Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake is hosting a free baseline heart screening just for women that will provide the information women need for possible prevention and early intervention for heart disease and related problems. The screening will be held Saturday, February 4 from 8:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the hospital. Reservations are required and space is limited. Call 866-764-3627 to make your appointment today. Visit www.DoctorsHospitalDallas.com/WomenHeartScreening for more information.
I don’t spend a lot of time wondering what it would be like to be rich, but I have to admit it does cross my mind from time to time.
What would I do first, I wonder, if money was no object?
I saw a 139-day-long cruise listed in a travel brochure the other day; the cost was $49,000 per person for the least-expensive “discounted” cabin. So for just under $100,000, my wife and I could spend more than four months traveling the world without a care. Would I spend a fraction of my imaginary fortune on a trip like that, knowing that when I returned home, there would still be plenty of money left to live on?
There’s a car called the Lamborghini Reventon I could buy for $1.6 million; it takes only 3.3 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour, and it tops out at 211 miles per hour. I don’t know if that price includes a warranty or pre-paid legal assistance, but if I could afford to spend that much money on a car and still not worry about my next meal, I wonder what my life would be like?
Or what if, after my $100,000 cruise, I drove my $1.6 million Lamborghini to Las Vegas, where I could buy a $5,000 hamburger meal that includes a 1995 bottle of Petrus wine?
What if that kind of stuff happened to me every day because money was no object in my life?
Or instead of spending everything on myself, would I be a generous rich guy, showering money on nonprofits and churches and working to make life easier for my neighbors?
Of course, all of the time I’ve spent thinking about being rich isn’t really helping me or anyone else. And just thinking about it isn’t going to get it done, either.
And that’s what I like about this month’s cover story. The people we’re profiling are “regular” folks, and I say that in the nicest possible way. While many of us dream about what could be, they’re doing simple things to enjoy life and make the lives of others better, too. Money doesn’t seem to be much of an issue to them; I don’t know if they want to be wealthy or not, but they don’t seem to be spending any time worrying about it.
Instead, they’ve staked out some simple ways to make their lives fulfilling and rich, and I don’t mean in the bank-account way, either.
Instead of spending everything on myself, would I be a generous rich guy,
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Be happy. Say “hello.” Care about customers. Help people. Be kind.
Those concepts are so simple, it’s almost laughable to think stuff so basic would make anyone happy over the course of a lifetime. But it’s working for these neighbors, and it would probably work better for me than worrying about cash.
Here’s betting that if someone served them a $5,000 hamburger, these neighbors would simply send it back to the kitchen for someone else to obsess about.
contributors: SEANCHAFFIN, BILL KEFFER, GAYLA KOKEL, GEORGEMASON,BLAIRMONIE,ELLENRAFF, MEGHAN RINEY photo editor: CAN TÜRKYILMAZ
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interns: BREAJNA DAWKINS
showering money on nonprofits and churches and working to make life easier for my neighbors?
When we learned that Trader Joe’s plans to open its first Dallas grocery store on Lower Greenville, contributing editor Jeff Siegel dove into reporting the details. Read excerpts below, and find his full post at lakewood.advocatemag.com. (For Siegel’s viewpoints on what Trader Joe’s location choice says of our neighborhood, turn to page 82.)
Why did Trader Joe’s decide on a new store instead of going into the old Whole Foods up the street? Because they wanted to. And, yes, it’s that simple, said one commercial real estate type. Forget any conspiracy theories about the Whole Foods site and owner Mitch Rasansky; Trader Joe’s is infamous for doing exactly what it wants to do and not explaining its motives.
When we will know what the store looks like? Pretty much after it’s built. Trader Joe’s is so secretive that John Hetzel of Madison Partners, the developer bringing in Trader Joe’s, said he couldn’t discuss any design plans.
Will there be enough parking? More than enough, says Hetzel. City code calls for 75 spaces for a 15,000-square-foot building, and Hetzel said there will be two over-
flow lots on Sears and Bell behind the store. Which, from the way he described the parking, makes it seem like the store will front on Greenville Avenue.
What does this mean for the Whole Foods site? No one is quite sure. Walmart was tipped as the new tenant, but that deal was delayed — and may have fallen through. If, in fact, Walmart is the new tenant, the world’s biggest and most powerful retailer almost certainly won’t be scared off by Trader Joe’s. If the new tenant is someone else, they could well be re-considering their options, and the store will remain empty for a while.
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Planting Fruit Trees
Planting Asparagus
Rhubarb & Horseradish Water Right Workshop
Planting Potatoes
Winter Veggie Overview
Drought Without Doubt
We’re witnessing a cultural pendulum shi from conspicuous consumption to enduring practicality. Today’s buyers are applying economic realities and lessons learned from previous homes to build their new homes smarter. It’s no longer about keeping up with the Joneses…
Buyers increasingly prefer warm, functional spaces, to cold, austere, and energy-ine cient two-story caverns. Double story entrance foyers, dual staircases, and gratuitous volume spaces are now passé. “Our customers are tired of expensive heating and cooling bills. ey want more value with functional living spaces on both oors,” says Bella Vista Partner Darin Breedlove.
Today’s storage room or “drop zone” is a larger version of a mudroom, with organized space for everything from wet boots and backpacks to mail. Breedlove says, “It’s customizable to the needs of the family, whether the priority is getting kids ready for school, or storing work-related equipment”. Buyers not only want these dedicated storage rooms, but they also want more abundant storage and closet space throughout the house.
While some of the areas have been voted “wet,” they still don’t allow the sale of hard alcohol. Total Wine [Advocate blog, “Total Wine coming to Park Lane and Central?” Jan. 16] and Spec’s both rely heavily on the hard stuff to contribute to their bottom line. My guess is that the second Total Wine will go somewhere in Addison and absolutely lay the hammer down on local liquor stores. Spec’s prices are already considerably better than Sigel’s, Centennial, Goody Goody, etc., and their selection is much better as well. If you’ve never been in a Total Wine, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. The locals are going to have to consolidate and quit gouging their customers if they want to compete. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off. —Finn
I like all this competition, and I think Spec’s and Total Wine will have a positive impact on prices. Maybe Sigel’s will finally get the message about their pricing. They’ve usually been one to several dollars higher per bottle than Goody Goody, at least for the wine that I buy. —Alan
WilliamsThank you, Mr. Siegel, for this well-balanced article on the coming of Trader Joe’s to Lower Greenville [Advocate blog, “Trader Joe’s, Lower Greenville and the new Dallas,” Dec. 30]. It’s a welcome change to an announcement of another bar. I especially liked your comment on the
“This creates space for a fourth or fifth bedroom or an extra bathroom, which adds value at resale to the home.”
neighborhoods as winners. Yes, we are. There has been more than one blog comment to the effect that one knows what one is getting into before one moves to Lower Greenville. According to that thinking, only those of us who have lived here many years have a right to have our state alcohol laws and city ordinances enforced. That thinking is skewed. My neighbor, who bought her house this year, has the same rights as I, who bought her house in 1964.
—Gay Hopkins
While visiting friends in Virginia we always make a stop at Trader Joe’s. Gourmet cheeses go for a fraction of the cost compared to Whole Foods, and the wine isn’t just about “two-buck chuck.” They have a diverse selection very well priced. Also their packaged nuts and trail mixes are a steal! Can’t wait ’til they arrive. —Magdallas
Dallas has so much potential for infill and sometimes it takes a Californian to show us the way. Let’s follow suit and get going with more such infill retail investments. Also, let’s encourage these new shops to involve themselves in giving back to the community through helping Stonewall, Bonham, Lakewood Elementary, Woodrow Wilson and the parks. —Alice
Getting sacrificed is a dedicated office, no longer necessary with laptops, tablets, and portable computing. Buyers now want multi-use media/work/exercise/ meditation rooms in place of the single-use office.
Expensively decorated, barely-used formal rooms are now the antithesis of today’s pragmatic design concepts. Integrated areas for daily living and formal entertaining, with the kitchen as the central hub, are the new norm.
In lieu of the wasted formal and two-story foyer spaces, buyers o en want higher ceilings in the central living and entertaining areas. 9-foot ceilings are the new standard, and 10 and 11-foot ceilings are o en
Game
Tankless
Steam
requested for a more luxurious feeling in a home.
We love today’s home design trends. Pragmatism leads to lasting contentment and fewer regrets –exactly what we strive for in every new Bella Vista home. Even the Joneses can appreciate that . . . eventually.
It’s kind of like stepping back in time: The slick maple floors and spinning lights, the sounds of the “Hokey Pokey” and beginners’ rickety orange wheels slapping the solid burgundy carpet, and, what’s that smell? Redolent of antiquity, it’s the musty, nostalgic aroma of your adolescence. “It hasn’t changed since I was a kid,” patrons exclaim. That used to bother Chuck Connor. It actually takes much money and work to keep White Rock Skate looking and feeling exactly as it did in the ’70s. But now the statement, uttered by some 30- or 40-something daily, just makes him grin. Connor, who hasn’t missed a day of work in about 40 years, has made the place what it is. He is the Sultan of Skate, the Roller King, the Lord of the Rink, and he rules his kingdom with austerity and compassion.
This place hasn’t changed since I was a kid!
Yes, people say that to me every day, and it used to kind of upset me. I’d think, “Hey, I just paid so-and-so dollars to have new carpet or lighting installed!” I update every couple of years. But now I know, it is just the way they remember it from their childhood.
The music is a big part of the ambiance here. How has it changed?
Well, there are these cool things called computers and iTunes now! They didn’t have that when I started out as a DJ — we had reel-toreel and turntables.
You started here as a DJ?
Yes, my dad built the place in 1973, and I was in grad school and I worked here as a DJ.
I assume you weren’t in grad school for roller rink management. What were your plans?
I got a master’s degree in counseling, and I went to work for the Dallas County Community College District. Running the rink wasn’t in my plans, but at one point, my dad tired of operations and decided to sell. Around the time I was working in administration more, and less with students. And what I really wanted to do was work with people. So, my dad and I struck up a deal.
You’ve been here, every open day, ever since?
Haven’t missed a day of work in 39 years. I will use the days we are closed to travel on short vacations. I did go on my honeymoon when I was 28, but my dad was still here at that time; it was before I took over.
Is your family now highly involved in the business?
My wife used to be around all the time, basically lived here. My daughter, Leslie, who recently graduated from college, works here part-time now. She had her first gig here when she was about 4 or 5 years old. We paid her a dollar to hand out fliers. I still remember her first pair of tiny purple skates.
Will Leslie take over someday?
I don’t think so. I care about her too much to do that to her [Leslie is listening and they both laugh].
I had friends in high school who worked for you. Does your staff still comprise mostly high school students?
Mostly. We have a few college kids. Most of them are from Lake Highlands, Lakehill, Bryan Adams. We’ve had a couple from Woodrow. I have a wall of photos in the office of all the kids who have worked here.
You can point to any picture, and I can tell you a story about them [he proves it by doing so; he hasn’t forgotten a name or a face]. We even had a staff reunion in 2003 and about 125 former employees showed up. It was wonderful. Some of their spouses thought they were crazy, traveling to a reunion of a place they worked for in high school, but many of them worked here and were together four or five years and coming back was almost like a high school reunion. When I started out, I thought it would be the kids who come to skate that I would enjoy the most, but as much as I care about them, it’s really the staff that has been the best part.
Everyone seems very happy, but you must have to be stern sometimes in order to keep the teens working for you and the kids (and parents) skating here in line, right? We have strict rules, and they apply to everyone. As my father told me, what you do for one, you must do for all.
You proved this by not allowing me in the money machine. Only on your birthday.
No fair.
In orientation, we make sure the staff knows the seriousness of everything from safety on the rink to cleanliness of the uniform. Usually by the time they start working here, I know them and I know their families because they have been coming here to skate. As for the skaters, we sometimes have to tell them to slow down or change a shirt that has profane words on it. Some parents get upset if their child doesn’t win the race or the limbo contest, and we just say OK and keep the rules the same for everyone. And, it doesn’t happen often, maybe one in a million, a kid breaks a rule — steals or fights — and when that happens, they are out.
For good? No exceptions?
For good and no exceptions. I’ll bring them in here [his office] and they’ll look up there
[security monitors] and they will know, if they did something wrong, like steal something from a locker, they are caught.
What’s your best memory here?
Oh! That is too hard to answer. Oh, but there was something great recently. I have a picture of it in here somewhere … A guy came in, and right there, right in front of the money machine, he went down on one knee and asked his girlfriend to marry him. It was an impressive and beautiful moment. That’s the only proposal, but many people have told me they have met their husbands or wives or ex-husbands or ex-wives here.
Must be that couples skate. So, I bet people recognize you outside of the rink, huh?
Yes. A lot of times I’ll catch them looking at me trying to figure it out. I’ll say, “I know where you know me from!” The only way I can truly get away is to hit the road on one of my mini vacations — once, though, when I was in Hot Springs, someone was staring at me and they finally say, “You’re the skating rink guy!” —Christina
Hughes Babb Edited for brevity
Watch our White Rock Skate mini movie for the answer and more.
Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/video.
