DALLAS — This article was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. You can read the original article here.
The upscale neighborhood grocery chain Berkley’s Market has closed two of its four locations across Dallas but could soon open another store, according to co-owner Zac Porter.
The shuttered stores were in downtown at 1800 Main St. and in Oak Cliff at 634 W. Davis St. That opens some real estate in coveted, dense areas in the Arts District and near Bishop Arts.
Porter said these two stores closed in part to "consolidate and reposition our operations to a more central and convenient location for our customers."
The location for the possible new location was not disclosed but Porter said to expect more info soon.
"While we're very sad to close stores where we've built so many great relationships with customers over the years, our upcoming location will improve our reach and allow us to better serve even more of the Dallas community,” he said in a statement.
The downtown store opened in 2018 and was framed as a boost to the street-level retail along Main Street, while the Oak Cliff location opened in summer 2022.
In addition to a selection of gourmet wholesale items, Berkley's stores boast a coffee bar, lunchtime meals and on-the-go snacks. It's know for skewing higher on prices, with items such as artisanal cheese, crackers and cookies. Berkley’s Market was created as an offshoot of Royal Blue Grocery and all locations of Royal Blue were converted to Berkley's Markets around 2021.
The two remaining Berkley’s stores are its latest nearly 5,000-square-foot location at 3300 Knox St., which opened in August 2023, and inside Trammell Crow Center, a landmark downtown tower at 2001 Ross Ave.
Berkley’s downsizing highlights the challenges inherent in such boutique retail business. Earlier this year, Chicago-based Foxtrot closed all of its stores nationwide, including four in the Dallas area. After filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in June, the business said it plans to reopen some of its shuttered stores in Dallas and Chicago in 2025.
