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LAKEWOOD/EAST DALLAS J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 6 I A D V O C AT E M A G . C O M

3228westminster.ebby.com

3228 Westminster Avenue 3 BED | 2 BATH | 3,579 SF | $2,325,000

SOLD, Represented Seller

Steve Cairns 972.740.2517 stevecairns@ebby.com

SOLD, Represented Seller

4323 Ashford Drive 3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,871 SF | $775,000*

3 BED | 2.5 BATH | 2,055 SF | $650,000

Peter Loudis 214.215.4269 peterloudis@ebby.com

4 BED | 2 BATH | 1,932 SF | $595,000

214.497.2035 renebarrera@ebby.com

4203 Camden Avenue 3 BED | 2.5 BATH | 2,686 SF | $750,000

Denise Larmeu 214.336.3387 deniselarmeu@ebby.com

SOLD, Represented Buyer

Brandon Fleeman 214.263.4685 brandon@ebby.com

5833victor.ebby.com

5833 Victor Street

4 BED | 6 BATH | 4,761 SF | $1,650,000*

Rene Barrera

4203camden.ebby.com

6546lovers.ebby.com

6546 E Lovers Lane

6211 Velasco Avenue

11718 Rogue Way 3 BED | 2 BATH | 2,093 SF | $624,000*

David Hardt 214.924.7577 davidhardt@ebby.com

820pavillion.ebby.com

Rene Barrera 214.497.2035 renebarrera@ebby.com

820 Pavillion Street 2 BED | 2.5 BATH | 2,258 SF | $525,000

Cotton Mendenhall 214.642.7676 cotton@ebby.com

250standrews.ebby.com

250 E Saint Andrews Drive 4 BED | 3.1 BATH | 2,300 SF | $1,250,000

Brown-Qualls & Schrickel Group

214.934.0077 brownquallsschrickel@ebby.com

Starting 2026 on a High Note SOLD, Represented Seller

6351 Velasco Avenue 3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,623 SF | $750,000*

Julie Sliva 469.233.9525 julie@ebby.com

The holidays brought us back to what’s most meaningful: celebrating, reconnecting and creating memories in the place we call home. As you look ahead to the new year, one of our East Dallas experts would be honored to help you begin the search for a home that’s ready for all the moments still to come.

821peavy.ebby.com

821 Peavy Road 3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,479 SF | $595,000

David Hardt 214.924.7577 davidhardt@ebby.com

ebby.com *Represented Buyer

SOLD, Represented Seller

176 Rolling Ridge 3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,496 SF | $345,000*

Kathy Richardson

LAKEWOOD | LAKE HIGHLANDS 214.826.0316

214.886.1277 kathyrichardson@ebby.com

*LIST PRICE

EBBY’S LITTLE WHITE HOUSE 214.210.1500

contents LAKEWOOD/EAST DALLAS ADVOCATE VOL.32 NO.1

PROFILE 24 Neighbor busts human trafficking myths 14 Career fundraiser invests in Dallas DINING 18 The Reserve rethinks the traditional steakhouse FEATURES 8 25 moments from 2025 22 Cat cafe brings felines, humans and coffee together COLUMNS 16 My week at the Advocate 28 Inside the Geneva Heights Elementary Peace Pantry Green is a signature color within The Highland Dallas’ latest steakhouse concept, The Reserve. Read more on page 18. Photography by Ethan Good.

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Neil Broussard is a real estate agent affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by federal, state and local Equal Housing Opportunity laws. Neil Broussard is a real estate agent affiliated with Compass. Compass is a licensed real estate broker and abides by federal, state and local Equal Housing Opportunity laws.

As we ring in 2026, let’s look back at the moments that shaped the past year in East Dallas.

25 THINGS IN 2025 Compiled by MADELYN EDWARDS

SO LONG, SKILLMAN SOUTHWESTERN Despite efforts to save it, Skillman Southwestern Branch Library closed in September because Dallas City Council chose not to fund it in the 2025-26 budget after Mayor Eric Johnson proposed closing the library in exchange for aquatics programs funding and lowering the tax rate.

RODEO DALLAS GETS BUCKED Rodeo Dallas was closed twice, once by its landlord and after neighboring property owner Asana Partners received a temporary restraining order against the bar, which is accused of “dangerous and unlawful conduct”; Rodeo is fighting these allegations in court.

NOT ON MY CURB Our City was planning to transition alley trash pickup to curbside for some neighbors, but that was put on pause in October so that staff can “fully evaluate additional options for continuing alley service where residents strongly prefer it, while addressing the City’s ongoing safety and efficiency concerns.”

WWHS PRINCIPAL OUSTED In October, Woodrow Wilson High School Principal Chandra Hooper-Barnett was removed from her role after allegedly holding a controversial meeting with Black students; Danielle Petters, the previous executive director of the Woodrow Wilson Vertical Team and former principal at J.L. Long Middle School, stepped in as the interim principal.

2 6 7

GARLAND ROAD VISION RELAUNCH Garland Road Vision Plan, or Garland Road Next Generation Planning, will look into an integrated multimodal transportation system and the capacity for improvements to pedestrian and bicycle access from neighborhoods into commercial/nonresidential areas from the 3G intersection to I-635.

TREES FOR TOMORROW The Junius Heights Historic District planted trees, ranging from 10 to 12-feet tall, across 15 locations last January via a multi-generational initiative called Trees for Tomorrow.

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GOODBYE, GRANT Publisher and bookstore Deep Vellum, Ballet North Texas and other organizations lost National Endowment for the Arts grant funding, and Deep Vellum was told that the change was made to “focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President.”

FUNDING CULTURE The Deep Ellum Foundation received a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation in January for the Dallas Cultural Trail project, which will connect the Dallas Arts District in Downtown, Deep Ellum and Fair Park.

