2009 December Oak Cliff

ONLY IN OAK CLIFF

Oak Cliff-based fashion designer and cool kid Tara Tonini makes handcrafted hats and accessories. See page 18 for more on Tonini and other Oak Cliff designers.

PHOTO BY Sean mcginTY

PODCAST

Whether it’s what’s happening at city hall or a trend we see gaining ground in our neighborhood, we’re talking about it. You can listen to our newlylaunched podcast series every Monday by visiting our Back Talk blog.

BACK TALK

For the latest on what’s happening in our neighborhood, click on “blog” daily and get the scoop from Advocate reporters.

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STOREFRONT

Check out the newest portion of advocatemag. com, where you can find listings for all sorts of businesses and services all right here in our neighborhood. And if you’re a business owner, feel free to add your own listing here, too.

PRODUCTIV IT Y-KILLER

Help pass the time your weekend begins with a mindless, yet amusing, diversion. You can find that workweek escape on the Back Talk blog every Friday at 2 p.m.

OPENING REMARKS

THOSE OLD FAMILIAR PLACES

Maybe the holidays should comprise more silent nights and days

We work pretty hard these days to create holiday memories.

Thinking back on my holidays, I wonder if that’s a good or necessary goal.

My only vivid memory of Thanksgiving, for example, involves what seemed like a 50-person gathering every year, without fail, at Aunt Hill’s and Uncle Walt’s house for a gigantic family feast.

My memory doesn’t revolve around food or laughter or back-slapping, although there was plenty of that. Instead, I remember our self-officiated football game. Rain or snow (and there often was plenty of the latter in Minnesota), my cousins assembled on the L-shaped front lawn, which doubled as our L-shaped football field, chose

sides and began playing.

I don’t remember the scores. I don’t remember any spectacular catches or tackles or injuries. I don’t remember anything about those games except that we played them at that big family gathering. Every year. Without fail.

Because virtually all of our extended family lived within 50 miles of each other, the only traveling my family did during the Thanksgiving and holiday school break was the occasional day trip. That left a lot of downtime with not a lot to do.

I was too young to drive and not quite lazy enough to watch TV all day. So every vacation weekday, I hopped on a snowmobile and headed to the frozenover lake a couple of miles away.

And that would be my day: Arrive at the fish house, fire up the propanefueled furnace, and drop a minnow on a hook into the freezing water.

There were other regular radio shows, too. There was the noon farm report, complete with prices for sow bellies and winter wheat. There was the daily turkey shoot, where a listener told the DJ when to fire an imaginary shotgun round toward an imaginary turkey, and if the turkey gobbled before it fell, you won! And there were constant holiday wishes from local jewelers, cleaners, auto repair shops and grocers.

Maybe I caught a couple of fish each day. Maybe I didn’t. I had no cell phone, since that technology didn’t exist. No texting, either. So I just sat there and fished and thought and fished and thought and fished and thought some more.

And every year at the holiday break, I couldn’t wait to do it all over again. Every year. Without fail.

Rick Wamre is publisher of Advocate publishing. Let him know how we are doing by writing to 6301 Gaston, Suite 820, Dallas 75214; FAX to 214.823.8866; or e-mail to rwamre@advocatemag.com.

DISTRIBUTION PH/214.560.4203

And then literally from dawn to dusk, I sat on a chair in the dark and watched the bobber. My only companion was a transistor radio that, if pointed just right, picked up the local radio station, which provided a steady diet of Johnny Cash, Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton and, at what seemed like 3 p.m. every day, “Jingle Bells” by some barking dogs.

ADVERTISING PH/214.560.4203 advertising coordinator: JUDY LILES /214.560.4203 jliles@advocatemag.com

The holidays came and went each year, and no big decisions were made. No great friendships were formed. No incredible personal insight was gained.

But there’s comfort in that downtime and those memories, those little things that happened every year that I could depend on and look forward to and carry with me.

There is something to be said, I guess, for simple, inconsequential memories.

advertising sales director: KRISTY GACONNIER /214.560.4213 kgaconnier@advocatemag.com display sales manager: BRIAN BEAVERS /214.560.4201 bbeavers@advocatemag.com

senior advertising consultant: AMY DURANT /214.560.4205 adurant@advocatemag.com advertising consultants: CATHERINE PATE /214.292.0494 cpate@advocatemag.com

LISA ALTHAUS /214.292.0961 lalthaus@advocatemag.com NORA JONES /214.292.0962 njones@advocatemag.com MADELYN RYBCZYK /214.292.0485 mrybczyk@advocatemag.com

B RANDI S TRINGER /469.916.7864 bstringer@advocatemag.com PATTI M ILLER /214.292.0961 pmiller@advocatemag.com

classified manager: PRIO BERGER /214.560.4211 pberger@advocatemag.com

classified consultants: SALLY ACKERMAN /214.560.4202 sackerman@advocatemag.com SUSAN C LARK /469.916.7866 sclark@advocatemag.com

EDITORIAL PH/ 214.292.2053 publisher: RICK WAMRE /214.560.4212 rwamre@advocatemag.com managing editor: KERI MITCHELL /214.292.0487 kmitchell@advocatemag.com

editors: MARLENA CHAVIRA-MEDFORD /214.292.2053 mchavira-medford@advocatemag.com CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB /214.560.4204 chughes@advocatemag.com

