SEPT-OCT 2021 Plano Magazine

SEPT-OCT 2021 | PLANOMAGAZINE.COM

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A Company Built on Women Helping Women Ebby Halliday was a champion for women in business long before it was popular. Ebby was known to personally train widows in the art of being an agent, giving many of them their first employment opportunity outside the home. After Ebby helped “pull them up,” they would turn around and pull others up, and so on. Now, 76 years later, Ebby Halliday Realtors has grown into the No. 1 real estate brand in Collin County, all thanks to one woman’s example and the discernment of countless others to follow it.

If you would like to buy or sell in this market, you will need a fulltime, experienced agent by your side. We recommend one of ours.

Ebby Halliday, pictured second from right, 1957

Julie Adler Julie Adler

Janine Bayer

214-223-7255 julieadler@ebby.com

Janine Bayer Bayer Group 469-585-8569 janinebayer@ebby.com

Kay Cheek 972-333-4541 kaycheek@ebby.com

Kay Cheek

Tonya Dangerfield

Tonya Dangerfield 214-641-4491 tonyadangerfield@ebby.com

Sandra Diaz-Mills 214-864-9220 sdiazmills@ebby.com

Angelia Ekholm Sandra Diaz-Mills

Angelia Ekholm

972-515-9031 angeliaekholm@ebby.com

Debbie Fellwock 214-212-5213 debbiefellwock@ebby.com

Kam Gill 972-746-7742 kam@ebby.com

Debbie Fellwock

Kam Gill W OM E N IN B USIN E SS 202 1

Lori Gladstone 469-980-9209 lorigladstone@ebby.com

Lori Gladstone

Mollie Hancock

Deepti Kaul

Claudia Kelley

Kathleen Langley

Pam Lewis

Avaan Bulsara Lieberman

Sarah Liu

Mollie Hancock 972-978-1710 molliehancock@ebby.com

Deepti Kaul 214-886-7289 deeptikaul@ebby.com

Claudia Kelley 214-762-6769 claudiakelley@ebby.com

Kathleen Langley 214-478-9988 kathleenlangley@ebby.com

Pam Lewis 214-675-1477 pamlewis@ebby.com

Avaan Bulsara Lieberman 469-867-4663 avaan@avaanl.com

Sarah Liu 972-743-4635 sarahliu@ebby.com

EB B Y H A L L IDAY REA LTORS

Lorena Locke Lorena Locke

Cynthia Lopez

972-342-5630 lorena@ebby.com

Cynthia Lopez 214-769-2142 cynthialopez@ebby.com

Lynda Moore 817-243-0663 lyndamoore@ebby.com

Lynda Moore

Martha Morguloff

Martha Morguloff The Morguloff Team 214-354-5266 marthamorguloff@ebby.com

Danna Morguloff-Hayden The Morguloff Team 214-533-3217 dannam-h@ebby.com

Stefany Nau Stacey Feltman Group

Danna Morguloff-Hayden

Stefany Nau

469-805-1588 stefanynau@ebby.com

Karina Nunez 469-682-1054 karina@ebby.com

Cindy O’Gorman The O’Gorman Group 972-380-7389 cindyogorman@ebby.com

Karina Nunez

Cindy O’Gorman W OM E N IN B USIN E SS 202 1

Cyndy Powell 469-733-2879 cyndypowell@ebby.com

Cyndy Powell

Kim Miles Poynor

Kimberly Pulaski

Mary Reeves

Jill Robertson

Kristi Schwartz

Tracey Shuey

Alison Smith

Kim Miles Poynor 972-672-9918 kimpoynor@ebby.com

Kimberly Pulaski 972-375-7979 kimberlypulaski@ebby.com

Mary Reeves 214-693-4950 maryreeves@ebby.com

Jill Robertson 214-534-3006 jillrobertson@ebby.com

Kristi Schwartz 214-755-6749 kristischwartz@ebby.com

Tracey Shuey Shuey Group 214-801-1209 traceyshuey@ebby.com

Alison Smith The Central Perch Group 214-707-5859 alisonsmith@ebby.com

EB B Y H A L L IDAY REA LTORS

Jodi Smith Stacey Feltman Group

Jodi Smith

Lauren Stevens

972-965-9301 jodismith@ebby.com

Lauren Stevens 214-403-6554 laurenstevens@ebby.com

Ann Stewart 972-979-9606 annstewart@ebby.com

Ann Stewart

Teri Taylor

Teri Taylor 214-808-4673 teritaylor@ebby.com

Laura Vanderpoel 214-460-6181 lauravanderpoel@ebby.com

Angel Willeford Laura Vanderpoel

Angel Willeford

214-803-1118 angel@ebby.com

Kimberly Woodard 214-632-2092 kimberlywoodard@ebby.com

Stacey Zimmerman 469-865-3656 staceyz@ebby.com

Agent Name Kimberly Woodard

Name StaceyAgent Zimmerman W OM E N IN B USIN E SS 202 1

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SONJA KABELL Regional Operations Manager BeBalanced Hormone Weight Loss Centers 7130 Preston Road, Suite 200, Plano 75204 Plano.bebalancedcenters.com 214-501-4402 Sonja Kabell has dedicated nearly 20 years to the health and wellness industry. She doesn’t think of her career as a job, but rather as an opportunity to serve.