CONSERVING CULTURE In February, Dallas City Council unanimously approved the expansion of the Lakewood Conservation District to bring in 146 more homes into the boundaries and to ensure that home remodels and new builds match and are compatible with other homes in the district.

PID APPROVED In May, Dallas City Council approved the creation of the Far East Dallas Public Improvement District, which will cover areas surrounding the White Rock Hills and White Rock East neighborhoods and raise funding to bolster public safety and for improvements to the area.

TREVOR’S PLACE In January, Dallas 24 Hour Club announced a new capital campaign to fund Trevor’s Place, which is named after someone who passed away from a drug overdose and is expected to include flexible community space, a technology lab, gym, library, meditation garden and curated art installations.

LEADERSHIP CHANGES District 2 Council member Jesse Moreno became the Dallas City Council’s new mayor pro tem in June; East Dallas native and Bishop Lynch High School alumna Megan Dennen was hired as the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s first CEO in August.

PARKS AND REC DRAMA Former District 9 Park and Recreation Board member Maria Hasbany announced her resignation in August while criticizing District 9 City Council member Paula Blackmon on her leadership choices; Michael Jung succeeded her on the board.

NEW PARK FEATURES The year 2025 brought us a new splash pad at the Old East Dallas Work Yard Park in July and a new dog park at Lakeland Hills Park in October.

IN MEMORIAM • CHRIS PENN, who headed up Good Records and was a major figure in local music • LINDA MARIE FORD ENGLAND of Lakewood, who hung up messages in her window at home, co-founded Echo Theatre and was a friendly face at Whole Foods • Local drifter/documentary star ROBERT CRAWFORD, AKA “KEYBOARD BOB”

FREAK ACCIDENTS On Aug. 25, multiple people were injured after a DART bus collided with a tree at White Rock Station on Aug. 25, and in Lakewood, a tree fell onto Maisie Evans Marsau’s SUV on Wendover Road while she was still inside, rendering her paralyzed and prompting a lawsuit.

19 16

TOP CRIME Floyd Street in March: a bride-to-be and her future aunt-in-law were assaulted during a bachelorette celebration. Samuell Boulevard in September: a motel manager was murdered and decapitated. Eastwood Drive in October: a woman and her dog died in an RV fire that was deemed to be arson.

20 THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS AT GOOD RECORDS The 2000s-era alternative rock band behind hits like “Dirty Little Secret,” “Gives You Hell” and “Move Along” autographed copies of their record Sandbox for many fans at Good Records in August.

OPENINGS AND REBIRTHS • Burger Schmurger’s first brick-and-mortar on April 30 on Buckner Boulevard • Modera Trailhead apartments were built over the summer and began leasing • Cocktail bar Sylvestro opens next to Urbano Cafe (meaning no more BYOB at Urbano) • Lakewood Jack in the Box in November after being rebuilt

OUT WITH THE WHIP AND SFUZZI; IN WITH HENDY’S AND BOOGIES The third iteration of pizza and pasta restaurant Sfuzzi became Hendy’s, a restaurant and bar with a lounge vibe, in July; another This & That Hospitality concept The Whippersnapper transformed into Boogies, which focuses on music and cocktails, in October.

NOTABLE CLOSURES • Hypnotic Donuts & Biscuits • Hong Kong Restaurant • Bangkok at Greenville • Society Bakery + Tea Room • Knife at The Highland Dallas • Toasted Coffee + Kitchen • Teter’s Faucet Parts (which moved to north Lake Highlands) • The Porch • The Blue Fish

HELLO, GUY FIERI The Peavy Road location of Hello Dumpling appeared on an episode of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives in February.

RADICAL OPTIMISM Pop star Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism pop-up, which was part of her tour, came to Kettle Art Gallery Deep Ellum in September and offered an “immersive sound experience” and “exclusive content for fans.”

NICK AND NORA’S EAGLETS The White Rock Lake eagles affectionately known as “Nick and Nora” hatched a new pair of eaglets last spring.

MEMORABLE MILESTONES Texas A&M University College of Dentistry — 120 years Lakewood Branch Library — 55 years Dallas ISD’s Regional Day School Program for the Deaf — 50 years Texas Women’s Foundation — 40 years White Rock Coffee, Willie & Coote Salon and Kettle Art Gallery — 20 years of each

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM YOUR LAKEWOOD / EAST DALLAS REAL ESTATE TEAM HOPE YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES HAD A GREAT CHRISTMAS, AND ARE READY TO STEP INTO THE NEW YEAR WITH LOTS OF HAPPINESS AND GOOD HEALTH!

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10 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

A History of Exceptional Dentistry

Travis Spillman, DDS Trusted Lakewood Dentist for 17 Years

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Where your heart is in good hands. From diagnosing symptoms to treating and managing existing conditions, Methodist Dallas Medical Center is here to bring you advanced, personalized care that keeps pace with your heart’s needs. That’s our commitment to advanced heart care and why so many people Trust Methodist.

For more information, visit us at MethodistHealthSystem.org/Dallas or call 945-293-5140 Texas law prohibits hospitals from practicing medicine. The physicians on the Methodist Health System medical staff are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Methodist Dallas Medical Center, Methodist Health System, or any of its affiliated hospitals. Methodist Health System complies with applicable federal civil rights laws and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, or sex.

12 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

YOUR EXPERTS

UNDER CONTRACT 5621 Ellsworth Avenue | $975,000

648 S Rough Creek Court, Granbury | $925,000

Susie Thompson

Susan Bradley

214.354.8866 | susie.thompson@alliebeth.com

214.674.5518 | susan.bradley@alliebeth.com

SOLD 6831 Casa Loma Avenue

2315 Routh Street | $1,900,000

Gia Marshello and Diana Nelson

Mary Alice Garrison

214.616.2568 | gia.marshello@alliebeth.com

214.543.7075 | maryalice.garrison@alliebeth.com

SOLD 6145 Berwyn Lane | $940,000

SOLD 6814 Southridge Drive | $3,264,000

Michael Humphries

Skylar Champion

214.668.3640 | michael.humphries@alliebeth.com alliebethallman | alliebeth.com

214.695.8701 | skylar.champion@alliebeth.com

p ro f i l e Tricia Radford Roark joined the City of Dallas Economic Development Corporation in August as the investor relations director.