Buy something from Soap Hope and help reduce poverty. This company, whose headquarters is on East Side Avenue, just outside our neighborhood, is a “for-profit company with a nonprofit mission.” Soap Hope sells, well, soap, from makers such as Zum Bar and Pangea Organics. It also sells cosmetics, food, tea, cleaning supplies, messenger bags, even dog shampoo. All of the products are natural, paraben free, cruelty free and, in some cases, organic or recycled. Every dollar you spend with Soap Hope goes to helping women around the world get a hand up. The company works with three micro-lenders to make interestfree loans to women working in cottage industry or starting up small businesses. Soap Hope turns all its profits over to the lenders for one year. At the end of that year, the loans are repaid and Soap Hope collects its profits. So basically, Soap Hope delays its profits for one year while women use the money to make their business ideas a reality. Salah Boukadoum, who lives in Coppell, founded the company in 2008 because he realized this business model is not just doing something positive for humanity. “I’m doing it because it’s great for business,” he says. The company has seen 100 percent year-over-year growth because it’s doing something good, and customers like that. Soap Hope products are available for purchase online only at soaphope.com.
Know of ways that neighbors can spend time, attend an event, or purchase or donate something to benefit a neighborhood nonprofit? Email your suggestion to launch@advocatemag.com.
Pull up to the purple house on Bell Avenue, a block off Lower Greenville, and warylooking cats peer from atop a car, where they’re sunning themselves. Step out of the car to the scent of incense and through the screen door into Labyrinth Metaphysical Herbal Apothecary. This is a witches’ den, a shop for everything from trinkets such as inexpensive sterling silver jewelry to “magically blessed and blended” water sprays. Cerina Wrye and Unarei Saldana opened the shop in 1997, and they draw loyal clientele from all over North Texas. Wrye is a psychic who offers readings at the shop. Saldana is a healer, who implements reiki, which is also known as “hands-on healing.” Her bio includes the designations high priestess, shaman medicine woman and ordained minister. Wrye also does reiki, but she says she prefers palm reading. “We’ve definitely touched a lot of people,” Saldana says. The Labyrinth is part gift shop, part herbal pharmacy. The back room houses shelf after shelf of jars containing dried herbs. Many of them are things one could find at Whole Foods — star anise, allspice, cayenne pepper. Others are more exotic — marshmallow root, slippery elm, neem leaf. Wrye and Saldana also make bath salts, candles and salves. They say they love their little shop and the work they do. “The people who come in here are looking for something, and usually they find it,” Wrye says. “And they leave feeling a little more fulfilled.” —Rachel
Stone
Watch modern-day witches Cerina and Unarei talk about their business, their psychic abilities and what inspires them.
Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/video.
Happy Valentine’s Day! Make your Valentine’s Day special with a little something from the T Shop. 1911 Abrams Parkway 214.821.8314 Visit us on Facebook.
Declare your love on Valentine’s Day with our exclusive leather cuffs lovingly handcrafted with unusual vintage findings and brilliant Swarovski crystals.
HDS Womens 3014 Greenville Ave.
214.821.8900 FB Hdsclothingco menswomens
Beautiful Jewelry makes great Valentine’s Day Gifts ... and we’ll gift wrap it for Free! We also carry other unique Gifts, Sterling Silver & do Custom Work, Restringing & Repairs ... callidoragifts.com 214.515.9188 2913 Greenville Ave. (next to Blue Goose)
Catering custom homemade sweets & savories to friends, family and businesses. Let us create your perfect event! thehospitalitysweet.com
214.534.2241
Valentine’s Day! We have all that’s unique including wall art, party supplies and the best kid’s Valentine’s in town! Mockingbird & Abrams and Walnut Hill & Audelia 214.747.5800 t.heegifts.com
Trollbeads Valentine’s Day Event Feb 10-14. Buy three beads, get one free. Sterling silver bracelet with the purchase of any decorative clasp. 10233 E NW Hwy@ Ferndale (near Albertsons) 214.553.8850 Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 TheStoreinLH.com
Child Perfume – This intoxicating fragrance is known as a “White Crisp Jasmine Floral” that is VERY bold, VERY romantic, VERY aromatic. Exclusively available at Talulah Belle 2011 Abrams Rd. 214.821.1927 talulahbelle.com
Buy - Sell - Repeat at Once Upon A Child - Lake Highlands. Come shop for outfits up to 18/20 Youth, Gift cards, and other special items for your little Valentines. 6300 Skillman St. @ Abrams 214.503.6010. onceuponachildlakehighlands.com
Gear up for spring with fabulous dresses from Jenna B’s! New shipments arriving weekly! 5706 E. Mockingbird Ln. @ Greenville Ave. 214.484.7116 JennaBsBoutique.com
Pictured: Stained Glass Rondel Window. Find unique art glass for your decor. Windows, doors, and special projects.
Showroom: 919 Dragon St. 214.761.1100 glasshouseproducts.com
Terrific Valentine’s gifts, necklaces, bracelets and more. 6039 Oram (at Skillman) 214.534.4469 yogamartusa.com
Who doesn’t need that special dress for Valentine’s Day? We have plenty to choose from with accessories to match. Shop our annual sale 25% to 60% sale in February!
9219 Garland Rd. ( in the shopping center of the Reserve at White Rock) dcboutiqueonline.com
Watch college students visit their elementary alma mater.
It’s never too early to talk to kids about college. Lakewood Elementary School counselor Lydia Dickson knows this. That’s why, last month, she invited about a dozen Lakewood alumni to visit fourth- and fifth-grade classrooms. There were a couple of Woodrow Wilson High School seniors, but most of them were college students home on break. The morning started as an impromptu reunion of 20-somethings who’ve known each other since elementary school, drinking coffee and eating oatmeal cookies. Then they broke into pairs and stood before the attentive kids. The Lakewood students asked a lot of questions: Why did you pick your college? How long are your classes? Do you live in a dorm? Did you get to pick your roommate? What is the food like? Is there recess? “They were very inquisitive,” says Savannah Landis, a student at Purdue University. One kid even asked about parties. Another asked a speaker what was the “worst” thing she’d done since college. Her answer: “I took chemistry.” “They had a lot of questions about scholarships, which I thought was impressive,” says Emily Ziegler, who attends Texas A&M University. “I don’t know if I even knew about scholarships at that age.” For most children that age, Dickson says, the concept that college isn’t free is news. Also, she says, most elementary school students don’t understand that college is an adult thing: No one tells you to go to class or do homework, and you decide your own schedule and set your own rules. Among the kids, there was much high-fiving and exclamations of “yesss!” upon learning that many college students use iPads in class, or that there are scholarships for dance and lefthanded people, for example. This career day was part of a push that Dickson has undertaken to expose students to professionals and life after graduation. “I want my kids to understand and be excited about college,” she says. —Rachel Stone
Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/video.
Kevin Rubén Jacobs introduces himself as Oliver Francis of Oliver Francis Gallery in a promotional YouTube video. In reality, Jacobs is a 23-year-old curator who always seems to be laughing at a joke no one else gets. He opened Oliver Francis Gallery, in an old building at 209 S. Peak, last June with the goal of shaking up the Dallas art scene and presenting shows that are challenging to the viewer. “I love when people have to stop and think about something,” he says. “I don’t like passivity. ” Jacobs was a philosophy major at the University of Texas at Arlington in 2009 when he decided to add a second major in art. He became frustrated with the art program, and eventually dropped the double major and graduated with a philosophy degree. “So, I don’t have an art degree,” he says before bursting into that trademark laughter. Art has become the focus of his budding career, however. An internship at the Goss-Michael Foundation led to a fulltime job as exhibitions manager and collections assistant. Through Oliver Francis, he is doing his part to create the art scene he wants to see in Dallas. There are plenty of opportunities to see great, established artists at the Nasher and the Dallas Museum of Art, for example. “What about students?” Jacobs says. “What about emerging artists?” Jacobs accepts shows only from artists whose work excites his sensibilities, and he’s not interested in whether it is marketable. He pays $500 a month for the space on Peak, and he lives at home with his parents in North Richland Hills. “I don’t know why more people don’t do this,” he says. “This place is so cheap. Why don’t more people go in on a space like this?” Last month Oliver Francis opened “Emphaticalism” from Michelle Rawlings, an MFA candidate in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design. Jacobs also is working on a museum in a room behind his office at the gallery, inspired by SMU professor Michael Corris’s Free Museum of Dallas. Jacobs toyed with naming it “The Freeer Museum,” but opted finally for The Orthodox. He didn’t explain that name, but we sense some irony there. —Rachel Stone Oliverfrancisgallery.cOm
Woodrow Wilson High School cost $700,000 to build, between 1926 and 1928, and it was the most expensive school building in Dallas. The school board hired Potter Art Metal Studios to craft detailed pendant lights and lanterns for the school’s exterior to give it distinctive ornamentation. And when J.L. Long Middle School opened in 1933, custom Potter fixtures graced its exterior, too. Now both schools are undergoing renovations, and once again, the architects called on Potter to refurbish the light fixtures the family-owned company created more than 80 years ago. Richard Potter, the company’s third-generation owner, becomes animated talking about the project. Aside from approximately 30 outdoor fixtures for both schools, Potter also is refurbishing 21 lights from the Woodrow auditorium. “They’ll be gorgeous,” he says. “You couldn’t appreciate the detail before.” Workers clean and repair the pieces before adding a chemical patina to darken the details and finally, seal them with an acrylic lacquer. They’re also being rewired. A few of the fixtures must be replaced, and workers are replicating the 1920s designs. The fixtures at Woodrow, built in the Elizabethan style, are gothic. And the fixtures from Long are art deco. The project is estimated to cost about $100,000. Potter says he doesn’t know how much the lights originally cost. This isn’t the first time Potter has been asked to restore its own work, which appears in landmarks such as government buildings and White Rock Lake, as well as countless homes. Unfortunately, the renovation project doesn’t have the funding to refurbish 10 art deco pendant lamps in the J.L. Long auditorium. They would cost about $5,000 a piece to restore, and the architects have opted to instead purchase new lights. But Potter and designer Izabela Wojcik are hoping that Long boosters might unite and somehow raise $50,000 to save the old light fixtures. For almost 80 years, Long students have been looking up at those artfully crafted pendants, and it would be a shame to replace them with something inferior. “Off-the-shelf fixtures are not going to look as good,” Wojcik says. “These looked good 100 years ago, and they’re always going to look good.”
—Rachel Stone
February 2012
Feb. 14–26
The wildly popular movie about competitive cheerleading has made its way to Broadway and now to Dallas. “Bring It On: The Musical” is a hilarious look into cheerleading squads and the often cutthroat methods of winning top honors. Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First, 214.565.1116, liveatthemusichall.com, $15-$80
more local events or submit your own
LAKEWOOD.ADVOCATEMAG.COM/EVENTS
THROUGH FEB. 25
To celebrate the grand opening of the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava’s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, the Latino Cultural Center showcases the new structure, as captured through the lenses of North Texas Latino photographers. Latino Cultural Center, 2600 Live Oak, 214.671.0045, dallasculture.org, free
THROUGH FEB. 26
Based on the popular 1985 book by Laura Numeroff, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” tells the tale of a young boy and the adventure that ensues when he innocently gives a mouse a cookie. For ages 4 and older.
Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $12-24
FEB. 7
Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst will be the keynote speaker for the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s annual
Economic Summit luncheon from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Dewhurst and other speakers will discuss neighborhood, city and state economic development trends and opportunities. Lakewood Country Club, 6430 Gaston, 214.328.4100, eastdallaschamber.com, $60 (includes lunch); $500/table sponsorship
FEB. 10-FEB. 26
A must-see for teenage girls and parents alike, this educational play uncovers the destructive world of girl bullying. A dialogue follows each performance. Rosewood Center for Family Arts, 5938 Skillman, 214.740.0051, dct.org, $20-24
FEB. 11
Kicking off with the 5k at 7:30 a.m. and the 15k at 7:45 a.m., the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k winds through Fair Park and ends with some sugar … Ghirardelli hot chocolate and chocolate fondue, to be exact. In addition to the chocolate, the post-race party also features live music. hotchocolate15k.com, 15k $60, 5k $45
Feb. 3
Granada Theater presents Honky Tonk Friday featuring Eleven Hundred Springs with Sons of Fathers and The Possum Posse. Doors open at 7 p.m. Granada Theater, 3524 Greenville, 214.827.5514, granadatheater.com, $17-$24
Feb. 24
Celebrate Black History Month at the Museum of Nature & Science with storyteller Toni Simmons. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., Simmons will explore African American culture. Craft time follows until 1 p.m. Children’s Museum at Museum of Nature & Science, 1318 S. 2nd, 214.428.5555, natureandscience.org, free for members, cost included in general admission ($7-$10)
FEB. 12
Voices of Change, a nonprofit professional new-music ensemble, is hosting a free family concert at 2:30 p.m. No admission will be charged, but donations are encouraged.
Lake Highlands Presbyterian Church, 8525 Audelia, 214.378.8670, voicesofchange. org, free
FEB. 13
For the first time, Lakewood Young Life hosts a night of fun for the whole family. The Lakewood Young Life Family Club, held from 7-8:30 p.m., givesparents the opportunity to see what their children experience each week
■ Price is $10
■ Buy one entrée, get 2nd of equal or lower value FREE! (some restrictions apply)
■ Valid Jan 20 - Oct 31, 2012
■ For coupon books call the Peninsula Neighborhood Association at 972.533.1144 or stop by the service desk at any of these Albertsons: Casa Linda, Mockingbird & Abrams, or E Northwest Hwy & Ferndale sponsored in part by the Advocate Magazines
at Young Life’s WyldLife clubs, as well as a chance to learn more about the locally based worldwide nonprofit. All Young Life alumni and parents of children in middle school and high school are welcome.
