Big change didn’t hurt small-town feel in city
Downtown Grapevine was old before old became fashionable.
Now its historic Main Street stands as an example of how to make retail work as part of a downtown revival — and that’s no small feat. In the past few years, the key corridor of this old trading town has been updated and upgraded significantly without losing its small-town feel.
Walk into the five dozen or so stores, and you’re likely to encounter the owner-operator, tending to customers and shining up the merchandise. The vibe is a sharp contrast to the instant town squares that are popping up in North Texas and the giant, almost Disney-like developments in other parts of Grapevine.
And rather than be vanquished by big-box retailers, an expansive outlet mall and a convention hotel, Main Street has benefited from their spillover, helping Grapevine become a bona fide tourist destination.
The city’s downtown has an eclectic mix that’s fun to cover on foot. Along with new boutiques, restaurants and wine-tasting rooms, Main Street includes a barbershop, feed store, carpet and tile retailer and shoe repair — businesses that look like they’ve been around for decades. (And some have.)
You won’t find typical franchise names like Starbucks. Instead, there are Cero’s Heros, Weinberger’s Deli and Willhoite’s restaurant.
“Everybody tries to be unique,” says Christine Bram, who owns a gift store and stained-glass studio called Reflections.