RACHEL STONE /214.292.0490 rstone@advocatemag.com

senior art director: JYNNETTE NEAL /214.560.4206 jneal@advocatemag.com

assistant art director: J ULIANNE RICE /214.292.0493 jrice@advocatemag.com designers: JEANINE MICHNA-BALES, SANDRA EVANS, L ARRY OLIVER, KRIS SCOTT contributing editors: JEFF SIEGEL, SALLY WAMRE contributors: SEAN CHAFFIN, SANDY GREYSON, BILL KEFFER, GAYLA KOKEL, ERIN MOYER, GEORGE MASON, BLAIR MONIE, ELLEN RAFF, RACHEL STONE web editor: COLLEEN YANCY /469.916.7860 cyancy@advocatemag.com photo editor: CAN TüRKYILMAZ /214.560.4200 cturkyilmaz@advocatemag.com photographers: ROBERT BUNCH, MARK

blog& BACK TALK

CHURCH RENOVATION

I am envious! I would LOVE to be able to have that church to live in [“Couple buys 80-year-old church for gallery/studio space” Advocate Back Talk blog, Nov. 2]! Good luck to Chase and Thomas and welcome to the neighborhood!

—RUBBERCOW, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

The church will make an amazing gallery and home. Congratulations, and thanks for helping improve the neighborhood. I can’t wait to see the changes.

—STACEY HILBURN, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

BACK STORY

Good story [“Giving thanks to those who sacrificed,” November Advocate]. One addition, the flyboys also could have ridden the Interurban, which ran from Terrell in those days.

—BOB JOHNSTON, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Good article on a time that has passed but is well remembered.

—SUANNE CARR BLALOCK, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Thank you Gayla for the tribute to all who paid the price to keep liberty’s flame burning brightly. Not so much in vogue any more.

—LARRRY CLICK, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

Those were different times when you invited total strangers into your home and never gave it a thought. Jim Couch — now there’s a name from my past!

—PEGGY SAMFORD, VIA ADVOCATEMAG.COM

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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

BOWMAN HOT GLASS

Working glassblowing studio and gallery – offering unique art glass for any budget or occasion. Sign up for glassblowing classes. Architectual commissions available.

1419 Griffin St. E. (Cedars District close to downtown Dallas) Tues.-Sat., 11-5 or by appointment 214.426.4777 bowmanglass.com

L aUnCH

Last year, Oak Cliff couple Jamey B OO zer and Steven Hamm O nd created a Christmas lights show in the front yard of their e lmwood home, and it was spectacular. d ubbed “Christmas in the OC”, there were thousands of lights, musical coordination over a radio frequency and a “fireworks palm tree”. t he show was so successful that they decided to get really serious. t his year’s show will feature about 100 L ed snowflake tubes, 500 channels of lights (compared to 64 last year) and lots of other stuff they’ve been working on all year. Boozer and Hammond have a website devoted to their lights display at occhristmas.com, and their address is 1603 South m ontreal.

So, tell me about what’s new with your Christmas lights display this year.

Boozer: We’re going to have a reindeer jumping from our house to our neighbor’s house. And we’ve got these LED snowflake tubes, which we purchased directly from a manufacturer in China. They’re my current obsession because I think these are going to be the next hot thing for all of us Christmas crazies — they make it look like snow is falling. I discovered them around March, and I really wanted them. We also have DMX lighting, so we can wash one wall of the house all in teal, for example.

How did you guys get so into all of this stuff?

Hammond: Well, I’m a techie [he’s an IT analyst], so this is all fun for me. And we’ve both always been really in to Christmas. When you see the expressions on people’s faces, it just warms your heart.

Boozer: At first, we wanted this thing called ‘Lights and Sounds of Christmas’ (which retails for about $100), and it’s an easy way to create a light display. So we waited until after Christmas and bought it at half price. But we’ve outgrown that. And

CAn TürkyILMAz

grab-bagLAUNCH

Providing urological care for healthier lives.

now we’ve got seven dedicated, 20-amp circuits for the lights. Whoever buys this house next is going to be like ‘what the heck?’

DON’T ALL THESE LIGHTS MAKE YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL GO UP?

Hammond: Not really. Our power bill was maybe $40 more last December, because we don’t keep them on all the time. We turn them off around 10 or 11. But we blew the breakers a couple of times last year.

WHAT DO YOUR NEIGHBORS THINK OF ALL THIS?

Boozer: We are really lucky because our neighbors are great about it.

Hammond: Cars jockey for position, and we have people driving up and down the street all the time. We ask that people don’t park in people’s driveways or honk their horns or be silly because this is a residential street, and we want to respect our neighbors.

WHAT ELSE IS NEW?

Boozer:This year, we’re sponsoring the SPCA, so people can drop off items from their wish list, like a can of Easy Cheese or an old towel. We’ll set up bins, and if someone wants to donate something, they can, but it’s not required. IBM [where Boozer works as a consultant] is matching donations, so hopefully we will raise a little bit of money for them. Anything helps. The SPCA wish list is available at spca.org.