Winfrey Point, 950 E. Lawther, 828.545.1980, sites.younglife. org, free
FEB. 25
Jordan Knight
New Kids on the Block fans rejoice: Jordan Knight is bringing his Live & Unfinished tour to Lakewood. The former teen heartthrob has been performing for audiences since he was 14. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; show starts at 8:30 p.m. Lakewood Theater, 1825 Abrams, 214.821.7469, lakewoodtheater.com, $35-$50
Fridays: Geo spinning the 80’s Saturdays: Live Music
Jose Ramirez has transformed a drab, uninspired coffee shop into our neighborhood’s newest breakfast and lunch spot — JJ’s Café. He bought Divine Coffee Shop in April 2010 and has finally made it his own, changing the name, expanding the menu and remodeling the interior. “My dream was this,” he says. “It just took us that long to fix it.” The menu boasts several types of flavored pancakes, including strawberry, chocolate chip, blueberry, Hawaiian and, the most popular, banana nut topped with sliced bananas, pecans and caramel syrup. “The key is in the batter,” Ramirez says. “It’s a special blend that makes it puffy and flavorful.” JJ’s Café also makes crepes from scratch and offers three types of eggs Benedict.
—Emily Toman10233 E. Northwest Highway
214.221.4659
jjscafe.net
PRICE RANGE: $5-$9
AMBIANCE: NO-FRILLS
HOURS: 7 A.M.-2 P.M. DAILY
TIP: STOP BY 8-10:30 A.M. ON SATURDAYS FORTHE BREAKFAST BUFFET
This burger joint recently launched its breakfast menu and now serves sweet buttermilk and oatmeal pancakes from a “century-old” recipe.
2422N. Henderson
214.826.5253
jakesburgers.net
The brunch menu is chock full of indulgent comfort food. The banana pancakes are probably one of the less sinful items.
2323 N. Henderson
214.821.9333
horneanddekker.com
The decadent banana nut pancakes are topped with fresh sliced bananas, walnuts, powered sugar and Vermont maple syrup.
2801 Commerce
214.741.2801
4154N. Central
214.826.7100
buzzbrews.com
Left:Crepes topped with berry sauce Photo by MarkDavis
Wanna do the Happy Dance?
$2 Tuesdays with $2 Margaritas, Draft Beers & Crispy Tacos all day!
Open Daily 11am-2am. Late Night Menu. Catering Available. Lunch Menu 11am-3pm.
Since 1980, we have offered the finest Chinese food in Dallas. Choose from our gourmet menu or convenient buffet. Senior
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Alternative wine closures — that is, everything but the traditional cork — have never been more popular. Two recent studies show that consumers and wineries like screwcaps more than ever, while the number of quality wines in boxes has never been higher. All of which is good news for anyone who has ever struggled trying to open a cork. (Which, of course, is almost everyone who has ever tried to open a bottle of wine with a cork.)
The studies, one in Australia, one in Britain and one in the United States, paint a picture of increasing acceptance of screwcaps, boxes and the like. In Australia, an industry survey found that 93 percent of Aussie wineries use screwcaps. In Britain, 85 percent of the regular winedrinking population now accepts screwcaps — more than twice as many people who felt that way in 2003. That’s from a study conducted by the research company Wine Intelligence for its 2011 Closures Report. In the United States, the percentage of U.S. wine drinkers who accept screwcaps rose to 70 percent, the most ever, and up from 59 percent in 2008.
In other words, don’t dismiss a wine just because it doesn’t have a cork. The type of closure is no longer a reflection of quality. These wines show just that:
This California white isn’t as turpentine-ish and has more fruit (soft lemons?) than similarly priced pinot grigio from Italy and California. Very well done, especially for the price.
Yes, a big version of a kid’s juice box. The Bandit wines, from an often very silly producer called Three Thieves, are simple, cheap and more than adequate. You can pay more and do a whole lot worse.
That works out to $6 a bottle, since 3 liters equals 4 bottles. Quality is sometimes inconsistent, but when Black Box wines are on, they’re tremendous values. This chardonnay is fruity (almost tropical) and soft, a step up from most of its grocery store competitors. —Jeff Siegel
JEFF SIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on lakewood.advocatemag.com
A lighter, different take on the traditional bowl of red. Best yet, it works well with leftover and canned ingredients, making it the perfect alternative for a busy weeknight. Serve the Black Box chardonnay or a similar soft, fruity white wine.
GROCERY LIST
1 16-oz can white beans, drained (reserve liquid)
2 c cooked, boneless chicken, diced 1/2 to 1 c best quality green salsa
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 c cilantro, chopped salt and pepper to taste
1. Sauté the onion and pepper in olive oil in a large pot until soft, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cilantro, and sauté until you smell the garlic, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the remaining ingredients. The chili should be soupy and not too thick; adjust liquid accordingly. Add reserved white bean liquid or water if necessary.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and then simmer gently for 15 minutes. Serve over white rice.
Serves 2 to 4, about 30 minutes
Why do wine bottles have corks?
Tradition, mostl y Hundreds of y ears a g o, cor k was t h e b est c l osure avai la bl e. It kept t h e wine b ott l e air ti gh t, and the wine business is slow to change. Today’s alternative closures are just as effective, and have taken o v er as much as one-third of the ma rke t .
Jeff Siegel
ASK THE WINE GUY taste@advocatemag.com
More than just a friendly face
by Rachel Stone l photos by Can
TürkyilmazBy job description, they are ordinary people, but these ever-present characters have a life, interests and history outside the roles for which we know them.
And, oh boy , do they have stories to tell.
In a market favoring beauty parlors and unisex styling salons, there is a place in Casa Linda Plaza that still bears a candystriped barber’s pole.
Inside is a row of five chairs in front of mirrors and sinks, nothing fancy.
Most of the time, there are men in these chairs. They come for high-top fades, buzz cuts or just a little off the sides. Drop-in customers might sit in chairs belonging to one of two young guys, including Michael Applebee, who bought A&A Barber Shop five years ago. But if they’re lucky, they’ll find themselves sitting before 80-year-old Jerry Hearn.
Hearn has been cutting hair for more than 50 years, most of those in our neighborhood. In the ’50s and ’60s, he became the preferred barber of many businessmen, including Joseph Campisi and Gene Goss, a car dealer known as “Goss on Ross.” He also barbered Floyd Hamilton, who was affiliated with the Clyde Barrow gang. A few of Hearn’s clients had connections to organized crime, gambling and prostitution.
Hearn heard many an eyebrow-raising story in those days, but he says, the men knew they could talk freely in his chair.
“I sure didn’t bother them and their business,” Hearn says. “I kept my mouth shut.
Hearn became a barber in 1954, while in the U.S. Navy. He heard an announcement on the intercom saying anyone interested in barbering should report to a certain office, so he did. The rest is hair-story. Hearn cut hair “underwater and on the water,” and traveled all over the world, including Japan and the Philippines. He visited Hiroshima about 10 years after it was bombed.
After the Navy, he moved to Dallas and worked for almost 10 years at Ross and Fitzhugh. Back then, it cost about $1.25 for a flat top. The same haircut now costs $14.
“I went to beauty school for a while, but I didn’t like it,” he says. “I decided I didn’t want to do women’s hair.”
Hearn has worked in several shops, including one in the Lakewood Shopping Center, where he worked for 17 years. For more than 16 years, he owned his own shop where the Dallas Arts District is now.
Hearn lives in Mesquite with his wife Nancy now, and he works only three days a week, Tuesday through Thursday. But he remains a popular neighborhood barber, and he is an inspiration to his young colleagues at A&A Barbershop.
“He has so many stories, and he always has good advice,” Applebee says. “We always ask ourselves, ‘What would Jerry do?’ ”
Thereis an employee at the Medallion Center Target who looks like Santa Claus.
But Michael Azari, the man with the long white beard and glasses, assures us he’s not the guy who brings presents every Christmas.
“He’s my brother,” Azari says.
Azari, 66, has worked at that Target store for 25 years.
“I have good relationships with my customers,” he says. “I get along very well with the kids.”
Azari was born in Iran and moved to Texas 31 years ago from Sussex, England, where he grew up.
As much as he appreciates his job at Target, Azari’s passion is music. In the early ’60s, Azari was a singer in a rock-n-roll band called Peter and the Wolves.
“Everyone wanted to be in a band then,” he says.
Back when the Beatles were still the Quarrymen, Azari and his band played any stage they could find, touring around England and Germany.
“We were bums,” he recalls. “We played for nothing. We played for our dinner.”
He still plays guitar and sings any chance he gets, often jamming with friends at parties. Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger are among his favorites, but Azari says he enjoys artists from Chuck Berry to Led Zeppelin and more recent bands.
“Music
Aside from meeting customers at Target, Azari also enjoys getting to know his fellow employees. They’re an international group, and they come from all walks of life, he says.
Azari has worked at Target so long that he knows generations of families.
Neighbors who grew up shopping at that Target now bring their own kids. Most of them know the proper introduction, telling their kids, “This is Santa’s brother.”
Every day, when Carrie Johnson pulls into the parking lot of Tom Thumb at Mockingbird and Abrams, she says a little prayer.
And every day, when she walks inside, she knows she’s exactly where she wants to be.
Johnson has worked for Tom Thumb for 35 years, and she started at this store 20 years ago.
Why so long with Tom Thumb?
Part of it is this: “I love this job. I love what I do,” she says.
It’s a convincing answer. Johnson is so friendly and outgoing that her kids make fun of her for it. She loves being around people, but that’s not the whole story.
Johnson was a single mother of four in 1992 when her oldest child, Larry, was shot in the head in a random incident. He was taken to Parkland Hospital, and he wasn’t expected to survive the night.
Hospital employees assumed he had insurance through his mom’s employer, but
he had just aged out of Johnson’s insurance plan. Since he wasn’t insured, the hospital wanted to move Johnson’s son from the sixth floor, which was VIP at the time, to the fourth floor, which was reserved for indigent care.
She didn’t know what to do, so she called her store director. He called Jack Evans Sr., the former Dallas mayor who was president and CEO of Tom Thumb at the time. Evans called Parkland and told them not to move Johnson’s son.
Now Larry is 40. He lost his vision in the shooting, but other than that, he is healthy and independent.
“To this day, I have never seen a hospital bill,” Johnson says. “I’ve never seen a bill, but they tell me it was over $150,000.”
That’s not something a person forgets,
know about Harry the UPS guy: He and pal Rob Peebles are the 2010 TVP World Horseshoe Tournament champions.
“They give you a big trophy,” he says. “It’s like the Stanley Cup of horseshoes.”
Harry Scoville, 42, has been delivering UPS packages in Lakewood for about 10 years. He started working for UPS about 23 years ago as a part-timer, while he was in school at the University of North Texas. After graduation, he decided to stay on as a driver.
“I didn’t want to work inside my whole life,” Scoville says. “I love to be outside.”
UPS trucks don’t have air conditioning, but that doesn’t bother Scoville.
“I don’t mind the heat at all. If it could be 105 degrees every day, I would take that,” he says. “People think I’m crazy for it, but I don’t like the cold at all.”
Occasionally, he’s been known to thwart the efforts of thieves in our neighborhood. Last year, he caught a guy stealing UPS packages from doorsteps on Gaston Avenue. He ran after the thief and held him until police came.
Scoville’s Lakewood and Old East Dallas route is tame compared to his previous route in South Dallas.
“I used to see all kinds of stuff,” he says. “I’ve seen prostitutes stark naked in the middle of the street who don’t know where they are. All kinds of stuff. But I think South Dallas gets a bad rap. It’s not as bad as people think.”
Scoville lives in Lakewood Heights with his wife, Julie, and their kids, 11-year-old Peyton Rylee and 5-year-old Brady Coogan.
He likes to fish and hunt, and he collects guns: “I’ve probably got 60 or 70 firearms.” He’s into old cars, and he owns a 1969 Dodge Coronet that a neighbor is restoring for him: “It’s more of a hot rod.” And he has plans to buy a fully restored ’69 Coronet this summer.
Most days, he drives an ’89 Chevy pickup that’s been stolen twice and broken into at least three times. The locks don’t even work any more.
“I just keep driving that,” he says. “I like to have something fun to drive on the weekend.”
Here’sone thing you might not
Watch UPS guy Harry Scoville describe how he detained a thief trying to steal packages from a porch last year. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com/video.
LIVE LOCAL East Dallas is pleased to partner with ·East Dallas Networking
·Lakewood Women in Business
·Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce
·Exchange Club of East Dallas to bring you MEET! East Dallas.
Date: Thurs. Feb. 2nd 5:30-7:30pm
Where: Another Broken Egg (Casa Linda)
Cost: $5 per person, cash only at the door (covers cost of event/includes hors d’oeuvres]
RSVP: rsvp@livelocaleastdallas.com (deadline: Thursday, January 26th by 5pm]
Why: Five Groups AND THOUSANDS OF OPPORTUNITIES
Live Local East Dallas is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the idea that supporting
“Hello, pretty lady! How are you today?”
Betty Parker’s voice — pure Dolly Parton — and her hair — deep, bold red piled high on her head — belong in Nashville rather than behind the drug store counter. But she’s perfectly content at her post at CVS on Mockingbird.