MONEY FOR SOMETHING Career fundraiser talks about her role at Dallas EDC

Story by MADELYN EDWARDS | Photography by YUVIE STYLES

14 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

pon moving to the M Streets from New York City last year, Tricia Radford Roark recalled someone telling her, “If you invest in Dallas, Dallas will invest in you.” Since then, Roark has worked on holding up her end of the bargain. Her efforts landed her a job as investor relations director at the City of Dallas Economic Development Corporation (EDC). The nonprofit was created in 2022 to aid economic growth and vitality, especially in the southern parts of the city, plus other underdeveloped areas. Roark grew up in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, and her upbringing there influenced her view on community involvement. “My mom was a teacher, and my dad was a small business owner, but even now, they’re still very active in every different type of organization,” she says. “I do want to give back, and I do want to be a part of my community.” Roark knew she wanted a career that allowed her to “make a difference.” She majored in leadership studies in undergrad at the University of Richmond and then moved to New York and worked for a textile design and manufacturing business after graduating. “It was a fantastic company, but even in that first year out of school, I had that aching of, ‘Gosh, I love what I’m doing, but I really am missing the part that fills my cup to say does this really matter?’” Roark says. “I think that is a little high minded, maybe, of a 22-year-old, but you can tell it’s like that itch got to me right away.” After moving to D.C., she picked up a job working for Kentucky Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers. Then, she stepped into a position working at the Department of Commerce during the tail end of George W. Bush’s presidency. “Those years, to me, are invaluable,” she says. “It’s really important, the policies and the decisions that are made in D.C., and they impact our lives every day in 100 different ways.” Roark went on to earn a Master of Business Administration degree from Babson College in Massachusetts to learn more about economics. Then, she worked with

a company that helped nonprofits raise money and strategize. “I did that for a number of years and really fell in love with fundraising and knowing that the impact you bring to an organization really can expand, really has ripple effects,” she says. This experience propelled Roark into working at The Michael J. Fox Foundation, where she strategized to secure funding for Parkinson’s disease research. Ironically, she initially covered fundraising in the Southwest a decade before moving to Dallas. “It was a joy to tell the stor y of the foundation on a day-to - day basis and

( I ) re a l l y f e l l i n l ov e with fundraising and k n ow i n g t h a t t h e i m p a c t yo u b r i n g to an organization re a l l y c a n e x p a n d , re a l l y h a s r i p p l e effects. share that, ‘Here’s the impact of ever y donor dollar,’” she says. “I loved learning, really, to effectively air story-telling with measurable results and working with families who are dealing with Parkinson’s disease. That’s obviously a challenging universe to navigate, and so to be able to bring joy and promise to them around, ‘Here’s the progress that’s happening in Parkinson’s research,’ was something I really, really enjoyed.” And yes, she did get to work with Fox. “He’s really as wonderful as you would think and hope,” Roark says. “One of my

favorite parts about watching him, whether he’s meeting with donors or whether he’s speaking at events, is how authentic he is. He truly has a fantastic sense of humor.” From the late 2010s to now, Roark continued to take jobs fundraising for various organizations. When she came to Dallas, she found that the Dallas EDC’s mission was right up her alley. “I was immediately drawn to the mission of the Dallas EDC’s work around attracting investment, supporting businesses, telling Dallas’ story to the world,” she says. Roark was hired alongside Communications Director Paul von Wupperfeld, who also brought a lot of experience to his role. “Tricia and Paul are outstanding additions to our organization,” Dallas EDC CEO Linda McMahon said in a press release. “They have extensive experience and strong connections within the Dallas business community. Their commitment is to ensure that Dallas is the epicenter of business opportunities for existing businesses as well as new businesses that are drawn here due to our welcoming business climate.” Like her other positions, Roark’s job is to focus on funding the nonprofit’s initiatives. “ We’re going to need re venue to do our business, to help engage business investors, to help steward the companies that are already in Dallas, make sure that they have what they need to thrive and be successful, and also to help prop up institutions and organizations that will support businesses that are already here and that we want to recruit and grow,” she says. Upon starting this position in August, Roark said expanding the investor base and creating a way to clearly measure impact would be important for the EDC moving forward. “An obvious benchmark will be how many jobs do we have in Dallas,” Roark says. “How many jobs do we have that are fulfilling and are providing a living wage and creating an opportunity for families to grow, for young people who are coming out of school to be successful, to start their careers?”

JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

STUDENT COLUMN

By JULIA WEINSTEIN

MY WEEK AT THE ADVOCATE I learned a lot from my internship at the publication in December

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New orders only. Does not include material costs. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Minimum purchase required. Other restrictions may apply. This is an advertisement placedon behalf of Erie Construction Mid-West, Inc (“Erie”). Offer terms and conditions may apply and the offer may not be available in your area. If you call the number provided, you consent to being contacted by telephone, SMS text message, email, lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026pre-recorded messages by Erie or its affiliates and service providers using automated technologies notwithstanding if you are on a DO NOT CALL list or register. Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use on homeservicescompliance.

