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Recent Articles By Jesse Hyde

National Features

Brian Gibb is sitting in his Deep Ellum art gallery on a sunny winter day, talking about why he moved to Dallas from Denton and how much his art means to him, when he looks out the big window to the street behind him and makes a telling observation.

"This place is like a ghost town sometimes," he says, peering at Commerce Street. "We would like to stay here forever, but the way things are, it's tough. Something's got to change."

The thing that's got to change, Gibb says, is foot traffic. For reasons Gibb can't quite put his finger on, even the people who live in lofts near Deep Ellum rarely venture out to its shops and cafes.

"I'm not saying I want to see a Banana Republic on the corner, but you look at Victory Park or the West Village and how that's increased foot traffic, and I think we need something like that here," he says. "The keeping-it-real police in Deep Ellum are the most out-of-date people around. They want things to be like they were 15 years ago, but times change."

It's an unexpected comment coming from an artist who dresses like a skateboarder and favors an art style that could be classified as anti-establishment. Gibb may be an idealist when it comes to the kind of art he wants to produce, but he's also a pragmatist, and he says the only way the art scene in Deep Ellum can survive is if new development comes to the area.

There is much resistance to this idea among old timers who pine for the days when Deep Ellum had a thriving nightlife and music scene, but Gibb isn't the only artist in the area who is welcoming gentrification with open arms.

Barry Whistler, who has had a gallery in Deep Ellum since 1985, also thinks change would be good. Like Gibb, he says he doesn't want to see a Gap on the corner, but he says the area has to embrace some degree of change to keep up with the times.

Whistler, as much as anyone else, has helped establish the art scene in Deep Ellum, and he's been delighted to see a number of new galleries—including Road Agent, the Pawn Gallery and Kettle Art—move to the area in the last couple of years. These galleries contribute to the overall aesthetic of the neighborhood, which Gibb describes as "a little bit Brooklyn."

Gibb's call for big-business development is at odds with the philosophy of the Deep Ellum Association, which is dedicated to preserving the historical buildings in the area. Gianna Madrini, president of the association, helped lure Gibb to Deep Ellum, and while she understands his frustration as a business owner, she says large scale redevelopment is not the answer.

"We'd like to see development within the context of this historic neighborhood," Madrini says. "This is one of the last neighborhoods that represents what Dallas once was and what it really is. If you have a whole bunch of West Villages, everything looks the same."

Madrini says what has been lost in the hand-wringing over the so-called death of Deep Ellum's entertainment district is that the area has quietly become a place where people actually live, not just shop, eat and play. In a sense, it already is a West Village, with a bohemian rather than mass-produced commercial feel.

To maintain that, she says the city must do everything it can to preserve Deep Ellum's historic buildings. Those buildings in and of themselves are an asset to the neighborhood and are one reason Deep Ellum has always been, and continues to be, an artist's enclave.

"It's true that we've lost a lot of entertainment, but what a lot of people don't realize is that we now have more residents living here than ever before. We have 17 art galleries in Deep Ellum. It really is a mixed-use neighborhood."

If the neighbor hood maintains its feel, Madrini says, more business owners like Gibb will come to the area and more residents will move there to live, all of which will increase foot traffic along streets like Commerce.

"The answer isn't to tear down historic buildings and build parking lots. We've got to preserve what makes this city unique."

For Gibb, Deep Ellum was a natural fit. He fell in love with art as a teenager growing up in Burleson, which is known today mostly as the hometown of Kelly Clarkson. Gibb says he felt a bit out of place growing up there and often escaped through the world of skateboarding magazines like Thrasher and Transworld. In these magazines Gibb says he discovered a style of art that was both inspiring and accessible. He also found a sort of philosophy that still guides him today.

