If you haven't been down to the intersection of Highway 67 and I-20 lately, you probably still think of the old Southwest Center Mall as a ghost town. A relic of 1975 with cracked linoleum and those weirdly dim corridors that smelled like stale popcorn and nostalgia. Honestly, for a long time, you weren't wrong. The mall was basically on life support for two decades.
But walk into the space now—officially rebranded as The Shops at RedBird—and the vibe is jarringly different. It’s not just a "mall" anymore. In fact, calling Red Bird Mall in Dallas Texas a shopping center is kinda like calling a smartphone a pager. It’s a total mutation of what a suburban anchor used to be.
The Peter Brodsky Gamble
Most people thought Peter Brodsky was slightly crazy when he bought the property in 2018. Why buy a dying mall in Southern Dallas when everyone else was sprinting toward Frisco?
The math didn't seem to add up for the skeptics. But Brodsky, along with developer Terrence Maiden, saw something others missed: a massive gap in quality services. Southern Dallas residents were tired of driving 20 miles north just to find a decent salad or a primary care doctor.
They didn't just want more stores; they wanted a "village." So, the team stopped trying to find another JCPenney and started looking for doctors, tech founders, and college professors.
It's a Medical Hub Now
The biggest surprise? The doctors. You’ve got UT Southwestern and Children’s Health taking up massive real estate here. We’re talking about a 150,000-square-foot medical clinic where a department store used to be.
- UT Southwestern RedBird: Offers everything from oncology to neurology.
- Parkland Health: Their clinic here is designed to be a "medical home" for the neighborhood, tackling chronic issues like diabetes and high blood pressure right where people live.
- Crossroads Nutrition Pharmacy: This isn't your average CVS; it’s a concept where patients get personalized diet plans to go with their meds.
It's actually pretty brilliant. You go for your checkup, then grab a coffee at the Starbucks out front—which, by the way, is one of the top-performing locations in the entire DFW Metroplex. People said folks in the area wouldn't pay five bucks for a latte. They were wrong.
Living and Working at RedBird
You can actually live here now. Palladium RedBird is a 300-unit apartment complex sitting right on the property. It’s a mix of workforce housing and market-rate units, and it’s basically full.
And then there's the jobs. Chime Solutions, an Atlanta-based call center, moved in with plans for over 1,000 employees. Then you have the Dallas Entrepreneurial Center (DEC) and Dallas College operating workforce centers.
- Dallas College Workforce Center: Focuses on training people for high-demand careers.
- Workforce Solutions Greater Dallas: They’re literally holding resume workshops and job fairs inside the mall.
It’s a ecosystem. You train for a job, you work at the call center, you live in the apartments, and you get your healthcare at the clinic. All without ever really leaving the 95-acre footprint of Red Bird Mall in Dallas Texas.
The Grocery Desert is Ending
For years, this part of Dallas was a food desert. It was a running joke that wasn't very funny if you lived there. But the momentum has finally cracked the seal on major retail.
Tom Thumb is slated to open a 50,000-square-foot full-service grocery store in 2026. This is a huge deal. It’s the first major grocer to commit to the area in decades, and it’s expected to bring about 90 permanent jobs with it.
The retail mix is also shifting. You still have staples like Burlington and Foot Locker, but you’re seeing more local flavors too. The Breakfast Brothers is a local favorite that's consistently slammed, and there’s a Chick-fil-A that recently hit its 3,000th store milestone right here.
Why This Isn't Just "Another Mall Renovation"
Most mall "revitalizations" are just a fresh coat of paint and a new movie theater. RedBird is different because it prioritized the community's actual needs over "luxury" fluff.
The City of Dallas threw in over $22 million in incentives because they realized this wasn't just about sales tax—it was about stabilizing an entire sector of the city. The project has already pumped over $200 million into the area, and it’s starting to bleed over into the surrounding neighborhoods. Home values are ticking up. Other apartment owners nearby are finally spending money on renovations.
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Is it perfect? No. Retail is still a dogfight, and the interior of the mall is still finding its identity. But the "Work, Shop, Play, Stay, Live" mantra isn't just marketing jargon here; it’s the literal blueprint.
Actionable Steps for Visitors and Residents
If you’re planning to check out the new RedBird, keep these things in mind:
- Healthcare Access: If you live in Southern Dallas, the UT Southwestern and Parkland clinics are fully operational. You can book primary care or specialist appointments online without having to commute to the Medical District.
- Support Local: Skip the chains for one meal and hit up Breakfast Brothers or In-Zone for HBCU gear. The local entrepreneurs are the ones keeping the "culture" in the mall.
- Job Seeking: If you're looking for a career pivot, head to the second level. The Dallas College Workforce Center and Workforce Solutions have walk-in hours for training programs and job placement.
- Stay Updated: Since the Tom Thumb and new hotel projects are still under construction through 2026, check the official Shops at RedBird website before heading down for a specific new store opening.
The era of the "dying mall" is over for this site. It’s now a test case for how to fix a city from the inside out.