Welcome back to Mr. Farris Goes to City Hall, our monthly look into the business developments happening in the city of Denton. Earlier this month, we highlighted our most anticipated things of 2014. We're only a few weeks into the year and a lot of 'em are pretty close to happening. Let's go ahead and jump into it.
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Everyone around WDDI and greater Denton was awful darn sad to learn that beloved “Frosty Mom” Judith Webb passed away this last year on July 27th after nearly 60 years working open to close, serving up smiles six days a week at Frosty Drive In in west Denton across the tracks on Fort Worth Drive. You youngsters or newbies may know it as “Mr. Frosty,” if at all, that place with the cheap burgers and unforgettable homemade root beer Ice cream float in an old 1950s-style drive-in diner, straight out of an episode of Happy Days. The stuff of Texas legend, and just maybe where your (grand)parents first locked eyes under the glow of their neon signs. Mr. Frosty is still a beloved snapshot of 1950s Denton frozen in time for generations to enjoy exactly as it was back in the day.
Read MoreInterview by DIME, Photography by Matt McElligot and Anna Tovar
This month, DIME sat down with Anna Tovar to chat about her playful, whimsical, and
oh-so-sweet line of prints. Not only are her calligraphy prints totally adorable, she is too! Read on to to learn more about this talented gal.
First of all, we love that you work under the moniker “Anna Tovar | Fine Artist”. It gives you the option to continually learn and work with new mediums. What is your all time favorite medium?
Oh, man! That’s really hard for me to pin point. My gut instinct is to say that oil paint is my all-time favorite, even though I don’t use it very often anymore. It’s my first love, and the real reason I gathered the courage to pursue art as a career. I went to UNT to study art, but wasn’t sure what I wanted to major in. It wasn’t until I took my first Drawing and Painting class that I fell in love with oils. I later took a couple of watercolor classes that also had my heart skipping beats, which makes it very hard for me to declare a favorite.
Your Etsy shop was originally heavy on the watercolor illustrations, but is now
largely filled with sweet and quirky calligraphy prints. How did you go about
making this change in your line?
I really enjoy change! I like to challenge myself by learning new mediums/crafts on a pretty regular basis. Some I just dabble in for a bit and some stick. Calligraphy stuck. I think it’s because I am still naturally coming up with new ideas, and inspiration is readily available and applicable. It’s not something that I have to force, so as long as I am coming up with fresh and new ideas, I will be creating new calligraphy pieces!
How do you decide what phrases you want to use on new calligraphy prints?
I keep a sketchbook that I write down all of the ideas and inspirations that float into my brain. The list gets pretty long, so every 2-3 months I’ll look over my design ideas as well as all of the quotes that I’ve collected, and see which ones match up the best.
Anyone who’s seen your work or your Etsy shop can immediately tell you have a great eye for design. In fact, we heard from a little birdy that a room in your house was recently featured on Apartment Therapy. What was that like?
Great! I am really into interior design, so having my son’s room featured was pretty fantastic (and validating)!
As you have a lot of your own art in your home, several pieces were highlighted in
Apartment Therapy’s feature. What has that done for your brand?
From what I can tell, not only did it give me greater exposure to a wider range of audience, but it also gave me more credibility. I think my brand instantly became more trustworthy in terms of quality, which has been a tremendous blessing. I wasn’t really anticipating any effects on my business, so that was just an added bonus!
What kind of work are you hoping to add to your line in the new year?
I have more ideas than I can realistically produce! I’m going to start experimenting with
combining calligraphy and watercolor. I love both mediums, so it only seems natural to combine the two. I also just came out with a new style of calligraphy with my “grow where you’re planted” piece. I don’t feel like I’m done with that yet, so I will be working on some more variations of that, as well!
How did you become involved with DIME?
I’ve been participating in the DIME shows for several years now. I started out selling oil
paintings and hand-made journals, and with each show I would introduce a new product. I benefited greatly from being in those first few shows since I was able to get immediate feedback from customers in that face-to-face environment. That is a big part of what helped shape where I am today. Rachel and Shelley were able to witness first-hand the evolution of my brand, so when it came time to open the shop, I was one of the vendors that they contacted. I am so incredibly grateful for their encouragement and support!