was just expecting to sit in someone’s office all day during my internship at the Advocate and watch them write something. But my experience was very much the opposite. As a seventh grader at White Rock Montessori, I am required to intern at a workplace of my choosing during the first week of December. When it came time for me to choose my top three sites to reach out to, I was stuck. I had so many ideas of places to choose and couldn’t pick. I remembered that for one of my assignments, I took an online quiz to identify possible job fields that match my personal interests. One of my results was writer/author, and I was immediately drawn to it as writing has always been one of my passions. Many of my assignments in class are to write stories or informative pieces about subjects we are currently studying, and I love to do them. When it comes to writing, I have never had a problem in losing my flow, and I always have an idea of what to say. Later that night, I was telling my parents how I wanted to intern at a place where writers worked. We began to brainstorm many possible ideas, but none stood out to me until my parents mentioned the Advocate. I recalled how much I enjoyed reading the “Best Of” section and making a plan to eat at all of the restaurants that won. I also loved

reading all of the stories throughout the monthly magazine. The next day, I told one of my teachers how I wanted to intern at the Advocate. Once we confirmed it, I emailed the Advocate, crossed my fingers and waited for a response. I was anxious and scared to get turned down because I really wanted to work there. Then, a couple days later, President/Editor-in-Chief Jehadu Abshiro emailed me and accepted my request. I was thrilled to get an insight of what being a writer might look like. On my first day, I noticed the building’s minimalistic yet colorful interior. As I entered, I was greeted by then-Preston Hollow editor Niki Gummadi, who gave me a tour of the building. When Jehadu arrived, she told me what my week was going to look like, which was that I would be working with different staffers all week and receive tasks daily. It sounded so fun and well thought out. I was happy to have a schedule and that my hosts knew what to do with me. I was so grateful I wouldn’t just be doing someone’s chores for them during my internship. Each day of the week, I worked with a different member of the Advocate, learning about their jobs and then given a task based on their job field. I met with the Advocate’s writers and editors, plus the creative and artistic directors. I wrote a newsletter about a closing boutique, sat in on an interview about a service dog at St. John’s Episcopal and created ads for an upcoming issue. Every day when I would go home, I would have so much to tell my family. I learned so much about the process of running a local magazine and how it comes together each month, including how stories sometimes fall through and new plans need to be developed. I am so grateful that I got this opportunity to meet new people and expand my knowledge in this field. If I want to pursue writing in the future, or a different job, I will keep in mind all that I learned from this experience. My favorite part was learning about how all of the different roles work as a team to make the Advocate possible.

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B U T R E I M AG I N E D

The Reserve aims to reinterpret the steakhouse Story by MADELYN EDWARDS Photography by ETHAN GOOD JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

Inside The Reserve, guests can sit at high-tops overlooking the open-air kitchen, plus booths and low-tops while eating their steak, broccolini, and mac and cheese. A garden patio and private dining lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026 room are also available.

EXECUTIVE CHEF ANDREW B E L L S AY S H E K N O W S WHAT DINERS WHO EAT AT T H E R ES E RV E WA N T. The new steakhouse — inside The Highland hotel at the corner of Mockingbird Lane and US -75 — replaced Knife, which was run by well-known chef John Tesar. Knife closed at the end of August, and The Reserve opened about a month later. It could be difficult for The Reserve to distinguish itself from Knife while serving the same kind of food, but Bell is confident about what he’s bringing to the table. “ I know this clientele,” he says. “A couple of the very affluent families were customers of mine when I was doing catering, so I know what they’re looking for. I have a lot of background in fine dining, and this is my first steakhouse, per se, but I’ve certainly had my experience cooking steaks.” Bell started working in restaurants in high school when his mother nudged him to get a job and learn responsibility. His first jobs in the industry were bussing tables at Parigi in Oak Lawn and waiting tables at Sam’s Cafe in the early 1990s as well as at Katz’s Deli in Austin when he moved there to attend the University of Texas. (He eventually studied at The Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa.) Bell transitioned from front to back of the house for a simple reason. “I love to eat,” he says. “And I love the feeling of hospitality when you make something nice, and it either triggers a memory or creates a memory for a guest.” Bell brought his culinary talents to the Austin fine dining establishment Wink Restaurant & Wine Bar when

it first opened in 2001. After that, he worked at elevated Japanese eatery Uchi in Austin when that concept was still new as well. In Dallas, he has also held positions at the fondly remembered farm-to-table restaurant Bolsa in Oak Cliff, Saint Ann in the Harwood District and the former Aurora in Oak Lawn. What makes Bell a fitting choice for his position at The Reserve is his experience running culinary operations at hotels and venues — the Mansion on Turtle Creek, The Joule, the Arts District Mansion and The Crescent Hotel in Fort Worth. Earlier this year, he took a step back to reactivate his catering company, which he started during the pandemic, and to be a consultant for other caterers and restaurants. Then, The Reserve job came to his attention. “When I saw this position open up so close to home, my kids go to school right here, so it was a really good fit,” he says. “It was serendipitous.” So what do The Reserve’s customers want? “They’re looking for something that’s recognizable but reimagined, reinterpreted for contemporary times,” Bell says. “They’re looking for true hospitality, generosity, gracious service, professional service, kind of all the points we’ve really worked on, reestablishing the basics of hospitality from front of the house to back of the house.” To set The Reserve apart from other steakhouses, Bell emphasized its vegetarian options — like the whole smoked cauliflower ($26) and the butternut squash agnolotti ($28) — and the dry-aged meat program using beef from Texas ranches. Diners can order 24-ounce bone-in ribeye dry aged for 30 days ($125), 60 days ($145) and 90 days ($160).

