BUSINESS BUZZ

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

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Big boxes for Steakley site

Houston-based developer Ainbinder Co. has purchased the old Steakley Chevrolet at Abrams and Northwest Highway with plans to turn it into a major retail complex. The site, to be called High Point Center, stretches 13 acres almost to Skillman. Though no leases have yet been signed, big box and junior anchor retailers are expected for the roughly 160,000 total square feet of space. Steakley Chevrolet opened in 1962 and closed in early 2008. Since then it’s been an eyesore, hosting Dallas Furniture Mart for a while in the showroom and a variety of occasional vendors in the parking lot. No date was given for the start of construction.

Starbucks rumors

The shopping centers around Ferndale and Northwest Highway make up a quietly blossoming hub of food, art, recreation and wellness. It is home to a bicycle shop; an upscale patisserie; a hardware store that sells baby chickens and specializes in organic home repair and urban agriculture; a nationally renowned art gallery; an herbal acupuncture center; a makers co-op and trendy shops. But what about a coffee shop? Darren Backus, whose family sold the shopping center and Backus Shell last year, said the new owners had been working on a deal with Starbucks. One of the guys involved with the investment group that owns the property, Grey Stogner, says he can’t confirm any Starbucks action, but he says he will keep us posted if anything happens. “We do not have any definitive plans at this time,” he writes in email. “We obviously feel this is a fantastic area with great potential.”

Summit Climbing Gym Lawsuit

On behalf of his 7-year-old son, a Lake Highlands dad is suing Summit Climbing Gym after, he says, the gym failed to provide adequate staff for supervision of the 10-12 children at a rock-climbing party where his son was badly injured. Only one Summit employee was present to assist the young partygoers, so he asked three fathers to help with supervision, according to the lawsuit.

The father of the injured child was assisting other children on a climbing wall, he says, when his son fractured an elbow while coming down a slide used for descending the wall.The father says that the slide upon which his son was hurt was slick and lacked proper padding, conditions which he says created “substantial risk.” The injuries have required two surgeries, have been expensive to treat, and are potentially permanent. The counsel for Summit Gym Jennifer Aufricht disputes that Summit’s slide was unsafe, calling the slide in question “safer than typical … (with) walls along each side and padding at the landing.” She did not comment on the staffing issue since, at press time, she had not yet received the filing, but she did say that “Summit Gym wants children to have fun, and it is not a policy to have an employee standing at the bottom of the slide to catch the child as he slides.” All Summit users are supposed to sign a waiver before climbing. Summit had a waiver on file for the child in this case prior to the day of the accident, says his father. The waiver climbers receive today is largely “beefed-up” compared to the one the plaintiff signed in 2014, says the father of the injured child.

Wine bar near White Rock

Bodega Wine Bar is back in business and this time near White Rock Lake. For 10 years it operated on Travis Walk, but closed in 2012. Owner AmierTaherzadeh tried other things for a while, but he has now reopened Bodega at Abrams and Mockingbird. The concept is the same as the original location: wine. Drink it by the bottle ($15-$120), by the flight ($10-$25) or by the glass ($7-$12). There’s a $5 cork fee. You’re welcome to bring your own bottle of wine for a $10 cork fee. You can also bring your own food, or order a cheese and meat plate. Bodega is open 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, and it’s open until midnight Friday-Saturday.

Politics

The State of Texas in June announced the formation of a I-635 East Legislative Caucus, which aims to expedite construction and improvements along I-635 from Central to 1-30, and to do so without any managed toll lanes. The group reportedly will meet “frequently and regularly” to “analyze and develop a number of options for the continued development of the I-635 East project.

People

Dr. Jennifer Raad has joined the dental practice of Dr. Davis H. Grinsfelder. Raad is a Dallas native who graduated from SMU with a soccer scholarship and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. Raad was a patient of Dr. Grinsfelder, who has been practicing for more than 50 years.

Founder of the White Rock Marathon and the Dallas Running Club Tal Morrison died last month of congestive heart failure. He was 93 years old.

Jake Gaba, Lake Highlands High School’s 2012 senior class president, competed on NBC’s television show American Ninja Warrior. The episode aired last month.

Education

The Lake Highlands Women’s League awarded 29 scholarships this spring. The winners were Mary Arrey, Kayla Banks, Brittany Beck, Derrick Boateng, Tennessee Bonner, Jean Dossou, Hannah Gray, Semien Hagos, Thalia Harnett, Susporiea Harris, Rahel Harrison, Fredrickia Jackson, Genice Johnson, Esther Kariuki, Alex Little, Allyson Livingston, Caroline Livingston, Diana Monyancha, Katie Norris, Claire Parry, Jeffrey Reyes, Adriana Rodriguez, Abighail Seghid, Tyler Squires, DeMarkus Taylor, Reed Thomas, Madison Wachel, Symone Watson and Dara Wemida

Sports

Lake Highlands High School senior Jamarice Preston jumped 6 feet, 6 inches to win second place a the UIL State Track & Field Championship at the University of Texas at Austin recently. Preston also competed in the long jump, 400-meter dash and four-by400-meter relay. Aside from track, he played football and basketball. Earlier this year, he ran 400 meters in 47.97 to break the school’s record. Stanley Redwine, head track and field coach at the University of Kansas, held the old record for 36 years.

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Baptist

LAKESIDE BAPTIST / 9150 Garland Rd / 214.324.1425

Worship — 8:30 am Classic & 11:00 am Contemporary

Pastor Jeff Donnell / www.lbcdallas.com

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Worship & Bible Study 9:15 & 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

PRESTONWOOD BAPTIST CHURCH / “A Church to Call Home”

Sundays: Bible Fellowship (all ages) 9:15 am /Service Time 11:00 am

12123 Hillcrest Road / 972.820.5000 / prestonwood.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / www.nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sunday: LifeQuest (all ages) 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am

Student Ministry: Wednesday & Sunday 7:00 pm / 214.348.9697

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

Sunday School for all ages 9:00 am / Worship Service 10:30 am

Pastor Rich Pounds / CentralLutheran.org / 214.327.2222

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee

Worship: 8:30 am & 10:50 am Traditional / 10:50 am Contemporary

WHITE ROCK UNITED METHODIST / www.wrumc.org

1450 Oldgate Lane / 214.324.3661

Sunday Worship 10:50 am / Rev. Mitchell Boone

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE HIGHLANDS CHURCH / 9919 McCree / 214.348.0460

Sundays: Classes 9:30, Coffee 10:25, Assembly 10:45

Home groups meet on weeknights. / lakehighlandschurch.org

Presbyterian

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133

8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr.

214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Welcomes you to Worship

Summer Worship: May 24 - Sept. 6 / 10:00am / Childcare provided.

Unity

UNITY OF DALLAS / A Positive Path for Spiritual Living

6525 Forest Lane, Dallas, TX 75230 / 972.233.7106 / UnityDallas.org

10:30 am Sunday - Celebration Worship Service