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T HE LOWDOWN ON WHAT ’S UP WITH NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESSES

h appy 30th La Ca LL e Do C e; he LLo Dirt FLower S; GooDbye De C anter

Happy anniversary to La Calle Doce! The beloved Mexican seafood and Tex-Mex restaurant at 12th and Bishop celebrates 30 years on September 15. Dirt Flowers’ owner Chris Eudaley has successfully opened his second location Downtown at Main and Ervay and says things are going well. The Bishop Arts-based floral and event design studio offers a clever take on traditional floral design. Decanter Restaurant and Wine Lounge in the Bishop Arts District has closed. Executive chef Tony Gardizi says the decision to close was a result of many factors. “It was the economy, a decline in business from the first few months, plus staffing issues,” Gardizi says.

• La Calle Doce, 415 W. 12th, 214.941.4304, lacalledoce-dallas.com

• Dirt Flowers, 1517 Main, 214.242.9533, dirtflowers.com n ew CaFé open S in o ak C LiFF

Cu Ltura L Center

Guillaumes’ Gourmet Café has opened in the Oak Cliff Cultural Center. Chef Saul Williams III says the concept is simple: “We are making food that is great on the palate but simple on the mind,” Williams says. “I’ve cooked Italian food for Macaroni Grill, Creole cuisine in Shreveport and barbecue at the White House for President Obama, but here it’s about making basic, no-cook meals that are appealing to all cultures and tastes.” Offering gourmet salads, soups, sandwiches and fresh fruit parfaits, Williams says he’s constantly innovating. “This menu won’t grow roots,” Williams says.

• Guillaumes’ Gourmet Cafe, 223 W. Jefferson, 214.670.3777, dallasculture.org/ oakcliffculturalcenter

Sa Lva Ge hou Se FaS hion DeSiGner open S retaiL LoC ation

Oak Cliff fashion designer and tailor Tracy Popken has opened a retail location for her vintage-inspired clothing line, Salvage House, near the Bishop Arts District on Melba and Madison. Popken, who grew up in Richardson and studied fashion at the University of North Texas, makes ’40s-inspired dresses that are functional and flattering. “I make things that I want to throw on every day,” Popken says. “My aim is to make everything timeless.” This talented designer with a penchant for the past also offers tailor services. “Everybody has that one item in their closet that they never wear because something is just off,” Popken says. “My clients bring this in, and we discuss the goal — based on how and where the client is wearing the item — and look at ways to make it more flattering and fix its current imperfections. Once I change one piece of clothing, my clients usually go back and see their closets completely differently.” Popken offers unlimited redos on these services. Her retail store also includes a carefully edited selection of vintage furnishings, art, lighting and more.

Salvage House Boutique, 301 Melba, 469.323.9481, salvagehouseboutique.com

Start Ga LL ery Da LL aS open S on Line S tore

The Oak Cliff-based Start Gallery Dallas has launched an online store at startgallerystore.com. Owner Veronika Tkachuk says the gallery believes “that its online presence will help expand the reach of local art and bring more attention to the North Texas emerging art scene,” Tkachuk says. The online store’s selection focuses on professionals and students who are just breaking into the art scene. Local artists are encouraged to submit their work at startgallerystore.com/submissions. Tkachuk is offering Advocate readers a special deal: Enter coupon code ADVOCATE and receive 10 percent off one entire order per person.

• Start Gallery Dallas, 1004 W. Page, 214.918.0274, startgallerystore.com

Ga LL ery bomb brinGS Lowbrow art to tyL er-Davi S

Another recent addition to the art world, Gallery Bomb, has opened in the Tyler-Davis district. Owner Brandon Sellers says the gallery’s mission is to bring together the pioneers and freshest talent of lowbrow art. “My wife and I realized that this genre was missing in the Dallas area, once we visited galleries in New York, LA and San Francisco,” Sellers says. A painter himself, Sellers immediately went on the hunt for the right neighborhood in which to open a lowbrow gallery. “We grabbed a map of Oak Cliff, ate at Bolsa, talked to some local artists, and

Business buzz:

“This recognition for workplace excellence is a proud accomplishment for our employee family. It reflects our mission to not only serve our patients and their families, but to create and maintain a work environment that serves our family of employees.”

Methodist Health System president and CEO Stephen L. Mansfield on being named among the “Best Places to Work in North Texas” by the Dallas business Journal decided this would be perfect,” Sellers says. Sellers is currently working with other Tyler-Davis galleries to start a regular “Second Saturday” art walk.

