Bishop Arts District, Dallas

Bishop Arts District
Looking south along Bishop Street
Country	United States
State	Texas
Counties	Dallas
City	Dallas
Area	Oak Cliff
Elevation	508 ft (155 m)
ZIP code	75208
Area code(s)	214, 469, 972
Website	http://www.bishopartsdistrict.com

The Bishop Arts District is a small shopping and entertainment district in north Oak Cliff, Dallas, Texas (USA), near the intersection of Bishop Street and Davis Street. Bishop Arts is immediately southwest of Downtown Dallas.

The area was originally developed as warehouses and shops in the 1920s. In the 1930s, a trolley stop along Davis became Dallas' busiest trolley stop. The district began a decline in the mid-60's through the beginning of the 80's. The reasons for the decline included the rise of the shopping mall, the loss of sizable tenants such as Astor theater and Goodier Cosmetics, neighborhood demographic changes and finally the fact that buses began to replace streetcars making trolley stops like Bishop and Seventh useless.

In the fall of 1984, Jim Lake saw a bargain in the now run down storefronts and began buying up property. He said, "Hopefully we'll make money on this in the future, but in the first three to five years I'm gonna feed it." Lake said of his decision to buy the property, "I just thought it needed saving." As a sign of his commitment, Lake provided, rent-free for a year, space for a police storefront. This was an important element in the area's security and sense of community. Continuing through the 1990s and 2000s, renovations have taken place to transform the two city blocks into a walkable, urban environment, although the surrounding area has yet to undergo revitalization. Murals, brick pavers, and other street elements have polished the rough look of the warehouses and have made the area a popular leisure and dining destination.

Neighbors and visitors enjoy an eclectic mix of restaurants including Ten Bells Tavern, Emporium Pies (Pie and coffee), Hunky's (Hamburgers), Oddfellows (American, Espresso) Bolsa, Cafe Brazil, Chan Thai (Thai), El Jordan (Mexican), Eno's Pizza Tavern (Italian), Espumoso Coffeehouse (Coffee and pastries), Greek Cafe and Bakery (Greek), Dude, Sweet (Chocolate), Gloria's, Hatties (American Bistro), Cretia's (bakery), Hula Hotties Cafe & Bakery (Hawaiian), Spiral Diner & Bakery (Vegan), Tillman's Roadhouse (American), Vera Cruz (Meso-American, Mayan, Aztec) and Zen Sushi (Sushi). In June 2010 Nova Restaurant opened in the old Kavala spot and then spring 2011, Lockhart Smokehouse (Central Texas-style Barbeque) opened as well. In mid-2011, Lucia's (High-End Italian) opened as well.

Bishop also includes many stores including, Home on Bishop, Dwell on Davis, and Bishop Ranch (Clothing, Jewelry, Furniture, Home Accessories), Shambala (Soaps), Indigo (Clothing), We Are 1976 [3] (zakka, gallery, & letterpress) Epiphany (Clothing), Cozy Cottage (Children Clothing and Toys), GreenPet (Pet store), Alchemy Salon (Hair Salon), The Book Doctor (Book Restoration), Bishop Street Market (Gifts, candles, home decor, bath products), Fete-ish (Assorted), Dirt (Plants), Make (Hand-made Pillows, Bags, etc.). The area also welcomed the first new apartment complex in over 10 years. The area culture has continued to mature with the expanding Oak Cliff Film Festival, which has garnered media attention from Texas Monthly and New York Times.