Her passion is helping women with hyper-busy schedules find the perfect balance between home and work. Being part of a woman’s healthy transformation to improve mood, sleep, energy, PMS and menopausal symptoms is what makes every day on the job worthwhile.

WHAT SERVICES DOES BeBALANCED PROVIDE? We offer women’s focused health and wellness services that empower them to love their bodies at any age, while achieving the highest quality of life through natural hormone balance and weight loss.

WHO DOES BeBALANCED HELP? We help women get their lives back. We believe you don’t have to accept symptoms commonly associated with the aging process and instead encourage women to live a full life of vitality, health and happiness. Women influence their surroundings; if they are balanced, their environment and people around them will be too.

WHAT SETS BeBALANCED APART FROM COMPETITORS? We are a natural alternative, offering a holistic approach to weight-loss and hormone balancing. Our program includes proprietary, all-natural hormone balancing supplements, a whole-foods hormone-balancing diet and soundwave-relaxation therapy to not only rebalance sex hormones, but also lower cortisol and stabilize blood sugar and insulin. Through our program, clients work one-on-one with a natural hormone balancing specialist for support along the way. The program is proven and has long-lasting results.

WHAT TIPS DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER WOMEN GOING INTO A HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROFESSION? The industry is ever-changing. New information is available daily, so it’s important to pick a good school that gives up-to-date information. The calories in/out doesn’t work, especially after age 40.

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO? “Good vibes only AND stay flexible.” There’s no way to predict what a day will look like.

HOW DO YOU BETTER THE COMMUNITY ASIDE FROM WORK? I’ve served on the Ambassador Committee and Women’s Division Board for the Plano Chamber of Commerce, the Historic Downtown Plano Association board, and PTA boards for Davis Elementary, Haggard Middle School and Vines High School. I have worked with Hope’s Door and am involved in multiple local networking groups and arts and entertainment organizations.

WHAT MOTIVATES YOU? I have an innate ability to see the big picture and am constantly evolving into the next version of myself. I like to live out loud and grow as a human, which is why this career is a perfect fit.

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Did you miss us?

We’re back in print this month after roughly a year of going paperless. The last time Plano Magazine was delivered to homes and businesses, it was only a couple weeks before our country went into lockdown for COVID-19.

Of course, most of you continued to read our digital magazine online, and more than thousands of you continue following Plano news, information and calendar events on our website at planomagazine.com, as well as on our Facebook and Instagram pages.

But lots of you have been asking for our return to print, and we’re glad to be back!

Most of you know how our business works, but this is a good time to thank the neighborhood businesspeople who provide the financial support necessary to cover our costs for reporting, photographing, printing and distributing our online content and 30,000 print magazines.

Something else that’s new since we last got together: We’re now a nonprofit news organization, supported by sales and donations.

We’re working on new ways to help you understand what that change means to you and our business — in fact, we just found out we’ve been accepted to a competitive national journalism program designed to help local news outlets maintain their vibrancy.