>>
DR. CLINT MEYER www.dallaseyeworks.com
The technology to provide a thorough examination, the caring to take the time to explain the results, the experience to develop a comprehensive plan for your vision and eye care needs. Dr. Meyer and the staff at Dallas Eyeworks believe it’s important to listen to each patient to achieve best results. Call and schedule an appointment to discover how pleasant and educational an eye examination can be.
Dallas Eyeworks 9225 Garland Rd., Ste. 2120, Dallas, TX 75218 214.660.9830
ASHLY R. COTHERN, DDS, PA www.drcothern.com
Dr. Cothern is one of a small distinguished percentage of dentists who have invested in postgraduate training at one of the world’s premiere continuing education institutes, The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education. We care about you as a unique individual and examine you in a way that together we can understand every aspect of your oral health. In our office we love what we do. NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!
9669 N.Central Expwy., Ste. 220 Dallas, TX 75231 214.696.9966
PATRICIA A. SIMON, DDS
www.lakewoodortho.net
Have you found that your teeth are getting harder to keep clean? It may be due to an increase in the crowding of your teeth, making it more difficult to get between all the nooks and crannies. It’s the natural phenomenon of aging. The good news is that adult orthodontics can put these teeth in their place and give you a cleaner, healthier smile.
Lakewood Orthodontics
1809 Skillman St. Dallas, TX 75206
214.826.9000
DENA T. ROBINSON, DDS, FAGD
www.drdenarobinson.com
Four Steps to a Terrific Dental Experience
1. Call and ask us about sedation dentistry options
2. Come to your appointment in our comfortable office setting
3. Take a nap
4. Awake to a beautiful, healthy smile
Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry
8940 Garland Rd., Ste. 200, Dallas, TX 75218 214.321.6441
“I tell you, all these wonderful people I meet where I work, the majority of them are my neighbors, and I just love ’em all to pieces. I look forward to them coming in. When they come in to say ‘hi,’ I want to say ‘hi’ back in such a way that it lightens up their life a little bit and brightens up the rest of their day.”
After all, she has had her days in the Nashville limelight, where she lived and traveled as a country music singer, imitating Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. She left that life when she met and married a “super guy.” The lifestyle was exciting, she says, but “my husband was more exciting.”
She still sings at church, but life as a songstress is history.
“Them days are long gone, but remembered fondly.”
Somewhere in the range of 70 years old now, the neighborhood resident has worked at Safeway at Mockingbird and Skillman, ME Moses at Abrams and Mockingbird, and Drug Emporium in the same center. Each of those places closed, leaving Parker to wonder if she might be “a jinx,” she says.
But it wasn’t long before she heard about the new CVS opening; she was, of course, a shoo-in.
Says Danny Maywald, who hired her, “I knew that if I could find someone that had the job skills that Betty brought, who would get along with the customers and call them by name and have that one-on-one relationship with them well, that’s what I was looking for.”
Though the stores have changed, she says, many of the customers have been a constant.
For her chronically cheery disposition, Parker credits “The Man Upstairs,” as well as her current managers and customers.
CVS managers Moses Beruman and Jason Hunt are super guys, she says.
“When I am working with Moses, I know it is going to be a good day,” she says.
And as for Hunt, she says she couldn’t ask for a better leader.
“Some bosses are pushy; not my boss! He is just so wonderful I can’t even explain it.”
And though her stations have changed, many of the customers remain in her life. She says her relationships with people she met at work helped her get through tough times over the years, including the death of her husband.
“The people are still just the beautiful, wonderful people they’ve always been,” Parker says.
Tracy Hamblen lives in an apartment building on Live Oak recently purchased by the nonprofit LifeNet.
If not for his little room, 51-year-old Hamblen would be lost.
“I just cannot tell you what this place means to me,” he says. “I would be on the street and lucky to have a box.”
He tells us about the building’s history. It was constructed in 1913 as a destination honeymoon hotel. In the ’90s, it was a den of prostitution and drug use. But now it houses 63 men and women who needed a hand up in life.
LifeNet bought this old building last spring with plans to renovate it. It is applying for about $2.5 million in tax credits and
aims to raise another $500,000 to replace the heating and air conditioning system, among other updates.
LifeNet is the city’s largest provider of permanent supportive housing, that is, multifamily housing for formerly homeless people. It also provides medical help and counseling, through its Lake Highlands clinic, for those with mental illness and addiction. It supplies food through a partnership with the North Texas Food Bank. And it helps people find jobs.
Anyone who isn’t familiar with LifeNet might be surprised to learn that it started 35 years ago as “Hideaway House.”
“That’s indicative of how times have changed,” says president and CEO Liam Mul-
vaney. “At the time, the thinking was that people with mental illness should be ‘hidden away.’ ”
The state had cut funding to mental hospitals, including the one in Terrell, which went from 2,000 beds to 300. Low-income mental health patients needed help, and they were no longer receiving it from the state. So LifeNet began.
“At the time [Lifenet began], the thinking was that people with mental illness should be ‘hidden away.’ ”
The nonprofit’s name later changed to Phoenix House, and then in the late ’90s, to its current name. Most of its funding comes from federal grants, but about 5 percent of its $8 million annual budget comes from private donations.
LifeNet does not operate homeless shelters, but it does manage several properties in the neighborhood and around the city, housing 520 formerly homeless people. Professionals manage the properties and assist residents with everyday things such as understanding a bus schedule, as well as more complicated things like dealing with
mental illnesses and addictions. The goal for many is to eventually move into their own apartments independently.
That became a reality for Chelsia Williams.
Nine years ago, her life was a mess.
She was an alcoholic in denial about a diagnosis of bipo-
“I’m just so happy to be alive. I love myself.”
lar disorder, and she had little regard for how she treated herself and others. But she found LifeNet for help with mental illness, and her life slowly started turning around.
She wound up utilizing several LifeNet services, including permanent supportive housing, emergency food and clothing donations.
Now she is a full-time employee at LifeNet, with her own apartment in the neighborhood, a closet full of stylish clothes she bought herself, a savings account and plans for a cruise-ship vacation.
“I’m just so happy to be alive,” she says. “I love myself.”
Hamblen’s room in the Prince of Wales apartment building comprises about 200 square feet, including a twin-size bed, shower, sink, toilet, a few cabinets and a closet. It
is modest, but a bed is the smallest measure of kingdom, and this is Hamblen’s.
Black-and-white photos of Marilyn Monroe decorate the walls. There is an outdated TV and immaculate bedding.
“If you’re homeless and you have kids, there are a lot of services available for that,” says Hamblen, 51. “If you’re homeless and single, there are not as many options.”
Hamblen takes pride in the building and its community. He showed talent for procuring donations when the building threw a barbecue for residents one Fourth of July. Since then, he has taken on the role of coordinator for donations.
Another resident enjoys mowing, so he is in charge of cutting the grass. Some residents fix meals in the community kitchen for those who don’t cook.
“It’s almost like a family,” says LifeNet vice president of development Ross Taylor. “The residents really take care of each other.”
LifeNet also finds jobs for many of its 2,000 clients. Not only that, the nonprofit creates job opportunities for them.
“If you’re homeless and you have kids, there are a lot of services available for that. If you’re homeless and single, there are not as many options.”
LifeNet contracts with the cities of Richardson and McKinney, as well as the Majestic Theater, WRR radio station and the Meyerson Symphony Center. LifeNet clients do all the custodial work, maintenance, litter pickup and landscaping for them.
Even though LifeNet helps some 2,000 clients, the nonprofit is always stretched to its limits. It is not uncommon for 12 or more people to be lined up outside the clinic by 6:45 a.m. It opens at 8 a.m. and accepts only 10 walk-ins each day.
A $1.2 million loss in funding has been the result of a tough economy and government cutbacks.
“There is always far more need than there are services available,” CEO Mulvaney says.
Still, LifeNet provides hope and a lifeline for the neighbors who need it most.
WAYS YOU CAN HELP LIFENET: LifeNet always has a need for bedding, housewares, furniture, toiletries, diapers and other baby needs, such as talcum powder.
Volunteers also are needed for many capacities, from childcare and tutoring to office work or helping out in the food pantry. Contact Ross Taylor at 214.932.1939 or mrt@lifenettexas.org.
“It’s almost like a family. The residents really take care of each other.”
1902 abrams Pkwy., Dallas / 214.821.2066 / www.schoolofcbd.com Summer Dance 2011. Two sessions available: June 6-August 13. Toddlers/Youths/ Teens classes in Ballet, Tap, Jazz & HipHop, Contemporary and Fairies & Frogs, Princesses & Princes, Summer Intensive workshops~ Morning, Afternoon & Evening classes available. Register Now! ADULTS, Get in Shape with Dance Workout, Just Barre and Basics Beginner Classes! All levels of Ballet, Modern, Jazz, Hip-hop Contemporary & Tap! Professional instructors in a positive environment! Schedule available on-line. REGISTER NOW – space is limited!
9120 Plano rd. Dallas / 214.348.3220 / www.highlanderschool.com Founded in 1966, Highlander School offers an enriched curriculum in a positive, Christian-based environment. Small class sizes help teachers understand the individual learning styles of each student. Give us a call for more information.
9090 Skillman, Ste. 299a Dallas 75243 / 214.343.7472 www.janiechristydance.com
This is Janie Christy’s 19th year teaching children to dance in Lake Highlands! Offerings include creative movement, preschool ballet & tap combos, kindergarten thru adults in ballet, tap, jazz-hip/hop and modern. Winter Session for Moms/Tots will be Fridays in Jan and Feb. introducing toddlers 14 mos. thru 2 yrs. to fun songs, word plays and dance activities. 11:15 a.m.-12:00. www.janiechristydance.com
Leading to Success. 2720 hillside Dr., Dallas 75214 / 214.826.2931, www.lakehillprep.org Kindergarten through Grade 12 - Lakehill Preparatory School takes the word preparatory in its name very seriously. Throughout a student’s academic career, Lakehill builds an educational program that achieves its goal of enabling graduates to attend the finest, most rigorous universities of choice. Lakehill combines a robust, collegepreparatory curriculum with opportunities for personal growth, individual enrichment, and community involvement. From kindergarten through high school, every Lakehill student is encouraged to strive, challenged to succeed, and inspired to excel.
ScoFieLD chriStiaN SchooL
50 years educating 3k through Grade 6 214-349-6843 / ww.scofieldchristian.org
PRESCHOOL PREVIEW DAY! February 16th at 10:00 am Bring your 3k – 4k child and experience a day in the life of our preschool students. Spend time in the library, create a masterpiece in the art room, play around in PE and visit our preschool classrooms. Join us and discover what makes SCS the school for your family. You will find a friendly spirit that can be seen in every classroom and beyond. Scofield Christian School is accredited through the Association of Christian Schools International (A.C.S.I.).
SPaNiSh hoUSe
5740 Prospect ave. Dallas / 214.826.4410 / DallasSpanishhouse.com Spanish House is a Spanish immersion preschool for children ages 2 – 5. We offer half-day and full-day programs with extended day care available from 7:30am – 6:00pm. We offer a traditional preschool curriculum delivered 100% in Spanish. Prior exposure to Spanish is not necessary. Our teachers are experienced, degreed, native-Spanish speakers. We also offer after-school and Saturday classes for PK and elementary-aged students, both onand off-site. Additionally, we have an adult Spanish program for beginning, intermediate and advanced students.
7900 Lovers Ln. / 214.363.9391 www.stchristophersmontessori.com St. Christopher’s Montessori School has been serving families in the DFW area for over a quarter of a century. We are affiliated with the American Montessori Society and our teachers are certified Montessori instructors. Additionally our staff has obtained other complimentary educational degrees and certifications, including having a registered nurse on
staff. Our bright and attractive environment, and highly qualified staff, ensures your child will grow and develop in an educationally sound, AMS certified loving program. Now Enrolling.
848 harter rd., Dallas 75218 / 214.328.9131 / www.stjohnsschool.org
Founded in 1953, St. John’s is an independent, co-educational day school for Pre-K through Grade 8. With a tradition for academic excellence, St. John’s programs include a challenging curriculum in a Christian environment along with instruction in the visual and performing arts, Spanish, German, French, and opportunities for athletics and community service. St. John’s goal for its students is to develop a love for learning, service to others, and leadership grounded in love, humility, and wisdom. Accredited by ISAS, SAES, and the Texas Education Agency.
9727 white rock trail Dallas / 214.348.7410. 2 Years through 5th Grade. 45 years of successful students! Our accelerated curriculum provides opportunity for intellectual and physical development in a loving and nurturing environment. Character-building and civic responsibility are stressed. Facilities include indoor swimming pool, skating rink, updated playground, and state-of-the-art technology lab. Kids Club on the Corner provides meaningful after-school experiences. Summer Camp offers field trips, swimming, and a balance of indoor and outdoor activities designed around fun-filled themes. Accredited by SACS. Call for a tour of the campus. www.WhiteRockNorthSchool.com.
