This is already shaping up to be a big year for Tyler/Davis.
A shop specializing in Texas wines is expected to open by June in the former Daniel Padilla Gallery space on Davis at Tyler.
Oak Cliff business owner Elias Rodriguez says the shop, Bishop Arts Winery, will carry bottles from about 12 major Texas winemakers, with opportunities for the state’s 100-plus winemakers to have tastings and temporary showcases.
Rodriquez, who owns a planning and design consultation firm on East Jefferson, says the shop also will carry cheese, but not beer or liquor.
Rodriquez eventually would like to produce wine at the shop. In the meantime, he plans to contract with a winemaker for a Bishop Arts Winery label.
Gallery owner Daniel Padilla vacated the space about a week ago, but he’s just across Davis at his brother Manuel Padilla’s new gallery. Rodriguez is renovating the corner building, and he wants it to have a warm, antiqued look inside.
The shop is one of several new storefronts planned in the Tyler/Davis area, which recently has grabbed the attention of City Hall.
Some property and business owners say the unusual intersection at Tyler and Seventh is dangerous. And the city has hired a consulting firm to study the Tyler/Davis area and suggest another traffic pattern there. The consulting firm, Oak Cliff upstart Street Space, is calling the area “King’s Crossing”.
Suggested changes to the intersection include making Tyler a two-way street, and closing King’s Highway between Seventh and Davis to create a plaza. The next community meeting about that is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 1 at the Kessler Theater.
Aside from the new winery, several other storefronts, including an interior design studio on Tyler, are set to open there soon.
Oak Cliff Coffee Roasters bought the former mechanic garages half a block away at 819 W. Davis with plans for a coffee shop.
So … locally roasted coffee and and Texas wine. In the same block. And there’s already a chocolate shop in between.
But that’s not all. Bolsa Mercado, the Whole Foods-meets-Eatzi’s concept from Bolsa owner Chris Zeilke, is expected to open two blocks away at 634 W. Davis as early as April.
Looks like 2011 is set to be an epic one for Tyler/Davis.
