Simon David
A historic Dallas gourmet and specialty-food retailer that operated as a division of Tom Thumb until its final store closed in 2010.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Simon David was a Dallas, Texas, gourmet and specialty-food retailer founded in 1889 by Simon David. It began as a small food shop and delivery business serving Dallas customers with imported goods and seasonal products that were not generally available locally. The company is described as the first Dallas food retailer and delivery operation to specialize in out-of-season merchandise and imported foods. Its early premises stood near David's home in the State Thomas neighborhood, an area now associated with Uptown Dallas. The business expanded beyond its original small structure. In the 1920s it moved to 4311 Oak Lawn Avenue, where it developed under second-generation owner Delmer David. During Delmer David's tenure, the company added a wholesale outlet and separate packing and shipping facilities. Those operations enabled Simon David products to be distributed outside Dallas and gave the business a role broader than that of a neighborhood grocery store. A third location opened on Inwood Road on October 19, 1961. The store was associated with Stanley M. David, a member of the founder's third generation. In 1963, the David family sold the franchise to Tom Thumb. The Inwood Road site was later replaced by a larger building in 1985, but it remained the principal location carrying the Simon David name. Although Tom Thumb subsequently used the Simon David banner for additional stores and promoted the concept across parts of Texas, the Inwood Road store ultimately became the last surviving location under the founder's name. The brand's ownership changed as the Dallas grocery business consolidated. Tom Thumb and its Simon David division were acquired by Houston-based Randalls Food Markets in 1992. Randalls retained the Tom Thumb and Simon David identities in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, while changing the banners of certain Austin operations. A Simon David store at the Arboretum Market in Austin, opened in 1987, closed in December 1996 and was later occupied by other retailers. In 1998, Randalls responded to customer dissatisfaction over the loss of Austin's Simon David store by designating its Bee Caves location as a flagship Randalls supermarket rather than reopening the Simon David banner. Safeway acquired Randalls in 1999. The transaction brought Tom Thumb and Simon David into Safeway's operating portfolio, while the local banners continued to be used in their established markets. In May 2010, Safeway announced plans to replace the Inwood Road Simon David with a Tom Thumb store, subject to permits. The conversion ended the use of the Simon David name as an active retail banner. The store closed in 2010, ending more than a century of operation under the Simon David identity. Historically, Simon David occupied a distinctive position between conventional supermarket retail and high-end specialty food merchandising. Its differentiation rested on imported merchandise, seasonal or otherwise hard-to-find food products, delivery, wholesale capability, and an association with Dallas's established food-shopping culture. The brand is now defunct, but it remains part of the history of Dallas specialty retail and of the corporate lineage connecting the David family business with Tom Thumb, Randalls, and Safeway.
History
Simon David originated in Dallas in 1889 as a food shop and delivery business founded by Simon David. Its early specialty was the sale of imported merchandise and food products that were out of season or otherwise difficult to obtain in the local market. The original store was a modest brick building near the founder's home in the State Thomas neighborhood. This location connected the business to one of the historic residential and commercial districts that later became part of Uptown Dallas. During the 1920s, Simon David moved to 4311 Oak Lawn Avenue. The business grew under second-generation owner Delmer David, who expanded its capabilities by establishing a wholesale outlet and separate packing and shipping facilities. These additions allowed the company to distribute Simon David products beyond its retail premises and, according to the historical account, to ship products nationwide. The combination of retail, delivery, wholesale, and specialty sourcing helped distinguish Simon David from an ordinary local grocery store. The company opened a third location on Inwood Road on October 19, 1961. Stanley M. David, the founder's grandson, was associated with this generation of management. The Inwood Road operation became notable for introducing a liquor department, described as the first such department offered by a Dallas grocer. In 1963, the David family sold the franchise to Tom Thumb. A larger building replaced the original Inwood Road structure in 1985, preserving the site as the principal home of the Simon David name. Tom Thumb later used Simon David as a specialty or upscale grocery banner in more than one location. An Arboretum Market store in Austin opened in 1987. That location closed in December 1996 and was subsequently converted to other retail uses. Tom Thumb itself became part of Randalls Food Markets in 1992. Randalls retained the Simon David and Tom Thumb names in the Dallas–Fort Worth region, although it changed the banners of selected Austin stores. After the Austin Simon David closed, customer reaction led Randalls in 1998 to make its Bee Caves store a flagship Randalls supermarket. The decision preserved an upscale grocery proposition at that site without restoring the Simon David identity. Safeway purchased Randalls in 1999. Safeway continued using the local Tom Thumb and Simon David names in the Dallas–Fort Worth market. By 2010, however, the Inwood Road store was the only remaining location operating under the Simon David banner. Safeway announced in May of that year that it planned to replace the store with a Tom Thumb, subject to the necessary permits. The Simon David store closed in 2010, ending the active retail life of a brand that had operated for more than 120 years. Simon David's historical significance lies in its early specialization rather than in a broad modern chain footprint. It introduced Dallas shoppers to imported and seasonal foods, developed delivery and shipping capabilities, and maintained a premium specialty-food identity through several generations of family and corporate ownership. Its corporate succession—from the David family to Tom Thumb, then Randalls, and finally Safeway—illustrates the consolidation of regional supermarket businesses in Texas. The banner is defunct, although its name remains associated with Dallas grocery history.
