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LAVENDER BLUE
Dallas veterinarian shares her journey to owning Metro Paws
Story by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL Photography by YUVIE STYLES
For Dr. Jennifer Lavender, a Dallasborn and raised veterinarian, vet school was kind of funny. She says she only ever dreamed of becoming a vet, operating on stuffed animals in her youth.
Lavender grew up attending Lakewood, Armstrong and University Park Elementary schools. She continued at McCullough Intermediate School and graduated from Highland Park High School in three years in 1991. She then completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees in biomedical science at Texas A&M University. Prior to vet school, she took time to work in London in a restaurant and department store with the city sucking her in. She became determined to work at a practice across the pond. Sending resumes to every street and every single clinic she could find, eventually she received one call back that gave her a shot to break into the industry in London, which she says is difficult to do without technician training as a licensed nurse. But with that
one call she was able to work in a London clinic for a summer.
For 25 years, Lavender’s career has led her to her first internship in Houston, working abroad, hesitantly leaving her city lifestyle for College Station yet again to attend vet school (years she says were pretty hard on her, from academics to medical woes). She then moved back to Dallas where she focused on high-volume spay/ neuter work at a nonprofit full-time for about three years until she and a classmate opened their first practice.
Today, she continues serving pets at Metro Paws Hospital in Oak Cliff and with a group called Animal Balance that goes all over the world on spay/neuter mission trips. Lavender is all about giving back. She started an externship opportunity within her practice for fourth-year veterinary students, a discounted feral cat package and alternative treatment plans for patients and pet parents to be able to have more accessible care.
I HEAR VET SCHOOL IS PRETTY RIGOROUS. HOW DID YOU MANAGE?
I was really fortunate that I’m a really stubborn person. If I’ve said, “This is the end, this is the finish line,” then I’m going to cross it. And so it was just kind of blind stubborn effort that got me through. It was kind of a crazy time. It’s so funny because I think looking back, I wouldn’t go back and change anything, but I sure don’t want to go back and redo it either. I’m pretty good with where I am today. One nice thing about vet med, too, is just that it can be a flexible career, as far as hours and kids. And so it’s been nice to be able to raise my kids as a single mom and have my job be something that kind of fits in line with that.
WHY DID YOU END UP OPENING A CLINIC IN OAK CLIFF?
We operated that clinic in East Dallas for several years, and honestly, we planned to
buy a building to move that office to because we were having some issues with our landlord. And as we started looking at properties in East Dallas, somehow we really kind of zeroed in on Oak Cliff as being a really underserved area, as far as just preventative animal veterinary care in general. As we kept trying to look in East Dallas, we kept coming back to this just dearth of resources in West Dallas. And so that’s kind of what happened with the Oak Cliff office. Then we found the land, we bought the building and we opened it. And it was kind of funny because once it was open, we both were like, “Well, wait, we still have the original problem.” And we finally did buy a building in East Dallas and opened an office over there. By then, it was kind of 11 years from the first one. But Oak Cliff was never on our radar, except for the fact that it was impossible to look at a map of Dallas and see the little pins where all the veterinary clinics were, and there was just an absolute missing section of the city. And even a lot of the clinics that were over there, like the Vet Stop and Hampton Road and things like that, they were either not taking new patients or on the verge of retiring.
I KNOW YOU GIVE BACK AND DO VOLUNTEER SERVICES. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THAT.
I’m really big on just access to care in general, and that’s kind of the term that we use in the industry about trying to make sure that underserved areas have the care that they need.
SO GIVING BACK IS A BIG PART OF WHAT YOU DO — HOW FULFILLING IS IT FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO HELP OTHERS AND HELP ANIMALS?
It’s the whole point of doing it. We can all get a paycheck doing so many things, and so I think everybody has to kind of figure out what fills their heart. And for me, being of service to people, to help them provide for their pets, is what fuels me and fills me. Especially with my surgery patients, I tend to give my personal number to all of my clients that have surgery with me, so that I’m on call for them basically 24 hours a day if their pet has a complication after surgery. But for me, that’s actually the part that I get the most out of, is the connection with the person and then working collaboratively to see that pet get to a better place, whatever that may be, but that’s actually what gets me the most satisfaction of what I’m doing.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Jaclyn Wooten holds her dachshund Daphne next to her husband Aaron Biggs inside their cottage-style store in Oak Cliff. The converted bungalow house invites customers in with its homey feel.
