Kayleigh Bywater & Rachel Kressin
The Denton Square’s history extends beyond the Courtyard
As Julie Glover takes long, drawn out strides down West Hickory Street, she stops, taking in the barren streets and empty shops surrounding her.
One family sits on the Courtyard Lawn, sharing a picnic while surrounded by silence.
An older woman quickly scurries into the Downtown Mini Mall, anxious to see what new trinkets and knick-knacks were added since the day before.
The parking spots are empty.
While these snapshots images are from Glover’s memory, she carries them with her every time she currently sees The Square bustling with people, patrons and parties.
Back in the 1990s, this was a daily sight on The Square. Storefronts were boarded up, visitors were scarce and morale was low. The Square was not the popular tourist attraction that it is today.
Instead, it kept tourists away.
“We would have something planned, and we would be so excited for it to get started,” Glover said. “And then nothing happened for another seven or eight years after that.”
From the ground up
Since the mid-1800s, The Square and the Courthouse have been focal points in Denton – through both good and bad times.
Just like many towns, The Square has gone through trial and error alongside cosmetic mishaps and unfinished projects.
While Glover didn’t begin to step foot into the everyday actions of The Square until 1994, the desire for a new and improved Square was already felt among many.
“The thing about revitalization in downtowns everywhere is that they didn’t deteriorate overnight and they won’t come back overnight,” Glover said. “It was a long, slow process to get from where we were in the late 80s, when there was hardly anyone downtown and we were only about 50 percent occupied, to where we were when I joined.”
When Glover joined in the mid 90s, only about 85 percent of the storefronts housed some sort of business.
And while 85 percent may seem like a good percentage of occupancy, what really matters is what type of stores called The Square home.
Glover said that 95 percent of the businesses then were some sort of retail shop, mainly antique shops. Out of all the opportunities for business ventures back then, The Square only housed two restaurants.
“People were using the businesses for ridiculous things,” Glover said. “For the longest time, there was a room next to the pawn shop that was actually a storefront, but they were using it as a store room. They could have been making so much more money leasing that spot.”
Making changes
The biggest shift to The Square’s business came in the early 2000s, when a Houston-based developer bought the block known popularly as “Fry Street.”
“He wanted certain things that he couldn’t get, so he just had a fit and tore everything down,” Glover said. “He ran tenants out.”
The developer shut down local favorites on Fry Street, including what is now known as The Abbey Inn and More Fun Comics and Games. Popular businesses at that time, like the beloved pizza restaurant The Tomato, were left with nowhere to go.
Slowly, business started making its way to The Square. Restaurants and shops that were run out by the developer made their way to a permanent home downtown.
When one door closed, another one right down the street opened.
“It’s kind of a sad thing that Fry Street had to fail for us to thrive,” Glover said. “But it was a big boost to Downtown because the kids had to find a new place to eat, drink and hang out.”
Now, The Square is home to 30 restaurants and bars, allowing people to immerse themselves in the shop and dine experience that The Square desperately needed to offer.
And while the restaurants and shops on The Square seemed to be packed, things aren’t always easy on the other side.
Because of the boom of The Square, businesses are thriving and suffering in unison. Rent has skyrocketed, competition is high and space is limited.
The Chestnut Tree Teahouse and Bistro is one of the longest running shops on The Square. The retail space turned restaurant has been in business for 23 years, coming in at a time where The Square wasn’t as known and trying to thrive in a time where it’s the focal point of North Texas.
“We’ve been here before there were more than 15 restaurants downtown,” owner Suzanne Johnson said. “Because there was nothing downtown, rent was cheap. Now, rent is [too] expensive.”
Glover said some restaurants pay around $17 per square foot per year, with retail and office spaces coming in a little less. Some larger spaces on The Square can cost more than $5,000 a month in rent alone. That doesn’t include other utilities, content, product or money to keep running every day.
“There’s numbers when you’re writing your business plan – 30 percent of cost will be rent and utilities,” Johnson said. “There are businesses downtown that pay $8,000 a month in rent, and so if you’re talking $8,000 times 12, you have to do a lot of sales to cover rent [alone].”
That’s why properties along The Square and Fry Street, especially pertaining to restaurants, have a hard time staying afloat.
“We have these businesses come in downtown, and after a year they close,” she said. “And that’s incredibly sad. But we’re in the hospitality program, and it takes at least two years to recoup your money. At least 75 percent of all restaurants fail within two years of business.”
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