That philosophy could be described as bringing art to the masses. As a student at the University of North Texas, Gibb and a classmate named Mark Searcy started a magazine called Art Prostitute. The name was an inside joke, a reference to a common term for artists who "whore" out their skills to ad agencies and print publications to pay for their true passion: fine art. But Gibb and Searcy believed these two worlds didn't have to be exclusive, and they sought out artists who found ways to incorporate their best work into commercial endeavors.

"I've always been inspired by artists who do really good work on a skateboard or an album liner. It's something that's of a very high quality, but it's accessible to people who may not be very knowledgeable about art."

Write Your Comment show comments (17)

  1. To start the definition of gentrification according to Wikipedia is: "a phenomenon in which low-cost, physically deteriorated neighborhoods undergo physical renovation and an increase in property values, along with an influx of wealthier residents who may displace the prior residents."

    I am on the Deep Ellum Association Board, I own a design firm, the Pawn Gallery and Deep Wireless (free wireless for Deep Ellum). As a DEA board member my allegiance is to the existing residents, business owners and patrons. No one knows what the future brings, but I do know if rent goes to $40/foot I'll be gone and I imagine so will Brian along with a lot of residents and small businesses. All boats will rise, but if we unleash a flood the soul of the area will be washed away in a sea of Tyvek.

    Deep Ellum along with music and art has been an incubator for small businesses. A place where you could get reasonable rent and try your luck at a new venture. Once the big players are in here this will price out the small guy. And we should recall some of the small guys were Mark Cuban with Broadcast.com and further back, Freeds Furniture to name a couple. Would we be better off without Yahoo! and a flourishing Maverick's basketball team? If it wasn't so good here, you know there's good rent in Mark's hometown of Pittsburgh.

    My personal issue is there is no real plan in place. The flawed theory is; a mixed use worked once so we will replicate that until it doesn't work. Well take a look, the West Village isn't doing so hot now that Northpark added more stores and it has more similar concepts going up all around town. And my fear, based upon my experience in marketing, is there will be no point of difference and people will simply move to where they get the best deal. The tragedy will be a unique part of town will be bulldozed and there won't even be money as compensation. Just poorly built structures that will be ratty in ten years.

    Not that anyone asked, but my grand plan would reduce the ceiling on buildings back down to five stories and keep a the core of Deep Ellum with its warehouse look and feel, while developing around in a horseshoe configuration (with the lucky side butting up against I-75). This scenario, I believe, will add a point of difference for developers as well as secure their vantage points. If everyone builds to the 15 story limit, they will devalue each other's property.

    Of course this is a complicated issue with lots of moving parts. But I am hopeful that there are enough good minds just in our neighborhood that can work together make Deep Ellum be successful commercially, musically, artistically and still keep it's bohemian underbelly.

    Comment by Mark Roberts — January 16, 2008 @ 05:25PM

  2. Oh that Brian. Such a kidder! He's so warm and fuzzy you just want to wrap your arms around him and plant a big old wet one on his pretty bearded mug. If he wants more street traffic maybe he ought to move back to Denton and open a place on Fry Street. Oh wait that's already being gentrified. Never mind.

    Comment by Bubba — January 17, 2008 @ 09:35AM

  3. As a neighbor to Brian and The Prostitute, I have to say his ideas make alot of sense when it comes to new development. I welcome new business down here(both indie and chain), but also understand we have to keep some of neighborhood asthetic as well. The Ellum of 10-20 years ago is a distant, but great memory. I'd love to still have some of the businesses (tunnelworx, deep ellum cafe-original, sushi nights, coppertank, insomniac, ect..) and monuments(Good-Latimer Tunnel, Oakland Avenue, ect..) but we have to realize that things change eventually with time, Businesses close or change hands, Monuments fall and are replaced. What we have to deal with is the here and now.

