Half Price Books Construction 2

If you’ve driven down Northwest Highway recently, you might’ve noticed the major construction happening all around theĀ Starbucks across Shady Brook from theĀ Half Price Books.

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All that construction is in keeping with Half Price Books’ plans to develop the six acres across the street from its flagship store.Ā Half Price Books announced in June of 2013 its plansĀ to freshen up the neighborhood with a brand new, bustling shopping center, according toĀ executive vice president Kathy Doyle Thomas.

Half Price Books, which operates 113 stores in 16 states, has been buying up the land in pieces for the past several years, and it finally secured the entire six acres with the purchase of the Starbucks in 2006. The time wasnā€™t right in 2006, but now that the economy is picking up, Thomas says theyā€™re ready to move forward with the development.

Last summer Thomas said she and her team hadĀ been talking with national retailers and restaurants about options for the space, but she wasn’t ready to revealĀ reveal which stores her team andĀ Lincoln Properties Co., who is their broker for the project,Ā wereĀ talking with.

In May, Half Price BooksĀ announced in a press releaseĀ thatĀ REIĀ isĀ the first retailer to sign onĀ at its new shopping center development, which is probablyĀ what all the construction is for.

REI, theĀ leading outdoor retailer in Dallas, plans toĀ pack upĀ its LBJ location and move to the brand newĀ 34,000 square-foot space at 5929 E. Northwest Highway in spring of 2015.Ā 

The new shopping center will have an additional 13,000 square feet of space available for other retailers or restaurants. David Lewis of Lincoln Properties and Jack Breard of UCR Urban brokered the deal, while Cunningham Architects of Dallas designed the center.