One way everyone can help today is by sending us ideas for stories and photos relevant to all of us — interesting neighbors, new businesses, news that impacts Plano. If it seems interesting to you, it will probably be interesting to the rest of us. Let us know what you’re thinking at editor@planomagazine.com.

Well, that’s enough housekeeping details for this month. Just remember to tell us what you think about how we’re doing, and don’t be shy: We want to hear the good with the less-good, because all feedback helps us celebrate the #PlanoGoodStuff.

-Jehadu Abshiro

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P L A N O M A G A Z I N E . C O M

ISSUE NO.35

CONTENTS

16 SNEHA NADELLA 20 PATRICIA GROCE 24 CALENDAR 26 TARSHA POLK HEARNS 28 KAREN PARKS 30 AMBER LA FRANCE 32 DIGITIZING PLANO 36 PEOPLE OF PLANO

PLANOMAGAZINE.COM | editor@planomagazine.com | sales@planomagazine.com | 214.560.4212 PUBLISHER Jehadu Abshiro | FOUNDERS Luke and Jennifer Shertzer | WRITER Joshua Baethge DESIGNERS Jynnette Neal | Jessica Turner SALES Michele Paulda | Frank McClendon | Brian Beavers

CONTRIBUTORS Kathy Tran • Daniel Rockey• Liesbeth Powers • Rachel Stone ILLUSTRATION • Jessica Turner P L A N O M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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The Social Justice Prodigy story NICK BRIDEWLL art VOSKRESIJA ANDREEVSKA

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P L A N O M A G A Z I N E . C O M

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SOMETIMES THE PEOPLE WE MEET IN LIFE FOREVER IMPACT OUR FUTURES.

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hat’s the case with Sneha Nadella, a teenage author and activist, who has t a k e n e x t r a c u r r i c u l a r s a t P l a n o We s t High School to a new level in an effort to combat human trafficking.

Her contributions include founding the It’s G o i n g To B e O k a y c l u b c h a p t e r a t P l a n o We s t High School, founding and co-hosting the “Let’s Ta l k Tr a f f i c k i n g ” p o d c a s t , a n d f i n a l l y p u b l i s h i n g her debut novel, Section 16.

Her fight against human trafficking began as a seventh-grader volunteering for a gala, where s h e m e t To n y a S t a f f o r d , a h u m a n t r a f f i c k i n g survivor and originator of the national It’s Going To B e O k a y g r o u p .

“I was struck by her story. It was simply impossible to ignore,” Sneha says. “The message regarding the value in the fight against this issue was also impossible to turn a blind eye to.”

T h r o u g h t h e l o c a l I t ’ s G o i n g To B e O k a y group, Sneha says she can directly help human trafficking survivors.

“All of the goods that we collect are for the sole purpose of assisting with the rehabilitation of victims, helping them get back to pursuing an education and coping with their trauma”, she says.

A s t h e c o - h o s t o f t h e L e t ’ s Ta l k Tr a f f i c k i n g podcast, an essential part of Sneha’s work is spreading awareness about human trafficking through deep-dive conversations with survivors and activists. “ We d i s c u s s h u m a n t r a f f i c k i n g c a s e s , t h e t o l l they have on mental health,” Sneha says, “and how trafficking networks can grow so big with little word amidst the public as it happens.”

Sneha’s next contribution to the fight against human trafficking is her debut novel, Section 16, which follows a teenage protagonist looped

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into an intricate domestic servitude scheme.

The novel is a cautionary tale, exploring the personality and environmental traits that make the main character susceptible to traffickers.

The book came about when Sneha realized that so much of the audience she had on the L e t ’ s Ta l k Tr a f f i c k i n g p o d c a s t w a s i n t h e 1 8 + a g e range, leaving a younger age gap to inform.

“Early teens are often in a stage where they are still growing and understanding the world, hence urging the need to educate them over what consists of reality,“ Sneha says. “Human trafficking is very much a reality.

“I direct my book towards late middle school children and early teenagers because they are a very perceptible age group,” Sneha says, “especially with social media being around. For traffickers, hiding behind profiles and luring victims into their scheme is a very common occurrence as younger generations put their life out on various public platforms.

Whether obvious or not, traffickers rely heavily on using an individual’s vulnerability to their advantage.”

