Ten years ago, North Austin was not known as a destination for shopping, dining and entertainment options. But that changed in March 2007 with the opening of
The Domain, which put North Austin on the map as the city’s growth pushed it toward the epicenter of the region.
The initial 700,000-square-foot, mixed-use development of retail, restaurants and residential units on 57 acres was a new concept for Austin, promoted as a “live-work-play” lifestyle center, said Lauren Krumlauf, marketing director for The Domain.
“I remember the first time I heard an ad, probably in 2009, and someone said ‘near The Domain.’ I was so excited that we were a landmark, that it was a positive thing to say that someone was located near The Domain,” she said. “That’s huge that 10 years ago people didn’t want to go north of [US] 183.”
The smaller 565,000-square-foot second phase opened in February 2010, offering more mainstream shops, such as Express, Vans and American Eagle.
In 2014, Simon completed a remodel of The Domain 2 that included a great lawn geared toward family-friendly events and hosting signature events, such as Dogtoberfest and Taste of North Austin.
“It just makes it more of a place where families can come and relax and hang out,” Krumlauf said.
Among The Domain’s 95 stores are 20 local businesses. One of them, The Steeping Room, has been open since day one at The Domain.
The Steeping Room co-owner Amy March said she and her business partner, Emily Morrison, decided to open their first location in The Domain because of the wide range of customers they could attract.
“It was an ideal location for a new business and for a unique business; it’s a tea store,” March said. “We wanted a place that would showcase us and allow people to find and discover us. It was as very good pairing [with The Domain]. We were both unique developments.”
The teahouse’s success led it to outgrow its space, so in October 2012 the owners opened a second location on North Lamar Boulevard. March said they plan to update The Domain location with more seating at the counter and on the patio.
The Domain was the brainchild of Austin-based developer Endeavor Real Estate Group, which had bought the original 243 acres of land from IBM Corp. to create a dot-com office park. The dot-com burst led to the firm heading in a different direction. Endeavor later sold the first Domain phase to Simon Property Group, which built The Domain 2.
The Domain’s success means success for its tenants, many of whom outgrew their spaces and have relocated to the newest retail phase called
Domain Northside, owned and built by Endeavor.
But Krumlauf said she does not see the new phase as competition for Domain 1 and 2.
“[Tenants] have outgrown their initial spaces here, and we don’t have a big space for them to go to,” she said. “When that happens and [
they move to Domain Northside], it’s an opportunity for us to bring someone new to the market.”
The smaller 565,000-square-foot second phase opened in February 2010, offering more mainstream shops, such as Express, Vans and American Eagle.
In 2014, Simon completed a remodel of The Domain 2 that included a great lawn geared toward family-friendly events and hosting signature events, such as Dogtoberfest and Taste of North Austin.
“It just makes it more of a place where families can come and relax and hang out,” Krumlauf said.
Among The Domain’s 95 stores are 20 local businesses. One of them, The Steeping Room, has been open since day one at The Domain.
The Steeping Room co-owner Amy March said she and her business partner, Emily Morrison, decided to open their first location in The Domain because of the wide range of customers they could attract.
“It was an ideal location for a new business and for a unique business; it’s a tea store,” March said. “We wanted a place that would showcase us and allow people to find and discover us. It was as very good pairing [with The Domain]. We were both unique developments.”
The teahouse’s success led it to outgrow its space, so in October 2012 the owners opened a second location on North Lamar Boulevard. March said they plan to update The Domain location with more seating at the counter and on the patio.
The Domain was the brainchild of Austin-based developer Endeavor Real Estate Group, which had bought the original 243 acres of land from IBM Corp. to create a dot-com office park. The dot-com burst led to the firm heading in a different direction. Endeavor later sold the first Domain phase to Simon Property Group, which built The Domain 2.
The Domain’s success means success for its tenants, many of whom outgrew their spaces and have relocated to the newest retail phase called Domain Northside, owned and built by Endeavor.
But Krumlauf said she does not see the new phase as competition for Domain 1 and 2.
“[Tenants] have outgrown their initial spaces here, and we don’t have a big space for them to go to,” she said. “When that happens and [they move to Domain Northside], it’s an opportunity for us to bring someone new to the market.”
