Photo Credit: Breonny Lee
BY Taylor Adams Cogan
There’s an overused phrase for urbanists, some city planners, and others who talk about thriving communities: a place to “live, work, and play.” And for good reason – a strong neighborhood has a mix of uses that allows people to do all they need, ideally within walking distance. So, it makes sense why you hear it applied to Deep Ellum, right?
For residents like Teresa Nguyen, it’s literally the case.
“When I first moved it was all play,” she says. “I only moved here in the past five years; I’ve grown to love it in different ways. It’s raw.”
But before she settled in around 2019, she had already spent plenty of time in the neighborhood. A first-generation Vietnamese American, she moved from her birth state of New Jersey to Fort Worth with her family to grow up, and made her way to Dallas when she went to SMU. She studied journalism but found her passion in uplifting Dallas businesses through public relations.
Her firm, Lan Rose PR, has been going strong since 2008, evolving to focus on lifestyle and restaurants such as the celebrated Niwa Japanese BBQ, the dearly missed Khao Noodle Shop, and the long-time-excellent Asian Mint.
Years before she got to that point, she was limited in late-night dining options in Dallas. Similar to anyone who went to SMU or lived just to the east, Cafe Brazil on Central Expressway was a regular spot, which eventually took her to the location in Deep Ellum.
“I think that was my first introduction to Deep Ellum, then that led to all the clubs and bars,” she says. “I started my PR agency about 16 years ago… That’s where I really got to see how much Deep Ellum and Dallas have grown.”
Nguyen and her husband Shane Orr live off Exposition Avenue, a somewhat secluded and quieter area on the east end of Deep Ellum. We know different people and groups have different boundaries for the neighborhood – we’re talking the lines for the Public Improvement District. One way you can tell that is the vibrant street pole banners still line the streets there.
From their home, the duo has the ability to walk to the main parts of the neighborhood while still enjoying some a distance from the action.
“One evening, you can have one of the best ramen in Dallas and maybe even nationwide [at Ichigoh Ramen Lounge] and then go get sushi at Nori, and then go eat fried chicken at Brick & Bones, get one of the best cocktails,” she says. “I hope people don’t lose sight of that.”
The couple has been there long enough to see the neighborhood go through at least one version of its cycle it invariably maintains, with one including the added challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With the pandemic and the violence that was happening from that, what was started were these safety meetings and increase in police officers and communication among the community leaders,” she says. “So, I think that was a start. It will just continue, and I think that that’s great, the awareness of what’s happening in the community, there’s an app now where we can report things.”
Nguyen’s work is focused on uplifting local businesses, but she also spends her personal time doing the same. For the sake of the neighborhood’s future, she hopes that will remain easy in Deep Ellum.
“There’s a lot of different businesses from different cities and states, that’s part of development. But I hope the future holds a place for local-driven businesses. I think we’re in the right direction,” she says. “I hope people don’t stop going to this neighborhood: its locally driven with great gems you can’t find anywhere else in the city.”
And, of course, those places people love to visit are great because of the people who make them.
“My job and my passion is supporting local businesses and telling their stories. And also personally, I’m an advocate of that. I’m a local business owner, and Dallas has been supportive of me, a Vietnamese-American, woman business owner,” she says. “What I really love about Deep Ellum is the people. Everyone is so kind, so creative – artists, artisans, business owners, they all have this free-spirited, hustle mentality.”
