Hall had been the driving force behind Opening Bell since its inception, but her involvement in the shop's day-to-day operations had dropped slightly in recent years. Her daughter Mallorie was managing the space while Hall traveled. Last November, Hall announced that she’d be retiring from Opening Bell altogether, citing that she’d “officially caught the travel bug.”
“I will miss the creativity that passes through these doors daily,” she said on social media.
Hall’s departure didn’t mean the demise of Opening Bell but rather a new start for Julie Blucker, a former hospitality and event manager who’s been a stay-at-home mom for the past 20 years. In 2025, she wanted to return to the field as her children are now 23 and 18. She first tried going the conventional route, applying for jobs in the hospitality field.
“I hadn't worked in 25 years in a real job,” she says. She had done volunteer work, “but those jobs really don't count that much when you're trying to find a real job. Nobody would hire me, so then I thought, I'll just buy myself something.”
Blucker says that she fell into Opening Bell in the “right place at the right time,” stopping by for the first time as Hall was just starting to transition out of her role. She found the listing for sale online and jumped on it.
“I thought it was really cool,” Blucker says of her initial visit to the shop. “It’s right up my alley. I love live music; that’s what drew me to it. I think I fell in love with the live music aspect more than the coffee aspect.”
Blucker had previously worked in restaurant and hospitality management in Wichita, Kansas. The industry wasn’t new for her, but the challenges were.
“I’ve learned that managing a restaurant and being a restaurant owner is completely different,” she says. “The best way I can describe it is like babysitting or having your own child. It’s everything small business owners do; they wear every hat in the store. Accounting and banking, all the way down to washing the dishes. We do it all.”
On Dec. 21, Blucker introduced herself on Opening Bell’s Instagram page, assuring the community that she would not be closing the shop and intended to continue the Hall’s vision.
“Not much is going to change,” she wrote in the post caption. “We might add a few menu items, upgrade some lighting/stage stuff, bring in some comfortable seating and hang up a couple of Jerry Garcia posters.”
We visited Opening Bell last week to meet Blucker. We sat on brand-new couches against the shop's right wall, where seating hadn't been available. Behind us hung a limited edition poster from Dead & Company’s residency at the Las Vegas Sphere. Just a few feet to the left, a huge TV is mounted on the wall playing a YouTube video from one of the band’s shows.
The stage has the most noticeable change, with freestanding curtains in front of the corner. To Blucker, it was simple. It hides cords and other equipment while absorbing sound.
“I think I'm making small, minor changes,” she says. “But other people are like, ‘Oh my god, you're changing so much.’”
To us, Blucker’s changes are not only minor but additive — new seats, better sound, cool wall decor. But the pressures of maintaining a local hangout will always be formidable, especially one like Opening Bell that’s lasted for as long as it has.
“If I would have bought a Baskin Robbins and it failed, who cares?” Blucker says. “There’s 10 more down the road. This is a landmark in Dallas and a vital part of this community. It is daunting, and it does weigh on me. I want it to succeed, and I want to give Pascale all the credit for what she created here. I’m just at the right place at the right time.”
