History

Thousands of people live here. Hundreds of thousands more drive through this section of North Dallas every year. Greenville Avenue has gone through many transitions over the past 150 years. From a small community called Vickery, which encompassed four square miles of rolling terrain centered on what is now the busy intersection of Greenville and Park Lane. Vickery was a place for farms, dairies and horse stables after it was founded in the 1850s.

Fifty years later, Vickery had grown into a center of commerce. Farmers traveled from miles around to do their banking, get their groceries, find hardware items and feed their livestock.

Although Dallas’ thirst for expansion led to the annexation of Vickery in 1945, the area managed to retain its rural flavor until an explosion of development in the 1970s. Apartments and businesses replaced most of the community’s original buildings as well as the remaining stables and farmland.

After World War II and into the1950’s Greenville Avenue south of Park Lane begin to grow into a shopping, restaurant and entertainment center on the outskirts of Dallas. The late sixties and early seventies were a time for rapid residential expansion to the area which included a new concept to apartment living with the opening of a variety of connected properties called “The Village”. This in addition to the growth of high profile homes in University Park and Highland Park brought in a lucrative customer base to the merchants on Greenville.

In 1970 the popular “Old Town” shopping center opened, offering a variety of boutique and specialty shops, clubs and more restaurants. It even included an upscale Tom Thumb grocery store designed for singles. The advent of Disco clubs, trendy bars and upscale restaurants provided a wide variety of entertainment venues and the most popular nightspots in Dallas. This scene also attracted the college crowd from SMU, just a couple of miles from the heart of the Greenville hot spots.

Now, famous Dallas restaurants like Desperados Mexican Restaurant, Campisi’s, Snuffers, Kirby’s Steakhouse and Humperdinks have over 20 years of tradition on Greenville. Popular neighborhood bars like Milo Butterfingers and the Greenville Bar & Grill, which both opened in the late 70’s kept the tradition alive. All of these establishments and several more are pillars of this community and serve as Dallas landmark food and entertainment locations.

During the eighties and nineties the area reinvented itself by adding new and updated retail stores, business services and health and fitness companies. Old Town and Tom Thumb are thriving and now Central Market is across the street. “Lower” Greenville has become the place to be for the young adult crowd, gathering at San-Francisco Rose, Terilli’s, The Blue Goose, The Dubliner and others.
Greenville Avenue remains unique as a close knit family of merchants and business owners that pride themselves with their place in this historic part of the Dallas landscape. Now its up you to “Revisit your Favorite Places and Experience the New Greenville Avenue.”

About GAABA

In the fall of 1987, many merchants had came together and formed the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association (G.A.A.B.A.). This organization was formed to help unify area business and promote the Greenville Avenue area.

Greenville Avenue Area Business Association (G.A.A.B.A.) is made up of many businesses along Greenville Avenue in Dallas Texas. There are currently over 50 members and we are still growing.

Board Members

Jorge Levy – Desperados Mexican Restaurant – President – 214-363-1850

Tommy Donahue – General Mgr, Milo Butterfingers – Vice President – 214-368-9212

Hector Rodriquez - BB&T – 214-874-7500

Jake Levy – Desperados Mexican Restaurant – 214-363-1850

Donnell Toler – Emergency Ice – 972-988-0577

Eric C. Hill – Law Offices of Eric C. Hill P.C. – 214-329-0430

Kevin Vela – Vela/Keller P.C. – 214-821-2300