Sneha credits the Plano community for supporting her efforts.

“I believe Plano has an amazing community, and the students in both my school and my local community have been incredibly supportive in joining me in the fight against human trafficking,” Sneha says. “It’s a good feeling to know that I am not only a part of a movement, but I have others joining me along the journey.

There is power in numbers.”

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Learn more about Sneha’s journey and her novel, “Section 16”, on her website at www.snehanadella.com

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COMING TOGETHER THROUGH SHARED CULTU story Joshua Baethge | photos Kathy Tran

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P

atricia Groce has called Plano home for more than 20 years. During that time, she’s raised a family and worked as a teacher for Plano ISD. When health issues necessitated a career change, she transitioned to a job at St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church. She says she loves helping people there. And if she gets paid for it, that’s good, too.

Despite living a happy American life, a part of her still sometimes longs for her E c u a d o r. T h a t m o t i v a t e d h e r t o e s t a b l i s h the Asociación de Damas Ecuatorianas e n e l N o r t e d e Te x a s ( t h e A s s o c i a t i o n o f E c u a d o r e a n Wo m e n i n N o r t h Te x a s ) . I t i s a support group for the Ecuadorean expats and an opportunity to celebrate their shared heritage.

When Groce was 20 years old, she married an American serviceman. For years they moved from place to place depending on his assignment. One of the things that always made life easier for her was being involved with military wives’ organizations wherever she lived. About five years ago, she was talking to a couple of Ecuadorians i n N o r t h Te x a s a n d h a t c h e d t h e i d e a o f starting a group for women who had

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moved from that country.

“I knew the necessity in the ethnic community for women like me, especially the ones that spoke English as a second language,” she said.

“Culture shock affects everyone when you move to a new community.”

Groce put out the word on social media that she would be hosting a gathering at her Plano home. She cooked a traditional Ecuadorean soup and expected to meet a few new people. Little did she know 27 p e o p l e w o u l d s h o w u p a t h e r d o o r.

“I have never had to add more water to the soup like I did that day,” she recalled.

“I realized that there was such a big need.

We w e r e a l l l o o k i n g f o r t h e s a m e t h i n g . ” That “thing” was a desire to be a part of something. Many people who emigrate from Ecuador immerse themselves in local culture. They learn English and raise their kids like anyone else. Groce says there is an independent streak among many of the immigrants who each came here under different circumstances.

“One thing many people don’t realize is that the longer you are away from your home country, the harder it is to go back,” she says.

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Each meeting has a different theme. Previous guest speakers have included representatives from the Ecuadorian consulate, a speaker from the U.S. Census Bureau and local real estate and insurance experts. According to Groce, people in the Spanishspeaking community often fall victim to fraud. Through these talks, she hopes not only to educate group members but also to encourage them to speak up and ask questions, something that doesn’t always come easy for people in her culture.

The group has also coordinated toy drives and held celebrations for Christmas and Ecuador Independence Day on Aug. 10. While the pandemic has spurred a move to more online meetings, the group has still managed to maintain a loyal following. It’s something Groce hopes to continue for a long time.

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AN ADVOCATE FOR ALL story Joshua Baethge | photos Kathy Tran

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arsha Polk Hearns has dedicated herself to helping people from all backgrounds become successful entrepreneurs. In 2018, the Plano native was tabbed to lead the first LiftFund Women’s Business Center in North Texas.

In this role, she helps women and minorities secure funding for their small businesses. She also serves as an advocate for them, providing training and other technical assistance.

“There are several obstacles that can prevent people in underserved communities or people that are disadvantaged from becoming successful entrepreneurs,” she says.

LiftFund is one of the largest microlenders in the country.

Through a partnership with the Small Business Administration, it can provide loans to those who may otherwise have trouble getting the financial backing they need.

Often, women and minorities face greater obstacles getting access to that funding.

As Hearns points out, it’s only been since 1988 that women in the United States were able to get a loan in all 50 states without having a male co-sign for them.

“Thirty-three years is not that long ago,” she says. “It takes a long time for progress to happen, and it takes a long time for change to happen.

Even when a woman tries to go to a traditional financial institution, there are still some unconscious biases.”

