Long-standing businesses reflect rich history of perseverance along MLK Jr. Boulevard

By Malia House

Risha Neal, a loyal customer of Blackjack Pizza in South Dallas, glances at the chalkboard menu as the smoky scent of bubbling cheese and pepperoni fills the air. The pizza place hasn’t changed much since it opened 30 years ago. 

Pizzas crackle in the oven while Neal takes in the photographs of long-time customers and signed memorabilia from high school athletes lining the walls like family albums.

“The community, I love it here,” Neal says. “The food is great, it keeps me coming back. People really do support their Black-owned businesses.”

It hasn’t always been easy, says Blackjack owner Dorothy Jones. She and her son, Terry Jones, own the restaurant. The occasional internet outages and rising costs of food have been difficult, but the customers have always been loyal, says Dorothy Jones.

When a Colorado pizzeria challenged the business’ name for trademark infringement, the Jones’ turned to customers for help– offering a year of free pizza and Dorothy Jones’ secret recipe sweet tea for coming up with a winning name. 

And again, just two years ago, the community rallied around Blackjack when a stolen car crashed into the restaurant, tearing through a wall and injuring an employee. Neighbors and friends from across Dallas rushed to make repairs to help the restaurant reopen by the next day. 

Even COVID-19 didn’t slow the restaurant down. Terry Jones says Blackjack Pizza shifted to carry-out service only until it could reopen.

“So we’ve been here all those years and it’s been very successful and we have the best customers in the world and the best food,” Dorothy Jones says. “We have good help and you can’t have a good business without good help and good customers.”

Blackjack Pizza’s endurance is reflected in other long-standing businesses on MLK Jr. Boulevard. Just up the street, Roberts Ready to Wear, open since 1960, and Elaine’s Kitchen, open since 1987, have succeeded with the support of residents and other nearby businesses.

House of Parts, a building materials store operating since the 1950s, recently reopened with support from St. Philip’s School after its building was damaged in a storm. Its success lies in being the only materials store in the area, as the nearest Home Depot is over ten miles away.

“I believe South Dallas is the last frontier for real estate development. The land costs are so cheap. Commercial real estate is so affordable. Housing prices are low. This is the best place to develop, but it takes someone going first.” — Ferrell Fellows

New developments along MLK Jr. Boulevard are transforming South Dallas, addressing economic and social needs through community-driven projects, says Ferrell Fellows, a broker and developer who lives in South Dallas. She is creating her own mixed-use commercial retail building, the “Wellness Center,” which will include a fitness center, healthy restaurant, and office space. 

Forest Forward, a non-profit organization partnered with the South Dallas community, has also invested $75 million in the neighborhood, attracting developers, investors, and residents.

“I think we’re in a period of time where any development is catalytic, and it is creating a stimulus for the local economy,” Fellows says. “It’s attracting small business owners, entrepreneurs, and existing business operators that are seeking more dignified, quality commercial spaces to operate their businesses.”

House of Parts owner, Karl Hegwer, says he supports new development, but that it can also be difficult for neighbors. 

“The problem with the gentrification in this area is that the housing [prices] goes up,” he says. “So that starts squeezing people out.”

House of Parts has survived longer than other local stores because of its loyal customers, Hegwer says. His father bought the business in 1973. He says people don’t have many places to shop because of the lack of competition and limited access to transportation.

“We just run a small staff, low overhead, and you can stay in business,” he says. “Otherwise, you will not.” 

Fellows says she relies on House of Parts for her development projects because it’s convenient. 

“Even for a developer or contractor that has transportation in vehicles, getting to the closest Home Depot is extremely inconvenient,” she says. “We would shop at House of Parts almost daily because there would always be something that was needed.”

The Dallas Entrepreneur Center (DEC) supports local entrepreneurs in starting, building, and growing their businesses in the South Dallas area. The organization offers mentorship, training, and financial development programs. In 2023, it served nearly 9,500 entrepreneurs throughout Dallas.

“I believe South Dallas is the last frontier for real estate development,” Fellows says. “The land costs are so cheap. Commercial real estate is so affordable. Housing prices are low. This is the best place to develop, but it takes someone going first.”

The Joneses welcome new businesses— especially if the owners come from the neighborhood. They have supported nearby James Madison High School by teaching students entrepreneurship and business school skills and helping with college tuition. 

“They learned how to run a business, how to run a cash register and just learn how to do everything,” Dorothy Jones says. “They learned how to make good food.”

Neal smiles as she holds her warm, crispy pizza— the same one her mother used to bring her to get years ago, making Blackjack Pizza feel like home. Before leaving, she gives Dorothy Jones a warm hug, wishing she could stay longer.

“It’s just the consistency,” she says. “The flavor, the friendliness, it’s just consistency, and you know you can come here and get what you paid for.”

This article is a part of a Solutions Journalism Network grant-funded collaboration between Dallas Doing Good, Dallas Free Press, and Southern Methodist University journalism students enrolled in summer and fall 2024 feature-writing classes. Their collective goal was to capture the efforts of South Dallas residents and businesses to preserve and revitalize Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dallas, TX. Read more stories from the Revitalizing MLK Jr. Boulevard series.