Lula B's Antique Mall is slated to relocate from Deep Ellum to Oak Cliff in early March.
The new space, at 1982 Ft. Worth Ave., is more than twice the size of the Deep Ellum store and is a 10-minute drive from three prominent Dallas districts: Trinity Groves, Bishop Arts, and the Design District.
Lula B's owner Mary Ann Kaylor says the store is relocating for a number of reasons; better parking, more reasonable rent, and increased square footage are among them. She says the store moved from its original location in Lower Greenville in 2010 due to lack of parking. Now, with the growing popularity of Deep Ellum as a hot spot for craft beer lovers and all things off-the-wall, Kaylor claims Lula B's has had trouble keeping patrons of nearby businesses out of its parking lot.
"With all the development that's going on [in Deep Ellum], everybody and their dog uses our parking lot," Kaylor says. "[It's] to the point where there's not even parking for our customers. I pull up on a Saturday and I have a hard time parking."
When facing the end of her lease in Deep Ellum, Kaylor says she was given offers to renew, but the rent would have increased beyond her means. She'd also been unable to accommodate vendors who wanted to sell more merchandise because she didn't have the space to expand their booths.
Lula B's Deep Ellum location stands at 8,500 square feet; meager compared with the more than 20,000 square feet available at the Oak Cliff location. Kaylor is eager to use the additional space to bring in new vendors (the Deep Ellum and Design District locations currently hold about 60 each) and offer larger booth options for existing vendors.
In Oak Cliff, Lula B's will divide its vendors between the basement and the main floor. Vintage clothing and extra-large, one-of-a-kind items will be sold on the lower level, while the street level will be reserved for furniture, jewelry, lighting fixtures, and smaller knick-knack items. Kaylor says the space will be arranged very similarly to the Design District location -- that is, vendors will set up booths in straight rows with wide aisles between each row.
Anxiously awaiting the opening of the Oak Ciff location? Keep an eye on Lula B's Facebook page. Kaylor says she'll make an announcement there once the opening date is finalized.