DOGS IN BISHOP ARTS ARE
‘Lucky
Pups’
Lucky Pup Dog Shop owners talk dogs and community
Story by KATHARINE BALES
Photography by ETHAN GOOD
Jaclyn Wooten and Aaron Biggs, a married couple hailing from Kansas, stand with their dogs, Charles and Daphne, inside their store in Oak Cliff. A converted bungalow house, the exterior invites customers in with its white siding, green roof and homey feel.
As a dog boutique in the walkable Bishop Arts District, Lucky Pup lives up to its name. Matching leashes, collars and harnesses hang from black racks for owners to peruse. Dogs are welcome inside the store and get complimentary pup cups — or treats as a dairy-free option.
“We’ve gotten to know the neighborhood dogs by name, and Dallas is just a very dog-friendly city,” Wooten says.
Wooten and Biggs decided to open a dog supply shop in memory of their two “soul dogs,” who both passed away.
“We were really missing them, but we weren’t ready for new dogs yet,” Wooten says.
Lucky Pup Dog Shop launched in June 2024 in their hometown of Wichita, Kansas. Six months later, it opened a second location in Dallas.
“We opened on our birthdays,” Biggs says. “I’m Dec. 1, and she’s Dec. 2.”
But this wasn’t their first time opening a business. Wooten and Biggs own a romance-specific bookstore
called Blush, which they first opened in Kansas as well.
“With our first location being this iconic little romantic cottage, our next location had to have a lot of character and charm,” Wooten says.
They settled on opening Blush’s second store in Bishop Arts. After getting to know the area for a few months, they finally added their second concept across the street: Lucky Pup.
“I guess we’re still in the mindset of not sleeping and opening stores,” Biggs jokes.
Bringing both concepts to Bishop Arts was an intentional choice, they add.
“I fell in love with the charm and the walkability, and I think that’s really unique for any big city, let alone Dallas, where it’s such a big metro,” Wooten says. “Everything feels very smalltown, small business-minded here.”
The neighborhood also felt more unique than the rest of Dallas, Biggs says.
“Dallas is such the definition of a concrete jungle,” he says. “Then stepping into Bishop Arts, once you turn the corner, it feels like you’re leaving Dallas and going into small town vibes on the strip.”
Being so specific, both Blush and Lucky Pup have customers talking.
“In our store, we find strangers have no problem starting conversation,” she says. “It’s easy because you have this thing in common, which is your love for romance books or your love for dogs.”
“Or both,” Biggs adds.
Opening Lucky Pup has also been an opportunity to support other small businesses and vendors, they say.
“We just got in this really great line of these leather collars with these charms from a small business out of Boston,” Wooten says.
In fact, the couple notes that other stores don’t even feel like competition. They laugh at how similar their merchandise is to the
kids’ store next door, both carrying tiny clothes.
“Our neighbors are DLM Tots, so you’ve got your fur babies and your real babies,” Wooten says.
Shortly after opening Lucky Pup, Wooten and Biggs adopted their husky mix named Charles, then their dachshund Daphne. They found Charles at the Kansas Humane Society in January and got Daphne from a breeder in Oklahoma the next month.
“Literally from the time they saw each other, they were best friends,” Biggs says. “They play together so hard. She’s actually the more vicious one of the two, which you don’t believe.”
Wooten and Biggs used to travel back and forth from Wichita to Dallas to manage all their stores, but they recently moved to Oak Cliff full time and are here to stay.
“Being here full time is going to be a big game changer,” Wooten says. “We’re excited to be in the store more.”
The new ordinance that amends the definition of “smoking” to include electronic smoking devices (Vaping) goes into effect at midnight on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Any area that currently prohibits smoking, now includes vaping of any kind. These areas include all indoor and enclosed spaces within fifteen (15) feet of building entrances, and on park property. For more details, visit us at the link or contact us at greendallas@dallas.gov.
