Biz Buzz

A discount retailer of kid’s clothing, from sizes newborn to toddler, is celebrating its grand opening at Golden Triangle Mall on Thursday. My Little One will also have a ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Online information about the store is available at www.mylittleoneusa.com.

Denton school officials are planning a “Come Watch Us Grow” tour and free lunch for real estate agents on Wednesday, March. 12.
The tour, which starts at the LaGrone Advance Technology Complex at 1504 Long Road, will give real estate agents an opportunity to view the complex as well as several of the district’s newest schools, including Harpool Middle School and Blanton Elementary School. Lunch will be provided at the Lantana Golf Club. Seats are still available. Call 940-369-0006.
Sponsors include: Brunswick Zone Bowling Center, Charter Builders, City of Denton, DATCU Credit Union, Denton Lions Club, Denton Massage, Denton Record-Chronicle, Grayson Stone, Hero’s the Party Experience, James Wood Auto Park, Jostens, attorney Mark Lewis, NorthStar Bank, Pecan Creek Pediatrics, PointBank, Presbyterian Hospital of Denton, Raymond James Financial Services, Sonic, and Wells Fargo.

Keep us in the loop and send an e-mail anytime about any business news to dcobb@dentonrc.com; kramirez@dentonrc.com or rhulstrand@dentonrc.com.

Stay safe this weekend!

Dawn Cobb

It is still the same place, the same great food, but just has a new name.

Our Denton’s Best for the past two years for affordable dining and just great pizzas changed its name to Fera's last November 1st.

According to Brenda Gordon, manager of the restaurant located on Oak Street, the name happened when they bought out their partner last year. “Everything is still the same if not better,” Gordon said.

Remember to stop by for some great dessert, especially the tiramisu.

Keeping you informed,

Karina Ramirez
940-566-6878
kramirez@dentonrc.com

In reply to a couple of e-mails, this is what we have on Sassy Katz (this is the correct spelling).

It is moving to the Denton Square Shopping Center, not Denton Crossing as previously stated. It will be located right next to Blockbuster on Teasley Lane and I-35.

The physical address for the location will be 725 S I-35 E. We do not have the suite number, it could be 154 or 155 or both, but the manager could not verify that for us at this time.

She did mention that they would place a sign to announce the move at the new location this week.

Keeping you informed,

Karina Ramirez
940-566-6878
kramirez@dentonrc.com

University of North Texas student Alyssa Nedley recently won Wells Fargo’s MPG3 Sweepstakes. As the grand prizewinner, Nedley was to receive a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid, with an iPod 80GB video loaded with the top 25 College Albums of 2007, but she opted for the $25,000 cash option in lieu of the automobile. Not a bad option, and she still gets the iPod!
The sweepstakes attracted more than 500,000 entrants across the United States from over 1,000 campuses. Customers who opened a Wells Fargo College Checking account were automatically entered to win. Congratulations UNT and Alyssa Nedley!

Keeping you informed,
Randena Hulstrand
940-566-6845
rhulstrand@dentonrc.com

Sassy Katz will be relocating to the Denton Crossing Shopping Center near Applebee’s.

Natalie Petty, manager for the girls’ favorite birthday party store, said Sassy Katz would have their last rock star party this Saturday, March 1st.

According to Petty, it was the right time to move. Sassy Katz needed a new place to accommodate their high demand and the space they found at the Crossing complex is also getting a bit of renovation as well. It was the best of both worlds. Petty said the next location will be "bigger and better."

The new Sassy Katz will be located next to Blockbuster and back in business on March 21st.

Keeping you informed,

Karina Ramírez
940-566-6878
kramirez@dentonrc.com

Have your driven by McKinney lately? In case you have not noticed, Aamazing Auto, recently relocated on the same street from 820 E. to 819 McKinney. They opened the new store on Feb. 15.

Owner Jason Anderson with mechanic Keisha Jackson and executive operations manager Staci Young are ready for your business offering auto detail and repair. Young said that Anderson's previous location was "tiny", but that he now works with a 4,000 square feet of space and he wants to offer customers in addition to detailing, any type of vehicle service, including oil and tire changes.

If you have any questions on the services they offer, you can call the company at 940-382-4344.

Keeping you informed,

Karina Ramirez
940-566-6878
kramirez@dentonrc.com

Robson Ranch recently reached their 1,000 building mark with the milestone home selling to Gerald and April Bayne, who are relocating to Texas from the East Coast to be closer to their three daughters and seven grandchildren.
Homebuyers can choose from more than 18 floor plan options with flexible designs ranging in price from the $190’s - $350’s. Amenities include a Sports Club with state-of-the-art fitness equipment, two outdoor swimming pools, an indoor lap pool along with six lighted tennis courts, a clubhouse, 18-hole golf course and restaurant.
Also, the new Creative Arts Center is currently under construction and slated to open this year that will have areas for woodcarving, a library, homeowner art gallery, ceramics with kilns, sewing and quilting, and rooms for arts and crafts.
Robson Ranch, located six miles south of Denton off Interstate 35W is an active adult community designed for homeowners 55 and older, however a limited number of homeowners may be younger, with the minimum age of at least one homeowner in each household being 40 years old.

