J.C. Penney Co. Inc.

Does This JCPenney Tea Kettle Look Like Hitler to You? [Updated]

Oh, JCPenney. The Plano-based department store chain just cannot seem to stop stepping in it, in the weirdest ways possible. Last year, there was Gay Dad-Gate, in which the company pissed off homophobes everywhere by featuring a photo of two gay fathers in its catalog, just after it had the temerity ... More >>

Ronald Johnson Gambled and Lost at JCP, but that Doesn't Mean He Made a Bad Bet

What to make of the big boot at J.C. Penney? CEO Ronald B. Johnson came tumbling out that door grabbing for his hat like a riverboat gambler evicted from First Baptist. Sometimes it's hard to look cool. But what's the big picture in this picture? Is there ever a big picture in bed sheets and towels ... More >>

The New Valley View Will Be Like Uptown, With a Gondola

The last time I set foot in Valley View Center three or four years ago, it was eerily reminiscent of a post-apocalyptic zombie flick, and not the old-school kind with the undead lurching forward with laughable slowness. The zombies that come to mind are the type that are puma-quick and would have no ... More >>

Does Anyone Have a Notion of What JC Penney Even Is Now?

I'm trying to think if there is a way the latest news about Plano-based JC Penney could be any more depressing. I was already pretty depressed when I read about the billion dollars in 2012 losses on a four billion dollar drop in sales this morning, and that was before I got to the story about the Ma ... More >>

Street Style: Dallas Observer Music Awards Showcase Edition

When we see you on the street and think you put some thought into your style, we may take your picture and ask you things. See also: A group of trendsetters rock their Saturday best at Dada Name: Lacy Beckman Age: 23 Occupation: Sales support specialist for Fossil Style influences: "Look books. ... More >>

JCPenney Is Being Sued For Loving Martha Stewart Too Much

Actually, JCPenney is being sued for "tortious interference," as its competitor Macy's tries to stop Martha Stewart Living from setting up shop anywhere at all besides Macy's. The lawsuit, filed today, puts a crimp in JCPenney's plan to create "mini Martha Stewart stores" inside its locations. Pe ... More >>

One Million Moms Strikes Again: The Real Reason JC Penney President Michael Francis Got Canned

Update at 4:54 p.m.: JC Penney just sent me a statement. As expected, it makes no mention of One Million Moms: Michael's departure does not signify a change to jcpenney's long-term transformation plans. We remain focused on our vision to becoming America's favorite store through great product and e ... More >>

One Million Moms Doesn't Like JC Penney's Two Gay Dads At All

Because their attack on JC Penney for its (obviously homosexual) relationship with Ellen DeGeneres only brought the Plano-based clothing retailer to its knees, the anti-gay, pro-crazy group One Million Moms is back to deliver the finishing blow. The department store chain sent out a subversive litt ... More >>

One Million Moms Takes Credit for GCB Getting Canceled, Almost Makes Us Wish It Wasn't

You're probably still recovering from this weekend's news that GCB, the all-cartoon character depiction of Dallas's blonde and faithful, has been canceled. One Million Moms couldn't be more pleased. They're the American Family Association-backed protest group who's been calling for the big-haired ... More >>

One Million Moms Is Now Calling For A Boycott Against "Blasphemous" GCB

Back in February, it was semi-big news when a group called One Million Moms called for a boycott of Dallas-based J.C. Penney. The reason was the company's new spokeswoman, Ellen DeGeneres, who you will be shocked to learn is gay, and thus obviously unfit to sell pleated Dockers and window treatments ... More >>

Justin Bieber's Biggest Fans Descend Upon Frisco

Mattie Stafford​Every few years it seems a new pandemic sweeps the nation. Usually occurring on or around television sweeps weeks, diseases like SARS and swine flu become hot-button topics that dominate news coverage as well as most other forms of popular media. Formerly innocuous water cooler ... More >>

New Study Says Dallas's Schoolchildren Really Need Something to Do After School

​D.C.-based Afterschool Allliance wondered: What are America's kids doing after the 3 p.m. school bell rings? Survey says: Only 15 percent of students nationwide are involved in some kind of afterschool program. That's a small number. And Dallas comes in below the national average:Only 30,000 chil ... More >>

Now To the Team Hicks Used To Own: Your ALCS-Playing Rangers and Tonight's Deets

​Hell of a way to bookend the day -- in a courtroom first thing in the morning watching Tom Hicks's attorneys fight to keep ownership of Liverpool FC, then at the Ballpark in Arlington tonight to watch Tom Hicks's old team fight to keep home-field advantage over the New York Yankees in its first-e ... More >>

'Cause My Heart, It Was Tim Gunn

Photos by Danny Fulgencio​Tim Gunn was up in Frisco last night, selling clothes (for Liz Claiborne and JCPenney) and books (Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work), at Stonebriar Centre Mall. From the sounds of our own Danny Fulgencio's account, the best part of Project Runw ... More >>

City to Refocus Its Attention at Southwest Center on Macy's, Which Is "Still Alive"; Penney's Owner Will Consider All His Options

​Back to Southwest Center Mall for a moment -- or, more specifically, the city's plans to keep the "dead mall," per the Urban Land Institute, alive. Karl Zavitkovsky kept the council's Economic Development Committee behind closed doors for almost an hour this morning, during which point it was men ... More >>

Ron Natinsky Wonders: If We're Gonna Save Southwest Center, Why Not Valley View, Then?

