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Deep Ellum is an arts and entertainment district near downtown in east Dallas, Texas (USA). It lies directly east of the elevated I-45/US 75 (unsigned I-345) freeway and extends to Exposition Avenue, connected to downtown by, from north to south, Pacific, Elm, Main, Commerce, and Canton streets. The neighborhood is north of Exposition Park and south of Bryan Place.
Entertainment district
The 1990s were a high point for Deep Ellum as Dallas' liveliest entertainment district. By 1991, Deep Ellum had 57 bars and nightclubs. There were restaurants, tattoo parlors, other diverse retail shops, and an increasing amount of high-rent residential loft space. Notable businesses of the 1990s included Trees (Closed late 2005), 2826, Club Dada (closed & reopened 2006), The Angry Dog (a restaurant, still in business), Monica's Aca y Alla (a restaurant, still in business),Looker Hair Group (a salon), Galaxy Club (closed early 2007), the Green Room and Tarantino's (both restaurants closed September 2006), and The Red Blood Club (closed & reopened 2007).
One interesting story involves Russell Hobbs, the former owner of Theater Gallery and the Prophet Bar, who, in early 1988, converted to Christianity, closed his clubs, and opened The Door (in May 1998, still in business), a Christian oriented venue which remains popular with young people and many high profile MTV bands and lesser-known touring bands.
Another interesting story is how Monica's Aca y Alla came about. Eduardo Greene divorced his wife and had a highly publicised sex-change and reopened Eduardo's Aca y Alla under her new name. Monica's Aca y Alla helped revive Deep Ellum in the '90s with this trendy hotspot.
Life in Deep Ellum (www.lifeindeepellum.com) opened in January 2007 as a cultural center for the community of Deep Ellum and has breathed new life into the area. The 23,000sf venue features Mokah Coffee Bar; the Live@Mokah concert venue (www.liveatmokah.com) and Mokah Art, one of the area's largest gallery spaces. In addition to its cultural and entertainment offerings, The Gathering is held every Sunday in the Live@Mokah venue space for those seeking spiritual growth within the community's only legally-designated church space. Deep Ellum Kids offers an after-school mentoring program in partnership with the Dallas Independent School District's City Park Elementary.
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