Business Owners on Navigating Ongoing Construction: ‘Deep Ellum Is Still Open, It’s Still a Little Spicy’

Ruins, a sleek Latin restaurant and music venue, sits on Commerce Street in Deep Ellum, behind a sea of construction that began about a year ago. The street is half rumble with traffic barriers, changing the former landscape that seems to many an entirely different age, long since past. It has changed everything for many businesses in the area. Some have put out signs letting passersby know that they are still open and operating, because the vacant sidewalks are obscured by a mess of dirt and torn-up road. 

The Observer covered the effects of the construction on local restaurants back in January, and the problems persist, particularly for music venues throughout the neighborhood, such as Ruins, Armoury and Three Links. As the cultural district gears up for the 2025 Deep Ellum Block Party this weekend, billed as “one day, one incomparable neighborhood. all the free music you can handle,” we wonder how these music venues are coping with crime problems, construction work and heavy-handed regulation.

Dan Murry, who co-owns Ruins and Armoury D.E. with Peter Novotny, discusses the challenges facing his business. Murry, a self-proclaimed patron of “weird, experimental music,” loves to take chances on local bands who don’t fit any mold. He’s enthusiastic about all things creative and original, but now, due to construction and community perceptions of crime, he says he has to think more about how he can generate a profit. There is a dwindling number of patrons, so taking chances is no longer an option for the business. On this night in October, the sign is lit up and a crowd of maybe six or seven people sit at tables and otherwise mill about on the patio, and a small band sets up in the Limbo Room. What should be a bustling dinnertime spot feels hazy like something out of The Twilight Zone, and what should be a sunset view across the expanse of Deep Ellum coming to life is eclipsed by a leaning chain link fence, a backhoe, broken up slabs of concrete and clods of dirt. It is, in Murry’s words, a “catastrophe.”

Construction Is Hurting Business

The construction, often accompanied by increased business regulations, including street closures, has had a profound impact on Ruins and Armoury—a Bermuda Triangle, where each factor compounds the other. Construction drives “normal” patrons away, Murry shares, so the number of people in Deep Ellum decreases. “We are an entertainment district,” he explains. “So there will always be a small group of people taking advantage of that who make up a pocket of criminal activity. And with the construction, it is so difficult for normal patrons to get down here.”

He explains that this group of bad eggs draws closer to the majority due to the absence of the typical Deep Ellum crowd, skewing the statistics. However true or untrue it may be, the mere perception of Deep Ellum as an increasingly dangerous place has impacted the number of patrons walking in the door. “At the end of the day, we’ve got to pay the damn water bill. If we take a chance on that one young band, we might end up at a loss that night.”

Murry says there is no shortage of local talent—there is still all the “wonderful, chaotic weirdness” in Deep Ellum’s music scene that he loves to see. “Here at Ruins and Armoury, we used to have weird music nights with southern country, experimental scream bands and emo bands that made you want to go write in your journal. Now, it’s just hard to do that,” he says.

But despite his frustration, Murry maintains a balanced outlook. He doesn’t think the way the construction began, the timeline or the street closures and regulations were malicious. However, he tells us, it was certainly planned poorly. “I just don’t think the city cares.” 

Evan Johnson, the owner of Three Links, is also experiencing the effects of this. “Ticket sales have dropped off over the summer. We typically have music seven days per week, and that makes up about 90% of our revenue,” he says. “And the landscape is changing. People are booking DJs now because they are cheaper. And young people aren’t drinking as much.” He feels pressure to adapt to something that isn’t authentic, and meanwhile, people aren’t coming out due to the trifecta of construction, crime and parking problems. Those who are, he says, aren’t always willing to pay a cover fee. 

Johnson adds that crime is becoming a concern for many people, but his perspective differs from theirs. “Deep Ellum makes the news too easily,” he says, “But I don’t think we have more or less crime than any other area of the city.” That being said, some Three Links regulars have not felt as safe coming out, especially since the “gnarly” summer we had this year, he explains. However, since the closure of Rodeo down the street (a new location in Uptown is opening soon), he believes crime has improved, especially with the help of new police leadership. It’s easy for reality and perception to blur in Deep Ellum, especially since it often sees the news. 

Crime Rises in Deep Ellum

The Observer reviewed the publicly available Dallas police department analytics and examined Dallas’ Beat 153, which encompasses Deep Ellum. It has seen a 4.9% increase in total crime year-to-date in 2025 compared to 2024 within the same timeframe, with the majority of offenses being narcotics and property crimes. We observed a distinct uptick over the summer, reaching its peak in August with 153 total crimes, which then decreased to 122 in September and 136 in October. Overall, this year, Deep Ellum has seen 1,057 crimes. That is nearly double compared to other restaurant/entertainment areas, such as Victory Park, Beat 131, and the Design District, Beat 517, but each of these areas has also seen an increase in crime over the past year, 2.8% and 5.7%, respectively. 

Both greater Dallas and Deep Ellum are feeling it, one way or another. The Deep Ellum Foundation holds monthly meetings with city officials and restaurant and venue owners, such as Murry and Johnson. The city of Dallas, Johnson notes, is more concerned with regulations than with the solutions it thinks it needs. “It’s hard not to feel like all of this is lip service,” Johnson says.

Murray echoes those same words in our conversation: “lip service.” Murry, like Johnson, has a complicated relationship with city leadership. They both do not feel heard, but they appreciate the good work of Stephanie Hudiburg, who heads the Deep Ellum Foundation, and other members who have orchestrated the meetings. They both express that they still try to have faith in the system.

Murry imagines what Commerce Street will look like once construction is over. “It will be fantastic,” he says, “if they finish on time. If they don’t, I don’t know who can make it that far.” He disagrees with other owners who have said that Deep Ellum “always bounces back” and that its problems are “cyclical.” The neighborhood will change the longer the construction lasts, he thinks, and it will be especially damaging to the live music scene. “But Deep Ellum is still open,” he wants us to know, and laughs, “And it’s still a little spicy.”

Johnson wants to remind us to be mindful of what we post and share. “Scary sells, and I would like this neighborhood to have more good press,” he says. “Everyone wants to feel safe and like they are a part of something, and Deep Ellum can be that place. It’s like the Isle of Misfit Toys. Anyone can fit in here. It’s home to me.”