Michelle McLaughlin | Photo by Breonny Lee
By Taylor Adams Cogan
Some people have tunnel vision when it comes to Deep Ellum. For them, it’s a destination spot, a place to visit for brunch, or meet for drinks then a show.
Gather with friends, take in some culture, and head back home to elsewhere in Dallas or the suburbs. Repeat as needed.
But there’s more than that. There’s even more than the impressively growing number of murals, the historic buildings, or the proper coffee shops. There are the people who live there, where Deep Ellum isn’t an entertainment district to take in occasionally, but a neighborhood that’s home.
Michelle McLaughlin has been one of those neighbors for more than 15 years. She’s a member of the Deep Ellum Community Association, has lived in buildings across the neighborhood, and has watched the neighborhood evolve.
“I love the feeling of community – walking my dog on my street, knowing the business owners, knowing everyone in the industry,” she says. “I don’t ever feel unsafe here. People know me, recognize me, and look out for me.”
Michelle helped get the Deep Ellum Urban Gardens going and built, easily giving her time to an effort that would give back to the community for years to come (and continues to this day). She remembers spending time with Frank Campagna and Paula Harris at Kettle Art when it was still in its first location on Elm Street.
She’s worked security at Trees and the former Wits End, and she’s spent time managing Urban Paws, where she could truly say she knew everyone and their dog in Deep Ellum.
“I have loved every minute of living down here,” she says. “It’s such a friendly community. I feel like a lot of the residents are gathering; there’s big community involvement with what the Community Center has to offer, arts festivals, the other festivals, it really brings the neighborhood together. It also does a great job drawing outside traffic: I love seeing people bringing their babies out here, seeing children out there.”
Anyone who spends more than 10 years in Deep Ellum can see a rise and fall of sorts. Michelle’s no different, watching high-rises go up and morph the skyline of the neighborhood previously dominated by single- and two-story buildings.
“I never thought I’d see a Patagonia,” she says.
As some dynamics change, she remains a regular at her chosen Deep Ellum spots. Kettle will always remain one of those, along with the likes of Three Links, AllGood Cafe, and Cold Beer Company.
“A lot of the same bartenders are still there. My favorite thing to do is take Ruby, my dog, to Three Links,” she says. “I’m referred to often as ‘Mom’ by this younger generation of bar kids, they all know my son – I very much look out for my bar children. I’m a bar mom.”
The creative energy of the streets also keeps her moving. The close access to creatives is unmatched, whether it’s visual, performance, or music. She’s been working on ways to get more artists more shows and create portable ways to provide live music.
Whatever she does, and wherever she goes, in Deep Ellum, she’s home.
“It’s really odd for me to see that people just come here to go to concerts or bars when there are so many wonderful people who live down here,” she says. “The arts and entertainment got me down here, but this is a neighborhood. This is like ‘Mayberry’ for me.”
