Brochure brouhaha

Domain Northside issues apology after controversial brochure spurs backlash

Domain Northside is facing a backlash after its leasing brochure hit Reddit on Monday.

A marketing brochure that describes the “quintessential” shopper at Austin’s Domain Northside as a “classy, trendy, well-heeled woman between 30 and 60 years old” who most likely identifies as “Anglo, Jewish, or Asian" has caused an uproar on social media over the past two days.

Domain Northside is a mixed-used project in North Austin owned by Austin-based Endeavor Real Estate Group. The Domain, an adjoining mixed-use project, is owned by Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group. The brochure was produced by Domain Northside; the Domain was not involved in its creation.

Page 17 of the 50-page brochure, apparently published in 2017, is the part of the document that’s drawn fire from some social media users. Posts about the brochure, which was designed to lure potential tenants, recently popped up on Reddit and Facebook.

The controversial page of the brochure features a photo of a seated woman who has long, dark hair; is wearing a dark leather jacket and a shirt with a black, gray and cream-colored plaid skirt; and is grasping a to-go coffee cup.

The verbiage on Page 17 of the brochure begins innocently enough:

“Domain Northside serves a diverse group of new class consumers from across the region, including the thousands who lives in its luxury apartments, stay in its boutique hotels, and work in its high-tech office buildings.”

Okay, that inoffensive description makes sense. But then we launch into the 360-degree characterization of the “quintessential” Domain Northside shopper.

Aside from being a “classy, trendy, well-heeled woman between 30 and 60 years old” who’s most likely “Anglo, Jewish, or Asian,” this wonder woman:

“Cares about how she looks and feels, and spends generously on the upkeep of herself and her family.”
“Is understated, but wants to be noticed and wears brands that earn positive attention from others.”
Carries a Louis Vuitton, Celine, or Givenchy handbag.
“Wears rag & bone skinny jeans and Frye boots during the day, and changes into an LBD and Jimmy Choo heels at night.”
“Drives a BMW 6 Series to go out with her girlfriends at night, and by day she drives a Range Rover sport.”
Wears a David Yurman ring, an Alexis Bittar bracelet, and Kendra Scott earrings.
“Is married, but also highly successful in her own career.”

In a statement provided to CultureMap Austin, a spokesperson for Domain Northside apologized for the brochure.

“At Domain Northside, we are proud to serve the residents of the Austin community and sincerely apologize for the insensitive and inappropriate language used in a document, which has since been removed from circulation and is no longer in use,” the statement said. “These words do not reflect our values, and we remain dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion. We will ensure that future efforts reflect the values of the community in which we live and work.”

On Reddit, the Domain Northside brochure has defenders and detractors.

Said one Redditer user: “On the one hand, I find this marketing tripe disgusting. On the other hand, [it] nicely encapsulates both the true Domain [Northside] inhabitant, as well as those who cater to them. In that sense I admire it. It couldn’t be a better parody of itself.”

On the Facebook page of Defend Our Hoodz - Austin, commenters as a whole have been less charitable, with one referring to the brochure as “bougie nonsense.”

“So much to hate here,” another Facebook user wrote, “but I think my least favorite part is how she’s married ‘but’ has a successful career.”

shopping

Austinite who kayaked 86 miles with one arm has Texas Book Fest debut

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Avrel Seale is discussing his post-stroke kayaking expedition at the festival on November 16.

This year’s Texas Book Festival features more than 275 authors who have accomplished amazing things. But only one of them rowed nearly 90 miles down the Nueces River with one arm. (We think.)

Author of The River Nuts Avrel Seale is making his Texas Book Festival debut on November 16, and participating in the 4 pm panel "Memoirs of Adventure & Adversity Exploring Nature" in the Capitol Auditorium. He’ll talk about his feat of physical and mental endurance in a session alongside author Kevin Fadarko (A Walk in the Park) and moderated by outdoor journalist Pamela LeBlanc.

For all intents and purposes, January 19, 2018, was just another ordinary Friday for 50-year old author Seale. The writer and editor for the University of Texas' Marketing and Communications team was in his office on The Drag when he was hit with a devastating hemorrhagic stroke.

"My coworkers called an ambulance, which took me to Seton Main," says Seale. "I had emergency brain surgery that night that probably saved my life."

Avrel Seale Austin author Thankfully, Seale's story includes help from friends along the way.Photo by Daniel Cavazos

The stroke left Seale partially paralyzed on the right side of his body, with his right arm completely immobile. After two years of rehab and physical therapy — and still with just one working arm — Seale decided to undergo one of his biggest self-made challenges: attempting to kayak an 86-mile stretch of the Nueces River with lifelong friend Wade Walker in tow.

Seale's extensive journaling of the adventure would later become his 11th book, The River Nuts. The 182-page story didn’t just chronicle Seale and Walker's voyage down the South Texas river, but also covered the preparation for the journey in great detail.

"I had always wanted to. I thought it would be fun," explains Seale. "The stroke just forced me to find a different way."

Seale and Walker accomplished something that many others have in the past. Kayaking a river to the sea was not a groundbreaking idea, but few people — if any — had done it facing the same challenges as Seale did.

Avrel Seale Austin author with Wade Walker Avrel Seale and his rowing partner Wade Walker.Photo by Kirstin Seale

Someone who has had a dominant hand in a cast can understand how the immediate shift could test one’s patience. Even though most of the journey was spent cruising downstream — not to mention having someone else in the kayak doing the lion’s share of the work — there was quite a bit more to the experience than a spectator might expect.

From pulling up rudders to adjusting foot pedals that help propel the craft, using his functioning arm to man an oar, and helping set up camp each night, Seale started facing difficulties shortly after their launch. Sometimes he was his own worst enemy.

"I had mistakenly reversed the left and right pedal arms for both pedal drives when we first assembled the kayak months earlier,” he explains. “This led to us stripping the threads and losing one pedal completely."

In addition to the rigorous physical demand on the writer, he also faced mental roadblocks.

"The biggest mental challenge was the lead-up to the trip, both the painstaking planning and the very real fear of dying,” he says “By the time we got on the water, that stress and fear lifted, and it was all about making the most of a beautiful experience."

Avrel Seale Austin author Seale's stroke couldn't keep him from nature.Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Published by TCU press in the fall of 2023, The River Nuts came out after that year's submission deadline for the Texas Book Festival. Since then he’s also written The Hewetts: An American Saga in the Age of Vaudeville, Circuses, and Bands, a wild historical account spanning four generations of a family of self-made entertainers.

"I've written 12 books over the last 25 years, and this is definitely the highlight of my career so far," he points out. "Hopefully it will open even more doors for me. I'm tickled to death."

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