Hearns has confronted some of those biases. While working in the corporate world, she often felt disadvantaged because of her gender and race. After being passed over for a lateral promotion she was more than qualified for, she left and decided to start her own media company.

“That kind of woke me up to the fact that whatever I did, someone else was going to be in control of how I progressed,” she says.

As she became successful in her business, she began to think of ways she could help others facing similar obstacles. Hearns was a founding board member of the Collin County Black Chamber of Commerce. Her experience there was the beginning of her increased advocacy for minority-owned businesses. After she became involved with the National Association of Women Business Owners, she felt a calling to do more for them as well.

Access to capital is just one challenge many minority and female business owners face.

Hearns also works to ensure they have access to networks where many deals and relationships are made.

She believes there has been some progress in the aftermath of the 2020 George Floyd murder. Hearns says many corporations, associations and groups that have been traditionally dominated by white men are at least becoming aware of the need for more diversity. She hopes this leads to more inclusion that better represents the views of a wider community, adding that people are inspired when they see someone who looks like them succeeding. Hearns is hopeful her efforts will help other females and minorities find success with their own callings.

“I know in my core that my life’s purpose is to inspire people to live their dreams through entrepreneurship,” she says. “I know that is what I have been led on this earth to do, and the path that has been laid out for me, everything has led up to that.”

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KAREN PARK story Daniel Rockey| photos Kathy Tran

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aren Park has found success in the restaurant industry, but it hasn’t come without stress.

Park is no stranger to the business world. Arriving in the U.S. in 1984 with only a handful of cash and a dream, she worked her way through several successful businesses to become the owner of several restaurants.

“Back at that time, not many ladies owned restaurants,” Park says. “It was pretty hard. I had to face all of those hardships myself. Now I can use my former experience to handle my employees, to get good supplies, to run a good business.”

She faced challenges throughout her journey. Owning any business is a financial risk, but especially so with r e s t a u r a n t s . To m a k e t h i n g s w o r k , P a r k had to learn a bit of everything to shave costs where she could.

“I worked for everything myself,” Park says. “I did construction, I did general contracting, layout. I liked it.”

Along with figuring out the logistics of her restaurants, she had to learn the human element of them.

Park recalls a time when she was developing a Japanese restaurant in 1996.

“When I started, Japanese sushi chefs didn’t really trust women,” she says. “They don’t want me to touch the fish. They say my hands are too warm.” She chuckles and continues. “ I t ’ s a l l j u s t e x c u s e s . T h e y s a i d , ‘ Yo u ’ r e a K o r e a n w o m a n . Yo u d o n ’ t k n o w J a p anese food.’ So I studied. I created some rolls, some dishes, and I paid them on time, always. They trusted me

after that.”

Her first Korean restaurant, Ari Korean BBQ, has been with her for some time. She runs it and three other restaurants with her sons and daughter-in-law.

Park remembers when she was growing her family, keeping her restaurant afloat while juggling the cornucopia of responsibilities required with raising children. She wasn’t without help for long, as one of her sons, Eugene, started to join her endeavors.

“Eugene started helping me since when he was in elementary school,” she says. “He helped me a lot. He stayed with me all the time.” While Eugene and his mother split responsibilities among the restaurants, Karen continues to look for the next opportunity. Ari has remained a fan favorite, with a second location prospering in Plano, alongside Edoko Sushi, Robata and their latest, Korean Street Eats.

While Park has certainly laid the groundwork for female business owne r s b e h i n d h e r, t h e r e a r e s t i l l c h a l lenges women entrepreneurs have to face.

“First of all, you have to have some capital,” Park says. “That’s just the m o n e y p r o b l e m . Yo u h a v e t o b e r e a d y for hardships. Doing business means y o u h a v e t o s a c r i f i c e a l o t . Yo u h a v e t o f o r g e t a b o u t v a c a t i o n s . Yo u r m i n d can’t rest. If you can handle all the stress, then you can start. “ Yo u c a n d o i t , ” P a r k s a y s . “ I h a d a dream. I went to school. I worked. I built up the business, and I am thankful now that I made my restaurants successful.”