The public and business owners and operators please note the date to come into compliance is December 11, 2025. Visit greendallas.net to view the ordinance.
Photo by Josephhaubert.com
A NEIGHBORHOOD GASTROPUB
Eclectic-style diner marks 15 years in Oak Cliff
Story by KATHARINE BALES
Photography by JESSICA TURNER
Plated above is the grilled porkchop topped with jalapeño and pineapple chutney, sitting atop a vegetable succotash. The white plate beside it hosts a pan-seared Scottish salmon sitting on lightly stirfried rice with tumeric, coconut, almonds, raisins and carrots then topped with green curry sauce.
Named after the protagonist’s girlfriend in the 1968 film Planet of the Apes , Nova lives by the words “mid-century modern” in more than one way. The restaurant, housed in a former Dairy Queen, draws inspiration from the old sci-fi movie featuring original VHS tapes on the shelves, as well as eclectic indoor elements such as a chandelier with star-shaped lights.
“We wanted to do something reminiscent of an old gastropub out of England,” says John David Reid, a co-founder and operating partner at Nova. “That’s where it all came from.”
Started by Reid and four friends in the restaurant business, Nova came to Oak Cliff in 2010. Nova doesn’t adhere to a specific cuisine or menu year-round. Its offerings depend on the cooks who prepare them.
“It’s what we call chef-driven,” Reid says. “We can put whatever we want on it, as long as we do it right — that’s the thing.”
A casual diner located near The Kessler Theater, Nova has been a popular neighborhood spot for years.
Some of the diner’s most popular dishes are its chicken-fried pork loin ($22), pizzas ($17-21) and the burger ($19), Reid says.
The roasted garlic hummus starter includes seasoned pita bread, a rich hummus dip and fresh vegetables ($16).
“The hummus we do a little bit differently,” Reid says. “We put a little bit of Greek yogurt and a couple of other ingredients that give it a much smoother texture and a creamier flavor. And the vegetables that go in the hummus are tomatoes, cucumber and basil — it’s simple — a little olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.”
Currently, Nova offers pan-seared Scottish salmon, which Reid highly recommends. The gluten-free dish comes with fried rice containing turmeric, carrot, slivered almond, black currant, cilantro, green curry and toasted coconut ($30).
Reid says the restaurant’s most popular cocktail at the moment is a variation of a French 75, called the Nova 75 ($12).
“We take vodka with fresh berries, agave nectar, lemon juice,” Reid says. “It’s muddled, shaken and strained into a martini glass and topped off with champagne with a lemon twist.”
Besides cocktails, Reid says the restaurant’s wines are also a hit among customers.
Like many Oak Cliff residents, he raves about the unique, close-knit experience our neighborhood offers. He has lived here for nearly a decade.
“Friday night we’ll go to different people’s houses and have happy hour, even go on vacation with the neighbors, and that’s something that’s kind of unheard of here in Dallas,” he says.
One thing Reid has noticed since opening the pub 15 years ago is the camaraderie among locals.
“It is just a great sense of community here,” Reid says. “I see the same people three, four times a week. And it’s such a diverse community.”
To give back, Nova takes food to volunteers at Dallas Animal Services every month. Reid is a dog lover himself and has four at home, he says.
He’s also had the chance to form relationships with regulars over the years.
“One thing I love about Nova is watching the kids in the extended community grow up,” he says. “And they’re like, ‘Hey, I want to work at Nova.’ That is the most rewarding part of that restaurant.”
Nova, 1417 W. Davis St., 214.484.7123, novadallas.com
R E A L
Dallas filmmaker releases first solo documentary
Story by ELIZABETH TRUELOVE
Photography by AMANI SODIQ
Whether making home videos with his iPad or crafts with his friends, Julian Sol Jordan hasn’t gone a day without art in his life.
“I just really loved doing it, and I haven’t looked back,” Jordan says.
Jordan, born and raised in Dallas, is the son of two artists. His mother, Jessica Marie Jordan, is a member of the Dallas band Polyphonic Spree, while his father, Josh David Jordan, is a film director and writer. Most notably, Josh David’s film This World Won’t Break , made in 2019, featured both Jessica Marie and Julian.
