D Magazine

For many, the shops were a relic from an era when malls were built just because.

In the words of D Magazine senior editor Mike Paolucci, it existed to exist.

And even though the shopping center didn't feature anything particularly special, like the Galleria's ice rink or North Park's art, in the eyes of Paolucci's young daughter, the mall was her playground.

He recently joined us here to talk about the deeper loss his family's been feeling since the Shops at Willow Bend shuttered.

You were the sports editor-

Mm-hmm

... at D Magazine.

Tell me how you feel about this new spot for the arena, and what you hope for it.

Uh, I was walking into a situation where we were making the news regularly, and it wasn't for great things.

There's a D Magazine article out there called Ferris: The Town Where Everyone Hates Each Other.

Uh, the town had been without water for a three-day period two times in a row when I became city manager, and when I walked in the door, I found out that it had been three years since they had completed an audit.

It had been two years since they had reconciled a single bank statement, so they had no idea how much money they had.

The industry is facing rising real estate costs, inflation, and stiffer competition from large corporate restaurants.

D Magazine's Brian Reinhardt has done a deep dive on these tough times, and we invited him to share more on what is driving these closures and what can be done to help some of your favorite spots survive.

Brian Reinhardt is here with us.

Hi, Brian.

Yeah.

All right.

Brian Reinhart with D Magazine, thank you so much.

Thank you, guys.

called Yao Fuzi.

And it has been voted the best Chinese food, I think, by D Magazine for the last 15 years.

It's small.

Mom and dad are literally in the kitchen.

So interesting.

D Magazine did a really interesting piece where they talked to you about kind of more women joining the world of wealth management.

Yes.

More women joining your profession.

Maybe I, what did he say? I now have to call it Y'all Street, something like that? He's not the only one, though.

I mean, I'm looking at a headline right here on D Magazine.

New York Stock Exchange, Texas.

The y'all street boom heats up.

There w- there was almost no way I could lose.

The, the, the business was, uh, packed on Fridays and Saturdays, always a two-hour wait, and it was voted most romantic restaurant by D Magazine, you know, a, a year or two after I took it over, but that was all to her credit, not mine.

So that's how I got into it.

But it...

And here to do just that is Bethany Erickson.

She's the senior online editor at D Magazine.

And she recently wrote a piece explaining this lawsuit.

And Bethany, I've read your piece.

Studies bear it out that people are finding a personal faith journey outside of organized religion, in part because they say it's quote unquote too political.

And is this an example of a real heightened example, an amplified example of what they're talking about? Bethany Erickson, thank you.

Senior online editor at D Magazine.

And I know you've got more to follow with this and we'll follow up.

There's a couple more in there.

What else is there? Dal- there's Dal- I mean, like Dallas Magazine.

I, uh, you know, we get- Texas Monthly ... we get Vogue-