HIGHLAND PARK VILLAGE

Beautiful, sun-kissed bodies stroll behind designer sunglasses, tennis whites and jogging suits brush elbows with crisp pima cottons and pleated silks at the restaurants where the clientele is just as interesting as the menu. They shop tor freshly baked bread, pop into the drugstore, then dash to Guy Laroche to check out the latest fashions from Paris. It could be the same crowd that frequents the Faubourg Saint Honore in Paris or a slice of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. But this shopper’s paradise, whose sales are just as high, is in Dallas and it’s Mockingbird and Preston Road that embrace the sparkling jewel known as Highland Park Village.

The Village has steadily been transformed into the belle of the ball, arriving on a level equal in both stature and sales volume to other worldly meccas of shopping such as Worth Avenue in Palm Beach and Madison Avenue in New York. And the magic behind this Cinderella-1ike renaissance rests in the guise of a savvy prince of real estate, Henry S. Miller, Jr.

Through a cunning reorganization of space accompanied by structural and cosmetic improvements, Miller has gilded the lilly until it fairly glistens beneath the Texas sun. In fact, Miller’s personal as well as professional interest in the historical landmark has been the single most influential factor that has brought the Village to its presently glamorous state.

Miller comprehends very well the precarious balance needed to maintain a significant clientele that will make the Village a financial success. He believes strongly in keeping the neighborhood aspect of the center as it used to be. with grocery, drugstore, and bakery to draw in the neighborhood residents even if it means subsidizing some of the services. He would rather do that than replace them with tonier boutiques that would bring in higher revenue. Currently, Miller is seeking a dry cleaners to diversify the range of services offered.

Bill Noble, a two-year veteran of the Village claims,”I would rather be here than on Worth or Madison or Rodeo Drive. There, you wouldn’t feel comfortable wearing a jogging suit to buy a $10,000 piece of jewelry. I love Highland Park Village because there are the high-end boutiques as well as the grocery and bakery. That really separates us from all the other centers.’’

Miller’s vision and goals for the Village center on having quality boutiques for Dallasites and out-of-towners while still preserving the Village’s tradition of easy accessibility and service-oriented shops for neighborhood clients. “It’s nearing the stage in its transformation that I would like to think was our original plan,” explains Miller. This coming of age has taken about ten years. Before Miller purchased the property in 1976, it existed in a somewhat sadder state of affairs. The Village’s concept had paled somewhat in the sixties with the advent of the shopping malls. Until Miller came in, there were no signage or storefront restrictions, so each merchant had a totally different look which spoiled the original architecture of the center. Instead of modernizing their storefronts, they succeeded in totally obliterating the Spanish architecture. The center as a whole was unattractive, with cement parking islands, large fluorescent street lamps, and minimal landscaping. “The stores had low rents and weren’t kept up,” says Stephen Birnbaum of Valentine Furs. He remembers when the Village used to be strictly for the neighborhood with hardware and electrical shops. “The Millers came in and treated it like a business. They made the shopowners fix up their storefronts.” Indeed, many of the merchants were not intending to renew their leases at the end of their term. Sanger Harris was one, but after talking to Miller and hearing his plans for the future, they decided to stay. Sanger’s leases a large square footage of space compared to other merchants, but it is i still relatively small compared to their other stores. For that reason, merchandising is especially important and the store features on- , ly what sells best. The men’s boutique and Georgio were replaced by a woman’s linge-rie and loungewear boutique, and there are no homefurnishings or electronics departments. Women’s fashions occupy the first floor, incorporating cosmetics, shoes, and jewelry, with more casual clothes upstairs.

When Highland Park Village opened in 1931 it was a grand concept with its Spanish architecture influenced by real estate developer Hugh Prathers and architect James Cheek’s visit to the World Exposition in Barcelona in 1928. The shopping center was the first of its kind in the country, a commercial project with one overall look where streets faced inward, away from the surrounding streets. It set precedent for future planned shopping centers and has won several awards since the Millers’ restoration began.

After purchasing the Village, Miller first set about to recapture the essential character that had made it so special. “The first million was probably spent just on rewiring,” says Juanita Miller who has worked closely with Henry on the area’s revitaliza-tion. He has credited her with having most of the ideas. Next was a sorely needed reap-propriation of space, with second levels created from the high ceilings. Ten year later, the once-fledgling child has come of age and is ready to make its best impression. So far, it seems to be an excellent one judging from the types of cars and license plates seen. A tour of the Village can be an hour’s or a day’s event and the variety offers something for everyone, from haute couture to blue jeans.









●Lakeside Realty ● Dr’s Gaylords &Brady, Inc. ● Dr. O.T New ●Calder/MaysRealtors ●Village Barbers ● McBride Realty ● Village Management Office ● Bill Me ●Robert R. Wallace Investments ● Hair Transplantation Center ● L’Image Crystal CharityBall Henry S. MillerResidential ● John Haynsworth Photography ● Polished Perfection Nails ●Descamps ●Florida Adams

LOWER LEVEL

●Centennial ●Revco ●Scapa of Scotland ●St. Michael’sWoman’s Exchange ●Safeway Food Emporium ? ●Gerard-Thom ●Cooler’s Village Camera● Collector’s Covey ●William Noble ●Rare Jewe ●Cravate ●Sanger-Harris ●Jas. K.Wilson ●Monday’s Child ●Ann Taylor ●Williams-Sonoma●Torie Steele ●Boutiques ●Valentino ●Polo/Ralph Lauren ●InterFirst BankPark Cities ●Leon’s Shoes ●Deno’s ShoeRepa ●Rosemary Byrd ●B. DaltonBooksellers ●Calame Jewelry ●Hermes ●Cafe Pacific, Ltd. ●S&S Tearoom ●Guardian Savings ● Mahoney Realtors ●Mr. Umphrey’s ●Village Theatre ●Carlos Falchi ●Lirio’s ●7-Eleven ●Peeper’s ●Village Bakery ●Harold’s ●Cheese Shop ●Beaujolais Cafe ●Collections ●Mirabelle ●Los Vaqueros ●Valentine Furs ●Pierre Deux ●Chanel ●Village Stationer ●Harold’s ●Guy Laroche