the drug store," he says.

openings

Opening News

New restaurant The Gibson fills needs of its North Dallas neighborhood

The Gibson

A swanky new restaurant has debuted in North Dallas after overcoming some major obstacles: Called The Gibson, it opened in November at 17552 North Dallas Pkwy., in the space previously occupied by Maguire's Bistro & Bar, after three years in the making.

Husband-and-wife Carl and Carrie Britton first purchased the building in 2022, intending to open a spinoff of The Funky Door, their fine-dining restaurant in Lubbock.

Carrie is a big wine buff who's certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers and is also a French Wine Scholar. She opened The Funky Door in 2010 — a rare fine-dining haven in Lubbock at the time. More recently, she's turned her attention to the Dallas area, opening a French restaurant called Vieux Carre in Flower Mound in 2023 (which is currently closed temporarily).

The Gibson was slated to open sooner, but in mid-construction, they were dealt a serious blow.

"In 2023, The Gibson was devastated by thieves," Carrie says. "They destroyed the building, doubling the remodeling budget in damage by stripping copper from the walls, stealing all the electrical wiring and components, stealing equipment, and destroying everything from the AC to the floors."

To make it worse, insurance wouldn’t cover the loss because it was theft.

"It was a blow that left me truly shaken, and for a long time I couldn’t even look at the pictures of the damage," she says. "Emotionally and financially, I had to really pray about whether I was going to get this done or not. But I really felt like it was something that I needed to do. I want to be victorious. I'm not going to be a victim."

She regained her passion, returning to the vision she had for the space.

“The building had its own personality — I felt like a kind of Hollywood glamor with a new Dallas edge would be perfect," she says.

The GibsonThe Gibson

The facade and decor have an Art Deco flavor with chandeliers, a color scheme with polished black surfaces and brass accents, and a swooping bar in the center. They've also added a patio, helping to make the space right off the Tollway feel more friendly and approachable.

The menu is American with steakhouse touches. There's a tomahawk for two, ribeye, filet, and NY Strip. Plus short ribs, salmon, a burger, vegetarian risotto, and sea bass with an unexpected white chocolate strawberry buerre blanc.

There are deviled eggs, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, and fried pickles. Entree prices start at $20 and top out at $59 for the sea bass.

Cocktails include a pear martini and a Gibson with gin and dry vermouth, garnished with an onion. A large wine list includes what Carrie describes as “unicorns” — bottles that are hard to find, including a 1982 Lafitte.

"There are very rare wines, but we also have everything, starting from $40 a bottle," she says.

They're currently open for dinner with plans to add lunch, and there's definitely an audience. Maguire's had a big following and when The Gibson got vandalized, the neighbors came out in support.

"The neighborhood has been really awesome," Carrie says. "They would alert me when things were going on, and they were really great to help watch over it. That was a big motivation."

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