—RACHEL STONE

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pizza, pizza

After Bryan Ketelhut and Tom Moran moved to Dallas from the suburbs of Detroit, they lived in a hotel room for about a month. But the employees of their Little Caesar’s franchise, which opened on Falls Drive in June 2008, took good care of them. “People were always bringing us food,” Moran says. “They would bring us dinner every night.” The partners say they try to keep a family atmosphere at their business, which has 23 employees, all of whom live in the surrounding neighborhood. Employee turnover has been remarkably low, especially for a fast-food franchise. Almost everyone who works there started with the store the day it opened, Ketelhut says. “Everyone is very tight-knit,” he says. Ketelhut and Moran chose Oak Cliff to open their first franchise because they wanted mild winters, and demographic data showed a high concentration of Hispanic families, who are a good target for their star product, the $5 Hot-and-Ready pizza deal. They chose the location near Falls and Westmoreland Road because it is “nestled in the neighborhood,” Ketelhut says. They took a risk on the neighborhood and a 2,700-square-foot space that is nearly twice the size of a typical Little Caesar’s franchise. The store has been robbed once, as part of a string of 20 or so robberies in the area, but their investment in Oak Cliff so far has paid off. Their franchise is the highest-grossing Little Caesar’s store in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and they’ve been quick to give back to the community. They brought the “Love Truck,” a huge catering bus that Detroitbased Little Caesar’s uses to relieve natural disasters, to Galveston after Hurricane Ike. After students at Celestino Mauricio Soto Jr. Elementary School finished the TAKS test, they brought the Love Truck to them for a pizza party. “That was all out of our own pockets,” Moran says. Even though they’re “just two white guys from Michigan,” Ketelhut and Moran say they’ve found a home in Oak Cliff. “People see that we’re outsiders, but they still accept us,” Ketelhut says.

—Rachel Stone

?Our neighborhood association would like to have SIGn TOPPERS installed on our street poles as a way to show neighborhood pride. How do we do this?

Sign toppers are becoming more common in Dallas these days, but keep in mind two major factors: cost and approval. Because sign toppers aren’t associated with public safety, the city isn’t required to maintain this type of signage, nor does it have enough funds for installation or maintenance. The city does, however, allow sign topper projects to be privately funded.

Here’s how it works:

1.

If a neighborhood association decides it wants to foot the bill for sign toppers, it first needs approval from the city’s public works and transportation department. (This is required to ensure that signs do not

interfere with public safety or federal sign standards.)

2. The request for sign toppers must include a design. Dimensions can be no bigger than 24 by 9 inches.

3. neighbors must identify where to place the sign toppers. They can be installed only at locations with existing street name signs. neighbors also must indicate sign direction — the streets with which the sign toppers will be parallel and should determine the street pole type by measuring the circumference of each pole at the point the sign will be attached.

4. If the city approves the plan, the neighborhood association will bear the cost of the entire sign fabrication and installation. Sign manufacturers typically charge about $30 for each double-sided sign. Each set of brackets and hardware usually costs another $30. Plus, the association must pay the city to install the sign toppers because only city staff is authorized to work on public streets (the charge is roughly $20 per pole). Installation usually is complete within four to six weeks.

5. One last thing: The city can remove your sign toppers at any time without replacement if they become unsightly.

For information about sign topper projects, contact Alex Wong at 214.670.4654. aUDRa GloVeR

A GuIDE THROuGH THE MAzE OF CIT y-RELATED quESTIOnS

out&about in December

12.19.09

LAS POSADAS $5-$10 Las Posadas del Pueblo returns to the Texas Theatre this year. The show from Oak Cliff Coalition for the Arts includes dancers from Ballet Folklorico Hispano de Dallas, singers and actors. And the audience gets to be part of the show. “It turns into a big party,” says organizer Guadalupe “Walley” Godiñez. “It’s just a beautiful, gay event.” Las Posadas is a Christmas tradition in Mexico and South America. Typically, it is celebrated each night from Dec. 16-24, and reenacts a story from the Bible in which Mary and Joseph are turned away from the inn in Bethlehem, where Jesus is born. The audience will be invited to snack on tamales and buñuelos after the show, and children will get bags of treats. oakclifffoundation.org. —R ACH e L S TOne

12.04-12.05 JINGLE BELLS ON BISHOP

FREE This is the 14th year for the big holiday party in the Bishop Arts District. This year’s theme is “A Jazzy Christmas”, and there will be entertainment on two stages. The celebration is Friday from 6-10 p.m. and Saturday from 4-10 p.m. bishopartsdistrict.org.

12.04-12.05 CHRISTMAS PLAY $12

The CrossWise Players will present a dinner theater show, “Heaven Tonight — The Christmas Edition” at the Tyler Street United Methodist Church, 927 W. Tenth St. The idea for the show is “what if there was a talk show in heaven?” Dinner is at 7 p.m., and the show starts at 8 p.m. More information is available at crosswiseplayers.com or 214.330.8478.

happeningsLAUNCH

WINNETKA HEIGHTS HOME TOUR $15

Seven vintage homes are on the tour this year, and they’re sure to be decked with holiday trimmings. It’s a great way to get ideas for holiday decorating. Tickets are available at Turner House, 401 N. Rosemont, or online at whhometour.org. 214.946.3813.

ART CONSPIRACY’S BIRTHDAY

$10 Art Conspiracy turns 5 this month, and its annual fundraiser features music from Telegraph Canyon, The Crash That Took Me, The Boom Boom Box and R2B2. Last year, Art Conspiracy raised $28,000 for charity, and this year’s proceeds will be donated to Resolana, an organization providing rehabilitative arts programming for women in the Dallas County Jail and Dawson State Jail in Dallas. Look for Oak Cliff artists Mike Arreaga, Erica Felicella, Lisa Lindholm, Vanessa Neiland Kevin Obregon at the 7 p.m. event. 511 W. Commerce, artconspiracy.org.