- 2010
Final Simon David store closes
[1]The Inwood Road store is replaced by a Tom Thumb, ending use of the Simon David banner.
- 1999
Safeway acquires Randalls
[1]Safeway acquires Randalls and its Tom Thumb and Simon David operations.
- 1996
Austin Arboretum Simon David closes
[1]The Simon David store at the Arboretum Market in Austin closes in December.
- 1992
Randalls acquires Tom Thumb and Simon David
[1]Randalls Food Markets acquires Tom Thumb and its Simon David division, retaining the banners in the Dallas–Fort Worth market.
- 1985
Inwood Road store receives a larger building
[1]A larger building replaces the earlier Inwood Road structure at the same address.
- 1963
Franchise sold to Tom Thumb
[1]The David family sells the Simon David franchise to Tom Thumb.
- 1961
Inwood Road location opens
[1]A third Simon David location opens on Inwood Road on October 19.
- 1920
Expansion to Oak Lawn Avenue
[1]The business expands to 4311 Oak Lawn Avenue and develops wholesale, packing, and shipping operations under Delmer David. The source identifies the period as the 1920s rather than giving a precise year.
- 1889
Simon David is founded in Dallas
[1]Simon David opens as a food retailer and delivery business specializing in imported and out-of-season merchandise.
Products and positioning
Historic upscale and specialty grocery retail focused on imported, gourmet, seasonal, and otherwise difficult-to-source food products.
Specialty grocery · 1889
Imported merchandise
Imported food and merchandise formed one of Simon David's defining categories from its founding. The retailer was established specifically to offer products that were not ordinarily available through Dallas food retailers, giving it a differentiated role in the city's early grocery market.
Specialty grocery · 1889
Out-of-season foods
Simon David specialized in food items available outside their normal local season. This emphasis on year-round access to unusual or less readily available products supported the brand's gourmet and premium reputation.
Grocery retail
Gourmet and specialty groceries
The stores operated as upscale specialty-food retailers, combining conventional grocery shopping with a curated range of gourmet and hard-to-source items. The available historical material does not identify individual private-label products or detailed product ranges.
Alcohol retail · 1961
Liquor department
The Inwood Road store introduced a liquor department under Stanley M. David. The historical account identifies it as the first liquor department offered by a Dallas grocer, making it an important feature of the store's specialty-retail positioning.
Wholesale and distribution
Wholesale and shipped food products
Under Delmer David, Simon David added a wholesale outlet along with packing and shipping facilities. These capabilities supported distribution of Simon David products beyond the company's retail stores, including nationwide shipment according to the historical account.
Brand decisions
2010
Conversion of the final Simon David store to Tom ThumbStrategyBackground
The Inwood Road location was the last store still operating under the Simon David banner.
Action taken
Safeway announced plans to replace the Simon David store with a Tom Thumb, subject to permit approvals.
Aftermath
The store closed in 2010, ending the active Simon David brand after more than a century.
1998
Randalls responds to the loss of the Austin Simon David storeStrategyBackground
Customers objected after the Austin Arboretum Simon David closed in 1996.
Action taken
Randalls designated its Bee Caves store as a flagship Randalls supermarket rather than restoring the Simon David banner.
Aftermath
The decision preserved a premium supermarket proposition in Austin but did not revive the Simon David name there.
1992
Randalls acquisition of Tom Thumb and Simon DavidM&ABackground
Regional supermarket consolidation brought the Dallas Tom Thumb and Simon David operations under Houston-based Randalls Food Markets.
Action taken
Randalls acquired Tom Thumb and its Simon David division and retained the established banners in Dallas–Fort Worth.
Aftermath
Simon David remained a local specialty banner while selected Austin operations were converted to other Randalls-related formats.
1963
Transfer of the Simon David franchise to Tom ThumbM&ABackground
After several generations of family operation, the Simon David business entered the Tom Thumb organization.
Action taken
The David family sold the Simon David franchise to Tom Thumb.
Aftermath
Simon David continued as a specialty retail identity within Tom Thumb and later within Randalls and Safeway.
Recent events
- 2010
Safeway announces conversion of the final Simon David store[1]
Leadership change
Safeway announced that the Inwood Road store, then the last location using the Simon David name, would be replaced by a Tom Thumb store subject to permit approvals.
- 1999
Safeway acquires Randalls[1]
M&A
Safeway acquired Randalls, bringing Simon David and Tom Thumb into Safeway's regional operating portfolio.
- 1992
Randalls acquires Tom Thumb and Simon David[1]
M&A
Houston-based Randalls Food Markets acquired Tom Thumb and its Simon David division while retaining the established banners in the Dallas–Fort Worth market.
- 1963
David family sells the Simon David franchise to Tom Thumb[1]
M&A
Tom Thumb acquired the Simon David franchise, beginning the brand's transition from a family-operated specialty retailer into a larger supermarket organization.
- 1961
Simon David opens its Inwood Road location[1]
Other
A new Simon David store opened on Inwood Road on October 19, 1961, becoming the location most closely associated with the banner in its later years.
Sources2 sources
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