6121 e. Lovers Ln. Dallas / 214.363.1630 / www.ziondallas. org Toddler care thru 8th Grade. Serving Dallas for over 58 years offering a quality education in a Christ-centered learning environment. Degreed educators minister to the academic, physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of students and their families. Before and after school programs, Extended Care, Parents Day Out, athletics, fine arts, integrated technology, Spanish, outdoor education, Accelerated Reader, advanced math placement, and student government. Accredited by National Lutheran School & Texas District Accreditation Commissions and TANS. Contact Principal Jeff Thorman. more than a magazine
LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425
Pastor Jeff Donnell / Worship 10:30 am & 10:31 am www.lbcdallas.com
WILShIrE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100
Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00am
Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org
E AST DALLAS chrISTIAn church / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185
Sunday School 9:30 am / THE TABLE Worship Gathering 9:30 am
Worship 8:30 & 10:50 am / Rev. Deborah Morgan / www.edcc.org
ThE c AThEDrAL church of ST. MATThEW / 5100 Ross Ave.
Sunday Traditional: 8:00 & 10:30 am / Christian Education 9:30 am
Hispanic Service 12:30 / 214.823.8134 / www.episcopalcathedral.org
ThE EPIScoPAL church of ThE AScEnSIon / 8787 Greenville Ave.
Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 8:00 & 10:15 am 214.340.4196 / more at www.ascensiondallas.org
cEnTrAL LuThErAn church, ELcA / 1000 Easton Road
Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am
Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222
fIrST unITED LuThErAn church / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.
Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org
ZIon LuThErAn church & SchooL / 6121 E Lovers Ln.
Sunday: Sunday School 9:15 am, Worship 8:00 am, 10:30 am, & 6:00 pm / 214.363.1639 / www.ziondallas.org
WhITE rocK unITED METhoDIST / www.wrumc.org
1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661
Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. George Fisk
ShorELInE DALLAS church / 5321 E. Mockingbird Lane
ShorelineDallas.com / 469.227.0471 / Pastor Earl McClellan
Everyone’s Welcome at 9:15am / Children’s & Youth Ministry
norThPArK PrESBy TErIAn church / 214.363.5457 9555 N. Central Expwy. / www.northparkpres.org
Pastor: Rev. Brent Barry / 8:30 & 11:00 am Sunday Services
norThrIDGE PrESBy TErIAn church / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship
8:30 & 11:00 am / Church School 9:30 am / Childcare provided.
ST. AnDrEW ’S PrESBy TErIAn / Skillman & Monticello
Rev. Rob Leischner. / www.standrewsdallas.org
214.821.9989 / Sunday School 9:30 am, Worship 10:45 am
unIT y of DALLAS / A Positive Path For Spiritual Living
6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972-233-7106 / UnityDallas.org
Sunday services: 9:00 am & 11:00 am
How will you say “I love you” this Valentine’s Day?
With your mouth, I hope, first of all. I mean, saying “I love you” doesn’t get old or stale. It’s not realizing on the fourth or fifth slice of coconut cake that the sweetness diminishes with each added bite. Say “I love you” a hundred times, and it still tastes good to the ear.
A woman complained to her husband of many years that he never says “I love you” to her any more. “I told you once on our wedding day,” he replied, “and if anything changes I’ll let you know.” Saying “I love you” is not a matter of passing information; it’s a matter of making the information matter. Every time you speak it, it becomes truer and realer.
Lingusitic philosophers distinguish between two kinds of words: expressive and performative. Expressive words simply say what is felt or seen in a given moment. Performative words perform: They make things happen, they create new things. “Let there be light,” God said, and there was light. Performing words. “I do,” she said; “I do,” too, he said. A new world of marriage was made with those words. Marriage or no, “I love you” makes a space into which two people can live together as if they formed a room for two.
So, say it first. But do something, too. Words say and words do, but actions speak, too — sometimes even louder than words.
In an article on novelist Walker Percy’s thinking on this, Michael Baruzzini writes: “Husbands and wives do not merely sit across the room maintaining a cerebral love for each other. Affection is made concrete with actions. Handshakes between colleagues, hugs and kisses between friends not only display, but actually create or make real the respect and affection between peo-
ple. The true value of a family dinner lies at this level: We are a family because we eat together; we eat together because we are a family. It is in this act that our being as a family is made real, not fantasy. To take what may be the most powerful example, marital love is incarnated in the marital act. The coy euphemism making love has more truth to it than we may realize.”
All of this is rooted in a spiritual view of the world. So Baruzzini again: “Looking to the concrete helps us discover the Christian notion of sacramentality. It is in water that we are born again; it is with bread and wine that we encounter Christ in the flesh in today’s world. [… If it’s a Sunday] and you are a Christian: sing a song of praise, go to Mass and eat God’s flesh. You are a loving husband, so kiss your wife. You are a father: play catch with your son or help him with his homework. You are a man at the end of a day of work: make a cocktail. If you want to be these things — a husband, a father, a son of God — there are things to do to make it real.”
Valentine’s Day is a Hallmark tradition. It aids the economy by giving restaurants, florists, chocolate makers and greeting card companies a little boost. But none of that substitutes for words and deeds that say “I love you.”
Say it so. Make it so.
Saying “I love you” is not a matter of passing information; it’s a matter of making the information matter.
The White Rock Lake Centennial event Pave the Way raised $130,000 for the lake. It was the final event of the centennial campaign, which featured a series of events beginning in March to celebrate the 100th birthday of White Rock Lake while collecting funds for 10 capital improvement projects.
The Bath House Cultural Center is accepting proposals for its 2012-13 theater season through Feb. 21. The season runs September 2012 through August 2013. For details, contact Theresa Furphy at 214.670.0060 or theresa. furphy@dallascityhall.com.
The Dallas Police Department’s Northeast Division is calling on residents to submit nominations for Volunteer of the Year. The deadline is Feb. 20, and the ceremony is set for March 8 at St. James Episcopal Church, 9845 McCree. For details on how to nominate, call officer Bervin Smith at 214.670.7747.
High school seniors and their parents are invited to attend a college financial aid workshop, sponsored by Education is Freedom, from 4-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 at Woodrow Wilson High School.
Greg McCoy, a Woodrow Wilson High School alumnus, played in the Poinsettia Bowl in December — his last college football game for Texas Christian University — against Louisiana Tech. The graduate student is in his last year of NCAA eligibility. McCoy played football for Woodrow while working three jobs, and he was the first person in his family to graduate from college.
Lacy Montgomery, a 2001 Woodrow Wilson alumna, is the new executive director of Exodus Ministries, a neighborhood nonprofit that aims to help break the chain of generational crime. Montgomery began volunteering with Exodus through Munger Place Church.
Bill Cochran of Lakewood created a Super Bowl commercial for Bridgestone called “Reply All,” and it ranked No. 3 on Time magazine’s list of best TV ads of 2011. Cochran is creative director and writer at The Richards Group and also a longtime cast member with Ad-Libs improvisational comedy troupe.
Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag.com. Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.
Despite the breathtaking pace of medical advancement, one thing about health care never changes. We all want a doctor we can trust. While this may sound simple, considering everything we expect from our medical professionals, “trust” becomes a supersize concept. When we feel sick or vulnerable, it’s natural to want a powerful person to fix everything—especially if we behave, and do what we’re supposed to do. These feelings may carry over from childhood, which is the time of life when everyone learns how to relate to doctors.
It’s important to recognize that being “seen and not heard” during a doctor visit can cause problems, the least of which might be a vague (or specific) dissatisfaction with treatment. Worse, if a patient is reluctant to ask questions or to be open about all symptoms, the doctor might miss a serious diagnosis.
Because doctors today strive to deliver the best care possible within the guidelines set by insurance companies, it’s important to find a doctor who is willing to work with you on treatment options, according to family practitioner Dr. Alex Amby. “My doctor should not necessarily be my friend, but he or she should definitely be my ally and advocate,” Dr. Amby says. “There is a difference.”
Dr. Terry Gemas of Lakewood Orthopaedics offers some reassurance. “If your physician is board-certified, keep in mind the bad
seeds have been weeded out most of the time. When you know that, you’re able to focus on your relationship with your doctor, and establishing rapport.” To become board-certified, a physician must successfully complete an approved specialty training program, and pass an exam that assesses the doctor’s knowledge, skills, and experience. In order to keep their board-certification, physicians are required to participate in continuing education, which ensures that they stay up to date with new information about disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
“If your physician is board-certified, keep in mind the bad seeds have been weeded out most of the time.”
— Terry Gemas, D.D.O. Lakewood Orthopaedics
Over the past few decades, increased scrutiny of medical costs has caused the business administrators of health care (such as insurance companies or outsourced back-office services) to try to achieve lower costs by reducing time spent with patients. “There’s an old saying in the medical profession,” Dr. Gemas says. “If you let the patient talk long enough, they’ll tell you the diagnosis 90% of the time. That’s why I’m a big believer in sitting down and talking.” Dr. Gemas also points out that, here in Dallas, there is no need to settle for a doctor who doesn’t meet your specific needs. “Even an orthopedic surgeon breaks down into specialists for shoulders or hands. It’s important to find that specialist.”
Dr. Parul Patel of Infinity Foot Care says patients might want to consider if the doctor’s gender matters. “In my practice, I see a lot of women because they want to wear high heels, and I wear them too,” she says. “I can relate to women’s concerns about their feet.”
Karen Brown, vice president for development and marketing at Juliette Fowler Homes in Lakewood, offers some wisdom for patients looking for geriatric care, whether for themselves or for loved ones over the age of 60. “Pick someone who knows the needs of geriatric patients,” she advises. Just as children can benefit from seeing a pediatrician who knows what to look for, seniors have specific issues and needs. Moreover, for seniors it’s especially important to have an established relationship with a primary care doctor, Brown says, because that physician can become your advocate in the event of an emergency like a heart attack, broken hip or stroke.
“You might be in an emergency room at first,” Brown says, “But you’ll want to have a good enough relationship with your primary care doctor that you can work together choosing the best facility for rehab—one that fits your needs and will best address your issues.”
Fortunately, today the industry has come around to focus on improving health care in ways that are smarter, not harder. Medical professionals on both the care side and the administrative side have learned that additional minutes spent observing and listening to patients can lead to more successful results. This means patients who take time to research their doctors and their health issues before a visit are likely to benefit from the effort. The internet can be a powerful tool for research, but like any tool it is best used with care. Check online sources to make sure they are based on science, rather than a bias toward a particular drug or treatment.
Dr. James Schermerhorn, an OB-Gyn in East Dallas, says: “As we get more progressive as a society, we are getting more computer savvy. My patients, ages 35 and down are all exclusively searching for physicians and services online. My own daughter, age 26, finds everyone online. Sometimes people will use the insurance companies’ online recommendations, sometimes they will just Google for information. But we (doctors) will often be evaluated for who we are and how we practice and what we do on an online presence. That’s a fundamental change that’s occurred in the last five years.” Even though the internet can be a good source of information,
“My doctor should not necessarily be my friend, but he or she should definitely be my ally and advocate. There is a difference.”
Alex Amby, M.D. Lakewood
don’t overlook the traditional referral. Ask friends for recommendations, and don’t be afraid to be specific in mentioning what’s important to you, whether it is location or experience treating a particular condition.
“I’ve found the call to the office is one of my favorite things,” says Dr. Schermerhorn. “When my patients are moving to a different city, I tell them to get a list of physicians, and call the offices. If you leave a message, and they call back in ten or fifteen minutes, that’s
good. If they call back in three or four hours, that’s not so good. If they call back tomorrow, that’s bad.”
Dr. Patel is another fan of using the initial phone call to gain insight into a doctor’s practice. “Call and ask a few simple questions,” she says. “The office staff can often give you the best insight to the doctor.”
Once you have an appointment, make the most of your first visit. “Ask a question,” Dr. Schermerhorn says, “Then listen. See if your initial questions are answered. Are you being pushed away? Or are you being encouraged and drawn in? Communication is everything.”
Afterward, evaluate your feelings before you decide whether or not you will return. How much time did you get face to face with the physician? Did he listen to you, talk to you, sit down? Or did you feel like he was constantly trying to walk out of the room?
Other factors to consider are whether the doctor has evening and weekend hours, whether the office keeps time open to schedule same-day appointments for urgent care, and whether waiting times are reasonable. Some experts believe that group practices may be more efficient than solo, because doctors in groups may be more likely to stay up to date on current medical updates.
Finally, keep in mind that you and your doctor are partners in optimizing your health. Take time now to become informed, and establish a good relationship with your doctor before you need care for a serious diagnosis. Nurture your relationship with your doctor, and continue to participate in your own health care as an informed and proactive patient.
“We [doctors] will often be evaluated for who we are and how we practice and what we do on an online presence. That’s a fundamental change that’s occurred in the last five years.”
— James Schermerhorn, M.D.
“Call and ask a few simple questions. The office staff can often give you the best insight to the doctor.”
— Parul Patel, M.D.
At Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, we understand how important it is to help you find an experienced doctor focused on your health. You can feel comfortable and confident that when you ask us for a physician, we will help you select a doctor who will listen to you, answer your questions, and care for you and your family. With more than 500 experienced physicians on our medical staff, we can help you find not just any doctor, but the doctor you can trust.
For most of us, oral care means brushing and flossing to maintain a sparkling smile and avoid cavities, but new research shows that much more is at stake when it comes to overall health. “Whatever is going on in their life shows up in their mouth,” says Dr. Reid Slaughter of Lakewood Family Dental. Even a trend like childhood obesity is evident in the dentist chair. “You get kids that drink a lot of energy drinks, soft drinks and juice,” says Dr. Slaughter, who is all too familiar with the ravages of sugar on his patients’ teeth.