LaUncHfood&wine

Par T y LIKE yOU OWn THE PL acE

WHEn TILLman’S cOrnEr became the more upscale and artistic Tillman’s Roadhouse three years ago, owner Sara Tillman’s business partners suggested building a private party room. “I wasn’t so sure,” she says. “But it’s booked all the time now. People love it.” The party room at Tillman’s seats only about 20, but it’s like stepping onto a fanciful opera set or into a Vogue photo shoot. Todd Designs created the room’s look — an overwhelming crystal chandelier with stuffed birds and other adornments, the sky-blue walls lined with faux trees. It’s dramatic and relaxing. And then there’s the food. Tillman describes the menu as “upscale chuck wagon”. It includes a tabletop s’mores station with thin graham crackers and orange, coffee and maple flavored marshmallows that chef Dan Landsberg and staff make from scratch. Diners roast their gourmet marshmallows over a flaming Sterno. Another example of this nouveau chuck wagon is a delicate salmon ceviche served with Fritos Scoops. Tillman’s party room is available for groups of 14 or more, and four-course meals start at $44 per person.

—RAchel STone

Pictured:

1 La Ca LL e Do C e

The new meeting room, just across the patio, is as big as the original restaurant. It seats 70.

2 Casa B L an C a It’s the newest Tex-Mex place in Bishop Arts, and will close off the big back room for parties. BISHOP& da VIS 214.942.4200

3 eL Ran C hito This is not the place for an intimate business dinner. It’s loud and crazy, even in the private room.

YOUR GUIDE TO DINING OUT

CINDI’S NYDELI, RESTAURANT & BAKERY $ A little of everything for everyone!

Cindi’s has the best bagels, blintzes, latkes, matzo ball soups and quiches in town. Fantastic breakfast served all day. Excellent home-style lunch and dinner specials. Extensive dessert selections including cakes, pastries, pies and bread pudding. 11111 North Central Exprsswy. 214.739.0918; 7522 Campbell Rd. 972.248.0608; 3565 Forest Ln. 972.241.9204; And now our newest location: 2001 Midway Rd. 972.458.7740.

CIRCLE GRILL RESTAURANT $

New Whole Wheat Bran Pancakes the perfect addition to any breakfast. Don’t forget we are also here for dinner three days a week. Pop in and try some of our amazing dinner specials like our Prime Rib or Grilled Salmon. Coming this December, our “MONSTER MENU”. Come Home to the Circle Grill. Sun-Wed 6am-4pm ThursSat 6am-9pm. Banquet Facilities Available. Breakfast served all day. 3701 N. Buckner 214-327-4140

ELTIZONCITO $ Located at Illinois & Westmoreland, this Mexico City taqueria is a Dallas must-visit. The décor offers a casual experience that corrects the misconception of an original Taqueria. The Tacos al Pastor shaved down from the vertical oven and the unique Tamarind Margarita are a musttry. “What a pleasant surprise.” George Bush. “Excellent service complement exceptional food.” Gary Fisher. “Best Tacos in Dallas.” Mico Rodriguez. Sun-Thurs 10am-11pm Fri-Sat 10am-1am. Catering available. 3404 W Illinois Ave. 214.330.0839.

TILLMAN’S ROADHOUSE $$ OD WB

Tillman’s is a place for really good food, drinks, and music in a fun, casual, come-as-you-are environment. An update on the classic Texas roadhouse with regional menu favorites, familiar tunes and no-one is a stranger hospitality — all energized with a modern take. A combination of both rustic and lush in everything from the menu to the décor make Tillman’s a good-time anytime destination. Bishop Arts District 324 West 7th St. 214.942.0988. www.tillmansroadhouse.com

214.763.8767

214.752.7070

HewittHabgood.com

champagne in a beer-budget world

JEAN-FRANÇOIS MERIEAU BULLES ($24) FRANCE>

The Champagne and sparkling wine business and that’s not good news as we approach the time of year. Sales, thanks to the recession, are it’s so bad for the French (who produce the only wine that is allowed to be called Champagne) that drastically cutting production in an attempt prices up.

Throw in the weak dollar, which has raised of imported wine as much as 20 percent over the year, and it’s difficult to find a bargain even among those sparkling wines that have always been a gain. And it’s even more difficult to find interesting sparkling wines that are a bargain.

Nevertheless, there are still some out there, and these three are interesting and reasonably affordable:

This

French wine not made in the Champagne region is a nice alternative to inexpensive Spanish sparklers like Cristalino. It has lots of chardonnay fruit and good acidity.

This is another French wine, from the Loire, that offers value and something other than the ordinary sparkling wine. It’s made mostly of chenin blanc, as opposed to chardonnay, which means it’s dry and not quite as apple-y. This is one of the most interesting sparkling wines I tasted this year.

This California wine has a touch of caramel, good, dark pinot fruit and lively acid. I was a little surprised that I enjoyed it as much as I did.

—JEFF SIEGEL

JEFFSIEGEL’S WEEKLY WINE REVIEWS appear every Wednesday on the Advocate Back Talk blog, advocatemag. com/oak-cliff/blog.

Christian Johnson Senior Loan Officer

North Oak Cliff’s #1 Listing and Selling Team Kathy Hewitt Steve Habgood Dori Warner Rob Elmore

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food&wineLAUNCH

WITH YOUR WINE

Chocolate yeast bread

I used to have a terrific recipe for chocolate bread, which has long since vanished. It wasn’t a cake or a short bread, but a real bread – yeasty and toastable and pretty amazing. The recipe here is a variation of one published by the Godiva chocolate people, which has been floating around for years. I’d upgrade the chocolate chips with bestquality baking chocolate and substitute 1 cup warm coffee for the water. Serve this as holiday treat with your favorite sparkling wine (or, toasted with peanut butter for your kids).

