This holiday season, are you taking some time to start holiday traditions? One neighborhood resident, determined to make Thanksgiving about more than just football and turkey, decided to start up a biz that could help families like her own take some time out to enjoy the moment. Chasity McReynolds founded Two Rivers, a company that sells original artwork designed to help families document special times around Thanksgiving and Christmas. McReynolds latest product line is a wall hanging of a Christmas tree with 12 branches on each side and a star on top for the 25th (Christmas). Every day families can write their blessings on an ornament and hang them on the appropriate branch. “It’s a way to bring the meaning of Christmas away from ‘what I want’ to being thankful for what I have,” McReynolds explains. Check out her products at thanksgivingtree.com.
You may have seen it as you’re coming and going from the Arboretum, but did you know that Walton’s Garden Center, 8652 Garland, has been family owned and operated for almost 24 years? On many days, you can catch the shop’s owners, Chuck and Ann Walton, helping customers or working the retail counter. Recently, the couple have been busy working on some massive renovations, including adding a second story and a new temperature controlled greenhouse, plus adding a new retail pavilion. Holiday tip: Did you know that the Waltons receive a shipment of hundreds of Christmas trees each year? You can even bring your own stand, and they will help you install your tree. The shop is open Monday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., but the Waltons will stay open a bit later as needed for Christmas tree shoppers.
We Are 1976, a gift boutique specializing in handmade items, has moved into the shopping center at Henderson and McMillan. Vynsie Law of Hollywood Heights is opening the boutique with her brother, Derek Law, and her former sister-in-law, Jully Law. The store sells one-of-a-kind items from Dallas designers and artists, as well as from creatives around the world. There are Japanese toy designers and English crafters, Vynsie Law says, and she wants to create a gallery space just for Dallas-based producers of handmade stuff. “We love Dallas, and we just want to showcase some of the talent here,” she says.
Tiny Killer Robot Jiu Jitsu opened last month in the retail space on Bryan Street where House of Dang used to be. Lakewood resident Rob Ables opened the studio after working for other studios for the past 15 years. So what’s with the name? Ables says he is a big kid, and wanted to have fun with what he did for a living. “The name just sounded cool and reminded me of a funny movie where these security guards were super scared of tiny wind-up robots. [The security guards] jump out of a window yelling “ahh! tiny killer robots…” Ables says. The studio specializes in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, a grappling style of fighting used in the UFC. The studio offers adult classes five days a week and children’s classes four days a week. For the rest of 2009, a monthly membership is $100 for adults and $80 for children, and members get unlimited access to classes. There is no sign-up fee, but students must buy uniforms, which cost between $50 and $200. For information call 682.554.5220 or email robables@ymail.com.
Trying to get your high-schooler accepted into college? Junius Heights resident Andrea Loubier started Critical Writing Coach, an SAT/ACT essay prep seminar designed to help sophomores, juniors and seniors taking standardized achievement tests score better on the more subjective essay portion of the exams. “Competition for getting into college is getting more and more intense,” Loubier says, “and colleges are often turning to the essay written on these tests as a differentiator.” The National Association for College Admission Counseling indicates all college applications should be mailed before the end of December, so get on it folks! You can sign up for workshops or private seminars; visit criticalwritingcoach.com for details. Or get a jump-start on 2010, Loubier is launching a DVD series in January.
The Dallas Spanish House (dallasspanishhouse.com) is a language school that offers Spanish (SSL) and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes to adults and children. Owners Luis Martinez and Catherine Wallace opened the school, located at Prospect and Matilda, a couple of years ago. The couple initially taught classes out of their house in the Knox/Henderson area, but as the demand for their classes began to grow, along with the size of their family, they knew it was time to set up shop somewhere else. One of their favorite things about their location is that it’s within walking distance from their home. Martinez is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, where he taught SSL for more than 10 years. Martinez, who has a theatrical background, likes to make his classes both educational and entertaining. Wallace has some serious East Dallas roots, with her family living in the area dating back as far as 80 years ago. She taught ESL in the Dallas ISD for seven years before moving to Oaxaca, Mexico, to study Spanish and teach English. In January the pair are starting a new Spanish Immersion Preschool program.