“Most of (the other restaurants) are running prime beef and Kobe or Wag yu beef, which is great quality, but if you take that great quality and give it a little bit of time to mature, it’s a completely different experience,” he says. The chef also says the pork tomahawk ($38), lobster Amatriciana ($68), Dover sole meunière ($76) and the steak tartare appetizer ($23) have been popular among guests. The dinner menu includes a few options for soups and salads (like the Reserve Wedge with bacon steak, red onion, tomato, blue cheese and togarashi ranch for $24 and the lobster bisque for $13.) Recognizable sides are also available, including Parmesan and lemon asparagus, red wine demi-glace mashed potatoes, and mac and cheese made with cavatappi and mornay sauce. In addition to dinner, The Reserve has a bar bites menu with dips, wings and deviled eggs, a lunch menu with sandwiches and more salads, and a beverage menu with some signature cocktails, beer, wine and nonalcoholic drinks. At Bolsa, Bell enjoyed the opportunity to reinvent the menu. At The Reserve, he plans to continue switching things up by adding seasonal fare alongside the mainstays. “We’re looking forward to 2026,” he says. “This year (2025) has been good. It’s been a lot of change for the hotel and for the restaurant. Moving forward, we just want to build on that and keep the consistency and just keep elevating and getting better.” The Reserve at The Highland, 5300 E. Mockingbird Lane, 214.443.9339, thereserveatthehighland.com

JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

THE BEST LITTLE C AT HOUSE IN EAST DALLAS

Whiskers and Soda aims to create a third space for kitties, humans & coffee Story by MADELYN EDWARDS Photography by LAUREN ALLEN

22 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

f you’re a cat lover, Whiskers and Soda on Garland Road might be paradise. At the membership-based cat cafe, felines lounge in chairs, in beds and on table tops while sometimes receiving pets from humans. They also have the option to climb up onto shelves, ceiling rafters and cat furniture. Humans inside the cafe wear shoe coverings to prevent tracking in anything unwanted around the cats and to soften the blow in case a cat tail is stepped on. Visitors are also given a set of ground rules — cats are not to be picked up and carried around, sleeping felines shouldn’t be woken up, volume inside the cafe should be normal and not too loud, young children are required to be supervised. And please, no flash photography. “What we always ask people to do is just sit down,” says Rob Stovall, one of the cafe’s owners. “They’ll come to you. The ones that want love and attention, and they’ll come right up to you, and then you can hold them and everything, but if you just pick one up, you’re risking getting scratched or bit.” Coffee drinks with punny names (Capurrcino, Amerigato, Meow Mocha, Long Cat Latte, Meowchiato, Cold Mew Brew and Iced Catfee) are served alongside pastries in a corner of the large room encased by glass to keep the cats from tainting the food and beverages as well as out of harm’s way. The cafe’s pastry and coffee supply comes from two East Dallas establishments — Lakewood’s Leila Bakery & Cafe and Cultivar Coffee Roasting Co., which is down the street from Whiskers and Soda. Lake Highlands residents Rob and Caroline Stovall run Whiskers and Soda. Caroline used to live in England before moving to Dallas 18 years ago to be with Rob, and she noticed differences in animal welfare in the U.S. Her husband specifically pointed out the number of stray cats across the pond compared to the states. Per a 2021 study by two people associated with the Cats Protection United Kingdom Cat Centre, the urban unowned cat population in the U.K., Caroline’s former home, was estimated to be 247,429. That same year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service and Wildlife Services noted the number of unowned cats to be between 30 and 80 million in a report. In our state, The Texas Tribune reported that about 568,325 cats and dogs were admitted to shelters in 2023. To be fair, the U.K. is smaller in geographical size and population compared to the U.S. by almost five times for the latter. But there are more than twice as many people in the U.K. than Texas. Thinking that animals need better protection in Texas, Caroline started doing more volunteer work and became president of the nonprofit A Voice for All Paws a few years ago. “Caroline does nothing halfway,” Rob says. “It’s either 150% or zero.” For Rob’s part, he developed a love for animals when he was young. Plus, he is supportive of his wife and was able to retire early to work on Whiskers and Soda. “I could only golf so much,” he says. “So I was willing to devote that time to helping this place get going.” Whiskers and Soda was born out of a need to introduce cats to potential adopters in a conducive environment. Before, there were two options. A foster parent either had to invite people into their home, and not all are comfortable with that, or volunteers would set up outside of PetSmarts with the cats in cages to find people willing to take one of them home. The downside is that being trapped in a loud, parking lot-adjacent space can stress the animals out. “We just were like, ‘We wish we had a place where the cats lived,

where that was their home. They’re relaxed, they’re comfortable, and people can get to know them in that setting to really find out who they bond with,’” Rob says. “And it just kind of dawned on us. We’re like, ‘Well, what we’re talking about is a cat cafe.’” Starting Whiskers and Soda in 2023, with rescue intake and animal boarding on the other side of the building, wasn’t an easy process. About four months after opening the cafe (which used to be an accounting firm), a mix-up with the City ensued, and for six months, it operated without the ability to sell food and drinks, Rob says. Finally, they were able to reopen as a cafe after enclosing the kitchen in glass and adding a grease trap. The rescue cats at Whiskers and Soda come from A Voice for All Paws. Before they are allowed in the cafe, they must be quarantined, fixed, socialized and examined for their health, Rob says. After that, they are placed in a room in the building that is off limits to customers, and the felines come and go through the cat doors between that private space to out in the cafe area. There is also a kitten room that sequesters the younglings from the adult cats and only allows a handful of humans at a time. The cats’ health and wellbeing are monitored by caretakers, who can take action if the animals are sick or stressed. Self-cleaning litter boxes and food and drink bowls are scattered throughout the cafe so that the cats have access to the necessities. Be warned that you will have to pay to get in the door to the cafe — $16 for non-member adults and $8 for children for the first hour and then half that for additional hours booked at one time. Memberships range from $5 to $200 per month. Members get discounted rates and other perks depending on their tier level. Walk-ins are subject to availability since only 30 people are allowed in at a time. In the beginning, children under 6 years old weren’t allowed in, but now, kids of all ages can visit as long as they are supervised. Of course, that also means dealing with children who don’t follow the rules. “We have so many amazing reviews, but we’ve got a few bad ones, and some of the bad ones are about people complaining about kids,” Rob says. “There’s good kids, there’s bad kids. There’s kids that know how to behave, there’s kids that don’t, there’s parents that know how to parent, there’s parents that don’t know how to parent. We’re not going to be that judge. We’re just going to let them in or talk to them before they come in, and if they’re being bad, we’ll have conversations with them.” If a customer wants to adopt a cat, they go through that process with the rescue organization. Rob described the cafe’s role as more akin to a foster. A little over 1,000 cats found homes through Whiskers and Soda in 2024, and Rob says they expected to reach 1,200 adoptions in 2025. Rob also mentioned that he and his wife were looking for a second Whiskers and Soda location to connect more animals with families. “It’s all about just getting cats adopted and just trying our best to do the right thing and help the community,” Caroline said in a previous Lakewood/East Dallas Advocate article. However, even people who don’t want to take a cat home are welcome in the cafe, Rob says. Some even consider it to be their third space. “We get so many people that just love cats and want to hang out with them,” he says. “Even if they all have cats, it doesn’t matter. Or they don’t have cats, and they like cats, or someone in their family is allergic, so this is their way to get their cat fix in.” JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