Do you have any advice for aspiring Etsy sellers or other local makers?
Done is better than perfect. If you are waiting for the perfect time, the perfect photos, the perfect anything, you will never get started. I believe that it’s better to just get started and get your name out there, and tweak things as you go. There is a lot to learn, and it can become overwhelming if you feel like you have to learn all of it before you open your shop. You can learn as you go!
The DIME Store is a shop and artist collective in downtown Denton that features art, craft, and vintage from 40+ local makers. Rachel Aughtry and Shelley Christner act as the "curators and purveyors" of the shop. When they're not at DIME, you'll find them behind their sewing machines or enjoying a margarita at The Greenhouse.
3 Songs is a monthly column in which we highlight three of our favorite local songs. We skipped this column last month because nothing was really vibing with us. Today, though, we’re having a difficult time whittling things down to three songs. Oh well. Maybe we’re just in a better mood now. Read on to hear music from the likes of Ashley Gatta, Doug Burr and Dome Dwellers.
CODETALKERS - "War Games"
Do y’all know that we still have a reputation as being mostly a folk music town? What happened to the space rock stereotype? Heck, Midlake’s latest wasn’t even very folky and we’re the home of what is probably DFW’s heaviest band, Terminator 2. Y’all are doing more than your part to shake that folk stereotype. CODETALKERS are helping, too. This punk five piece featuring members of The Distressors and Von Ehrics has duel vocals and duel drums. There’s a lot going on in the five songs from their self-titled EP. “War Games,” the song embedded above, is a discordant post-punk heavy hitter full of palm muting and aggressiveness. This behemoth continuously feels as if it’s about to fall apart, but CODETALKERS manage to keep the song under the reins. CODETALKERS next show is January 24th at J and J's and we can't wait to check it out.
Ashley Gatta and The Free People - "Fainthearted"
Ashley Gatta and The Free People’s sophomore album, In Dependence, came out back in September, but we just heard it a few week’s ago. While the new stuff is still plenty soulful, this album has lost the majority of the Norah Jones vibe Gatta had going for her previously, not that that’s a bad thing. Gatta has found a new sound that we’re diggin’. On “Fainthearted” above, AG&TFP (nice acronym, huh?) have a nice poppy alt-country sound with a bit of a sneer.
Dome Dwellers - "Bellied Up"
We highlighted Dome Dwellers with the song “My Halo” off of their last EP back in our September 3 Songs column. Back then, we said the following about Dome Dwellers, “The guitars are full of 90’s-era chimey-ness and tremolo and the math rock aspect of this tune acts as more of a hook than it does a headache - let’s just say that it’s more Algebra 1 than it is Pre-calculus.” This holds true for their debut album, Maybe I Should Have Some Pride. It’s chock-full of lite math-rock goodness that doesn’t fall far from the initial statement on their EP, and that isn’t a bad thing at all. The entire album is available to purchase on bandcamp for whatever price you would like to pay. We’ve listened to the entirety of the album and dig it quite a bit. This track, “Bellied Up,” is immediately one of our favorites. Lots of super 90’s bass and reverb-laden guitar noodling throughout. The hooks don’t come in until late in the game, but when they do, they hit hard. Lead singer, Michael Slack’s falsetto has become pretty darn impressive at this point, too. Catch these guys live on December 14th at Rubber Gloves for their CD release party.
The Old World origins of the “Good Cop, Bad Cop” routine, courtesy of the Klaus and Krampus Traveling Yuletide Horror Show.
Denton is well known as a unique hangout with more than it’s fair share of eccentric local characters, but we wonder how many folks know that once a year we have a bonafide yuletide monster mysteriously walking our downtown Square? Pull up a chair, kids, and I’ll explain why Krampus the Christmas Demon is the real reason you better watch out and better not cry this holiday season!
Seeing these characters prowling the Denton Square may make you rethink Christmas.