Just keeping you posted,
Randena Hulstrand
940-566-6845
rhulstrand@dentonrc.com

If any of you are looking for a boost of oxygen, the Cupboard Natural Foods now has an oxygen bar that has been up and running since September. Owner of O2asis Oxygen Bar, Johnny Bryant, also a massage therapist who gives massages at the Cupboard said the popularity of oxygen bars began in Japan, where the air quality is poor.
Apparently, it’s as easy as paying the cashier at the Cupboard per minute of oxygen, getting a headset and token and plugging into the bar near the gift shop in the store. Bryant said the oxygen is at a 30-percent concentration and warns those with lung diseases should not use the bar.
Has anyone tried this yet?

Let us know,
Randena Hulstrand
940-566-6845
rhulstrand@dentonrc.com

You've likely noticed this is the fourth e-mail in one day! Well, the bizbuzz bunch is back and in full force. We've had to switch a few things around and do a bit of training, but now there's at least three of us keeping our eyes on business news in and around Denton.

Karina Ramirez and Randena Hulstrand, both recent master's degree graduates from the Mayborn Institute for Journalism at UNT and strong journalists, are both contributing to the blog to keep it hopping. And you'll still see quite a few notes from me too!

Keep your eyes open for any updates and be sure to let us know. Feel free to call any one of us and we'll be sure to check it out.

And, just so you know, we're all making calls to find out the latest on Rayzor Ranch -- so stay tuned. If you know anything or have an opinion to share on the project, give us a buzz.

Dawn Cobb
Managing Editor
Denton Record-Chronicle
940-566-6879
dcobb@dentonrc.com

The WIK Candle store on Denton’s downtown historic square will be closing in March. But customers don’t worry! You’ll still be able to get your WIK fix. The owners are consolidating inventory into their second location at the Golden Triangle Mall. Chuck Scott, owner and operator said they began polling their customers during the past holiday season and found people found it easier to shop at the mall location because it was easier to find parking.
The Golden Triangle Mall location began as a temporary spot for WIK, but with their recent decision to close their first location, they will soon begin remodeling the mall store - making it look and feel more nostalgic.

Keeping you updated,
Randena Hulstrand
940-566-6845
rhulstrand@dentonrc.com

If you get an e-mail from the Synergy Bank from Waco, beware!
Lavon Taylor, media representative for Synergy Bank located in Waco today she said that the e-mails are fraudulent and not legitimate.
“We have been inundated with calls today,” she said.
For the past two weeks messages have been going to people via text messages on their cell phones. And today, businesses were targeted. The e-mail said that customers have locked accounts and requires a phone call to the actual branch’s phone number.
Taylor asked the public to not reply to the e-mail and erase it from their mailboxes. She thinks the e-mails may be originated from Killeen, but she was unsure. She was surprised to learn that the e-mails had reached Denton.

Keeping you informed,
Karina Ramirez
940-566-6878
kramirez@dentonrc.com

Gene Gumfory says he's opened a new Sonic Drive-In recently in the strip center at Paloma Creek. The restaurant is number 25 for the Denton area group. Kelly Wooten, a new managing partner, hired 45 employees to staff the restaurant.

Just keeping you in the know.

Dawn Cobb
940-566-6879
dcobb@dentonrc.com

Several have been wondering about recent closings of restaurants in town, including Church’s Chicken at 3450 E. McKinney and Krystal, the new restaurant that opened off Loop 288 near Target.
After a number of telephone calls, here’s what we found out:
Officials with Church’s Chicken indicate the store owner decided to close it, but no reasons were released.
“We are looking at Denton for future locations,” said Jennie Huang, company media representative from the corporation’s Atlanta office.
The Krystal Company indicated the Denton location was the only one closing in Texas and the company is planning to continue to expand its chain in the state.
“While it is our policy not to speak to specifics surrounding the closing of a franchise-owned location, we can say that the road construction on Loop 288 in front of the Denton Krystal made it very difficult to grow the business for our local franchise,” said Brian Cooley, a company spokesman, in an e-mail reply to a query.
“The Krystal Company remains very much committed to serving our guests in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex,” he continued, adding that the company has locations in Carrollton, Grand Prairie and Fort Worth.

Keep the questions coming!

Dawn Cobb
dcobb@dentonrc.com
940-566-6879

p.s. Regarding other queries about developments, we have calls out to find out the latest and will let you know here as soon as we hear anything!

A few things are picking up, business-wise, around town with ramblings about a new barbecue restaurant off Interstate 35E near Chuck E. Cheese and a new business off Teasley Lane.
A division of Bully Dog Technologies, a sales and distribution center, is relocating to an industrial business park at Old Alton Road and Teasley Lane. Plans are to open the business by mid-February after moving about 20 employees from its current Dallas location and hiring new employees from the area. Bully Dog Technologies, based in Idaho, offers a full range of upgrades for everything from electronics to exhaust, gauges, intakes and more. For more information, visit www.bullydog.com
More details are expected soon on the new restaurant.

Be sure to keep me posted on anything new developing. We still have our ear to the ground on Rayzor Ranch and will post/write an update just as soon as we confirm information.

Stay in touch!

Dawn Cobb
940-566-6879
dcobb@dentonrc.com