The updated facade of 634 W. Davis St. includes new awnings, tile work and a patio with seating.
Berkley’s Market opened this week at 634 W. Davis St., about a year after it was first expected and following months of red tape with the City of Dallas.
The market, which also has locations Downtown on Main Street and in the Dallas Art District, first pitched a store at this location in 2019, when it was known as Royal Blue and had applied for economic development funding from the city.
That raised opposition among Oak Cliff neighbors, and although City Council approved a loan, the company declined the deal. It rebranded to Berkley’s Market last year.
Co-owner Zac Porter lives in Uptown with his wife and business partner Emily Ray-Porter, but he and co-owner Cullen Potts have Oak Cliff roots. Porter’s mom graduated from Sunset High School, and both of Potts’ parents are Sunset alumni.
These Scandinavian-style patio chairs are made of polymer.
The opening date moved from summer to November 2021, and the owners were sure they could make that happen. But amid construction on West Davis, only one of their two sewer lines was reconnected, and that took five months to correct, Porter says.
Berkley’s soft opening began Monday with hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m. for a few weeks. The hours will eventually change to 7 a.m.-10 p.m. daily.
The market, which fills the space of the bygone Bolsa Mercado, offers a similar touch as a neighborhood meeting space where customers can answer emails and have coffee or wine with friends.
The coffee bar offers TacoDeli breakfast tacos, as well as sandwiches and baked items.
About a third of the floorspace holds beer, wine and groceries, including regular stuff like Heinz ketchup, Milk Bone dog biscuits and Clorox cleaning spray as well as a section with salami, cheeses, olives and hummus. Produce Tuesday included berries, grapes, citrus, apples, celery, potatoes and squash.
Tillamook cheeses, Califa alternative milks and Simply Orange can be found next to organic eggs, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and Oak Farms milk. The freezer section includes 44 Farms meats, Alexia fries, Boca burgers, Table 87 pizza and pints of ice cream: Jeni’s, Ben & Jerry’s, Blue Bell and Oatly.
CocoAndré chocolate, Joy Macarons ice-cream sandwiches and Leche de Café bottled coffee are among the Dallas products we spotted, along with Garland-based Ain’t No Mo Butter Cakes and Addison-based Everett & Elaine desserts.
Porter says Berkley’s Market loves to showcase local brands. Predecessor Royal Blue’s bygone Highland Park store was the first grocer to carry Dallas-based brand Julie’s Real, nut butters that can now be found nationwide at Kroger and Whole Foods.
Don’t see what you want? Neighbors can write down their grocery requests in a notebook by the register.
Sitting at his laptop near a window Tuesday, Porter said this store is different from the Downtown locations since it’s in a residential neighborhood, and it will take time to figure out what the shopping patterns are.
“We want to carry what this neighborhood wants, so we’ll just tweak it until we get it right,” he said.