We weren't sure whether to laugh out loud or run for cover last December 5th when we first encountered the Denton Krampus on the downtown square, as the towering monstrosity was handing out toys to kids in a bit of uncharacteristic generosity. Krampus in 17th century European folklore was the sinister doppelgänger to the kindly Saint Nicholas that we Americans have come to know as Santa Claus. In a dark twist straight out of a Brother’s Grimm tale, St. Nick rewarded the good children with gift-giving around the Winter Solstice, the naughtiness of ill-behaved youngsters was viciously punished by the Krampus, a cloven-hooved Devil in chains with a long lash-like tongue who beat brats with switches before stuffing them in a basket for a late-night snack after his rounds. Krampusnacht, or sometimes Krampustag, was the day of judgment that fell on the eve of December 6th Saint Nicholas Day and used to strike terror into every unruly street urchin. It’s not too surprising that our American version of a jolly old elf slow-sippin’ a Coke doesn’t include his nightmare-inducing Demon companion, but you gotta hand it to the Old World traditions for their sheer inventiveness in creating perfectly legit reasons for kids to wet the bed. Threats from parents that you’ll get a lump of coal from Santa in your stocking truly pales in comparison to the Krampus going medieval on you for bad behavior!
“Greetings from Krampus!” We can guess what Child Protective Services today would make of old Germanic child-rearing techniques and the years of therapy caused by Krampustag.
But this whole Krampustag thing gets even nuttier because a visit from Krampus was no idle threat! A lot of Texans today take their kids to the mall for a picture postcard with some rummy dressed as ole Santa to hang on the fridge, but back in the day people straight-up rolled from house to house dressed as St. Nick and his Krampus cohort! While the Christmas Devil was largely exorcised from American holidays, the tradition of Krampusnacht has enjoyed a resurgence in parts of Europe and the Netherlands where drunken mobs of costumed Krampus (Krampii??) roam the nighttime streets during Winter festivals. Just take a look at some of the mid-1800s European postcards, which range from the bizarrely surreal to the suggestively lascivious, and you may have an entirely new perspective on the reason for the season. There’s a lot about the Krampus that reminds me of our Denton Goatman’s Bridge legend, so maybe he ain’t so foreign after all. You also gotta wonder how much of this mythos was lifted by Christian Protestantism for use in the Sunday morning pulpit, since The Devil has clearly taken a few fashion cues from Krampus but, instead of facing eventual judgment in the afterlife from Old Scratch Lucifer, your reckoning came as a horrifying annual evaluation every December 5th.
The Denton Square Krampus is a decidedly fun mix of the old and the new, handing out toys and candy to the kiddies rather than beatings and night-terrors. We gotta admit, it was a giggle-inducing hoot to watch smiling parents trying to coax rightfully-skeptical little ones into approaching this towering monster for free goodies. Yet another reason to not trust adults, kiddos, Henry Rollins ain’t wrong. We were never able to ascertain the identity of the mysterious benefactors behind last year’s Krampustag mystery performance (be sure to drop us a line if you have an inside scoop), but we sure do hope this bit of Old World tradition from back in the day continues. So keep up the frighteningly awesome work Denton Krampus, whoever you are, and we’ll remind the youngsters why they better watch out and best not cry… ‘Cuz Santa Claus ain’t the only one who’s comin’ to town.
Shaun Treat is a former professor at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Doc has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, and is forever indebted to the great work of our local keepers of history like Mike Cochran and Laura Douglas at the Emily Fowler Library for their tireless work in helping preserve Denton’s intriguing past. Be sure to check out our local museums curated by the fine folks at the Denton County Office of History & Culture, and follow @Dentonaut on Twitter for local happenings.
More info on Denton's Krampus can be found here.
Veterans day was celebrated all around town too! As always, Frenchy did it up big for the ladies and gents who so graciously protect us.
Whoa. It’s already December?! Have y’all already started Christmas shopping, too? We’re way behind. We didn’t even put lights up on the blog yet. Is that even a thing? Maybe you can do that with HTML5 now. We dunno. Anyway, stuff happened in November. Let’s discuss it.
That whole #Denton2Sriracha thing still got a lot of play. Sadly, lots of people still never really understood the full point and complained about not wanting a chili pepper plant in town. Oh well. Those people might have also though Moby Dick was only about fishing, too (it’s actually a prequel to the X-Files...duh).
Sadly, Johnny Law, the smiling face that you probably associated with Rooster’s Roadhouse in your brain, passed away earlier in November. He was always super friendly and made our experiences at the place a pleasure every single time. He will be dearly missed.