Serves four, about 15 minutes

GROCERY LIST

1 pkg active dry yeast

4 1/2 c bread flour

1/3 c unsweetened cocoa

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 c milk

1 c water

1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 egg

1. In a large bowl, mix yeast, 1 1/4 cups flour, cocoa, sugar, salt and soda. Heat milk, water, semi-sweet chocolate chips and butter, stirring until chocolate is melted. Add to dry ingredients. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer for two minutes. Add 1/2 cup more flour. Beat at high speed for two minutes. Add egg. Stir in enough flour to make a firm dough.

2. Turn out on lightly floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic. Put in oiled bowl, turning to oil top. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place for 1 hour or until doubled.

3. Punch dough down. Shape into two loaves. Put in greased 8x4 loaf pans. Let rise for 30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped with finger. Remove to wire racks to cool.

ask the WINE GUY?

Q: WHY DO PEOPLE TALK ABOUT ACIDITY IN WINE?

A: All wines have acidity, and is a crucial part of well-made wine. It’s there to balance the other components, like sweetness and fruitiness — like lemonade. It’s a crucial part of sparkling wine, in particular.

—JEFF SIEGEL

taste@advocatemag.com

Forget designer labels, mall crowds and perfectly wrapped packages. This year’s hottest gifts are handmade close to home.

STORY BY RACHEL STONE AND CHRISTINA HUGHES BABB

PHOTOS BY CAN TÜRKYILMAZ, SEAN McGINTY AND MOLLY DICKSON

THINK

OUTSIDE

THE GIFT BOX

Maybe it’s the chill in the air, the splashes of crimson in the trees, or the sound of a familiar melody you haven’t heard since, oh, about a year ago. Do hints of the impending holidays send you straight to the nearest mall, where you fight fellow frenzied shoppers for mass-produced presents?

This year, forgo the status quo. Instead, take a deep breath, peruse the following pages, and then do some shopping you can really feel good about.

Like an army of Santa’s helpers, many of your creatively gifted neighbors are busy in their workshops crafting one-of-a-kind items that are sure to garner many oohs, ahhs and heartfelt thanks from your loved ones this year.

THINK OUTSIDE THE GIFT BOX

Freelisa

“I’M A BIGFAN OFTHESLOW MOVEMENT. I DOITTHE OLD-FASHIONED WAY, AND I’M THEONLY ONE IN DALLAS WHO’SDOING THAT AS A BUSINESS RIGHTNOW.”

Paying the bills as a fine arts painter ain’t easy. Lisa Lindholm, who moved to Oak Cliff last year, sells her paintings of birds, butterflies and people for hundreds of dollars. But she needed a fallback for when sales got slow. So Julie McCullough Kim, owner of MAKE, suggested about four years ago that she learn how to screen print T-shirts.

“I quit my corporate job to become a fulltime painter,” she says. “And that’s when I picked up screen printing, at Julie’s suggestion, to pick up a little bit of money. And then I couldn’t really focus, so now I split my time between painting and screen-printing.”

Lindholm’s T-shirt line, Freelisa, includes super-soft T-shirts printed with themes that are similar to her paintings birds, “flying things” and “objects of simplicity,” as well as slogans such as “Keep Calm and Carry On” and “Trees Hug Back”. But what makes the line remarkable is that Lindholm does everything the old way. She uses water-based inks and no harsh chemicals. Her T-shirts are made of organic cotton, and she prints each one by hand.

“I’m a big fan of the slow movement,” she says. “I do it the old-fashioned way, and I’m the only one in Dallas who’s doing that as a business right now.”

Because of that, she’s picked up corporate clients who commission T-shirts for uniforms, giveaways and events. She’s the official screen printer for Bike Friendly Oak Cliff, and she designed all the groovy posters for Cyclesomatic in October.

WEBSITE: freelisa.com

PRICE RANGE: $27 for T-shirts

CONTACT: lisa@freelisa.com

Tara to the T

Tara Tonini left Los Angeles about three years ago to work as an accessories designer in Dallas. But the corporate world wasn’t for her, so she quit last January to start up her own accessories business, Tara to the T. Part punk rocker, part mod pin-up, the 23-year-old is all business.

“I started out as a belt manufacturer, designing belts,” she says. “That turned into wallets and bags. And then I started doing hats for fun, and it turned into a business.”

She makes felt fedoras in shades of chocolate, plum and ochre, embellished with dramatic plumes and eye-catching brooches. There are black-and-yellow plaid and grey-flannel newsboys, as well as jewelry made from antique keys and other brass objects. Her accessories line includes interesting barrettes and fascinator headbands of perfectly placed feathers.

Her inspiration, she says, comes from reading about old Hollywood, particularly Kenneth Anger’s “Hollywood Babylon”, which focuses on celebrity scandals before 1960.

“I pick out old celebrities and I design hats for them,” she says. “Like, I have a Jayne Mansfield hat because she’s from Oak Cliff.”

Tonini’s eponymous fashion line includes her “Sky Girls” collection, which is inspired by 1960s flight attendants’ uniforms.

“My great aunt was a flight attendant in the ’50s and ’60s, and her uniforms were designed by Valentino. And then I found out that Pucci designed for Braniff, and all the major European designers made stuff for airlines, so I thought, ‘What a great idea to bring back,’” she says.

WEBSITE: taratothet.com

PRICE RANGE: $12-$75

CONTACT: info@taratothet.com

“I STARTED DOING HATS FOR FUN, AND IT TURNED INTO A BUSINESS.”

THINK OUTSIDE THE GIFT BOX

Laura Davis

Laura Davis is a furniture designer, which sounds like nonstop glamour, but her job creating designs for mass production can get tedious. So she remakes old furniture for fun. And she uses vintage textiles to make new napkins, aprons and pillows.