• Gallery Bomb, 407 a tyler, 817.793.6266, gallerybomb.com

Lo C khart Smokehou Se now oFFerinG S au Ce

You may have noticed that Lockhart Smokehouse, the barbecue joint with the slogan “No Forks! No Sauce! No Kidding!”, now has both sauce and forks go figure.

General manager Dani Munley says she can explain: At the customers’ request, the restaurant debuted five sauces on Father’s Day and has been carefully analyzing the response since. Right now — free of charge — Lockhart has a traditional Jack Daniels sauce, a mayonnaise-based sauce, a mustard-based sauce, a honey sauce and a spicy sauce to tingle everyone’s taste buds. Soon, the owners will narrow down the selection to one or two of the most popular sauces and will then have them available for purchase. As for the forks, it’s actually a charitable enterprise. Lockhart Smokehouse is currently offering them in exchange for donations toward a new fire system for The Kessler School. Once the “forks for fire pulls” operation has ceased, Munley suspects they will continue to offer forks as a way to gather donations for other charitable organizations and neighborhood causes. • Lockhart Smokehouse, 400 W. Davis, 214.944.5521, lockhartsmokehouse.com me Ghan riney in genuine colors & special shapes to match your toilet. TETER’S

Do you know oF a neiGhborhooD buSineSS renovating, expanding, moving, launching, hosting an event, celebrating an anniversary, offering a special or something else noteworthy? Send the information to livelocal@advocatemag.com or call 214.292.0487.

THE LICENSE PLATE WAS STOLEN — AND HIS PAST WAS VIOLENT.

Seats

Troubleshooting

An officer rode behind the suspicious vehicle in the Stevens Park neighborhood and ran his plates. The license plate didn’t match the vehicle, and the officer turned on the red and blue lights and siren.

Not only was the license plate stolen, the driver also had outstanding arrest warrants in Dallas and Mesquite and was driving

The Victim: Various

The Crime: Burglary, theft, outstanding arrest warrants and more

Date: Throughout 2011

Time: All hours

Location: North OakCliff with a suspended license. Oh yeah, he also had been arrested four times for aggravated assault —not exactly a guy you want hanging out in your neighborhood. patrol in the neighborhoods covered by NOCCUP (Kessler Park, Winnetka Heights, StevensPark, West Kessler, East Kessler and Kessler Plaza). The plan benefits all residents in the area, but donor members also receive the officers’ cell phone numbers for immediate responses.

“We’re an expanded neighborhood patrol with the Dallas Police Department,” NOCCUP board president Audrey Pinkerton says. “The officers focus just in our area, North Oak Cliff.”

The group’s efforts have been reducing crime in recent years, since the patrols began. Simple traffic violation monitoring and reports of suspicious people have led to arrests and crime reduction.

The cuffs went on his wrists and he was taken away. This real crime is exactly how the North Oak Cliff United Police Patrol (NOCCUP, pronounced “knock up”) is supposed to work, a proactive approach to complement traditional policing to help remove criminals from neighborhoods before they commit more crimes.

In November 2007, North Oak Cliff residents had grown tired of crime in their area, and began looking for some solutions. After residents considered several options, NOCUPP was formed — ready to take a bite out of crime. And that’s just what they’ve done.

The group uses donations from residents to lease police cars from the department and hires off-duty police officers to

“They’re able to zero in on people who aren’t supposed to be there,” Pinkerton says of the officers’ work. “The crime levels have come down in all the neighborhoods served.Their goal is to really remove the criminal from the neighborhood.”

In the full first year alone, auto theft in the area was down 60 percent, she adds.

DallasPolice Lt. Gil Garza of the SouthwestPatrol Division says these types of programs have become a big crime deterrent in many neighborhoods.

“Historically, most of the time when we partner up with groups like this, it has worked pretty well,” he says. “Most of the time when we have an expanded neighborhood patrol, it’s a very successful, consistent program.”

For information, visit northoakcliffpatrol. org. —SEAN CHAFFIN

Tax Tip cpa

NOTE TO PROCRASTINATORS!

CPA

DON’T PANIC. CALL ME, 6301 Gaston Avenue, Suite 800 214-821-0829

BUSINESS BURGLARIES ALONG JEFFERSON BETWEEN ZANG AND POLK 3

2

ATTEMPTED AUTO THEFTS IN THE 2200 BLOCK OF CARNES IN WHICH THE SUSPECT ENTERED THE VEHICLES BY DAMAGING THE SIDE DOORS

SOURCE: Dallas Police Department crime statistics for July 10-Aug. 10