UNT proposed some budget cuts that looked to drastically alter the funding to their libraries and staff. They later went on to say that the budget that was shared and eventually the subject of much negative press was “premature.” Still, Save the UNT Library very quickly became a blog, Twitter feed, Facebook page and event you could attend in real life (what’s that?).
Midlake released their new album, Antiphon, at the beginning of the month. It was met with arguably better press and reviews than their last album. The Denton homeboys even were the stars of a video from Off Main St. in which they showed off their hometown. Although, one of the times we checked out Lone Star Attitude, they were playing Midlake, a kid at the table next to us was wearing a Midlake shirt, and then some of Midlake walked in the actual establishment and it was just WAY too much Midlake for us at the given moment. So much so that we had to go home and listen to the opposite of Midlake for an hour. We’ll let you figure out what that is for yourselves.
Speaking of LSA, Lone Star Attitude finally opened their doors and they’ve been crowded ever since. We had a lot to say about the place a few weeks ago. Have y’all checked it out yet? The constant fifteen minute wait makes us think you probably have.
Our buddies at DIME talked to artist Savannah Teel about lasers and wood.
The Golden Triangle Mall is starting to look different. Not like a whole lot, but somewhat. They have a few new stores inside of it, too. We went there once in November. It was against our own will, but we still did it. We’re not exactly sure what it will take to make us want to go to that mall in the future besides the Bath and Body Works 2 for $22 candle sale on our favorite scents, but whatever it is, it isn’t in place yet. The new entrances somehow already look old to us. And the Christmas trees look oddly out of place. What do you think?
The older building next to East Side Social and Authentic Yoga Life is set to be demolished and turned into a food truck park. It should be torn down any day now (at the time we started writing this it was still up). We hope the food truck park stays open at lunch time and connects that part of McKinney to the square a little better if it indeed does come down.
We got some more info on the forthcoming Hypnotic Donuts to Hickory St. The most exciting aspect was the news that they’d be open for the “post-dinner crowd” from 5pm until the wonderful hour of 2:30am. Is there a better time to eat a habanero donut? The drunk dining scene in Denton just got real, y’all. Forthcoming food truck park one paragraph above this, ya best bring it.
The Coffee Wars started grinding down on us. Our post examining the various ambiances at establishments in town were only the first shots. This thing hasn’t even started yet. Have you picked a side yet? Have you stocked up on beans or filters? Get on it, people! This is not a drill!
We've been attending all sorts of meetings for you lately, Denton, and we've got so much info about things that are coming up that we just had to write another column about it. This is that column. Read on to get in the know.
First and foremost, lovely purveyor of all things donuts and chicken biscuits, Hypnotic Donuts, will open their Denton location in early 2014! They'll be a sort of entry way onto the square with a giant mural going onto the west side of the Radio Building on Hickory (see the image above). They are putting in outdoor seating complete with umbrellas and great big pots to fill the concrete corner with plant life. We know what you're thinking and don't worry - Cultivar Coffee will soon be contributing to the Denton Coffee Wars since they’ll have their own set up within Hypnotic Donuts. Word on the street is that this shop will be employing 20 to 30 strapping young Dentonites, making them both fatter and more caffeinated. These legit gourmet donuts will be available in the morning and for lunch. The shop will be closed during part of the afternoon and then open again to serve the evening crowd. We're looking forward to these tasty donuts making their way to the downtown area, and can't wait to grab a bacon-topped fried chunk of dough after a long night at East Side.
We hear the African Grocery has opened over on Elm Street. If anyone has bought any African food stuffs from there, please let us know, we are highly curious about this little shop.
New retail is going in on Hickory and Welch, which means that sign with a photo of retail and living spaces is becoming a reality. We hear that they’ve finally broken ground and we speculate that a 7-11 will be going in sooner than you know it. Slurpees for all y’all.
East Hickory is seriously going to happen, for real this time y’all. No take backs, no halvesies, no joke. The city says they will break ground on the project in January. Apparently the CVB is wanting to start a new public art campaign around the construction to promote those businesses most affected by the street being blocked off and torn up.
Holiday lighting and wassail fest is just around the corner! Get your Santa hats ready and get ready to pony up a little cash for that carriage ride with your significant other. Twinkling lights, the community band and spiked wassail for all is on its way.
