Businesses ‘in the dark’ ahead of Trump’s Dallas convention

For Taryn Anderson, the Republican convention could bring 20,000 potential customers to Victory Park – and barricades that keep them from her cafe and restaurant.

With two weeks remaining before the convention, the owner of Hatchways Cafe still does not know whether her employees and customers will be able to reach her business.

“We’re a little in the dark right now,” Anderson said. Her cafe sits three blocks south of the American Airlines Center, which soon will be converted into the GOP’s rally site.

From restaurants to boutiques and barbershops, merchants around the arena say the city and convention organizers have provided few details about what the Sept. 9-10 event will mean for them.

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With President Donald Trump, administration officials, party leaders and activists coming to town, heavy security is certain, including a perimeter around the arena, road closures and parking restrictions.

But questions are mounting across Victory Park: Will we be inside the security perimeter or outside it? Will conventiongoers fill our shops and restaurants or be kept away by the barricades? Where will the protesters set up?

Accustomed to planning around major events, Anderson said she wants assurances that her employees will be able to get to work.

“Especially for politicians – their job is to protect their communities and everyday people,” she said. “They shouldn’t do something that negatively impacts their daily lives.”

Dallas police spokesperson Allison Hudson said officials expect to provide nearby businesses with more information within two weeks after finalizing plans with the White House and other federal partners.

Related: Dallas prepares for Trump midterm convention — and protests — on a shorter timeline

Some businesses plan to close altogether, wary of the expected 20,000 attendees and the demonstrations and marches planned by protest groups.

Jackie Bolin and Liz Thompson said they will shutter V.O.D. Boutique, their fashion store two blocks south of the arena, during the convention.

“We’re closing,” Bolin said.

Anderson, who also owns Billy Can Can, an upscale steakhouse and saloon a few blocks from the arena, said a two-day shutdown is not an option.

“We can’t afford” that, she said. “It would be very disruptive to the restaurant.”

Jeff Adams, owner of Sir Sweeney  Barbershop & Lounge barbershop, near the boutique, plans to remain open but said he knows little about the convention’s security measures.

“The only thing that we’ve heard is just from our property manager warning us that they’ve requested from the city that a bunch of streets will be blocked off – but we don’t know what streets yet,” he said.

Convention security zones generally have multiple layers. Access closest to the venue is limited to credentialed attendees, while a wider zone can limit vehicles, parking and deliveries even where pedestrians are allowed. 

Dallas officials have not said publicly where those boundaries will fall.

Past national political conventions have produced uneven results for nearby merchants. 

Hotels, restaurants with private bookings and establishments inside the flow of convention traffic can prosper, while others lose regular customers who avoid the congestion and security restrictions.

John McAuliffe, the general manager of W Dallas hotel and residences, a block from the arena, said the FIFA World Cup helped prepare the hotel for a influx of visitors.

He said the city has assured him that roadblocks will not directly affect the property, though he still expects heavy traffic nearby.

Still, he does not anticipate major disruption to operations.

“I’m sure at some point we’ll have to deal with whatever that looks like,” he said, “but at this time, that’s not impacting us in any way.” 

At the 2024 Republican convention in Milwaukee, some restaurants were packed with party events and delegates, while others reported slower-than-usual sales, according to local news reports.

The Dallas GOP gathering is not a traditional nominating convention and will conduct no party business, but organizers are giving it the look and trappings of one.