The Stoneleigh P is a historic bar and grill in the Uptown neighborhood of Dallas, Texas.
Originally a drugstore called the Stoneleigh Pharmacy, it was converted and renamed by Tom Garrison in 1977.[1][2] Garrison told D Magazine that he had simply smudged out the "harmacy" on the old sign, and that when he purchased the building there was a "leaking roof and rats the size of puppies."[1]
In the 1970s, it was a center for counter culture and a hangout for artists.[1] A 1980 fire burned the building to the ground, but it was rebuilt in the same location.[1][3] At the time of the 1980 fire, the Stoneleigh P was the favorite bar of Dallas restaurateur Shannon Wynne; suddenly finding himself without his favorite "watering hole" inspired Wynne and his friends to open his first bar.[4] The Stoneleigh P has maintained the same dark interior and recognizable red neon sign for its over 40 year history.[5]
Because of its long history and proximity to downtown Dallas, it has become a regular meeting spot for public events such as those run by the Dallas Historical Society.[1] In May 2018, former Dallas sheriff and Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Lupe Valdez had a campaign event at the Stoneleigh P with her supporters.[6] As journalist Jonathan Rienstra noted, "In a time when places have a troublesome tendency to exist for a blink of an eye, there’s something reassuring about how the P has maintained this corner of Uptown for more than 40 years, standing guard as young guns attempt in vain to establish themselves with gimmicks and false promises [. . .] It is a time capsule that holds thousands of stories."[5]
The Stoneleigh P generated controversy in 2021 after the critic Kyle Smith posted a photo to Twitter of the bar's jukebox that read "MARIAH CAREY'S ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU WILL BE SKIPPED IF PLAYED BEFORE DEC. 1. AFTER DEC. 1 THE SONG IS ONLY ALLOWED ONE TIME PER NIGHT."[1] The Twitter post went viral[7] and Mariah Carey herself posted a response to the tweet dressed in an armor suit, as if prepared for battle.[2] Nevertheless, the Stoneleigh P's general manager told CNN that she did not hate Mariah Carey or Christmas and that the sign was mostly intended as a joke, though she maintained that Christmas songs should not be played before Thanksgiving.[8]
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