p ro f i l e

PERPETRATORS BEWARE

ANTI-HUMAN T RA F F I C K I N G A DVO CAT E & E AST DA L L AS N E I G H BO R B R E A KS D OW N M I SCO N C E PT I O N S Story by MADELYN EDWARDS Photography by VICTORIA GOMEZ “I WOULD NEVER THINK T H AT T H I S CA N ’ T H A P P E N TO M Y K I D.”

That’s the first piece of advice Dallas Court Appointed Special Advocates Public Policy Director Chad Frymire would give to families, followed by being educated about the warning signs. Frymire knows this lesson all too well. He says he had no idea about human trafficking until his sister was being exploited. She got married and then started acting out of character. He heard that her husband was forcing and manipulating her into extreme acts to make money, and Child Protective Services had to remove her children on separate occasions. Eventually, she passed away. Getting involved with the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking over a decade ago allowed Frymire to put a name on what his sister was experiencing. The East Dallas neighbor realized that anyone could be a trafficking victim, particularly the vulnerable foster care children who Dallas CASA advocates for. Since then, he has worked to make protecting foster children from human trafficking a priority within CASA. To that end, Frymire has participated in a handful of local, regional and state anti-trafficking and child protection organizations. In September, he was honored with a 2025 ProtectHER Award from New Friends New Life, the nonprofit that aims to support sex trafficking victims.

24 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

H AV E YOU A LWAYS L I V E D I N DA L L AS ?

I was born in Albuquerque, and then my family moved to Abilene when I was probably 4 years old. I went to school at Texas Tech. During that time, me and some of the buddies did a couple foreign exchange trips through school. So we studied for a year in The Hague in the Netherlands. We did a semester abroad in Cuernavaca, Mexico, living with a Mexican family and learning Spanish south of Mexico City. Whenever we graduated, we kind of weren’t ready to settle down. So, almost the same crew, we all moved to South Korea, and I spent almost three years there teaching English to young South Korean kids. When I was done with that, I moved to Quito, Ecuador and spent a year there teaching kids English and just kind of traveling around the world, traveling around South America. Then, I went back to Asia and taught a year in Taiwan in Taipei, and so all of that together was almost 9, 10 years of my life that were spent abroad in my 20s. Then when I was 30, I had lived out of a suitcase and a backpack for a decade and was ready to come home. I just chose Dallas, honestly, because I just had old connections here, and it was a familiar place. I did a virtual interview with Big Brothers Big Sisters, worked for them for a couple years, and then I came over here to CASA, and I’ve been here for the last 18. T E L L M E A B O U T YO U R WO R K W I T H FO ST E R CHILDREN AND ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING A DVO CACY.

There are a lot of misconceptions. There’s crazy movies about kidnappings by strangers and only happens in big cities and overseas. A lot of people, I think, assume that there’s immediate violence, and kids and girls are physically held captive. But it’s truly not really like that. Most of the time, traffickers use typical child abuse grooming techniques — psychological manipulation, emotional dependence, trust building. They go after kids who are the most vulnerable because that’s the easiest prey for traffickers. If you talk about vulnerable populations and what makes foster kids vulnerable, you’re talking about kids with prior abuse and neglect. You’re talking about homeless youth and youth who run away, which is a big population of our tweens and teens in foster care, low self-esteem, LGBTQ+ communities. Families that might not be accepting and kids go on, run away and then just need financial support and survival. If you think about a kid on the run, especially in foster care, they’ve already been abused and neglected. Their parents aren’ t there. They’re par t of the system. They have no food. They have no money. They have no transportation. So what’s the one thing that they have that is their bargain chip? Unfortunately, a lot of times, that’s their body. And so that’s what traffickers exploit. They come in as kind of the Romeo and the boyfriend and talk to the kids about how pretty they are there or how horrible their circumstances are and build that relationship, and

then, they slowly start turning the screws, making them do more and more progressive things until it can turn into physical violence and threats. W H AT I M PACT D O ES T RA F F I C K I N G H AV E O N P EO P L E F RO M OT H E R COU N T R I ES ?

A lot of times you have scammers, where they will promise a better life and a better job abroad. Then the trafficker takes their documents. They end up coming over here, working as an indentured servant at an illicit massage business, doing cleaning jobs, landscaping jobs. So it’s not just sex trafficking; it’s also labor. A lot of these folks are from countries where their local governments and police are super corrupt, so they’re already afraid. And then you think about heightened immigration in this particular administration climate. So it just really pushes all of that underground. And it’s just kind of a very lonely, desperate situation when really the only person that’s there for you is your trafficker, or at least, that’s what folks are made to feel. S I N C E YO U S TA R T E D F O C U S I N G O N A N T I HUMAN TRAFFICKING, HOW HAS CASA CHANGED?