“It’s my little, hands-on creative outlet,” she says.

Davis, who is from St. Louis, moved to Oak Cliff last year. She started her part-time business, Laura Davis Design Lab, making throw pillows out of vintage bedding she bought in thrift stores and at garage sales. She embroiders them with cute phrases like, “cheer up, buttercup,” and they sell for about $40. Lately she’s been taking orders for large pillows embroidered with monograms and people’s names.

“That’s my big thing for fall,” she says.

For Davis, inspiration comes from dumpsters and roadside castoffs. She sands, repaints, reupholsters, and creates funky new furniture from things no one else wants.

“For example, I found an old broken-down chair that someone was throwing away, and so that’s my project for the weekend,” she says. “It’s like the ultimate sustainability for me is finding something and turning it into something else.”

Davis says she doesn’t expect to give up her day job which she loves, by the way anytime soon. She’s focusing more on remaking furniture, and expects the business to move more toward that. But she doesn’t want it to get too big.

“If it grows too much, it will lose that handmade aspect,” she says. “So I’m happy with the way it is.”

WEBSITE: lbd340.etsy.com IN STORE: Make, 313 N. Bishop; The Gypsy Wagon, 5211 Bonita PRICE RANGE: $10-$50

F Is For Frank

Have a dreamer on your gift list?

Pewter doorknobs sculpted into whimsical shapes — a sleepy-faced owl, a cartoonish mushroom, and a red-eyed lady bug resembling a Tim Burton design — are among the clever creations crafted by the brilliant ladies at F is for Frank.

Shannah Frank of Kessler Park, who once worked with a restoration company, founded F is for Frank a few years ago. Casey Melton, a student of sculpture and marketing, became a partner last summer.

“I knew I wanted to do functional art,” Melton says. "This was a good fit."

The twosome’s talents meld beautifully to produce pieces of form and function. In addition to trendsetting hardware, the designers have a line of nature-inspired jewelry — one of

“IT’S lIKE THE UlTImaTE SUSTaINaBIlITy FOr mE IS FINDING SOmETHING aND TUrNING IT INTO SOmETHING ElSE.”

Melton’s favorite is the Sea Sponge Ring in gold-plated pewter. Men’s cufflinks look like tiny cave drawings on gold and pewter.

“We are constantly coming out with more jewelry — each piece is sculptural and architectural,” Melton says.

And each looks like it was plucked from some mystical place on planet Earth. The women’s passion outside their craft? Their pups.

“Our dogs come to work with us,” Melton says.

In honor of the furry muses, F is for Frank launched a line of dog tags (they are “crazy cute,” Melton says) just in time to stuff in doggie stockings.

WEBSITE: fisforfrank.com

STOREFRONT: 1216 Manufacturing

PRICE RANGE: $16-$85

CONTACT: 214.749.0709

When Larry Pile bought his Kessler Park home 10 years ago, several stained glass windows needed repairs. So the self-taught furniture maker took a glass class.

“After that, I was off and running,” he says. “Although, it took about five years to get to my own windows.”

Once he started learning about glass, Pile shifted his business to focus on art glass, and now he makes furniture only occasionally. As the Kessler Craftsman, his hottest sellers are fused-glass pendants painted with Japanese kanji characters for words like “friend” and “beautiful.” They sell for $32.

Pile also makes plates, platters and coasters. He showed us a jade green platter with squares of colored glass fused on it to form a design — perfect for sushi — which sells for around $70. And he makes elaborate art pieces, including a “Yellow Submarine” themed fused-glass piece that sells for $500.

“I like color and form,” he says. “If I was doing nothing but making $1,000 tables, that’s very limiting.”

Pile also can transform everyday glass objects into wearable art. For example, he crafts pendants from the lips of wine bottles using sterling silver ornamentation. “People bring me wine bottles that they’ve saved from a special toast, or like if their boyfriend proposed to them, and I can make it into something,” Pile says.

Pile hosts a bimonthly artists circle in his garage studio. Artists can bring a bottle of wine or some snacks, work on projects and socialize. And he offers several glass-making classes each month. Students pay $75 to make seven glass pendants.

“It’s a great deal,” he says. “You pay $75, and you walk away with these personal, handmade gifts.” n

WEBSITE: kesslercrafstman.com

PRICE: $28-$1,200

CONTACT: 214.942.7322 or larry@kesslercraftsman.com

STREETCAR MOMENTUM

Oak cliff neighbors started talking about streetcars almost four years ago. And they didn’t just talk; they created a plan, did a cost analysis, and applied for grants.

Now city Hall is hot on streetcars, too, thanks to some federal stimulus money and a contentious convention center hotel under construction. Some worry, however, that whatever plan city Hall produces won’t include our neighborhood. but the push for streetcars in Oak cliff has momentum and a few potent champions.

The idea for streetcars came to Oak cliff neighbors who realized that our neighborhood, along with many similarly aged areas of Dallas, was designed for them.

“Oak cliff is a streetcar suburb,” says Jason roberts, a founding member of the Oak cliff Transit Authority.

Decades ago, Oak cliff commuters could ride streetcars to work Downtown or to the ballpark once in West Dallas. And now that the system is gone, along with most of the nation’s streetcar systems, Oak cliff is an automobile suburb. but that won’t work for the dense developments planned in line with the Trinity river project, says Oak cliff chamber of commerce president bob Stimson.

“You have to have alternative transportation available to [people],” Stimson says. “If you force them into their vehicles, then that high density just creates a logjam on the roads.”