    Comment by chris danger — January 17, 2008 @ 09:58AM

  4. I was asked to comment on this story at the last minute just as it was going to press. While speaking w/ Mr. Hyde and getting a feel for Mr. Gibbs position on the area I couldn't help but mention that in opening a business, location is always key. Kettle happens to be next to Club Dada, near The Bone, Istanbul Grill and Daddy Jacks. We feed off each other and it is not uncommon for us to create events around each others schedules. This results in several successful events a month for all and increases both sales and our profile considerably. Overall, we make it a point to work w/ our neighbors. This has nothing to do with art or the quality of artists shown, simply Business 101.

    Public Trust is next to two other high profile, beautiful galleries, Road Agent and Barry Whistler. All three tend to do shows approximately every six weeks - two months. If they chose to stagger their events and open their doors to one another, this would increase foot traffic. By creating extra events such as concerts, lectures and closing parties, this too would offer better cross pollination for all.

    Meanwhile there's the whole development issue that's in serious motion at this time. Building another Uptown is not an option. It's been on the decline for years now due to the creation of the West Village, which is now waning due to Victory. The next big prefab mixed use development is the new Northpark East, that is poised to take on Victory. Once this is in place, Uptown should be nearing a cracktown like status that will be ready for redevelopment again.

    All these areas are flashy, temporary and dispensable developments for Dallas folks of trendy mentality. Deep Ellum is fortified by over 100 years of breeding Texas culture recognized around the world This is an aspect our citizens should be proud to support and claim as their own. No one I know wants to recreate the so called 90's hey day with it's pick up joints, beer bashes and cruising. Currently the area is much like it was in the late 80's, with folks who are into, involved with or creating Dallas culture.

    With any luck area property owners learned from the 90's era to use digression in who they lease to. By providing a home for unique, serious enterprises like Public Trust, Pawn, Road Agent, Barry Whistler, Kettle Art and countless other independent businesses this area is truly worth supporting.

    Comment by Frank — January 17, 2008 @ 10:20AM

  5. We have many GREAT Art Galleries in Deep Ellum. I enjoy them all. I consider myself blessed to be here, as should everyone who lives and breathes in Deep Ellum as I do. We all must support one another and attend as many functions as we can. Deep Ellum will live forever, she simply changes her wardrobe to stay as beautiful as she has always been,
    at least to me.
    See more Bands and buy more ART and
    Deep Ellum will THRIVE for the rest of our LIVES!!!
    Scotty Mankoff
    Crazy Picture Guy

    Comment by Scotty Mankoff — January 17, 2008 @ 11:35AM

  6. We have many GREAT Art Galleries in Deep Ellum. I enjoy them all. I consider myself blessed to be here, as should everyone who lives and breathes in Deep Ellum as I do. We all must support one another and attend as many functions as we can. Deep Ellum will live forever, she simply changes her wardrobe to stay as beautiful as she has always been,
    at least to me.
    See more Bands and buy more ART and
    Deep Ellum will THRIVE for the rest of our LIVES!!!
    Scotty Mankoff
    Crazy Picture Guy

    Comment by Scotty Mankoff — January 17, 2008 @ 11:35AM

  7. Points
    - Development is okay as long as it stays in congruence with the cultural makeup of the neighborhood. I mean what we need is and art supply store, an friggin Whole Foods, a used book store, and a hardware store. We need some development, but it doesn't HAVE to be Starbucks and Banana Republic, it could be Half Price Books and Asel Art.
    - Development is okay as long as it stays in congruence with the historical aesthetics of the neighborhood. NO STUCCO. God, I had to see that crap in Florida every day, and guess what? It's usually horribly constructed and put up fast without any real thought put into the design and structure. Keep things under 5 stories MAX. I can't see Baylor anymore, and I will be damned if you take away my Downtown skyline.
    - Development is okay as long as the current residents and business are protected. By raising the rent and shoving people out, you're ASKING for a crash. These people have unique shops, galleries, residencies, and bars. We have only 3 chain businesses that I can think of (7-11, Sub-Way, and Cafe Brazil). There is NO OTHER place in Dallas that can say that. Look if it turns into another West Village, there is no reason for people to get on a train and come down here. Do the U-Shape development around Deep Ellum and Fair Park, and keep the historical/mom&pop elements in the middle, so we actually have something that tourists WANT to see, or they're not even going to come here.
    -Development and preservation can coincide. It's not that hard to fathom.