LI F E
“Just because your parents are creative doesn’t mean that you’re going to be creative?” Jordan says. “I think they really gave me a good childhood and just nurtured all that creativity.”
Aside from working with his father early in his career, Jordan explored his love for filming while attending Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. For Jordan, it was the perfect place to explore his passions around like-minded students.
Jordan graduated from Booker T. in 2020 and went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in communications from Lamar University this past spring. While earning his degree, Jordan worked on a range of projects, including short films, music videos and music with his band, Sunrise Academy. Jordan says that diversifying his work allows him to stay creative and avoid burnout.
“Even if it’s my priority expression, filmmaking can sometimes make me feel a little stuck,” he says. “It’s so nice to be able to pivot and work on music for my band. It allows me to not put so much pressure on what I’m doing.”
Navigating that balance is what inspired the idea for Real Life , his self-made documentary that was released this summer. The film, Jordan says, illustrates the lack of direction and aimlessness he feels in his
early 20s. Real Life features VHS footage from Jordan’s childhood alongside his documentary and narrative style filming now at 24 years old. Collecting and filming these pieces over years, Jordan says the nostalgia he felt reminiscing his own childhood aligns with the comingof-age vibe of the film.
“I had moved back into my parents’ home in my early 20s, and I felt a little stuck and lost,” he says. “The film is this very raw, personal look at what I felt like when you’re in that weird, transitional stage.”
With Real Life being his first solo project, Jordan says every step in creating the film pushed him to his limit. Some of his friends acted in the film, but scriptwriting, filming and editing were entirely handled by Jordan. He carried his camera, boom pole and tripod across Dallas and spent months filming himself, a process he describes as very introspective.
“My dad said it best the first time he watched the film,” Jordan says. “He told me, ‘It doesn’t seem like the kind of movie you wanted to make more than it was something that you just had to get out.’ It was interesting to look back and think of it that way, as just something I needed to get out of my system.”
After finalizing his film, Jordan struggled to find an audience to share his work. At first, Jordan applied to the Slamdance Film Festival in Los Angeles, but he was only able to share a draft of the film due to a rushed timeline and ultimately was rejected. Jordan believed this would be one of his only rejections, given how competitive the festival was, but he soon realized how challenging it was to receive recognition even in Dallas.
“I thought that I would get into other ones like Dallas International and Oakland, but I’m now here, probably rejected from 30 other film festivals,” Jordan says. “So, I knew I had to take it into my own hands.”
Jordan looked to the Texas Theatre to host a private screening of the film. He posted flyers around the neighborhood and managed his own press on social media. About 145 people showed up, selling out the event.
“It seriously was just a one-man thing,” Jordan says. “It’s cliché, but the phrase ‘fake it till you make it’ is such a true thing. No one’s coming to save you or give you a million dollars to make a movie.”
Because of Real Life , Jordan says, he looks at his art with a new attitude. Going forward, he hopes to continue making a space for himself in the industry like he did with his film.
“This has just been a big learning experience, in terms of carving my own path,” Jordan says. “This year I want to go full force in getting my work out there. I know to work with what (I know) and just get after it. It doesn’t matter what gear you have, just express yourself and your voice. It’s not going to be a magnum opus, but at least you did it right.”
The Gateway Charter Academy announces that it will operate the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) under the National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program for the 2025-2026 school year. Schools qualifying to operate CEP serve breakfast and lunch to all children at no charge and eliminate the collection of meal applications for free, reduced-price, and paid student meals. This approach reduces burdens for both families and school administrators and helps ensure that students receive nutritious meals.
For the love of dogs
Cedric’s Coffee Truck is giving back to local dog rescues
Story by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL | Photography by KATHY TRAN
OAK CLIFF IS HOME TO THE PERFECT SPOT FOR COFFEE AND ANIMAL LOVERS.
Cedric’s Coffee Truck is open every Saturday at 12th and Edgefield from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., and donates 100% of their tips to local dog rescues.