We’re really at the forefront of everything that’s going on in the trafficking world as far as our CASA network. I’ve led the North Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking for the last decade. Anybody and everybody who’s involved in trafficking work flows through our coalition. It’s very robust. We do a lot of cool stuff. We’re helping design protocols for the World Cup. We’ve got a big, giant project called Engage Together that’s basically a three-year project that’s supported by the Adair Foundation, where it’s bringing all three of the coalitions of the Metroplex together. It’s bringing the North Texas coalition, 5 Stones and C7, all those coalitions together to make a more robust response for anti-trafficking in our area. Every year, we do the Champion of Freedom Award. We’ve been doing that since 2016 to a person or organization that’s deserving of that. We’re all volunteers who run our board, and so we don’t have any development department or anything like that, but we’ve been lucky that community partners and funders have donated money to us. We have two funds that our coalition supports. One of those funds is to help with educational scholarships. One of the biggest things that you can do for a trafficking survivor is help them get educated and become self-sufficient. And on the second hand, we also give emergency funds to survivors. We don’t want a broken down car or one night stay at a hotel or something to set a survivor back and get him or her back into the life. So we’ve really built on our coalition to be something special, and I’m super proud of everything that we’ve done. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

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JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

OUR NEIGHBORHOOD

By PATTI VINSON

G I V I N G P E AC E A CHANCE N e i g h b o rs u n i te to h e l p l o ca l c h i l d re n v i a G e n eva H e i g h ts E l e m e n ta r y fo o d pa n t r y Photography by JESSICA TURNER

o hassle. No judgment. Just dignity, nourishment and community care. This sums up the philosophy of the Geneva Heights Elementary Peace Pantry, and Lakewood Heights neighbors Ginny and David Roe can tell you all about it. It was 2022 when their son Matthew was starting first grade at GHE. That was also the year the campus was torn down and a rebuild began. Students were bussed to a temporary campus, and it was at the bus stop that the Roes began chatting with other families from the school. A conversation with Sandee Jennings, former head of the Peace Pantry, convinced the Roes that they wanted to be involved. Ginny and David and other volunteers got busy helping pack bags of groceries and shopping for needed items. And they learned to be flexible. “Since we didn’t have much room at the temporary campus, Interfaith Family Services allowed us to use a room at their facility to store food and get bags packed for delivery to the school,” she remembers. Interfaith provides housing and services to empower families in crisis to break the cycle of poverty and is zoned to Geneva Heights, so students who are using their housing typically attend GHE. Partnering with the Woodrow Wilson High School Peace Pantry, the GHE pantry serves students and families by distributing shelf-stable groceries to those who need it most. At the beginning of the school year, the school sends an intake form home with every student. Families who need assistance simply fill it out and send it back to school. “Forms are available all year long and we have been publicizing this in our school communications since things have been so unstable around SNAP/ WIC benefits with the government shutdown,” Ginny explains. Information is completely confidential and pantry volunteers have no idea whom they are serving. Based on a weekly, updated count from school administration, volunteers pack bags of groceries to send home with students. The numbers have doubled since the end of last year. The Peace Pantry currently packs about 45 bags each week, always including the basic categories of

28 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

The Geneva Heights Elementary Peace Pantry currently packs about 45 bags each week with canned protein, starch or grain, fresh fruit or vegetables, canned fruit or veggie, breakfast items and snacks.

canned protein, starch or grain, fresh fruit or vegetables, canned fruit or veggie, breakfast items and snacks. A recent bag contained tuna, Tuna Helper, canned corn, oranges, cornbread mix, granola bars, chips and instant oatmeal. In addition to packing bags of food, the Roes and other volunteers have also participated in raising funds/donations for the always-in-need pantry. Happily, they’ve discovered that East Dallas takes care of its own. One important fundraiser, Ginny says, is the Fill the Truck event sponsored by the Live Local Group, which benefits all Woodrow Wilson feeder schools. “This awesome event is close to the beginning of the school year, and 100% of the donations, both monetary and food, go to the participating pantries.” It raised over $14,000 in 2025. Another example of neighborhood generosity came from another school around Thanksgiving. “A GHE mom reached out to me to let me know that a friend of hers who has kids at Spanish World School wanted to know if they could help our pantry,” Ginny remembers. During their Thanksgiving parties, students at SWS put together large gift bags filled with snacks, ultimately donating 160 bags to the GHE pantry. The Roes say they frequently receive inquiries from various neighborhood organizations asking how they can support. Belmont Addition Conservation District stepped up recently and contacted Ginny and David to tell them they wanted to help with Thanksgiving bags. Every year, the pantry provides bags for the holidays, including everything needed to make a traditional meal. “BACD generously committed to getting 20 Thanksgiving bags done for us,” Ginny marvels. “After they had their fall fundraiser party, they let me know that they would be providing all 43 bags [at the time].” Sometimes the pantry’s needs are met in seemingly miraculous ways. “A couple of weeks ago, we were unpacking all of the donations we had received that week, and I realized we were running out of shelf space,” Ginny recalls. Chatting with fellow volunteer Megan Fleming, Ginny

brainstormed the idea of reaching out to John Watson, a former GHE parent who had been very involved in the pantry. “When we finished unpacking the last box, I checked my phone, and John had texted me out of the blue. He asked me if there was anything specific that the pantry needed. He bought two new shelving units that day and had them shipped to the school!” The same week, while packing bags, Ginny realized she had forgotten to buy fresh fruit for the bags and was about to leave for the grocery store when she got a call from Meghan Rice, a pre-K mom at GHE. “She told me she had just been at an event where she provided snacks and she had leftover items that she hoped could go to the pantry — among the items she brought were about 50 oranges.” The stories of East Dallas support go on and on. The Roes mention Trader Joe’s generous donations of hundreds of bags, plus help from Taco Joint, The Avenue Sports Grill, Lakewood Vet Center, Lower Greenville Neighborhood Association and many others. East Dallas, you’re generous. But remember, the needs of the pantry are greater now and are never-ending. If you would like to help Geneva Heights Elementary Peace Pantry, consider checking out their wishlist on Amazon. Maybe host a food drive or volunteer in person to help pack bags. If you’d prefer to pick up items at the grocery store, keep in mind there’s always a need for canned chicken and jelly (squeeze bottle). “We live in a time where everywhere you turn you hear about how divided we are,” Ginny says. “But the Peace Pantry proves to me over and over again that people are good, and we will come together, no matter our differences, to help those who need it.” For more information: pantry@genevaheightspta.org PATTI VINSON is a guest writer who has lived in East Dallas for more than 20 years. She’s written for the Advocate and Real Simple magazine. JANUARY 2026 lakewood.advocatemag.com