    Comment by Alison — January 17, 2008 @ 12:22PM

  8. Alright, I normally don't respond to these things for several reasons: a. redundancy of my ideas to something already expressed b. people taking my differing ideas personally or c.the fact that I can see a variety of different view points which I don't care to dogmatically commit to; but for some reason I feel compelled to write...
    I understand the need of a place like Art Prostitute for greater foot traffic, etc., and why it is thought that development might bring that. Here is the problem: as was stated above, first of all, high profile, corporate, and chain businesses en masse bring with them higher rent, which proceed to drive out the local, and generally less culturally uniform businesses. If the Public Trust is already experiencing financial difficulty, chances are, foot traffic from nearby corporate businesses will not be enough initially to help an already struggling artistic institution deal with it's parallel residual high rent. This is especially true considering the nature of the businesses which the looming threat of development in Deep Ellum seems to be offering us...I don't know how true this is, 'cuz you know how the rumor mill works, but I have recently heard that plans are in the works for a Deep Ellum TGI Fridays(!) I'm sorry, but for me that's not any different from the hypothetical corner Banana Republic, and it's cultural implications. Do you really think that the TGI Fridays demographic is going to actively support Public Trust, Kettle Art, Barry Whistler, etc? Now, maybe I'm being slightly cynical, and not giving the masses credit where they are due...After all I would prefer to be an unpretenscious populist in how my art is presented, however I do not want to be too naively sweet....The main thing I think the Public Trust needs is it's own more effective marketing strategy....I have enjoyed many of their events for the past couple of years, however, usually when I go to them, it's because my friends tell me it's happening an hour or two before. I'm sure if I was 'in the know', or truly dedicated, I could find out all happenings online, but all I can say is, going to many local business bulletin boards (which I use for my own purposes), I see many more flyers for Kettle Art, Pawn Gallery, etc...

    Comment by Aaron Gonzalez — January 17, 2008 @ 04:11PM

  9. I think right now the big problem is SPECULATION. Rumors of a TGI Fridays moving in are at best, baseless. One thing we need to do is not live by rumors, but by facts. This is why all parties(DEEP,DEA,DEF, property owners, residents, ect..) need to put their petty BS differences aside, come together and develop a common, shared vision.

    Comment by Chris Danger — January 18, 2008 @ 08:40AM

  10. Good point Chris. That's why folks like Mark, Gianna, Chad, Alison, Tiffany, myself and many others spend countless, unpaid hours in meetings every week. Unification and direction are truly needed and are currently coming into focus at this time. In fact last Tuesday night the subject of how we can assist Public Trust came up and was discussed for at least 20 minutes. Sadly Brian Gibb has never attended DEEP or DEA meetings and therefore has offered no voice or assistance to his neighborhood.

    Comment by Frank — January 18, 2008 @ 02:27PM

  11. By change I never meant flatten Deep Ellum and make it like Victory or Uptown, that would never work, and I would never want to see that happen. However, seeing a small handful of higher profile retailers and or restaurants wouldn't hurt.

    Deep Ellum is filled with businesses and restaurants that you can't find anywhere in Dallas. The problem is that so many of them, myself included, do not have the budget to advertise in an impactful way. Since all of the restaurants, bars and retail spaces are not consolidated under one leasing group, like a West Village, Mockingbird Station or Victory, there is no leasing group with a budget to advertise their properties. This type of media presence does nothing but benefit everyone involved.

    But, by having a few high profile spaces, with advertising dollars to spend, it would bring a lot of new and consistent traffic to the area.