“I think we’ve carved out a really unique space that is not Bishop Arts, not quite Elmwood, not quite like Illinois or Kiest or anything like that,” owner Erin Ortegon says. “It’s just this really sweet spot where there’s not a whole lot of like restaurants or commercial spaces, and so we’ve been very well received.”
The truck is named after Ortegon’s dog Cedric, who she adopted in the last semester of her senior year of college. Cedric passed away last November and was Ortegon’s driving reason behind being an advocate for rescues and adoption.
Cedric had been with Ortegon for almost 14 years. She got him in Austin, brought him back home to San Antonio, and then they moved to Dallas about seven and a half years ago.
Ortegon says she always wanted to open some kind of coffee shop or deli once she moved to Dallas. She couldn’t find a favorite
coffee shop in the city, so she talked to her husband and decided to start her own spot.
“We kind of started thinking about, ‘Well, what would that look like?’ and building out a business plan and figuring out, ‘Will they even let us sell their coffee?’” Ortegon says. “So we reached out to Wild Gift, and they said yes, and we went down there and did a full coffee tasting. And so while we were doing all that, we were also figuring out, ‘Do we want a brick-andmortar shop, or do we want a coffee truck?’”
Coming from San Antonio and Austin where food trucks are very popular, they decided to pick the latter.
“We started pricing out trucks, and we finally found a place out in Georgia that actually built our truck for us, exactly like specs to what we needed, for the espresso machine, stuff like that,” Ortegon says.
They knew they wanted dogs to be at the forefront of their business. Ortegon opened Cedric’s in April 2024 and decided to donate their tips to a different local rescue organization every month.
“Not only did we have Cedric, but I had also adopted two other dogs over the last 15 years or so, and my husband had one dog, and we always knew we wanted to somehow integrate a form of giving back,” Ortegon says. “We weren’t quite sure how that was going to look like when we started out, and ultimately, we just decided that we would donate all of our tips.”
Ortegon says they try to focus on foster-based rescues. They also do work with Dallas Animal Services, who have become good friends of Cedric’s.
“It’s been really cool to see that partnership grow. They have just done a really great job of maintaining an open line of communication with us, and they’ve been super helpful,” Ortegon says. “We had a big event one year and invited them out, and they were able to kind of put a table up, and we had a bunch of people bring their foster dogs by the event to meet people. It was really good exposure for them. And also, one of the dogs that was there got adopted. And then, since the event, three of the dogs have gotten adopted.”
The goal is for Cedric’s to expand outside of their Saturday-only hours, and they are currently looking to open a brickand-mortar location so they can be open every day.
Ortegon says the community has been wonderful, and people drive from all over Dallas to come see them.
“We don’t stop and talk about it. We’re just so busy,” Ortegon says. “They have just been so, so welcoming. The best part is being able to give back.”
Cedric’s Coffee Truck, 345 S. Edgefield Ave. @cedricscoffeetruck
Sergio and Erin Ortegon, co-owners of Cedric’s Coffee Truck, blend their love of pups with sharing cups of coffee.
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a collection of identities
Oak Cliff’s history before and after annexation
IT’S BEEN 122 YEARS SINCE OAK CLIFF’S ANNEXATION BY THE CITY OF DALLAS.
Our neighborhood has a storied history, with one of the most notable events being the capture of Lee Harvey Oswald in the Texas Theatre on Nov. 22, 1963.
Oak Cliff is a versatile Dallas neighborhood. From a freedman’s town tucked away on Tenth Street to being a resort destination during the Gilded Age, Oak Cliff has had a collection of identities since its beginning.
EARLY BEGINNINGS
Don Raines, a senior planner for the City of Dallas, is well-versed in the tales and history of our neighborhood. He says when he thinks of early settlers, he goes back to the Native Americans.
“People don’t understand the Caddo nation, how strong it was, how much of an influence it was,” Raines says. “The Comanche are completely different people. Completely different outlook on life. So the characterizations of the two completely opposite Native Americans really kind of shaped what Dallas and Fort Worth are today.”
Story by JILLIAN NACHTIGAL
William and Mary Hord came to Oak Cliff in 1845 and established Hord’s Ridge. The 640 acres — across the river from John Neely Bryan’s cabin and set roughly where the Dallas Zoo is now — rested in front of a “ridge” of sorts.