Starting a streetcar system Downtown would be a great service for tourists using the convention center hotel, allowing them easy access to Victory Park, the West end and connections

Oak Cliff started the streetcar conversation. Will we get them on our side of the river?

Story by Rachel Stone

Photo by Robert Bunch

Members of the Oak Cliff Transit Authority, Scott Griggs, Jason Roberts, Sylvia Camarillo, Luis Salcedo and Don Raines, started the push for an Oak Cliff streetcar line in 2006.

to DAr T trains and the Tre And that plan eventually would include a line to Oak cliff. but some fear that tourists won’t create enough ridership to encourage city Hall to expand down the line.

“We want to get the city focused on a streetcar plan for the whole city. If not, it’s going to be shortsighted,” Stimson says.

councilmember Linda Koop, who represents North Dallas and is chair of the council’s transportaion committee, says “everybody” wants streetcars in Oak cliff.

“my mother lived in Oak cliff and used to ride the streetcars,” she says. “We’re all working toward the same goal, which is building a system.”

The plan that the chamber backs it’s also supported by the Old Oak cliff conservation League and Oak cliff councilmen Delia Jasso and Dave Neumann — would start downtown at Union Station, and travel to the West end and the American Airlines center. Then it would come to riverfront Drive (formerly Industrial boulevard) and

the edge of the Design District. From there, it would cross the continental bridge, which is planned as a pedestrian bridge and park once car traffic moves to the margaret Hunt Hill bridge, which is under construction. The streetcar would make a left at beckley, make a stop at methodist Dallas medical center, and come back across the Houston Street Viaduct to Union Station.

Proponents of this plan call it the “lakes loop”, and they think it would solve some transportation problems they say the city is bound to face with the Trinity river Project.

For one, the project includes fewer than 100 parking spaces. With the lakes loop, people could drive from North Dallas, mcKinney or Plano, pay to park in the city-owned garage next to what used to be reunion Arena, and take a streetcar to access Trinity river parks.

“For the continental bridge, we’re talking about having parties there, but there’s no parking,” Stimson says.

One of Oak cliff’s strongest allies in the streetcar system design could be bill Velasco, the Oak cliff native who recently was appointed chairman of the DAr T board.

“The group here in Oak cliff (the Oak cliff Transit Authority) has its act together,” Velasco says. “They really want to get the dirt moving.”

DAr T lost some ridership in Oak cliff

The “Trinity Lakes Streetcar Loop,” which OCTA and the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce are proposing, would run through downtown and touch West Dallas and Oak Cliff.

recently when old apartments were demolished to make way for dense, mixed-use developments, which were planned before the recession hit and have not yet gotten underway. Part of the mission as board chairman for Velasco, who owns an insurance agency in Oak cliff, is to create economic stimulus in our neighborhood.

And that’s on track with the vision for an Oak cliff streetcar line, which eventually would branch into West Dallas and extend from methodist to the bishop Arts District, and Jefferson and Singleton boulevards.

“In some form or manner, we need to bring the two plans together somehow,” Velasco says.

eventually making the Oak cliff Transit Authority which essentially is a group of friends with a good idea — a part of DAr T has sort of been the plan all along, roberts says.

“I think we’ve hit the tipping point. Dallas is getting a streetcar no matter what. Whether it’s coming to Oak cliff, I don’t know,” he says. “but it’s coming to Downtown.”

It was good timing that Oak cliff jumped into the streetcar conversation around the same time as city Hall, roberts says.

“because of that, Oak cliff is seriously being looked at, and if we hadn’t been out there with a megaphone saying, ‘We want a streetcar,’ no one [else] would be asking for these things.”n

“We want to get the city focused on a streetcar plan for the whole city.

If not, it’s going to be shortsighted.”

NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENT

Connie Boyd is the new executive director for Family Gateway Inc., a nonprofit that provides transitional housing and other help to homeless families. Boyd succeeds Kelly Harris, a former Family Gateway board chairman who had been interim executive director for 10 months. Boyd most recently was the chief development officer for Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity, and she has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit sector. For more information, visit familygateway.org

THE SUNSET HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION awarded $7,020 in grants to the school in October. Group Counseling received grants totaling $1,470 for items such as DART bus passes and ACT/SAT study packets. The Medical Explorers Club and the Business Education CTE program received $500 each. The KOM Mentoring Program, Ras’en Celebration, Ballet Folkloric, Robotics Club, PE Department, Academic Decathlon, Outdoor Wilderness League, Peace Keepers, the Advanced Placement program and Ms. Tatum’s Scholars each received $250. The Special Education and World Languages departments received $200 each. And the National Honor Society received $100. The school’s newspaper and yearbook, the Sundial and Stampede, received a laser jet printer valued at $500, which Staples Office Supply Co. donated. They also received a $600 digital camera. For more information, visit sunsetalumniassociation.com.

THE COMMUNITY LIAISON AT SUNSET

HIGH SCHOOL, Nora Garcia, won a national award from Practical Parent Education, a Dallas-based company that provides training and curriculum to parent educators. She won the Linda Johnston Parent Educator of the Year award, which “recognizes the work of a parent educator who goes the extra mile to provide outstanding services to the community.” Garcia has been a parent educator for 16 years, the last six of which were at Sunset. Since she started, parents have become more involved in their children’s educations, and they ask more questions and volunteer more often, says principal Anthony Tovar

Please submit news items and/or photos concerning neighborhood residents, activities, honors and volunteer opportunities to editor@advocatemag. com or online at advocate.com/submit_oc_news.

