BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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REI now open

The new REI store on Northwest Highway at Shady Brook opened in March. REI serves as the anchor to a soon-to-be shopping center, which is a part of Half Price Books’ plans to develop the six acres across the street from its flagship store. The new center will have an additional 13,000 square feet of space available for other shops or restaurants.

House calls make a comeback

Lakewood resident and entrepreneur Dr. Johathan Clarke is doing away with waiting rooms and germ-filled offices with his healthcare start-up, Mend, which provides same-day or next-day urgent care visits with healthcare professionals. He calls Mend the “Uber of healthcare,” and his company is the first in Texas to provide services of its kind delivered via a mobile app. “Imagine applying the best qualities of a service like Uber to healthcare,” Clarke says. “Convenience, mobile accessibility, personalized service and price transparency, Mend does all of this by delivering on-demand healthcare to patients in their home, office or hotel, through a simple mobile app or web interface.” It launched in Dallas in March, so neighbors can book services through Mend’s free iOS app, mendathome.com, or by calling 469.458.6363.

The Y is here

The White Rock YMCA moved into its new building on Gaston at Loving last month, about 14 months after breaking ground on the $14-million project. The 30,000-squarefoot facility includes a child-care area, gymnasium, fitness center, outdoor pool and aerobics studio. The structure is now open to members and the pool will open midsummer.

New room for brew

Lakewood Brewing Co., founded by neighborhood resident Wim Bens, recently opened a 14,000-square-foot expansion, which adjoins Lakewood’s previously existing facility at 2302 Executive in Garland. The brewery’s enlargement doubles its production capacity and includes 8,000-squarefeet of new production space, a larger 2,000-square-foot taproom and a new canning line. The company began canning select beers, including Lakewood Lager, Rock Ryder and a new session IPA, Hopochondria, in April. The taproom offers 16 taps, including a selection of year-round favorites, rotating seasonal options and other specialty brews such as Legendary, Seduction Series and Taproom-only exclusives.