    Basically, the people who support independent spaces will always do so. Independents almost always appeal to the sensibility of the mainstream because it is so much better than what they take in on the regular. So I don't believe that the presence of those things would hurt the already established businesses in the neighborhood. Areas like Knox-Henderson, Cedar Springs and Sundance Square in Fort Worth are excellent examples of corporate and independents getting along well.

    Events cannot be the only thing that draws people out, there needs to be a steady desire for people to want to come to an area. Desire, in this case, should not be confused with reason. There are many reasons people should come to Deep Ellum. It is the ability to get those reasons out there to the public at a consistent level of high visibility, that the area lacks and is a big inhibitor of our growth.

    Comment by Brian Gibb — January 18, 2008 @ 04:55PM

  12. Before we get mired any deeper into this discussion, has the sewage issue been taken into consideration? Until the sewer line beneath Deep Ellum has been properly dredged and replaced, the idea of any sort of significant neighborhood rehabilitation is, if you'll pardon the pun, nothing but a pipe dream. The process of replacing this sewer line will take two or three years and costs millions of dollars. If the City finally decides to cough up the dough to get the job done, the result will ultimately translate to higher property taxes for the landlords (passed on to tenants, of course) and the probability of an impassible Elm Street during the dredging process.

    This is the double-edged sword - leave the rotting sewer line as it is and focus on tenants that don't use much water (art galleries, small retail shops, etc.), or spend a couple of years to fix the damn thing and welcome back the businesses which need to use thousands of gallons of water every single night. Until then, you may as well enjoy the immediacy and intimacy of the businesses who are brave enough to tough it out in the meantime. Once the sewer line gets replaced, the City is going to expect higher-revenue generating businesses to move in afterwards and justify their expenditure.

    Comment by Liles — January 18, 2008 @ 05:41PM

  13. Ah, yes the old river of poo underneath us. Well, at least Commerce and half of Main are fixed. Only thing that sucks, is that the businesses that are doing well are mostly on Elm St. (Though the restaurants do well in the daytime on Main and Commerce.)

    Comment by Alison — January 19, 2008 @ 12:24PM

  14. I love the Public Trust. Everyone I know does. It's very obvious that Brian's artistic contributions are totally in keeping with the unique, independent spirit of Deep Ellum. And he's definitely contributed a lot to the neighborhood. He's helped with T-shirts for DEA, contributed financially, offered to speak to groups on marketing and ideas for the festival. He's very involved and we all get frustrated trying to figure out what the key is to ramping up activity in Deep Ellum. The artists, musicians and book tours he's brought in have been amazing. I laughed until I was in tears at the "Found" book event.

    What would be beautiful is for Deep Ellum to lead the way in what to "do", not just where to shop. One of the huge complaints I always here about Dallas is it's a giant shopping mall.

    That Ellum has an extraordinary jazz and blues music history that will be highlighted in a walking tour, historic landmark buildings that housed amazing local history moments for the Black and Jewish communities, art galleries, Theater like Undermain and HUB, cyclists that meet up at Murray Coffee, skateboarders, roller derby skaters, roller bladers, artist collectives, yoga, on and on.

    It's really a place to have a far more unique and rounded experience.

    I hope people continue to think of Deep Ellum in terms of creative activity so that it continues to be an area of Dallas that provides something different, something more.

    It's all very productive for everyone to keep talking out loud about what can draw in more movement. And I hope that remains an open discussion.

    People need to really watch the QUOTES in the article. Most are in agreement. People love Deep Ellum because it's a great place to express yourself. The frustration with a lack of foot traffic on non-event times, is totally understandable. Struggling for a way around that, we might disagree on what's best. There's got to be a compromise in there though.

    I'd also love to see a big Half Price Books out there. Or some indie Whole Foods style smaller chains maybe. I'm not at all keen on the Starbucks route, I don't know that it's necessary. Bishop Arts is doing very well without any big chains.

