Black Forest Bakery
This European style bakery offered a decadent selection of items, with an emphasis on French pastries. Other favorites included Black Forest cakes, coffee cakes, Danish rolls, French bread, and German rolls. It closed in 1980.
Coiffure Continental
This beauty salon was the largest in Dallas when it opened. At 4,000 square feet, it was more than twice the size of most beauty shops at the time. The salon included sauna baths, a reflective pool and a two-chair barbershop for men. It also closed in 1980.
Cullum & Boren
Cullum & Boren was a sporting goods store that first opened downtown in 1902. It sold equipment, clothing and footwear for a variety of sports, including soccer, football, golf, archery, tennis and fencing. Cullum & Boren was also a go-to destination for skiing accessories in the winter and surfing in the summer, as well as fishing tackle, guns and ammunition. It closed in 1981.
El Fenix
Founded in 1918 at 1608 McKinney Avenue by the Martinez family, El Fenix is the oldest Mexican restaurant chain in the nation. Consisting of two dining rooms for up to 150 customers, the décor suggested the atmosphere of an old Mexican hacienda. An innovation for this location was a carryout department, a first for any El Fenix. It was at NorthPark for over 40 years, and closed in 2000.
Hong Kong Fashions
This retailer specialized in ready-to-wear and accessories for women, much of which was imported from Hong Kong. Garments were often made of beautiful silk and hand-tailored with ornate beading and embroidery.
I Miller
The NorthPark location of this designer women’s shoe store was the first one west of the Mississippi. Israel Miller’s original shoe store in New York became the go-to store for Broadway stars and socialites. When the NorthPark store opened in 1965, one could purchase legendary shoe designer Mabel Julianelli’s alligator shoes for only $150! It closed in 1988.
Melody Shop
The Melody Shop offered the largest selection of records, tapes and guitars in Dallas. It was perhaps the best selection of records in the area for rock and classical to folk and religious music. The store had teaching studios for guitar, organ and piano, and sold Lowrey pianos and organs, Gibson, Martin and Gretsch, and Guild guitars, and Slingerland and Ludwig drums. It closed in 1990.
Saybrook Fabrics
This 4,000-square-foot store sold an extensive selection of fabrics and patterns. The NorthPark location had the largest assortment of ribbon in Dallas, and one of the largest offerings of sewing accessories in the country.
Toy World
Toy World at NorthPark featured the largest selection of toys, games and gifts in the Southwest, including some European import toys. A unique feature was the Toy World Toter, a golf cart-style vehicle that would take customers directly from the store to their cars. The store also included a snack bar with complimentary coffee, and cold drinks and sandwiches for sale.
Young Ages
Young Ages was a Dallas-based retailer that sold clothing for young people, infants through teens. Very soon after the NorthPark store opened, the company was acquired by Margo’s La Mode, another NorthPark retailer. Young Ages was a popular spot for the teen crowds that flocked to NorthPark every Saturday.
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