Local Services

Nonprofit of the Month

The Storehouse Community Empowers Neighbors to Thrive Article by Elizabeth Lenart | Photography by Photography Courtesy of Ben Skye The Storehouse Community Center looks different to each neighbor. The Storehouse, founded in 2009, provides short-term assistance and long-term transformation to residents of Collin, Dallas, and Denton counties, and it does so in a myriad of interconnected ways. For some, The Storehouse is a source of food. For others, an opportunity to learn important skills...

Entertainment

Date Night with Character

The Bartonville Store Offers the Unforgettable Taste and Atmosphere of Authentic Texas Article by Travis Hager | Photography by Savanna Romano Tucked between Flower Mound and Denton, at a crossroads in the little town of Bartonville, sits a weathered landmark with a warm invitation painted right over the door: eat, drink, live music. The Bartonville Store delivers all three with the natural grace of a place that knows exactly what it is. For couples seeking an unforgettable date night, it...

Food + Beverage

Champions of Breakfast!

Best Local Spots to Start Your Morning Off Right Article by Angi Burns Best Bagel: Justin Coffee & Trading Co. | Justin The Boot Scootin’ Bagel tops an everything bagel with egg, bacon, avocado, smoked gouda, and arugula for a Texas-sized breakfast favorite. Best Coffee: Marty B’s Coffee Co. | Bartonville Marty B’s pairs its Texas Hill Country vibe with North Texas-roasted coffee, classic espresso drinks, and creative seasonal lattes. Best French Toast: L’Amitié Bistro | Denton ...

Finance + Legal Services

When Cash Gets Tight Do Not Bet On One Fix

Picture a commercial plumbing and mechanical contractor in Denton County. The trucks are rolling, the crews are booked eight weeks out, and the profit and loss statement looks healthy. Then payroll week arrives, and the bank balance is thinner than it should be. Two large customer payments are late, a supplier deposit came due early, and the annual insurance premium landed the same week. Nothing is broken. The business is profitable. And yet the money is not there when the bills are.This is the...

Health + Wellness

Four Days Instead of Three Weeks: What a Teenage Dancer Taught Me About Treating the Whole System

Every dancer knows the sentence. "Take the week off, then we'll see."I wrote that note myself recently — for my own daughter. She'd started having low back pain with the things dancers can't avoid: walking, leg extensions, high kicks. There's an old joke in this profession that treating your own family never goes well, and I'd normally agree. But she was hurting, and I know what the standard path looks like from here. A week out of class. Then a week or two of modifications, standing off to the...

Arts + Culture

How Learning Music Helps Heal and Strengthen the Brain

How Learning Music Helps Heal and Strengthen the BrainBy Todd Parks, Owner and Founder, New Song School of the Arts What happens inside the brain when someone sits down at a piano, picks up a guitar, plays the drums, or begins to sing?Far more than most of us realize.Learning music requires the brain to listen, remember, anticipate, coordinate movement, recognize patterns, process emotion, solve problems, and make adjustments, often within fractions of a second. Few activities ask so many...

Finance + Legal Services

Do You Have a Strategy or Just a Schedule?

Ask a small business owner about their plan for the year, and most will describe a list of things they want to get done. More clients. A new hire. Better cash flow. Those are goals - and goals are good - but they are not a strategy. Strategy requires knowing where you stand before you decide where to go.If you have ever asked yourself how to stop reacting to financial problems and start planning ahead, a SWOT analysis is one of the most practical places to start. It does not require a consultant...

Finance + Legal Services

Next Year Starts Now. Why Every Small Business Owner Needs a Budget.

Budget is one of those words that makes small business owners uncomfortable. It sounds corporate. It sounds like extra work. It sounds like something you build once and ignore when reality does not cooperate.None of that is true when it is done right. A budget is simply your best thinking, written down, about what the next 12 months should look like. And for a small business owner trying to stop reacting to financial problems and start planning ahead, it is the most valuable document you will...

Life + Culture

Nonprofit of the Month

The TWU Career Boutique: An Investment in Student Success Article by Nicole A. Sonkur, M.S., CCSP | Photography by Courtesy of TWU Career Boutique Imagine stepping into your dream job interview knowing that you look like a million bucks without having spent a single dime getting there. That’s the reality for students at Texas Woman’s University (TWU), where becoming interview ready goes beyond basic resume advice. At the TWU Career Boutique, housed in the Career Connections Center, students...

Life + Culture

First Responders of the Month

Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1 Provides More than Medical Care Article by Valerie Merrick | Photography by Courtesy of Denton ESD Recently, Denton County Emergency Services District No. 1 went above and beyond for a local resident. Capital Joshua Esquivel recalls, “We were at the station when a community member walked in and asked if we could check her vital signs because she wasn't feeling well. As we do with any walk-in medical call, we notified Denton County Dispatch and...