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Amber La France Interview RACHEL STONE Photos JESSICA TURNER

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P L A N O M A G A Z I N E . C O M

A

mber LaFrance had bedbugs in her $450-a-month apartment in Austin.

Otherwise, she might’ve never come back to Dallas, where she’s now one of the most boss public relations mavens in town. Her clients include Deep Vellum Books’ La Reunion imprint, publisher of the long-awaited repress of The Accommodation, and artists such as Jeremiah Onifadé and Mariell Guzman. Her firm has represented clients from fashion designer Venny Etienne to locally owned retail boutiques and major hotels and commercial real estate developments.

The 33-year-old is marking her 10-year anniversary of working in the PR business, as well as the eighth year in business for her firm, CultureHype.

Her dad helped her move out of that apartment in the middle of the night, leaving a note for the neglectful landlord, and she moved into her dad’s house in her hometown, Plano.

By then, she’d put herself through college working in retail and graduated with a degree in marketing and a minor in business from Texas State University. She’d also worked her way from volunteer intern to paid publicist for Heather Wagner Reed of Juice Consulting in Austin.

Back in Dallas, she was still working for Reed as needed but realized she didn’t know anyone in PR there. She took another unpaid internship with the bargain that she would be exempt from intern work, like stuffing bags, and get to do client work instead.

That’s how she met Jarrod Fresquez, the account executive whose biggest client at the time was the Hilton Anatole. Eventually, Fresquez and LaFrance started their own firm, with him as the face of the operation and LaFrance doing behind-the-scenes PR work.

They added Red Bull as a client, and their second event was Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarcus Ware’s birthday party at the W Hotel.

She had student debt and no savings, and she made about $14,000 the first year.

“But we aggressively networked,” LaFrance says.

They did over 30 events that first year.

She lugged her laptop everywhere and always had a change of clothes in her car for

nighttime networking. She forced herself into extroversion with a goal of getting 10 business cards at events and learned networking techniques by watching her business partner in action.

After about a year, Fresquez went to work for his family’s financial firm, and LaFrance took over the business and rebranded.

She now has four employees, two of whom she trained up from interns. She lives in the Bishop Arts neighborhood and offices at the Common Desk on West Davis.

HER FIRST CLIENTS We kept the Hilton Anatole, and we had Red Bull and Hard Night Good Morning, D’Andra Simmons’ skincare line. She was a friend of Jarrod’s mother, so she became our client, and I was doing press all over the nation for her. It was a little out of my comfort zone at the time, but I ended up getting her in the Wall Street Journal and a lot of national press. She was really my first big client.

MUSIC INDUSTRY PR Musicians weren’t hiring PR at that time, and it was a boys’ club, so I had to educate them on what PR is, why you need to invest in it, what I charge and why I charge that much.

So I did this PR stunt, one of my favorite things I’ve done. We planned a circus-themed album release for a band, Goodnight Ned, at Trees. They wanted a “janky circus,” so we made all these circus games in my dad’s backyard. They wanted to be taken seriously by festivals and booking and make more money. We used that as an example, and we blew that party out. There were like 450 people. Then they started to get booked for all the festivals and get good press and all of that.

KEEPING IT FUN Our clients represent what we’re personally into.

I have four employees, and they all do business development. They’ll pick clients they want to work with, and they’ll sign them and get that account. It’s really fun.

NOT JUST PR

I expanded my services a few years ago because I was doing a lot of marketing for my PR clients. We do event planning, music booking, influencer marketing and programming for the W, WFAA and the Virgin Hotel.

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Bringing History Back to Life story JOSHUA BAETHGE photos courtesy of PLANO PARKS & RECREATION DEPARTMENT

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S

tep into the side room of the Courtyard Theater, and it feels like a walk back in time. There are slide projectors, newspaper clippings and even cassette tapes. Nearly every available space in the room is covered with photos, binders and other mementos from a bygone era. It may look like a random mishmash of memorabilia, but there is actually a method to the madness going on in here.

For more than a year and a half now, three local women have been meticulously sorting and organizing a vast collection of pictures and long-neglected mementos that had been stored away. Their goal is to identify what the photos show. After that, they plan to digitize them so that they can be uploaded to a website for the whole community to enjoy.