Bleeding gums, dry mouth, fungal infections and cavities are serious problems on their own, but they may also be clues that a patient is diabetic. Infections that cause inflammation of gums and cavities can indicate risk of heart disease and stroke. Loss of teeth in adults may indicate diabetes or osteoporosis. That’s why Dr. Slaughter says, “You’re not just treating the mouth.
“Our entire staff knows that patient education is paramount to me. Our goal is to educate the patient so well they will never again have need for our restorative services.”
– Kelli Slate, D.D.S. Lakewood
“Thank you to all of our patients for giving such positive feedback!”
I didn’t feel a thing. — Laura Cohen
...simply amazing. — Adam Croley
It’s incredible... Thank you!
Beatriz Bossio
... a 5 star dentist! — Racheal Breedlove
... the best dentist I’ve ever been to.
— Cynthia Albert
I would recommend you to anyone.
John McKinley
Wonderful! — Gregory Wesner
... the most caring dentist in the dental field. — Nancy Clark
... excellent, efficient service.
— Jonathon Vinson
...my visit was perfect. — Richard Elam
Dr. Slate’s practice is about as good as it gets. — MaryAnn Turner
You’re treating the body.”
This statement is supported by the latest research, says Dr. Dena Robinson of East Dallas. “Studies are showing us now that oral health and gum disease are related to systemic problems such as heart disease and pulmonary disease,” she says. “That’s why, for me, the basic goal is oral health. Not just having a perfect pretty smile, but having healthy teeth, healthy gums.”
Dr. Ashly Cothern is concerned that the public is only beginning to get glimpses of the connection between teeth and body health. “We like to focus on comprehensive care for patients – the whole person,” she says. “We want the patient to be an active participant in their health, starting with the mouth.”
These findings also cast orthodontics in a new light – not
Providing high quality general, cosmetic & restorative dentistry for over 65 years.
Reid Slaughter D.D.S.
LAKEWOOD RESIDENT
only for children, but also for adults. “When your teeth are really crowded, you can’t clean them sufficiently, and that leads to some very difficult gum issues,” says Dr. Patricia Simon of Lakewood Orthodontics. “Also, many people don’t realize snoring in children isn’t normal. Sleep apnea is being diagnosed more often in young kids. It’s usually a sign of airway issues, which affect the teeth.”
For some patients, the mere mention of dentistry and orthodontics can bring up uncomfortable associations. Some doctors make it their mission to put these fears to rest. “I get the most enjoyment from being able to take a phobic dental patient, or a patient who’s had a bad dental experience in the past, and turn them into the most calm relaxed patient in the world,” says Dr. Kelli Slate of Lakewood. “I tell people on the first visit, if you’re worried about anything we do causing discomfort, don’t waste that energy, because after your first visit with us, you’ll know that everything we do here we can do comfortably.”
One way dentists can promote trust and comfort is to develop a relationship with their patients over time. That is the goal at Lakewood Family Dental, says Dr. Rick Beadle. “We run the office
just as you would the traditional family business. We see lots of the same faces. People don’t want to go to the mega place where every time you walk in they try to sell you something.” Although his office has all the latest gadgets, “Ultimately,” he says, “It’s how you treat people.”
Advanced technology in orthodontics has combined cosmetic appeal and comfort in new ways. Dr. Douglas Crosby, who has offices in North Dallas and Uptown, is a firm believer in the use of Invisalign (clear aligner trays) instead of metal braces, whenever possible. “Adults and teenagers in late high school don’t want metal flashing across their photographs, so I think aesthetics is what drives them into Invisalign,” he says. “But it’s matched with a lot of advantages. The movement is gentler than braces, it’s cleaner, and in most circumstances it’s actually quicker than braces.”
In more complicated cases, traditional braces may still be necessary, but here again technology has improved the experience for patients. Dr. Greg Greenberg of Lake Highlands explains, “The
“We recognize every child is unique, and we strive to make sure every dental visit feels like it’s tailored just for them.”
Diane Colter, D.D.S All About Kids Dentistry
“Orthodontics aren’t just for kids...
Over 43% of our patients are adults who want straighter teeth.”
– Greg Greenberg, D.D.S. Lake Highlands
Invisalign has transformed over 1 million smiles – with Dr. Crosby’s help
This is an exciting time in our office. Dr. Doug Crosby, a board certified orthodontic specialist is one of 40, of the 50,000 Invisalign® providers worldwide who have successfully completed individually over 1000 cases. Also, announcing the arrival of our iOC scanner – not only a more comfortable way to take impressions but also a more precise scan for a more effective treatment plan – the only one in North Texas. With experience comes knowledge. Give us a call today for a free consultation (includes Records & Exam) and a $1000 discount on Full Invisalign Treatment.
oin Fowler residents who enjoy all the comforts of home thanks to our full continuum of care campus.
owler’s state-ofthe-art therapy gym with the attached rehabilitative outdoor garden and multiterrain walkways contributes a unique therapy environment while helping residents regain skills that help them return to a better quality of life.
Only 5 minutes from Baylor Hospital.
ome: whether you need a temporary stay or choose to make your home with Fowler, the supportive community offered on our beautiful campus will give you and your family peace of mind.
Apartments
www.fowlerhomes.org
We’re your neighborhood family dentist, combining the latest dental innovations and treatments with an old-fashioned emphasis on long-lasting relationships. Located in Dallas, call us today!
8940 Garland Rd Suite 200 Dallas, TX 75218 214.321.6441
drdenarobinson.com
bracket systems that are available now are lower friction, so that the discomfort level is considerably lower than what it was back in the seventies when I was going through treatment. The wires we’re using with those low-friction brackets elicit lighter forces, so you don’t have issues with patients who can’t eat for months after they get their braces put on, or hurt for a week after the tightening.”
Many parents believe they need to wait until a child has all his or her permanent teeth before consulting an orthodontist, but doctors today encourage earlier appointments. Dr. Greenberg says, “I like to see kids around 7 or 8, to make sure there’s not any functional or skeletal issues that need to be addressed while they’re growing. Given that’s fine, most adolescents right now are getting their adult teeth at 11 or 12, as opposed to 13 or 14.”
If orthodontic treatment is necessary, it can begin as soon as the permanent teeth are in place, which can allow kids to complete their treatment earlier than in the past. “It’s very rare to see someone in high school these days with braces,” says Dr. Greenberg. “Most people are finished by junior high now.”
Even today, people are in the habit of thinking about dental care as elective health care that can be put off until it’s convenient. Yet, in addition to studies that show a direct correlation between dental health and overall health, poor dental hygiene can also impact a person’s social and economic well-being. The health practitioners interviewed for this article all expressed a desire to see their patients through over the long term. “I like to help people keep their teeth in their head,” Dr. Robinson said. “It’s not easy for me to see somebody once and not see them again.”
Dr. Beadle feels similarly about his practice at Lakewood Family Dental. “I’ve been a patient in this office since I was five years old,” he said. “My grandparents were patients here.”
“If things are where they’re supposed to be, they function better. The side effect is cosmetic– they look better.”
– Patricia Simon, D.D.S. Lakewood OrthodonticsD.D.S., F.A.G.D. Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry Dena T. Robinson
What’s the best way to enjoy being a girl? Rodgers and Hammerstein compiled a few ideas in their musical, The Flower Drum Song, but that was over fifty years ago. Today, if you ask doctors (instead of songwriters) they are likely to bring up bone health.
“Osteoporosis didn’t used to be a problem 50 years ago because our life expectancy was age 65,” says Dr. James Schermerhorn, an obstetrician and gynecologist in East Dallas. “We all died before our bones gave out. Now life expectancy for a woman is 86. Her bones are aging and losing calcium density and strength.”
Because women build bone mass up until the age of 29, today’s young women have the opportunity to optimize their bone health before they reach 30. This is both the good news and the bad news. Good, because it is easily understood, and bad, because young women aren’t usually concerned with their calcium intake in their teens and twenties. Worse, women in their thirties and older hear this news and assume there is nothing more they can do to improve their bone health.
“We are going to be losing bone from age 30 on. That’s going to happen,” says Dr. Schermerhorn. “But our goal is to minimize the loss. The foundations of good bone health are: adequate cal-
cium, adequate vitamin D and adequate exercise.”
The latest findings suggest that healthy levels of estrogen are a factor in promoting healthy bones. If a woman’s menstruation is erratic, it might be a sign of low estrogen levels, which could be caused by problems with the ovaries, or even too much exercise and weight loss for athletic women. During the precious bone-building years, any disruption in a woman’s menstrual cycle merits the attention of a doctor to help ensure hormone levels are adequate.
What about estrogen supplements later in life? In 2002, the Women’s Health Initiative study caused widespread concern due to overwhelming evidence that the risks of taking hormones were
Here at Walnut Hill our tradition of family continues as we announce the hiring of Dr. Jennifer Muller .
Jennifer’s mom Evelyn Scott, RN is our nurse manager and has been employed at Walnut Hill for 23 years. Dr Muller will open her schedule for appointments in June 2012.
greater than the benefits. Recently, doctors are re-evaluating the data. “We know it’s not good if we give hormones to the 60- and 70-year-olds, but the 50-year-olds come out pretty good,” says Dr. Schermerhorn. “If we stay with the lowest effective dose for symptom control, we can get most women through menopause so that it’s not a bad time of life.”
The biggest threats to women’s health are often preventable, according to Dr. Jane Nokleberg of Walnut Hill OBGYN. “Women should be proactive and aggressive about their health, and stay attuned to changes like bloating or fatigue.” She worries that younger women are sometimes not vigilant enough about changes that might signal an early diagnosis. “Women of all ages need to do self-exams,” says Dr. Nokleberg.
Amid all the awareness of pap screens and mammograms, women shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that heart disease is still the number one threat, ahead of cancer and stroke. Dr. Jesy Joykutty of Park Lane OB/GYN Associates — A Baylor-Health Texas Affiliate says, “I like to put the emphasis on preventative health management, to minimize risk of diabetes and high blood pressure,” she says. “It’s also important to stay off multiple medications.”
Research shows that the same three aspects of a healthy lifestyle help reduce risk for all of the major threats to women’s health.
1) Choose to be smoke and tobacco free, and avoid secondhand smoke. This one step will improve circulation and cardiovascular efficiency.
2) Next, eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables and low in fat, to keep cholesterol levels low and reduce the danger of excess weight. Cholesterol causes plaque to build up in arteries. Extra pounds around the waist can be especially dangerous to women, because fat in the abdominal area apparently releases inflammatory molecules into the body.
3) Exercise. It’s important to find an activity you enjoy, so you’ll look forward to it. Adults should get two and a half hours of moderate exercise per week. In addition to cardio for heart health, women should include weight bearing exercise, which helps with bone health.
Katie Brumley of Baylor Tom Landry Fitness Center says that women should not fear lifting weights. “Some women get uptight
Perimenopause, also called the menopausal transition, is the interval in which a woman’s body makes a natural shift from more-or-less regular cycles of ovulation and menstruation toward menopause. Once a woman goes through 12 consecutive months without a menstrual period, she has officially reached menopause. — Mayoclinic.com:
At every stage of your life Dr. Schermerhorn is dedicated to providing excellent and attentive care. We are focused on what matters most to you. Pregnancy, hormonal issues, bladder dysfunction and minimally invasive surgery.
about weight training because they think they’re going to get big muscles,” she says. “Women don’t have the same hormones men do. We don’t have the same amount of testosterone, and our bodies are not going to respond the same way. But women will build lean muscle mass, and look thinner. You’re going to drop dress sizes. Your weight may not change, but your body composition will change.”
Studies show that exercise also helps alleviate the symptoms of depression and anxiety. Our bodies manufacture chemicals, called endorphins, before and after a workout. Endorphins relieve stress and improve moods. Now that fewer women take hormones to deal with the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, many are taking anti-depressants. A common side effect to these medications is weight gain, which exercise can help minimize.
All of that sounds good, but where do we find time to implement it?
Park Lane OB/Gyn Associates proudly announces the addition of Jesy Joykutty, D.O.
At Park Lane Ob/Gyn Associates, all of our physicians are Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. We provide obstetrical care to low and high risk pregnancies, and deliver our babies at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, voted the “Best Place to Have a Baby” by Dallas Child Magazine for the past 5 years.
For over a decade, the physicians at Park Lane Ob/ Gyn Associates have been committed to providing individualized gynecologic care. We are proud to offer all of the most up-to-date procedures including minimally invasive surgery/ robotic surgery.
For an appointment, call (214) 826-2979 or for more information about Park Lane Ob/Gyn Associates, visit www.ParkLaneObGyn.com. We are conveniently located at Park Lane and Central Expressway.
Experiment with modern low-fat recipes; many emphasize fresh foods and minimize the number of ingredients. Need time to watch your favorite TV show? Why not multitask on the treadmill? If you thrive in social situations, join a gym. If you are an introvert, seek out on-line information and buddy-groups.
Make your health a priority, and maximize the joy of being a woman. n
Lane OB/GYN Associates
A Baylor-HealthTexas Affiliate 9101 North Central Expressway, Suite 250 Dallas, TX 75231
“The foundations of good bone health are: adequate calcium (1200 mg daily), adequate vitamin D (600 IU daily), and adequate exercise.”
– James Schermerhorn, M.D.Maria T. Reyes, M.D. and Elizabeth A. Stevenson-Gargiulo, D.O. Jesy Joykutty, D.O.
