BUSINESS BUZZ

WHAT’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

CELEBRITY HOUSING?

Recently, a fund backed by “Desperate Housewives” actress Eva Longoria put money in TURNER IMPACT CAPITAL, a real estate group that invests in affordable housing. That fund recently purchased the View at Kessler Park to offer affordable housing to working families in our neighborhood. The View, which has 11 stories and 300 apartments, is one of two Dallas apartment complexes the fund purchased recently. The other is in Lake Highlands. According to Tuner, “Nearly half of all renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent, and one quarter of all renters spend more than 50 percent of their income on rent.”

Now Open

Caribbean food is coming to Oak Cliff. THE ISLAND SPOT Jamaican restaurant was expected to open June 24 at Jefferson Tower. Owner Richard Thomas opened The Island Spot in Carrolton in June 2010 and has since received good reviews for braised oxtails and jerk chicken.

There are two new places to wet your whistle at Sylvan Thirty. HOUNDSTOOTH COFFEE and JUICELAND, both Austin-based chains, opened there in June.

CRAFT & COMPANY SALON also opened at Sylvan Thirty in June, bringing a sleekly modern touch to hair care. They sell designer products from Oribe, to R+ Co, Smith & Cult and V76 and their stylists are certified in Balmain Hair Extensions. They’re open seven days a week with late hours Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday noon to 6 p.m.

James Hayes , 8, of Oak Cliff, took the stage as Young Coalhouse when “Ragtime” came to Fair Park’s Music Hall. When James burst onto the stage for the show’s final scene, he was a natural. He lives in Oak Cliff and attends St. Philip’s School in South Dallas. At a cast party, James’ mother, Sherlyn McRinzie, said the bright lights didn’t faze him. Her son responds well to direction when he models, she says, and he is used to performing on stage as a drummer with several children’s choirs, including during the daily St. Philip’s chapel services.

George Starkey , owner of Starkey Service Center, which opened in 1964, died at the age of 86 on Thursday, May 26. Starkey Service Center is on West Davis at Kings Highway. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Beverly, with whom he had four children: Rodney, David, Debra and Susan.