Another notable settler, William Brown Miller, moved to what is now the eastern Oak Cliff area in 1847. Miller built a plantation and became one of the largest slave owners in Texas.
The person who named Oak Cliff was Thomas Marsalis.
“He just couldn’t fathom calling it Hord’s Ridge,” Raines says. “Hord’s Ridge tried to be the county seat of Dallas. He just had to change the name. It just did not sound like to him a place that people are going to flock to.”
Marsalis came from New York City and was one of the biggest influences on Oak Cliff.
“Thomas Marsalis brought the first steam railroad into this area, down across the bridge, and what we know is Jefferson Boulevard, and he just had such a strong vision,” Raines says. “He came from New York City, so he understood how New York City was. He looked at this side of the river as being like Brooklyn,
and he actually even called it the Brooklyn of the Southwest.”
Marsalis attracted wealthy people who wanted a little more home life, Raines says.
“What I like about Marsalis’ story is his character was to have a respite from Dallas,” Raines says. “It was to have a place that was fun for families, a place that had recreation in mind. As Dallas was growing, there was not much recreation to speak of. I think, for Oak Cliff, the story of most of our area here, it’s the story of sheer will. The land grants were great. People came here, this side of the river, and basically did what they thought they could do.”
After the Civil War, flourishing freedman’s towns developed in the areas bound by the Trinity River to the north, Fleming Street to the west, Compton Street to the south and the Trinity Heights streetcar line to the east. One of the only remaining intact freedman’s towns in the country is the Tenth Street Historic District.
Situated in the eastern vicinity of Oak Cliff, the prosperous community emerged. By 1900, almost a sixth of the town’s population was made up of 500 Black residents. Because of segregation, Tenth Street became a hub for African American heritage.
Despite being named a historic district in 1993, the most well-preserved freedman’s town in the country is an endangered preservation site. After years of neglect, Dallas City Council members have begun taking action again to preserve the historical district for generations to come.
ANNEXATION
Oak Cliff was once separate from Dallas. Marsalis got the land, but it wouldn’t be incorporated into a town until 1891. Then, the 1893 recession hit, and because of the economy, people voted for it to be part of Dallas in 1903 only by less than 40 votes or so, Raines says.
“It wasn’t like they were resisting being part of Dallas. It’s just that the economy was so bad at the time,” Raines says. “One of the big dilemmas was Oak Cliff had street names that had the same street names that Dallas had. A lot of streets had to change their names. That was kind of tough on the identity of Oak Cliff.”
The annexation of Oak Cliff was a significant event, marking the beginning of its history as part of the larger Dallas domain. Despite the annexation, Oak Cliff has retained a distinct identity as one of Dallas’ oldest established neighborhoods.
In 1908, flooding caused the Trinity River to rise over 50 feet, which led to devastation throughout Oak Cliff. These issues continued into the future.
“So people lived here and worked in Dallas, and then the flood happened, and every bridge went down, except for the streetcar bridge,” Raines says. “For four years, it was a burden to get across the river to go to work. You had to grab a ferry. You couldn’t just horse and buggy across because the bridges were out. It was a burden for Oak Cliff.”
After this, Oak Cliff had to slowly reinvent itself.
“It always kept its identity, even when it joined Dallas,” Raines says. “It didn’t give up the name. It always wanted to be Oak Cliff and always was the Brooklyn of the Southwest.”
Baseball is an important piece of Oak Cliff history as well as the first time the sport was integrated in the South was in Oak Cliff in 1952. Prior to that year starting in the 1890s, players were segregated into two different leagues for white and Black players.
Oak Cliff had a reputation of being a place to go watch sports, and baseball was one thing that brought people together.
In 1990, claiming misallocation of resources, the Greater Oak Cliff Citizens’ Council proposed the disannexation of Oak Cliff from the City of Dallas. The organization argued that by becoming an independent municipal entity, the residents of Oak Cliff would receive more of the services they felt the City of Dallas had denied them. Following public discussion and study, the Greater Oak Cliff Citizens’ Council did not pursue the matter further. Newly Extended Hours for Urgent Care Starting
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