Skin is our body’s front-line defense against the environment, and that’s why it deserves more thought than the occasional token application of sunscreen. If we think of our body as a complete system, it should come as no surprise that everything we do affects our skin, from environmental conditions such as sun or humidity, to internal conditions, especially nutrition.
By far the greatest impact from the environment comes from the sun. While most people today are conscientious about avoiding sunburn, we still think of a suntan as a positive thing, even a sign of health. In reality, a tan is evidence that skin has been stressed and damaged, resulting in the production of more melatonin as a defense. Contrary to the belief that a “good” tan will provide protection from a future burn, a suntan only protects up to the level of SPF 4 –almost zero protection against the harmful effects of UV rays.
People tend to focus on sun protection in summer, and then forget about sunscreen in winter. While it’s true we benefit from some sun exposure during the colder months (which promotes the manufacture of Vitamin D) keep in mind that UV rays never go on vacation. Neither should our sunscreen.
On a molecular level, skin benefits from the same nutrients we ingest, like vitamins A, B, C and E. Does this mean that good nutrition will take care of all your skin needs? According to Shea Boothe-Wood at TrueBeautyRx in Dallas, it’s a good start, but not the ultimate answer.
“Studies show you can’t get enough vitamins through your diet to help your skin. It’s a question of bioavailability,” Boothe-Wood says. This means that vitamins taken orally will often be intercepted by the body for other uses before they reach the skin. Over the past ten years, numerous studies have shown that topical compounds applied directly to the skin deliver the essential nutrients, are well-absorbed, and can be beneficial for a variety of conditions.
One of the best-known topical compounds is Vitamin A, also known as Retinol. “Vitamin A causes cell turnover, which exfoliates,” Boothe-Wood says. “The top layer of skin is made up of dead cells, so it’s important to exfoliate, but then what? What boosts the skin? Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Peptides.”
The anti-oxidant Vitamin C is connected to cell repair, which is why some people increase their intake during cold and flu season. Originally, researchers were interested in Vitamin C as a deterrent to skin cancers. In addition, research established that benefits extend to improving overall skin health, which results in im-
• Topical Vitamin C (L-Ascorbic Acid) in the morning
• Topical Vitamin A (Retinol) at night
• Coupled with an anti-aging Growth Factor morning and night
• Broad-spectrum sunblock everyday
— Shea Boothe-Wood, TrueBeautyRx
provedappearance. Vitamin C applied directly to skin in the form of L-ascorbic acid has been shown to reverse cell damage, including damage caused by sun.
Vitamin C is also essential for collagen production. In skin, Boothe-Wood says, “Collagen is like the mattress, and elastin is like the springs of the mattress. When they break down, the mattress gets lumpy.”
Another antioxidant, Vitamin E, is credited with providing protection against skin cancer through its beneficial effects against UV rays and sun damage. Vitamin E preparations can actually increase the effectiveness of sunscreen when applied twenty minutes before sun exposure, to allow for maximum absorption. Vitamin E is also credited with helping reduce water loss through the skin, and in strengthening the skin’s function as a barrier.
Aside from vitamins, research has isolated an epidural growth factor (EGF) in skin, which supports cell renewal and wound repair. Whenever skin is damaged by a cut or burn, EGF, a protein found in the dermal layer, causes surrounding cells to ramp up their repair functions. EGF also stimulates cells to produce collagen.
As with all areas of health care, it helps to be an informed participant when you pursue your own best skin treatment. Ultimately, your informed questions are best answered by your doctor. Your general practitioner will have many of the answers. For more specific questions about treatments and products, you can turn to dermatologists and medically-backed skin care clinics, where doctors and treatment providers specialize in knowledge of skin-care procedures and the use of products that aren’t available over the counter.
Current trends show higher rates of overweight and obesity than ever before in U.S. history. Excess weight is linked with the risk of type 2 diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and elevated cholesterol. Even osteoarthritis, which develops in joints with age, is aggravated by excess weight. Now that over one third of U.S. children are classified as overweight, it’s becoming impossible to ignore our collective weight problem.
How does this trend affect each of us, personally? Researchers at Columbia University found that overweight and obese women spend an average of three more years managing health problems than normal-weight women. Heavy men, on average, are sicker one more year than their thinner counterparts.
Dr. Tamika Perry of Uptown Health and Wellness says, “Weight loss isn’t rocket science. It’s all about what you take in with your diet, and what you use up with your activity. It’s a math equation. If you think about gasoline in your car, whatever you don’t use, you store it in the reserve tank. That’s when people gain weight.”
It may not be rocket science, but it’s not easy to change habits and lifestyles. “We help each patient figure out the right amount they need to eat, based on their activity,” says Dr. Perry. “Sometimes it’s hard for people to change what they’re used to eating cold turkey. Based on the person’s health patterns, we may or may not give medicine to suppress appetites.”
“I recommend my clients follow a natural eating plan,” Brumley says. “If it’s in a box, wrapped in plastic, processed – you want to stay away from it. If it’s vegetables, fruit, protein – those are green light foods.”
Brumley classifies whole grains as yellow-light foods. “Whole grains are a little bit controversial. I tend to stay away from wheat in general. Whenever I say carbohydrates, I’m talking about sweet potatoes, or rice - foods in less processed forms.”
Brumley says many people reduce their food intake below healthy levels without realizing it. “We see people that have been taking in 900 calories a day and working out for an hour – that’s just not enough to sustain your body. What happens is your body goes into conservation mode. It slows down metabolism, because we use energy whenever we move about in our daily activity.”
Nutrition accounts for seventy percent of success in losing weight. The other thirty percent is related to exercise. In contrast to most people’s expectation, new research shows that aerobic exercise is not the most effective when it comes to reducing body fat.
“Recently, fitness professionals are getting away from traditional cardio, long duration, aerobic activity, to shorter duration, highintensity anaerobic activities,” Brumley says.
“Aerobic” refers to exercise that efficiently burns calories by means of increased heart rate and the presence of oxygen in the system. “Anaerobic” refers to exercising at a higher rate than your body is ready for. Weight training is one example. High intensity anaerobic exercise should be impossible to continue beyond a short duration.
It can be confusing when modern science contradicts an entrenched belief, but remember, aerobics still contribute to fitness by increasing strength and endurance. Balance is the key.
Paul Atkinson had too much weight and too little energy. With a disciplined, supervised personal training program, along with consistent participation in a weight loss program, he shed pounds and inches and gained strength. Now he can bench-press 325 pounds. at’s the power of personal training.
Juices and alcoholic beverages average 100 calories per 8 oz. serving, and are associated with small but gradual increases in weight.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (sodas, energy drinks) average 100 calories per 8 oz. serving, and are a major contributor to weight gain.
– Mayoclinic.com
“Our field is young compared to most other fields,” Brumley says. “The original research in fitness looked at the effectiveness of aerobic exercise and really never looked at anaerobic activity. As our field has grown there’s more research showing that when it comes to losing weight and body fat, interval training is much more effective.”
In High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), her clients may perform an activity at high intensity for twenty seconds, and then rest for 30 seconds, then high at 20 seconds again, and then off for another 30 seconds. “So it’s back and forth,” Brumley says. “And the great thing about intervals is that you can tailor it to the person’s needs, so they might go longer interval types—one minute on, two minutes of rest.”
Studies show that long-term results in weight management are best achieved by developing and keeping new habits. The most important new habit is vigilance, through keeping a food diary, or a once-per-week date with a scale. Lifestyle changes bring about long-term results.n
Blue Goose Cantina presents a check to its charity of the month, Pleasant Hills Children’s Home. Each month the restaurant donates a portion of sales to a local nonprofit. Pictured: Angie Rhodes , Pleasant Hills development secretary; Matt Mortimer , Blue Goose district manager; and Angie Detrie , Blue Goose general manager.
Submit your photo. Email a jpeg to editor@advocatemag.com.
ART: Draw or Paint. All Levels. Lake Highlands N. Rec. Ctr. Jane Cross, 214-534-6829. Linda, 214-808-4919.
ARTISTIC GATHERINGS
Art Classes For All Ages. Casa Linda Plaza. 214-821-8383. www.artisticgatherings.com
JEWELRY MAKING CLASSES
214.824.2777 www.beadsofsplendor.com
Lakewood Shopping center: 1900 Abrams Pkwy @ La Vista
LEARN GUITAR OR PIANO Professional musician. Fun/Easy. Your Home. UNT Grad. Larry 469-358-8784
PIANO LESSONS. IMPROVISE, BE CREATIVE. Top Level Working Pianist Teaching Pop, Jazz, Rock. 214-728-1239
TUTORING All Subjects. Elem-middle School. Algebra 1, Dmath. Your Home. 25 + Yrs. Dr. J. 214-535-6594. vsjams@att.net
UKULELE LESSONS Instruments, Workshops. www.UkeLadyMusic.com 214-924-0408
VOICE TEACHER with 38 years experience. MM, NATS www.PatriciaIvey.com 214-769-8560
WHITEROCKMONTESSORI.ORG 214-324-5580
1601 Oates Drive
LOVING, CHRIST-CENTERED CARE SINCE 1982
Lake Highlands Christian Child Enrichment Center Ages 2 mo.-12 yrs. 9919 McCree. 214-348-1123.
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PRO DJ SERVICE & SOUND Corporate Events & Weddings. 20 + Years Experience. 469-236-8490
SIGNS: Nameplates, Badges, Office, Braille. A&G Engraving. 214-324-1992. getasign@att.net agengraving.vpweb.com
TEACHER NEEDED for Park Cities Baptist Preschool. Teacher needed in three-year-olds classroom on Tu/F. Degree or certification in Early Childhood required, appx. 12 hrs. per wk. Contact Farrai Smith, 214-860-1564 or fssmith@pcbc.org
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AT ODDS WITH YOUR COMPUTER? Easily Learn Essential Skills. Services include Digital Photo Help. Sharon 214-679-9688
ACCOUNTING, TAXES Small Businesses & Individuals. Chris King, CPA 214-824-5313 www.chriskingcpa.com
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ESTATE/PROBATE MATTERS Because every family needs a will. Mary Glenn, J.D. maryglennattorney.com • 214-802-6768
HOME ORGANIZING & Senior Moving Plans/Solutions. Refs avail. Donna 860-710-3323 DHJ0807@aol.com. $30 hr.
to
Professional services
Website Design Flash Demos
Graphic Design
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214.560.4207
Body & sPirit
LA DOLCE VITA NUTRITION EDUCATION & COACHING
Customized nutrition programs for individuals, families and businesses. CatLaDolceVita.com 214-228-9056
Mount Auburn Elementary celebrated its 90th anniversary Jan. 6. The school originally opened on Jan. 2, 1921, with 12 teachers and 375 students.
OLD GUITARS WANTED Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, Martin. 1920s-1980s. Top dollar paid. Toll Free 1-866-433-8277
PLAN AHEAD! Escape Dallas Heat Next Summer. Beach House Near Vancoover BC. Visit vrbo.com Listing #359531. Jonathan.
TEXAS RANGERS FRONT-ROW BASEBALL TICKETS
Share prime, front-row Texas Rangers baseball tickets (available in sets of 10 or 20 games) during the 2012 season. Prices start at $95 per ticket (sets of 2 or 4 tickets per game available). Seats are behind the plate and next to both the first- and third-base dugouts. Other great seats available starting at $55 per ticket; seats also available in the Cuervo Club. Entire season available except for opening day; participants randomly draw numbers to determine draft order so the selection process is fair for everyone. E-mail rwamre@advocatemag.com or call 214-560-4212 for more information.
TOP CASH FOR CARS Any Car, Truck. Running or Not. Call for Instant Offer. 1-800-454-6951
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BO HANDYMAN Kitchens, baths, doors, cabinets, custom carpentry, drywall & painting 214-437-9730
CARPENTER Custom Cabinets, & Trim, Reorganize Closets, Repair Rotten Wood, Set Doors, Kitchen & Baths, Refs. Return Calls By End Of Business Day. Dave. 214-684-4800
ERIC CANTU CONSTRUCTION
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G&G DEMOLITION Tear downs, Haul. Interior/Exterior. 214-808-8925
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KEN’S RESIDENTIAL REMODELING 214-886-8927. kenscontracting.com
KITCHEN AND BATHROOM SPECIALISTS
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O’BRIEN GROUP INC. Professional Home Remodel. Shannon O’Brien. 214-341-1448 www.obriengroupinc.com
PREVIEW CONSTRUCTION INC.
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IQUEUE MEDIA COMPANY 214-478-8644. TV Installation. Computer Repair
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Specializing in Wood, New or Repair.