The convention center is supposedly going to be up for election by the city council sooner rather than later. The vote is supposed to happen before the next local election. Catch up on the convention center plans here and see the future of convention centers in Denton.
That's it for this month, everybody. We're gonna take our coffee mug back into all of those lovely meetings now. Hopefully there won't be a Powerpoint presentation.
Written by Christopher Hughes
Live to live another life. 10/28/12
Steam rose from a crumpled, metal hood. Yellow fire turned in the bulbs. Sirens echoed in a soft, suburban block. I could feel the heat in my face and the blood underneath it, blooming. Then I was alive. They blotted my wounds with gauze that scratched at the raw, open flesh. It hurt, but I was glad the blood was no longer leaking into my eye. Ten months later I wrote about it and failed. All I could do was click and click, twirl a pen across the knuckles of my hand, observe the curious resistence to memory. I was called to the stage and reached into my bag and there was nothing there. Those bright lights shone and I conjured something violent in my mind. Sorry y’all, but I forgot it, I said. A few people laughed like it was some kind of joke, and it probably was.
The medics asked for my name, address, phone number, and permission to inject some kind of something into my body. I agreed and supplied them with information and requested the removal of a bandage from my face. I imagined my mother on the other end of a line, voice cracking, full of questions, suspicious and on the verge of accusation. Then I lay in a gurney in a hallway, staring at a pock-marked ceiling, trying to remember everything and trying not to nod. A doctor approached, clipboard in hand, and said, You’re lucky to be alive. Living is easy, I said, but she didn’t get my sarcasm. They gave me a Morphine shot. I thought I was dreaming. I rolled over and peed in a plastic bottle with the curtains drawn, wondered how many Facebook notifications I had, wiped some leftover blood onto the bed sheets, tried to curl my hand into a fist, claimed I was still in pain and got another Morphine shot, considered the damage to my face, felt the bridge of my nose with my good hand, and thought about feeding my cat. It took me ten months to write about it. It was the worst I’ve ever written.
I left the stage with my head down low, exited the bar, drove home and saw the pages scattered across the carpet, my cat resting on them in a meditative state. I pulled them out from underneath and he shot me a bothered glance and I apologized. When I returned I read what I wrote and the crowd figured it for comedy and laughed, thinking they were being polite. I folded the pages and made a shopping list that included two apples and a spaghetti squash. It’s been ten months, I thought, and I still recoil in the presence of headlights. Then I entered a stall and peed with the door cracked and washed my hands and splashed water on my face. Between band stickers I could see, in the mirror, the reflection of a scar on the bridge of my nose. It wasn’t very noticeable, but I noticed.
Christopher Hughes is the author of Selected Tweets, a spoken word project and ongoing collection of prose poems based around the idea of giving context to his otherwise vague Twitter feed. He is the singer, guitarist and songwriter for The Calmative, and he produces other artists as well, out of his studio, Miscellaneous Sound. He holds an MFA in creative writing from The New School, has been published in Pax Americana, Omnia Vanitas Review and the Augury Books blog, and lives within spitting distance of Midway Mart.
Coffee Wars by Becky Gates of Guyer High School.
You may not know it yet, but you are currently living right in the middle of the coffee wars. Things are pretty crazy right now and it’s only going to get worse from here. Hypnotic Donuts/Cultivar Coffee will be opening early next year, and we've already heard rumors of two more coffee shops on their way to downtown Denton. We’re here to prepare you for the onslaught of beans, grounds and spoiled milk that will soon alter life as you know it in Denton County. This is the first in an ongoing column entitled Coffee Wars, in which we aim to guide you through the throes of caffeinated war here in Denton, TX. Future columns will cover things such as local roasters, baristas, etc..., but today we're talking about ambiance. Coffee isn't always the most important thing a coffee shop has to offer. Oftentimes, the reason someone patronizes one of these stores is to find a place in which their can either get some work done, talk with a friend or just sit down and read a book. We're definitely the type of person who is able to get more work done in front of a screen/book/stack of papers in a coffee shop than we are in front of a screen at home. Thusly, we took it upon ourselves to sort through the debris and do some research to see just what Denton has to offer as far as coffee shop ambiance goes. Read on for more and let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Shift
Shift is the new boy in town and they are pretty legit. The beans are from Ft. Worth’s Avoca and the technical know-how behind the bar is also great. (You’re in luck if you see the white dude with the hair - You’ll know him when you see him.) While the tables are slightly small and aren’t that great for working on a laptop. It’s a cozy little spot and everybody there seems hard at work. And after-all, isn’t that what you want in a coffee shop - peer pressure to get your stuff done? You might even see some people reading books on structuralism or Wittgenstein. This is a great place to pretend to read Infinite Jest.
