Theatre Gallery.  When Russell Hobbs rolled into Deep Ellum in his 1959 Mercedes convertible, a good friend and a bag of Buds, it was 1984. The area now known for edgy nightlife, art galleries and wild clothing stores, at the time was empty warehouses, brake shops and hobos pushing shopping carts filled with cans. Russell swore he would never live in North Dallas again (the Mall, the traffic, the cloning). Russell and Tracy Smith found a good spot. A warehouse for $1000 a month and the rest is history. Looking for an alternative lifestyle, Russell moved into this warehouse which became an art gallery, theatre and concert hall. Dallas was hungry for an escape from the mall and Hobbs was just crazy enough to spend his time and money to enable the all artists, dreamers and anyone not satisfied with just making a buck or playing it safe to do "whatever". Theatre Gallery became the catalyst for the modern day Deep Ellum scene. Multitudes of new bands formed and lives were changed because people finally had a place to express themselves in Dallas. Theatre Gallery afforded the local bands a chance to play with such acts as Flaming Lips, Suicidal Tendencies, Husker Du, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 10,000 Maniacs, Jane's Addiction, Wall of Voodoo and The Replacements. A scene developed and the slogan was, "Turn off your TV and turn on to TG!" and, "Throw away your polo shirt and become the artist you always wanted to be!".