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FLOORING & CARPETING
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Jim Crittendon, 214-821-6593
WORLEY TILE & FLOORING
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TECL20502
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FENCE
STEEL SALVATION Metal Fabrication. Welding Repairs, Design, Metal Art, Unique Crosses. Local Resident Over 40 Yrs. 214-283-4673 214.692.1991
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PELLA WINDOWS & DOORS
Specializing in Replacement Windows & Doors. Dan Cupp 972-742-6011 cuppdw@pella.com
ROCK GLASS CO Replace, repair: windows, mirrors, showers, screens. 214-837-7829
CLEAR VIEW
Windows and Doors
HANDYMAN SPECIALIST Residential/ Commercial. Large, small jobs, repair list, renovations. Refs. 214-489-0635
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call today...972.379.9530
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Complete tree services including Tree & Landscape Lighting! Call Mark 214-332-3444
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Fiberglass Replacement Windows
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214.277.8222
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premium quality custom shower doors & enclosures 214-530-5483 showerdoordallas.com
Handyman services
A HELPING HAND No Job Too Small. We do it all. Repairs /Redos. Chris. 214-693-0678
A NEIGHBORHOOD HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing & Carpentry. Call Tim 214-824-4620; 214-597-4501
A+ HANDYMAN KARL Home Repairs, Remodels & Restoration. 214-699-8093
ALL JOBS BIG/SMALL
38 years exp. Ron Payne 214-755-9147
ALL STAR HOME CARE Carpentry, Glass, Tile, Paint, Doors, Sheetrock Repair, and more. 25 yrs. exp. References. Derry 214-505-4830
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BO HANDYMAN Kitchens, baths, doors, cabinets, custom carpentry, drywall & painting 214-437-9730
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HANDY DAN “The Handyman” To Do’s Done Right. www.handy-dan.com 214-252-1628
HANDYMAN MATTERS
Your home repair specialist
handymanmatters.com/dallas 972-308-6035
R&G HANDYMAN Electrical, Plumbing, Painting, Fencing, Roofing, Light Hauling. Ron or Gary 214-861-7569, 469-878-8044
WANTED: ODD JOBS & TO DO LISTS
Allen’s Handyman & Home Repair 214-288-4232
1 AFFORDABLE HOUSE PAINTING and Home Repair. Quality work. Inside and Out. Free Ests. Local Refs. Ron 972-816-5634 or 972-475-3928
#1 GET MORE PAY LES Painting. 85% Referrals. Free Est. 214-348-5070
A + INT/EXT PAINT & DRYWALL
Since 1977. Kirk Evans. 972-672-4681
A TONY’S PAINTING SERVICE Interior & Exterior 972-234-0770 mobile 214-755-2700
ABRAHAM PAINT SERVICE A Women Owned Business 25 Yrs. Int/Ext. Wall Reprs. Discounts On Whole Interiors and Exteriors 214-682-1541
BENJAMIN’S PAINTING SERVICE Quality Work At Reasonable Prices. 214-725-6768
CERTAPRO PAINTERS
Residential painting. Call today for your free estimate. 214-346-0900
RAMON’S INT/EXT PAINT Sheetrock, Repairs. 214-679-4513
TOP COAT Professional. Reliable. References. TopCoatOfTexas.com 214-770-2863
VIP PAINTING & DRYWALL Int/Ext. Sheetrock Repair, Resurfacing Tubs, Counters, Tile Repairs. 972-613-2585
WHITE ROCK PAINT & REMODEL References. Mark Reindel 214-321-5280
Painting · Remodeling
NAT-90143-1
CUSTOM DRAPERY Window Treatments, Blinds & etc. Linda. 214-212-8058 dblinda86@msn.com
HAND CARVED STONE fireplaces, fine art, architectural stone & restoration. DavisCornell.com 214-693-1795
INTERIOR DESIGN / CONSULTING
Carolyn Contreras ASID
Licensed/Exp. 214-363-0747
LILLI DESIGN Residential Design & Renovations
NCIDQ Cert. 10 yrs exp. www.Lilli-design.com
Katie Reynolds, RID 214-370-8221
ROB’S HOME STAGING.COM 214-507-5688
Changing Rooms For All Reasons and Seasons
KitcHen/BatH/ tile/Grout
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BRIAN WARD STONE & TILE 972-989-9899
LH Dad & Firefighter. 12 years of Tile Experience. FENN CONSTRUCTION Any Tile Anywhere. www.dallastileman.com 214-343-4645
HANDY DAN “The Handyman” Remodels Done Right. handy-dan.com 214-252-1628
STONE AGE COUNTER TOPS Granite, Marble, Tile, Kitchen/Bath Remodels. CJ-972-276-9943 cjrocksthehouse1@verizon.net
TOM HOLT TILE 30 Yrs Experience In Tile, Backsplashes & Floors. Refs. Avail. 214-770-3444
Natural Stone & Quartz
Silestone / Caesarstone
20 Years Experience
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A&B LANDSCAPING Full Lawn Care, Landscaping, Tree Trimming, Fireplaces & Stonework. Lic #0283917- Degreed Horticulturist 214-534-3816
ALTON MARTIN LANDSCAPING Spectacular
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AYALA’S LANDSCAPING SERVICE
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BLOUNTS TREE SERVICE Fall Special 20% Off Tree Work. 45 yrs exp. Insured. blountssodinstallation.com 214-275-5727
CASTRO TREE SERVICE Quality Work at Great Rates. Free est. Insured. 214-337-7097
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COLE’S LAWN CARE • 214-327-3923 Quality Service with a Personal Touch.
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GREENSKEEPER Fall Clean Up & Color. Sodding, Fertilization. Lawn Maintenance & Landscape. Res/Com. 214-546-8846
HOLMAN IRRIGATION
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RONS LAWN Organic Solutions. Not Environmental Pollution. Landscape & Maintenance 972-222-LAWN (5296)
SPRINKLERS, LANDSCAPING, Stone Work, Drainage. Installed and Repaired. Call Kevin at 214-535-3352,Lic#7840. www.bigdirrigation.com
TAYLOR MADE IRRIGATION
Repairs, service, drains. 27 yrs exp. Ll 6295. Backflow Testing Cell-469-853-2326. John
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Allstate Homecraft Roofing
• Roofing & Remodel • Additions • Licensed/Insured Over 1,000 Satisfied Customers in the Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Preston Hollow, Park Cities Areas –
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Paperbacks Plus recently moved from La Vista, where it has been located since 1994, to the Lochwood area, next to Casa Linda Bakery. Owner John Tilton says the bookshop also is changing its name to Lucky Dog Books. The Writer’s Garret, which was housed on the second floor of Paperbacks Plus, is moving, too, to a separate space in the same shopping center. Paperbacks Plus first opened in Lakewood in 1976, and has occupied four retail spaces here, including a short stint on Lower Greenville after a 1993 fire. Its new store comprises about 6,000 square feet on a single floor, so even though it’s technically smaller, it feels like a bigger space, Tilton says. Like the old Paperbacks Plus, Lucky Dog Books is housed in a former insurance office, so it is sectioned into rooms.
Casa Linda Blockbuster closes
Blockbuster has announced plans to close 150 more stores nationwide, including the one in Casa Linda Shopping Center. That leaves the Blockbuster at Greenville and Lovers as the only Blockbuster in our neighborhood.
When former Neiman Marcus fashion stylist Bianca Colgin saw that Junius Heights’ LittleBean children’s store was closing, she immediately contacted former owners Steven and Christine Visneau about buying the store. Colgin, who had worked with Steven Visneau, a photographer, on Neiman Marcus photo shoots, plans to continue the Visneaus’ original vision while expanding and updating Little Bean’s web business. “We will carry most, if not all, of the same designers for clothes and will continue to carry the toys and books that our customers love,” Colgin says. “Basically, I want to continue doing what Little Bean has been doing so well and expand what we have to offer so that it’s a one-stopshop for busy moms in Dallas.”
Verona Italian Café is coming soon to the White Rock Lake area, near Hypnotic Donuts and Barbecs Owner Zeqir Lokaj has opened locations of the reasonably priced Italian restaurant in Plano and Alba. The menu includes classic Italian specialties: calamari, fried mushrooms and bruschetta on fresh-baked bread, pizza, hot and cold subs, soups, salads and, of course, pasta.
TV’s ‘Ink Masters’
Neighborhood resident and Elm Street Tattoo co-owner Oliver Peck, an internationally known tattoo artist, is starring in “Ink Masters,” a reality show on the Spike network. This isn’t another day-in-the-life of a tattoo shop like “Miami Ink.” It’s a competition, and Peck is one of three judges. (Think “Top Chef,” but for tattoo artists.) The other judges are Dave Navarro of Jane’s Addiction and Chris Nuñez, a tattoo artist who appeared on “Miami Ink.”
The Balcony Club recently celebrated its 24th anniversary. Sundown at Granada, the new beer garden and restaurant adjacent to Granada Theater, is now open. Owner Mike Schoder named Sundown after his mom’s hometown, Sundown, Manitoba, in Canada.
The new Hypnotic Donuts on Garland Road is now open. The new Jakes on Henderson is now serving breakfast: huevos rancheros, hangover hash, eggs benedict, butter pecan pancakes and more. Former Bolsa chef Graham Dodds has replaced Blythe Beck as executive chef at Central214 Dodds graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Ore., and he has a pastry certificate from Le Cordon Bleu London.
Angie Berry took steps toward preventing crime. Her home alarm was set on the day she was out. The system would sound and alert police if an intruder entered her home.
Unfortunately, things did not go as planned at Berry’s Lakewood home.
The Victim: Angie Berry
The Crime: Burglary
Date: Saturday, Dec. 10
Time: Between 4 p.m. (Dec. 10) and 2 p.m. (Dec. 11)
Location: 7000 block of Meadowlake
On Dec. 10, a package was on her front porch. Her family was away that night, and she speculates a burglar saw the package as a sign that no one was home. Sometime that evening or night, the burglar broke in through a window in her rear bedroom.
Berry is not sure why the alarm did not sound, but the burglar had pulled the glass so that it landed outside the home. The thief made off with some cash and jewelry and also grabbed a handy item for these colder winter months — her fur-lined boots.
This is the second time Berry’s home has been broken into within the last year. After the December break-in, the alarm company paid a visit.
“They checked everything and said all their equipment was working fine. It’s not fun,” she says of the events. “My alarm actually accidentally went off last night, so I had the police out here again.”
Dallas Police Sgt. Keitric Jones of the Northeast Patrol Division says criminals will take advantage of any opportunity, and a package left on the front porch can be a sign that no one is at home. He recommends having alarms checked regularly to ensure they are functioning properly.
“There is no specific time when you should have your alarm checked. A good rule of thumb would be annually when you get the other equipment on your home checked, such as the air-conditioning or furnace.”
7300
And when you consider it could have opened anywhere in Dallas, that says something
Comment. Visit lakewood.advocatemag.com and search Trader Joe’s to tell us what you think.
A couple of years after we started the Advocate, the company that owns the Gap chain of clothing stores announced a startup called Old Navy. It was going to be an off-mall take on The Gap, so I called the company and asked if they knew about Lakewood and East Dallas and had considered putting a store here.
I don’t want to say the question was met with stony silence; it’s sufficient to note that the person I talked to explained politely that our neighborhood wasn’t good enough for their concept.
Why do I tell this story? To offer perspective on the news that specialty grocer Trader Joe’s will open its first Dallas store on Lower Grenville
like following among both consumers and retail analysts. Trader Joe’s is the kind of business that cities woo and shoppers start Facebook campaigns to attract. Consider just one fact: One of the selling points for the wets in last year’s wet-dry referendum was that the city couldn’t get top retailers like Trader Joe’s and Costco as long as its most desirable neighborhoods, like Far North Dallas, were dry.
But Trader Joe’s isn’t opening in Far North Dallas, is it?
Our neighborhood is no longer the city’s funky stepchild, loved only by its residents. We’re as desirable as anywhere else — and, in this case, a little more desirable.
Avenue at the end of this year. In the mid-1990s, we weren’t good enough to attract a clothing store that sold discounted blue jeans. Today, we’re just the opposite — a neighborhood that has attracted one of the best retailers in the country, a chain that has a cult-
This should not be surprising, of course. There was very little wrong with our demographics 15 years ago, and there is even less wrong today. The difference is that retailers are getting smarter. They’ve discovered that the methods that worked in the 40 years following World War II don’t work as well today. The shopping mall has lost its luster, as anyone who used to go to Valley View can attest. Building strip centers has become counterproductive, unless you want dollar stores and payday lenders for tenants. Plowing over a cotton field in the middle of nowhere to put up a big box store doesn’t offer the same returns.
Retailers are learning that they want to be where the people are, and not where they might be in a couple of years. Jon Hetzel of Madison Partners, the developer bringing in Trader Joe’s, says he can’t speak for the Trader Joe’s about why the retailer picked the
old Arcadia Theater site for their new store. But, he says, “when we pitched them on the property, we told them it had the type of clientele they were going for. These are the same people who love and support the Whole Foods in Lakewood. My guess? What retailer wouldn’t want to be between Lakewood and the M Streets?”
This decision says, with an emphasis that can’t be emphasized enough, that our neighborhood is no longer the city’s funky stepchild, loved only by its residents. We’re as desirable as anywhere else — and, in this case, a little more desirable. Trader Joe’s could have opened anywhere. Instead, they chose us.
Which, actually, is something that Darrell Hernandez, an executive vice president with United Commercial Realty who has worked on a variety of Dallas and suburban developments, predicted would happen. I asked him, when the news broke last summer that Mi Cocina was replacing Matt’s in the Lakewood Shopping Center, if that was a sign of things to come.
Hernandez said yes. Mi Cocina, he explained, would be the first of many big names moving into the neighborhood, as retailers and restaurants realized we had the demographics and the numbers they were looking for. We could argue, he said, about whether we wanted some of these regional and national companies, such as Mi Cocina, but that wouldn’t change what was going to happen.
I didn’t believe him. I guess I was wrong. Trader Joe’s proved that.
