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Every Last Word
Dallas Innovates’ signature series capturing what leaders across North Texas are saying — in their own words — about innovation, impact, and what’s next.
"The Blake" from the new Sneex luxury shoe line. [Photo: Sneex]
The Last Word: Dallas-Based Personal Stylist on Spanx Founder’s New ‘Sneex’ Shoes
by David Seeley | Oct 16, 2024
Sara Blakely founded Spanx shapewear in 2000, achieving the perfect fit for a massive success. In August—three years after Blackstone acquired a majority stake in Spanx, valuing the company at $1.2 billion—Blakely launched her next big idea: Sneex—a $500-plus luxury shoe line that mashes up high heels with sneakers. Reviews have been decidedly mixed, the Wall Street Journal reports—and it reached out to Dallas-based personal stylist Molly Hudson to help explain why.
by David Seeley |
Oct 15, 2024
Portnoy was in Dallas over the weekend to catch the Texas-OU game and to do some of his "one bite reviews" of local pizza restaurants and the fried food offerings at the State Fair of Texas. But he ended up reviewing a different local business after he experienced "pillow hell" at the JW Marriott hotel in the Dallas Arts District. He'd gone to a local Mattress Firm to buy his own pillows before he found a nice note from the hotel in his room with new pillow options—including a selection from Dallas-based The Pillow Bar. His post about The Pillow Bar's side sleeper pillow has since racked up over 1 million views on X.
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by David Seeley |
Oct 11, 2024
For nearly 75 years, Jewish Family Service of Greater Dallas (JFS) has provided critical services to those in need. The nonprofit—whose services include primary medical care, individual counseling and group support, career and financial coaching, a food pantry, and more—has been a cornerstone of the community since 1950. But lately it’s been “bursting at the seams” in its home in Far North Dallas. That’s about to change, though—thanks to the recent groundbreaking of The Karla and Larry Steinberg Building, JFS’ new 100,000-square-foot home at 16301 Quorum Dr. in Addison.
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by David Seeley |
Oct 10, 2024
The signature Jam Vino gourmet wine-infused jam created by Keller-based Chef Lorius was one 92 brands to receive a Golden Ticket during the annual Walmart Open Call. Available online now at Walmart.com, it'll reach the discount giant's shelves in 2025. "Jam Vino combines the heart of the South with the elegance of wine country, and our partnership with Walmart allows us to fulfill our mission of providing Everyday Luxury for Everyday People," Chef Lorious (AKA Lori Rogers) said in a statement.
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Rendering of the boutique country club project. [Rendering: Cliff Welch/Welch Architecture]
The Last Word: Common Desk Alums Plan Kids-First ‘Boutique Country Club’ in Dallas’ Lake Highlands
by David Seeley | Oct 7, 2024
Williams recently wrote on LinkedIn about working with his former Common Desk colleague, founder Nick Clark, to develop the "first boutique country club in the USA" in Dallas' Lake Highlands neighborhood. The twist: Unlike traditional country clubs—where space and programming for kids is a relative afterthought—Eastside Country Club will be aimed at prioritizing kids over adults "when it comes to design, indoor space allocation, amenities, and programming."
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by David Seeley |
Oct 4, 2024
Beats for Good—a high school music competition for students in the Arlington, Hurst-Euless-Bedford, and Mansfield school districts—invited students to put their best performances forward by submitting videos of their talent in action. Back on September 6, the top judged entries were posted online with visitors asked to vote for their favorites—and the winners are in. First place went to 2024 Arlington High School graduate Mason Moore and his spellbinding acoustic guitar rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
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by David Seeley |
Oct 2, 2024
North Texas grabbed the world's financial attention again this week with updates from the Dallas-based Texas Stock Exchange, which introduced its expansive leadership team and board members and said it had raised over $135 million to date. But as Austin-based Paul O'Brien noted in his LinkedIn Startup Studio post last month, the TXSE is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to North Texas' sprawling fintech and financial universe.
