“The former Red Bird Mall has been such a pillar for the community for decades,” says Terrance Maiden, CEO of real estate development firm Russell Glen and co-leader of the Shops at RedBird project. “It was a point of pride and a special place for people to gather together. Our vision for The Shops of RedBird is to reimagine the mall as a mixed-use development with quality amenities like a grocery store, luxury apartments, healthcare, shops, education, entertainment, office, quality restaurants and community gathering spaces.”
A project years in the making whose first phase came online this year, the development is part of Dallas’ GrowSouth plan and aims to bring sustainable growth to Dallas’ economically depressed neighborhoods.
“For the last several years, we have been working diligently to redevelop the mall into a project that the community would embrace, but also serve as a catalyst for another project across southern Dallas,” Maiden says. “Our guiding ‘north star’ has been ensuring every decision made regarding the project is thoughtful and will benefit the area long term.”
The Shops at RedBird is bringing a wide variety of services to the area, but some of the most exciting new additions are restaurants. Chick-fil-A’s 3,000th store opened in RedBird last year and the Shops has since added the locally-owned Breakfast Brothers and a Starbucks.
“The restaurants we have opened thus far have been a glaring example of how if you build something of quality, people will come,” Maiden says. “Starbucks RedBird is the fifth-most-visited store in the country. Breakfast Brothers, which is locally owned, is performing exceptionally and consistently busy. Our overall strategy consists of creating a healthy balance of national, regional and local entrepreneurs as retail and restaurant tenants for the project.”
The “if you build it, they will come” mentality expands to other businesses as well as customers. Several more dining destinations will debut at RedBird in the coming months.
“We are under construction with a new Jamba Juice and Wingstop,” Maiden says. “We are also in advance conversations with several new businesses looking to open at the site, which we hope to announce soon. [...] We are now targeting to attract more fine-dining restaurant options for the community.”
Thumbs Up for Tom Thumb
In 2026, a Tom Thumb with a full-service grocery store and pharmacy will open at RedBird. The store will span 50,000 square feet, with roughly 30,000 square feet dedicated to shopping space, and is expected to create upwards of 90 permanent jobs.The area is classified as a food desert by USDA standards, and a new grocery store will provide a welcome source of fresh food to the community.
“The long-awaited announcement for a grocery store is creating a lot of excitement and is a huge accomplishment for the project,” Maiden says. “It took a lot of effort and support from the City of Dallas [...] to convince Tom Thumb to bring a store to RedBird. We are excited to get the store open, which is scheduled for spring 2026.”
Dallas City Council approved an incentive package to motivate Tom Thumb's parent company, Albertsons Companies, to expand into RedBird.
“This community has expressed its desire to have a quality grocery store that offers fresh foods for so long and attracting a grocery store has been one of our biggest priorities ever since we started to reimagine RedBird,” Dallas City Council member Tennell Atkins, Chair of the City’s Economic Development Committee, told WFAA.
In terms of feedback from the community, Maiden says that there is one suggestion they’ve heard several times.
“The input for the project has been very positive thus far from the community, just requesting more restaurant options,” he says. “The most requested restaurant from the community is The Cheesecake Factory.”
Aside from the professional and financial stakes that come with being CEO, Maiden’s connection to this project is deeply personal.
“I grew up in the Oak Cliff area near Shops at RedBird,” Maiden tells the Observer. “This project has great sentimental value for me and aligns well with our company’s investment strategy of leveraging real estate to attract grocery stores and healthcare to marginalized communities."
(Representatives of Dallas City Councilman Zarin D. Gracey, whose district contains The Shops at RedBird, didn't return our request for a comment.)