New Year, New Glow

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30 lakewood.advocatemag.com JANUARY 2026

D i s co v e r t h e M a g i c ! Infants to Kindergarten | Applications open January 15 TEDALLAS.ORG/ECEC 8 5 0 0 H I L LC R E ST R OA D | 2 1 4 . 7 0 6 . 0 0 2 0

4619 WELDON ST 3331 RUIDOSA AVE 5505 MERRIMAC AVE 6106 REVERE PL 4007 WYCLIFF AVE 6919 KENWHITE DR 9921 WINDLAKE CIR 3867 S VERSAILLES AVE 6516 ELLSWORTH AVE 3637 OAK LAWN AVE 4115 TRAVIS ST #101 3907 COLE AVE #5 5938 WILLIAMSTOWN 6606 WESTLAKE AVE 5402 ANITA ST 3846 CABANA LN 6345 RICHMOND #2 4530 FAIRWAY AVE 2314 CHINKAPIN WAY 6201 ORAM ST #2 6131 ORAM ST #2 5619 ANITA ST 4911 BELMONT #11 7154 BENNINGTON DR 6777 LAKEFAIR CIR 4237 SKILLMAN ST 6131 ORAM ST #1 6835 REDSTART LN 7114 WILDGROVE AVE 4911 BELMONT #1 6125 REVERE PL 1930 EUCLID AVE #3 7904 BRIAR BROOK CT 811 SHADY LN 6269 ORAM ST #27 4239 HOLLAND AVE #A 5519 MATALEE AVE 9539 HIGHLAND VIEW 5614 ANITA ST 126 N WINDOMERE AVE 6502 MERCEDES AVE 6561 AXTON LN 608 DAMSEL KIRRA ST 4518 SAINT LANDRY DR 5527 LONGVIEW ST 5022 HANOVER AVE 6419 ELLSWORTH AVE 5613 ANITA ST 10136 SAN JUAN AVE 823 BENTLE CT 4911 BELMONT #3 6843 CORONADO AVE 6723 SONDRA DR 3427 MILTON AVE #2 5212 LONGVIEW ST 7114 PASADENA AVE 7450 HOLLY HILL DR #115 5204 LONGVIEW ST 5537 LONGVIEW ST 3800 HOLLAND AVE #4 5461 ELLSWORTH AVE 5539 LONGVIEW ST 5022 BELMONT #3 1022 N EDGEFIELD AVE 5300 LONGVIEW ST 6012 HUDSON #3 2304 PLACID DR 5302 LONGVIEW ST 7806 ALBANY 10612 ROBINCREEK LN 5527 MATALEE 4911 BELMONT #4 6327 MIMOSA LN 6707 ANITA ST 6945 TOKALON DR 7818 GLOVER DR 6154 KENWOOD AVE 5638 WINTON ST 4600 WHITESTONE DR 7314 CORONADO AVE 12312 COX LN 5022 BELMONT #5

Information deemed reliable,

not guaranteed. JANUARY 2026but lakewood.advocatemag.com

A Next-Level Real Estate Experience Price and availability subject to change. Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed.

PENDING

SOLD, Represented Seller

SOLD, Represented Buyer

3505 W Lawther Drive

6933 Wabash Circle

6047 Goodwin Avenue

4 BED | 4 BATH | 3,646 SQ. FT. | $3,450,000

5 BED | 5.1 BATH | 4,592 SQ. FT. | $2,345,000

5 BED | 4 BATH | 4,735 SQ. FT. | $1,399,000

Rinne O’Halloran Group

Courtney Jubinsky

Ged Dipprey Real Estate Group

214.552.6735 maryrinne@dpmre.com

214.684.2575 courtney@dpmre.com

Ged Dipprey | Laura Salvie 214.225.4663 | gdregroup@dpmre.com

5016vickery.daveperrymiller.com

SOLD, Represented Buyer

SOLD, Represented Seller

5016 Vickery Boulevard

6434 McCommas Boulevard

5035 Alcott Street

3 BED | 3.2 BATH | 3,461 SQ. FT. | $1,250,000

4 BED | 3 BATH | 2,700 SQ. FT. | $1,100,000

4 BED | 2.1 BATH | 4,016 SQ. FT. | $1,039,000

Sharon Quist | Tara Oefinger

Craig Merriman

Elliott & Elliott Group

214.695.9595 | 972.800.0086 sharonquist@dpmre.com | taraoefinger@dpmre.com

214.418.7617 cmerriman@dpmre.com

214.478.9544 paigeelliott@dpmre.com

SOLD, Represented Seller

7235syracuse.daveperrymiller.com

5130amesbury203.daveperrymiller.com

532 Bondstone Drive

7235 Syracuse Drive

5130 Amesbury Drive #203

3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,419 SQ. FT. | $549,000

3 BED | 2 BATH | 1,272 SQ. FT. | $540,000

2 BED | 2 BATH | 972 SQ. FT. | $195,000

Bruner Parker Group

Marlene Jaffe

Rinne O’Halloran Group

214.675.0834 | 214.924.6445 cindybruner@dpmre.com | bo@dpmre.com

214.893.3413 marlene@dpmre.com

214.552.6735 maryrinne@dpmre.com