Our deadline is the first of the month prior to the month of publication.

BIKE FRIENDLY AMSTERDAM

SOMEWHERE IN PATAGONIA

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The Victim: Ann Smith

The Crime: Burglary

Date: Monday, Oct. 5

Time: Between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The criminal had scaled a fence with a locked gate, and then broke through the back door. Unfortunately, the Smiths had not yet been able to activate their new alarm, and the crook stole a computer and flat-screen television.

“We knew it was a little tougher neighborhood than we’re used to,” Winston says. “We just weren’t careful enough — we had to learn to set burglar alarms.”

Despite the loss, Smith says her son is doing well at his new school, and they are expecting things to improve since being victimized.

“He’s feeling pretty comfortable over there now. Hopefully, things will get better.”

Dallas Police Deputy chief rick Watson of the Southwest Patrol Division says location isn’t the biggest factor in becoming a crime victim.

“You can become a victim of a crime regardless of where you live,” he says. “You always need to look at your house and your surroundings, and see how secured the doors are and how secure the windows are. You can be a victim of crime anywhere in the city.”

Watson stresses that residents should conduct security surveys to pinpoint where their homes could have weak points in keeping out criminals. The Southwest Patrol Division provides security surveys free of charge; call 214.670.7470 to request one.

sean ChaFFIn

TOileT Tank Tannenbaums

Christmas in the mid-1950s was a magical time full of beauty, wonder and suspense, and like most American children, I enjoyed the traditions of the season. One, however, stands out in my memory: the annual Oak Cliff Woman’s Club Christmas Pilgrimage.

Being young, I naturally correlated the word “pilgrimage” with, obviously, the Pilgrims. You know, those guys from Thanksgiving. The Mayflower. Turkeys. November stuff. Christmas was Jesus, Santa Claus, decorated trees, stockings and presents! Why we went on a “pilgrimage” at Christmas was always a point of confusion. But I was only a kid, and in those days kids didn’t ask questions. We just followed orders.

A member of the Oak Cliff Woman’s Club, Mom was always excited about this annual event where she and the other members created, well, I guess they would be called holiday “arrangements”, along with tablecloths, stockings, napkins and potholders

Christmas anything. Judges awarded ribbons in the different categories, the most coveted being the “Grand Prize”.

Several club members, normally in Kessler Park, Stevens Park or Wynnewood North, volunteered their homes each December for the “pilgrimage”. Other members, guests and community folk purchased tickets for the event, and then drove around visiting the different homes displaying the entries. (Now I understand. This is where the “pilgrimage” thing came in.)

Mom and I would arrive at the first home shortly after dinner, greeted by the homeowner wearing a holiday dress or suit (often adorned with one of those then-popular artificial Christmas corsages), along with high heels, hose with seams down the back, and every hair in place. Visitors would roam from room to room, enjoying the entries and searching for the award ribbons. Then, it was on to the next house on the “pilgrimage”.

There was every sort of glitz and glam that one could imagine, using every size of Styrofoam ball manufactured — most covered with sequins and beads, and many encompassed within silver and gold sprayed branches, candles, containers, poinsettias, greenery, felt and angel hair. You name it; they used it. Almost any flat surface in these houses was adorned with one of the various creations. Believe me, no available spot went unused.

There was, however, one place in the house that, to this day, I still scratch my head about. And every year I would drive to the event with my mother, wondering if this particular spot would again hold one of the beautiful arrangements or crafts. That place, you ask? The top of the toilet tank!

Bathroom vanity tops, normally with mirrors behind them, were ideal. The reflections showed the back of the arrangements beautifully, doubling the effect. Perfectly sensible. But the toilet tank? Even as a child I didn’t understand it. Christmas décor on top of the toilet? It just didn’t make sense.

The home of Donna Gaffney Libby’s parents, at 1438 Alaska, was one of the host houses around 1955. “I don’t remember how many days prior to the event that decorations had to be in place,” Libby says, “but it seemed to go on forever, and every new decoration [that arrived] was more beautiful than the previous one.”

“With only one small bathroom in the house, I think Mother mentioned bathing at a neighbor’s when it was really necessary,” says Libby, South Oak Cliff class of ’65. “And I remember Daddy muttering under his breath at times about hoping we didn’t ever have to do this again.”

According to Libby, a mirror was cut to fit down into their bathtub in order to create a frozen pond with ice skaters and a village scene. “Another decoration had three eggshells that represented my folks and me,” Libby adds. “Mine had my ponytail; Mother, her chignon; and Daddy, his bald head.”

Donna Libby and I recently had lunch. We reminisced about the bygone days and wholeheartedly agreed, and laughed, about those toilet tank decorations. Neither of us, however, decided to rush home and whip up something similar for our own bathrooms this Christmas. Somehow, it still just doesn’t seem quite right.

We hope our mothers would understand.

The Oak Cliff WOman’s Club ClubhOuse is located at 3555 W. Kiest.

Gayla Brooks Kokel can date her neighborhood heritage back to 1918, when her father was born in what was then called eagle Ford. She was born at methodist Hospital and graduated from Kimball High School. Kokel is one of three co-authors of the recently published book, “Images of America: Oak cliff”, and writes a

history column for the Oak cliff

her

A 1956 newspaper clipping shows perfectly coiffed members of the Oak Cliff Woman’s Club.

No

one can resist

warm & toasty

It’s that time of year again!

Have you checked your furnace to make sure it is safe? Making sure that your gas furnace is operating efficiently and safely with a heating inspection can ensure that your winter is cozy and worry free!