Sam MertenRon Natinsky​If nothing else, this'll be the last Southwest Center Mall item of the day -- only because there'll be nothing left to talk about till after the council returns from its summer recess. But Ron Natinksky, head of the city council's Economic Development Committee, called Unfai ... More >>

On Monday, Council Committee To Go Behind Closed Doors to Talk Southwest Center Mall

From the Urban Land Institute's report on Southwest Center Mall, this proposal: "The panel recommends a new town center to be organized around a lawn and retail street (shown in red)."​Dunno if you remember this, but back before Christmas the city of Dallas took out a lease on the abandoned JCPen ... More >>

Thanks to Dave Letterman: Dallas in Arlington!

Your First-Place Texas Rangers take on the one-game-back Oakland Athletics tonight at the Ballpark in Arlington -- first pitch in, oh, 15 minutes. After the game, you can switch it on over to CBS for the Late Show with David Letterman, where perfect-gamer Dallas Braden's throwing out the Top 10 list ... More >>

The Sad View from Valley View

Signs like this one decorate dozens of empty storefronts at Valley View Center.​When I was a kid, Valley View was my mall -- bought my first skateboard (a Powell-Peralta purchased at the stand beneath the escalators), my first album (KISS's Double Platinum at the Disc Records) and my first guitar ... More >>

It Appears the City's Buying JCPenney's Space at Southwest Center Mall After All

"The lonely mall" formerly known as Red Bird​For weeks it's been rumored that the city's getting ready to buy the JCPenney piece of the beleaguered Southwest Center Mall. Which, if true, wouldn't come as much of a surprise: The Urban Land Institute, paid $120,000 by the city council in April to "a ... More >>

More About City's Plans to "Rent" JCPenney at Southwest Center Mall, With Option to Buy

Sam MertenThe vacant JCPenney building at Southwest Center Mall in South Dallas.​Karl Zavitkovsky, head of the city's Office of Economic Development, just called back to explain why the city's moving forward with plans to purchase the JCPenney's space at Southwest Center Mall, which the chain aban ... More >>

Just Eat It

Office Politics, or: Penney for Your Lawsuit

​During the waning days of the '08 presidential election, a piece of Photoshop made the rounds featuring Barack Obama shining Sarah Palin's shoes. Collin County man Roger Baker, an eight-year J.C. Penney veteran at its Plano HQ, says he printed out the photo and taped it to a co-worker's computer ... More >>

After Razing Timbercreek Apartments, Trammell Crow Company Heads to Board of Adjustment Aiming to Delay Replacing Trees

Trees out, JCPenney in. Yup, sounds like Dallas. Shortly after Intern Alex wrote this strong piece, we wondered what had become of the Timbercreek Apartments on Northwest Highway and Skillman. Schutze exposed the city council vote in May 2006 when Mayor Laura Miller stood alone in opposing new zonin ... More >>

How Do You Save a "Mostly Dead" Mall?

From the Urban Land Institute report on Southwest Center: "More than half the floor space is vacant -- feels lonely"Back in April, the Dallas City Council agreed to spend $120,000 in economic development grant money so the Urban Land Institute could "assess redevelopment options" at Southwest Center ... More >>

Red Bird Singing in the Dead of Night, Take These Broken Wings and Learn to Fly

View Larger MapSpeaking, as we were late last week, of deserted area malls, today comes word that the city council's trying to figure out what to do with the Shopping Center Formerly Known as Red Bird. Otherwise called Southwest Center Mall, the joint was once a jam-packed jewel upon its grand openi ... More >>

Short Orders: Tupinamba

Tupinamba12270 Inwood972-991-8148Eddie Dominguez's place is the restaurant equivalent of the Grapevine Bar--an unassuming, colorful, come-as-you-are kind of place.If you've never been to the latter (conveniently located across the street from our offices) or if you can't ignore for a moment the bar' ... More >>

Southwest Airlines Ties FedEx as Seventh Most-Admired Company in ... the World!

Courtesy Southwest AirlinesFortune just posted its list of the World's Most Admired Companies -- at least, admired by the other bidness folks surveyed by the magazine. Five Dallas-based companies made the list of 363, and they are, in alphabetical order: AT&T, Brinker International, Centex, Sout ... More >>

Scenes from the Dallas Auto Show

Daniel DaughertyHey Chrysler, lookin' good!Just in time for the recession, the Dallas Auto Show revs its engines till Sunday, filling the Dallas Convention Center with a bunch of cars that nobody will ever buy. But that won't stop us from staring, glassy-eyed, like children with the JC Penney Christ ... More >>

Experience This

Celebrate Independence Day in December

Denim Challenge

DIFFA reworks denim for charity

Fly the Gay-Friendly Skies

Every Day Matters at Good Records

Dallas Is So In Fashion

Zzzzz...Huh? Oh Yeah. That Mayor Thingy.

Blue, New and Borrowed

Location, Location, Location

Patrick Colombo eyeing new projects

Art Attack

Arlington Museum of Art has people under the stairs

Buzz

We shall overcome

Buzz

DMN security compromised by computer whizzer

Gimme an 'F'

Bring It On is nothing to cheer about

E-publish or perish

Move over Mr. Gutenberg -- Dallas Internet entrepeneur Patrick Seaman is hunting for the "killer app" to create the next revolution in publishing

Blink

Overseas loan; Hardy laurels; Destructo art

Sweating it out in Saipan

While other major retailers settle sweatshop lawsuits, J.C. Penney insists everything's cool

Letters to the Editor

Published January 20, 1999

Penney pinched

Falling sales and claims of sexist, insular management plague Plano-based J.C. Penney. Can a woman -- from Wal-Mart of all places -- turn the troubled chain around?

Art Attack

A nosy questionnaire about how well Dallas arts groups run their businesses touches off a revolt against the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts

Events for the week

Buzz