Nearly all of the items come from archives of the Plano Parks & Recreation Department, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2018.

At the time, former Parks director Robin Reeves told community outreach specialist Kelley Crimmins that she should go through the countless boxes of old pictures that had been sitting in the office for ages. Little did Crimmins know that it would become a labor of love. Together with Courtyard Theater Patron Service Attendant Pam Holland and local volunteer Melissa O’Neil, the trio has been whittling down the collection to a point where it is getting close to something presentable. Or at least they think it is.

“We just all came together and now we are this closeknit group,” Crimmins says.

The group typically meets a couple of afternoons per week. Work initially began with a few boxes and a handheld slide viewer at a space in the Oak Pointe Nature and Retreat Center. At the time it was closed due to COVID-19. When the facility reopened, they moved to the Courtyard Theater space.

The women now have slide projectors to more quickly view the endless boxes of slides. Those projectors were once upon a time cutting-edge technology used during city council meetings.

With so many items to go through, one of the group’s constant challenges is trying to determine exactly what they are looking at. One of the first things they’ve noticed is how quickly Plano has grown over the past half century. Many of the oldest photos highlight the city’s humble beginnings. Most people wouldn’t have a clue that those snapshots of country dirt roads or sprawling farms are today the sites of bustling businesses or modern neighborhoods.

Holland has become adept at playing the photo detective. It’s something she enjoys so much she literally sets an alarm on her phone to ensure she goes home at a decent time.

Her process usually starts with examining pictures for clues like identifying signs or city officials she recognized from a certain era.

Things like utility lines or water towers help her get her bearings.

“We saw all these water towers and thought if we could just figure out where the water towers are we could kind of orient ourselves,” she says.

Of course, water towers have come and gone over the course of Plano’s history. However, thanks to a layered map put togeth-

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er with the help of business intelligence analyst Shari Forbes, Holland can find water towers along with information on when they were installed. She also has access to old aerial photos that, when viewed consecutively, provide a timelapse-style illustration of just how much the city has grown. By using this data along with her local expertise (and if she’s lucky, a date on the photo), she’s become pretty adept at determining where these unidentified photos were taken.

Many pictures reveal once common items that younger people would not recognize today. Things like giant computers, old-school printers and drafting tables now seem nearly as dated as a Model T. There are also photos of mustachioed police officers on the firing range with no protective equipment and dispatchers typing away on clunky typewriters.

Smoking was also everywhere with ashtrays ubiquitous in just about every setting.

A few special photos show former City Manager Bob Woodruff at the Plano Balloon festival when it was held at Oak Grove Park. After he died unexpectedly in a 1986 car accident, the park would be renamed for him.

Woodruff was among the community visionaries who helped shape the modern city people recognize today. Many

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photos also illustrate just much the parks department has accomplished since its founding. Documents show evidence of planning decades in advance for some of today’s popular facilities.

Pictures of long-forgotten events like “Picnic in the Park” and the “Plano Roundup” may also inspire the department to reexamine discontinued programs to see if they may find new life today.

It’s been a learning experience every day for the three women who have spent countless hours pouring over Plano’s past. Now they can’t wait to share what they have found with others.

“It’s been so much fun,” Crimmins says.

“I’ve learned so much about the city going through all this.”

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MEET YOUR NEIGHBOR, MEAGAN WAUTERS story & photography LIESBETH POWERS

Lyla’s: Clothing Deco r & Mo re sta r ted as a pop - up shop, mak ing occasion al appea rances a round Plano. Now, it sits nestled among the H isto r ic Down town shopping st r ip along 15th St reet.

Owne r Meagan Waute r s has def ied the odds of the last yea r to keep it the re by innovating and expanding the shop’s reach.

D ressed in head -to -toe Lyla’s appa rel, Waute r s is ready to take on the chal lenges that remain fo r smal l business owne r s.

WHE N AND HOW DID YOU COME TO PL ANO? I am o r ig inal ly from Loui siana. I moved to Texas in 2 0 06 th rough JCPenney [and] have been a resi dent of Plano since 2 015.

