Business Buzz

The lowdown on what’s up with neighborhood businesses

OC resident launches home accessories line

Oak Cliff resident Jason Lenox, Anteks proprietor, has released a new line of home accessories. Each item is one-of-a-kind, and Lenox personally made many pieces. The project has been years in the making. When Lenox visited Puerto Vallarta three years ago, he came across a shop that lined up with his vision. The style is rugged but sophisticated, showcasing Native American and Mexican influences. The items are even made in central Mexico. Lenox’s collection, which includes boxes, ash trays, candlestick holders, picture frames and more, is made from solid German silver and Sonoran turquoise and reflects the work of turn-of-the-century Navajo silversmiths. Prices range from $69 to $495 and are available online and at The Gypsy Wagon, Pinto Ranch, The Arrangement and Anteks. 

Anteks

1135 Dragon . 214.528.5567 .  antekshome.com

2928 N. Henderson. 214.370.8010 . the-gypsy-wagon.com

The Alta West Davis apartment complex opens this month.

Alta West Davis now leasing

The 207-unit apartment complex on West Davis at Rosemont is expected to be completed in May. Alta West Davis is leasing now, and the first apartments will be available Nov. 29. The Wood Partners project includes two three-story buildings. The buildings are on the former site of low-income apartments that were demolished in 2008. The now-defunct Incap Fund had plans to build a multifamily property on the site before Incap folded in 2009. Wood Partners started building the apartment complex in January. The units range from 563 to 1,214 square feet and $815 to $1,910 per month.

Alta West Davis

1836 W. Davis . 855.858.6008 . altawestdavis.com

Oak Cliff street car due in May 2014

The DART board is expected to approve hiring Brookville Equipment Corp. to provide the two street cars planned for a line across the Houston Street Viaduct. They are also expected to approve hiring two companies to design and build the $28 million line: California-based Stacy and Whitbeck Inc. and Dallas-based CARCON Industries and Construction. The Houston Street Viaduct will be closed while the line is being built, which will take almost two years. One car is expected to be delivered in May 2014 with a second one the following September. The entire project is supposed to be completed by November 2014.

Winnetka Heights, UTA architecture students team up

Students at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington will be using Winnetka Heights as a case study this semester. Professor Taner R. Ozdil and his students will come up with ways to make Winnetka Heights’ green spaces better, as part of a class called Studio V. Winnetka Heights resident and landscape architect Petrine Abrahams asked Ozdil, who was her thesis adviser at UTA, to collaborate with the neighborhood on the project. “It’s not about which plants go in which pots,” she says of the project. “It’s about ensuring that our parks are connected to something, that they’re accessible to all people and especially to people who live in the neighborhood.” The students will look at the neighborhood’s parks, open spaces, streetscapes, neighborhood entrances and points of connection. They will identify strategies for improving social spaces. “They’ll be looking at nodes and edges and give us an overview of their impression for the neighborhood and see where we might make changes that we need,” Abrahams says. “It’s looking for opportunities for people to gather and enjoy urban public spaces.” The students also will consider whether there is space in Winnetka Heights for a children’s playground or a dog park, she says.