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by David Seeley |
Oct 1, 2024
In June, TXSE Group announced plans to launch the Texas Stock Exchange (TXSE), focused on enabling U.S. and global companies to access U.S. equity capital markets via a “fully electronic, national securities exchange." In the months since, that's led to endless discussion of the impact of North Texas' "Y'All Street." It was capped by yesterday's announcement that the TXSE had raised over $135 million to date as it named members of TXSE's board—including former Texas Governor and former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry; former SEC Commissioner Rick Roberts; and Alex Bussandri, the global head of strategy at Citadel Securities.
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The original location of The Old Monk on Henderson Avenue in Dallas, above, will stay right where it is when the second Old Monk opens in Oak Cliff next month. [Photo: The Old Monk]
The Last Word: On Dallas Getting Its 2nd Old Monk Pub 26 Years After First One Opened
by David Seeley | Sep 27, 2024
Trendy new bar-restaurants seem to pop up every week in Dallas. But many fans prefer something cozy, tried, and true, like The Old Monk pub at 2847 Henderson Avenue. Fastidiously un-trendied since its opening 26 years ago, the pub has drawn crowds of happily laid-back patrons since McKinney, an Irish-American from Dublin, first opened it.
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by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report |
Sep 26, 2024
After a long and often contentious process, the Dallas City Council voted to adopt a new land use planning guide known as ForwardDallas 2.0 Wednesday by a vote of 11-4. The vote followed months of debate between housing advocates and single-family homeowners on the best way forward for the city's growth over the next decade.
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by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report |
Sep 25, 2024
“It’s VR without the goggles.”
Justin Renville
General Manager
Cosm Dallas
…via Inclusion Cloud’s Jayme Byrd after touring the newly opened Cosm Dallas at Grandscape.
Cosm Dallas, the new immersive entertainment venue at Grandscape, is turning heads....
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by David Seeley |
Sep 24, 2024
The New York Times is out with its 2024 list of America's Best Restaurants, and a spicy, meatless destination off I-635 in Irving has made its colorful way onto the list. Simply South opened only last December in a former Tex-Mex restaurant location at 1001 MacArthur Park Drive—but the word is definitely out. The Times says the wait is 3 hours on Sundays for dishes from Andhra Pradesh in southern India "that tastes like home cooking from the chefs Venkatesawara Rao Muttavarapu, Manikandan Ramalingam, and Anoop Muraleedharan."
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A frightful halway at the SAW Legacy of Terror haunted house [Image: Six Flags Over Texas]
The Last Word: Six Flags’ ‘Chief Fright Officer’ on Turning Hit Movies into Fright Fest Attractions
by David Seeley | Sep 20, 2024
It's scary enough to tiptoe through a regular haunted house. But when something pops out that gave you a heart attack during a movie—and sent your popcorn flying—the chills really kick up a notch. That's the idea behind Fright Fest, going on now through Nov. 3 at Six Flags Over Texas. Along with park-wide spooky vibes and "scare zones," there are new haunted mazes inspired by horror brands come to life: including Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ SAW franchise, Netflix’s Stranger Things, Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Conjuring, Legendary Entertainment’s Trick ‘r Treat, and Netflix & Legendary Entertainment’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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by David Seeley |
Sep 19, 2024
Giving is going gangbusters across North Texas today—because it's North Texas Giving Day, the 16th annual event presented by the Communities Foundation of Texas. More than 3,300 nonprofits from 20 local counties are participating this year, with 100% of donations going to support over 25 different cause areas. It's the largest community-wide giving event in the U.S., and it's centered around this website, where you can browse, search, and even take a quiz about causes you care about. As of 3:15 p.m. today, over $43 million has been raised—and you can add to that total by donating before midnight tonight.
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by David Seeley |
Sep 18, 2024
MeSpace—a new Dallas-based company that manufactures "neuroinclusive" workstations that allow users to create their ideal work environment through sensory customization—was launched recently by Founder and CEO Travis Hollman. Sargent, who's a neuroinclusive consultant, lauded MeSpace for designing "an innovative workstation that enables individuals to tailor their environment to fit their unique needs."
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by Lance Murray |
Sep 17, 2024
Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe leads a star-studded sports team of players and legends from the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings in encouraging even more donations on North Texas Giving Day.
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