TE LL US A LIT TLE BIT ABOUT LYL A’S. Lyla’s is named af te r my g randmothe r s, Lydia and Lau ra. Af te r leaving co rpo rate retai l, I sta r ted Lyla’s as a clothing on l ine boutique. We slow ly sta r ted doing vendo r shops in vendo r [and] consign ment mal l s. [ This incl uded] school pop ups l ike Plano West Snow flake and Ma rket in the Meadow School shows. I took the leap to smal l business af te r getting ma r r ied. I wanted to get away from wo r k ing eve r y weekend to sta r t a fam i ly. I opened Lyla’s in Downtown Plano in 2 017.

HOW DID YOU CHOOSE TO BRING LYL A’S TO DOWNTOWN PL ANO? The location was suggested to me th rough fr iends.

Downtown Plano is being revital i zed, and t raf f ic is bui lding in the a rea.

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W H AT C A N S H O PPE R S F I N D? I h a ve a n ew p a s s i o n fo r f i n d i n g s a rca s t i c, f u n g i f t s . I l ove h e a r i n g c u s to m e r s l a u g h a s t h ey wa l k t h ro u g h t h e s to re. S h o p p e r s ca n f i n d o n t re n d c l ot h i n g , c u te g i f t s a n d h o m e d e co r i te m s .

W H AT AR E SO M E O F T H E B I G G E S T WAYS YO U A N D LYL A H AVE CH A N G E D? W H AT CO R E T H I N GS H AVE S TAYE D T H E SA M E ?

T h e b i g g e s t wa y s I h a ve c h a n g e d i s l e a r n i n g c u s to m e r t re n d s a n d co nt i n u o u s l y a d j u s t i n g [to t h o s e]. Ly l a’s s ta r te d o u t p re d o m i n ate l y c l ot h i n g , a n d I s l ow l y i n co r p o rate d g i f t s . W i t h t h e p a n d e m i c, I n ot i ce d a s h i f t i n b u y i n g p at te r n s to m o re g i f t s .

W H AT WA S I T L I K E M A K I N G I T T H RO U G H T H E PA N DEMIC? I t ’s b e e n a s t r u g g l e. At t h e b e g i n n i n g of t h e p a n d e m i c, I d i d n’t k n ow i f we wo u l d m a ke i t.

W i t h t h e s e s u rg e s a n d t h e e a s e of o rd e r i n g f ro m A m a zo n , s m a l l b u s i n e s s e s h a ve a n u p h i l l b at t l e. I t r y to of fe r u n i q u e c l ot h i n g a n d g i f t s t h at at t ra ct c u s to m e r s i n .

DO YOU HAVE ANY EXCITING PROJEC TS OR CHANGE S COM ING UP? We have been wo r k ing on upg rading and bui ld ing ou r website to g ive a bet te r on l ine shopping ex pe r ience. [We a re] mak ing it mo re use r fr iend ly [and] get ting new a r r ival s on l ine quick ly w ith qual it y photos. We sti l l of fe r cu r bside pickup!

DO YOU SE E CURBSIDE AS A LONG -TE R M OPTION EVE N POST-PANDE M IC? [ Ye s], i f p e o p l e n e e d a q u i c k g i f t a n d wa nt to s h o p s m a l l ! B e i n g n ex t to t h e c i t y of P l a n o’s h e a d q u a r te r s a n d b u s i n e s s e s , s o m e co m e i n fo r l a s t - m i n u te g i f t s a n d re s e r ve i te m s o n l i n e.

We b a g w i t h t i s s u e p a p e r a n d m a ke i t g i f t re a d y.

W H AT D O YO U E N J OY D O I N G M O S T I N PL A N O? I l ove th e sen se of co m m u n it y i n Pl a n o! T h e t re m en d o u s su p p o r t by th e res i d ent s to keep s m a l l b u s i n es ses th r i v i n g i s a m a z i n g to see. I wa s i n vo l ved i n th e J u n i o r Lea g ue of Co l l i n Co u nt y a n d h o p e to g et b a ck i nto it. I [a l so] recent l y j o i n ed th e P TA w ith my n ew k i n d e rg a r tn e r.

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Lyla’s: Clothing Decor & More, 1024 E. 15th St., Plano, 214.907.6239, lylasplano@gmail.com, www.lylasclothing.com

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