    No one was quoted saying tear it all down. Watch the quotes. We all need to stick together for the neighborhood we love.

    Also, a lot of prior foot traffic was from music venues that are no more - Trees, Galaxy, Clearview/Blind Lemon/Art Bar, Main Bar, etc.

    I hope everything that builds in Deep Ellum keeps the music in mind.

    I've started talking to more people who had kept live music thriving in Deep Ellum and what we can do to encourage those elements. That's always been key to the life of Ellum and the perception of how well it's doing.

    I think I'm going to talk to Alison about talking to Half Price Books now.....

    Comment by Tiffany — January 19, 2008 @ 01:52PM

  15. "The keeping-it-real police in Deep Ellum are the most out-of-date people around. They want things to be like they were 15 years ago, but times change."

    I'm glad someone as has successfully identified this underlying problem that exists in addition to the ever-tightening grip of city officials with dollar-signs in their eyes - It's true, we can't turn back the clock (or stop it), but instead of clamoring incessantly to try to make things like they were "back in the day," it's time to realize that unless this ENTIRE city changes their values and mindset, it's going to change whether the nay-sayers meet every week or not in one little club or organization or another... Not everyone has deep-seeded "community roots" or a legacy of funds falling out of their ass like other folks fortunately have - People like Gibb fall into this category (the have-nots), yet he's also someone who's either creating or presenting some of the most fascinating and innovative work shown in this berg in the last 10 years - So let's welcome, say, an Urban Outfitters and a Half-Price Books, let's welcome a Vespa dealership and a couple new apartment complexes (keep'em cheap!), let's welcome a Paul Frank Store and a Guitar Center, all the while, nourishing the galleries, venues, and community that's still there - Who knows, more indie places may actually want to come back to Deep Ellum because there's a steady market there for their wares and services... Keepin' it real is about being realistic sometimes (especially against these unwavering odds).

    Comment by Warhol Reject — January 21, 2008 @ 11:24AM

  16. Brian is correct in his assessment of the Deep Ellum situation, and I thought he was pretty darn brave to say what needed to be said about the future of Deep Ellum (full disclosure, I am one of his customers). I've lived in a loft building in Deep Ellum for 2 years, and I love it, but very few others who have lived here do. Most tenants are in and out in the shortest amount of time possible - there is a constant stream of moving vans leaving the neighborhood at the end of each month. That is almost entirely attributable to the almost complete lack of basic services, notably a real grocery store. So yeah, some well conceived development around the perimeter of Deep Ellum, not in the middle of it, is desperately needed. I will also add that the parking situation in Deep Ellum is just medieval. Even in Southern California, the cities with the biggest shopping and entertainment areas (notably Santa Monica and Beverly Hills) provide low-cost or free parking. Those areas that don't, such as Melrose Avenue, are just about as depressing and low-rent as Deep Ellum is now. Bottom line, it's easy to pass up a walk-through at the Public Trust or a dinner at All Good Cafe' if it's going to cost you $5 a visit. You just head elsewhere. Anywhose, something's got to change, and Brian was correct to point that out.

    Comment by Bob H. — January 21, 2008 @ 06:56PM

  17. It's funny how much I was chastised for these exact sentiments last week. But this week the observer releases an article so influenced by my comments. This being said. DEEP has no vision. Gibbs does, and knows how he would like D.E. part of town looking. If DEEP doesn't want a vickery park then start getting banks, and real estate involved. There are plenty of progressive architects, and real estate firms in town to get what you want done. If you guys don't want to get off your asses then sadly the fears of the comments from Aaron g. will come true. Hell if I was DEEP i'd hire Aaron G. to help you out. Not only a creative artist he has the biggest heart in town, and frankly has tons of connections. I could see his mind, his fathers, and his brothers creating, and laying out a true vision for the deep ellum area..

    this being said..
    thanks, and fuck off.

    Comment by Cliff Notes — January 22, 2008 @ 02:06PM

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