Zera
Zera can be hit or miss as far as ambiance goes. Of course, a lot of your coffee shop experience depends upon your barista. Zera has a unique employee situation due to the fact that many of the workers here are actually in a Christian recovery program. Sometimes that can work out pretty well, other times, however, it doesn’t. If you’re looking for a place to join in a religious discussion or a place to have your next small group meeting, Zera is great. However, if you’re just looking for a place to sip on some good coffee while you work your butt off, look elsewhere.
Jupiter House
The reigning king of Denton coffee shops. Y’all remember when this place wasn’t owned by city councilman, Joey Hawkins? While Jupiter House’s coffee might not be our favorite, this is still a great spot to stop by if you and a friend are looking for some caffeine on the square. Many use this place as their office space (in fact, it gets so crowded, during finals you might not be able to find a table), but we find it fairly difficult to get anything actually accomplished. Jupiter House’s tables are best used for socializing, which isn’t a bad thing at all. In fact, if you’re single, you can probably delete your OkCupid account and just hang out here for an evening. That said, they’ve got a pretty good setup if you do decide to post up here and get some work done. Lots of electrical outlets, great music and plenty of light help the matter. If you’re smart, you’ll nab yourself one of the tables with a little light fixture on it. It makes you feel powerful for some reason. Beware of sitting at a table facing the front between the hours of 4 and 6pm, lest you enjoy staring directly at the sun.
Seven Mile Coffee
While we’ve given Seven Mile Cafe a hard time before, we’re pretty big fans of their coffee shop. Now that they’re complete with their own roaster, too, we couldn’t be happier. The tables are large and the coffee is good. It’s rarely too crowded, the chairs are comfortable and the baristas are always pleasant. The soundtrack can waver anywhere from The Smiths to Coldplay, though, so either pack some headphones or come prepared for anything. Too bad they close well before the witching hour. If you’re a daytime coffee shop worker, this is the place for you.
Big Mike's
Close by to what was once the late, great Kharma Cafe location, Big Mike's shares a similar clientele. Slightly granola people looking for a place to hangout and drink coffee. Big Mike's is the only of these spots that is open 24 hours. So, if you've got a large project or paper that you need to bang out, you can grab a spot and a bottemless cup of joe at Big Mike's and hope that you finish before the sunrise. The atmosphere itself is a bit grungy, but isn't that just kinda Denton?
Roots
While we dig this place, you really should only be going here if you live south of Guyer High School. If so, you’re in the clear. It’s still Denton County, but it's in Highland Village and not the actual city of Denton. Do y’all read this blog over there anyway? Like Shift, Roots is another trendy, nicely decorated third-wave coffee shop in the middle of a non-assuming strip center. The difference between this place and Shift, however, is lots and lots of money behind the set up, but that may just be the main difference between Denton and Highland Village in general. If you dig chalk board walls and light fixtures inspired by Anthropologie, this is the set up for you.
Yogurt Fusion
Does a fro-yo place deserve to make our list of coffee shops when we’re discussing ambiance? When said yogurt shop deals in Intelligentsia beans, it sure does. That, coupled with one of our favorite baristas in town makes Yogurt Fusion a contender. Add the fact that you can sit down and let your kids play games on the store’s Wii while you people watch the awesome, older crowd headed in to see Urine Town across the street at the Denton Community Theatre, and you’ve got a fun place to hang. It’s bright and there’s lots of windows, too. Good for conversation and kids, but bad for working.
The White House
A year ago, this location was Art Six. Then, it was 2 B's and a V for a while but that name conjured up too many images of Total Recall. Now, they're called The White House. The decor in this eternal coffee shop is a little bit too Hobby Lobby or Michael's for us, but it's a cool, old house and the backyard is great. We suggest bringing headphones and finding a cozy corner where no one will possibly find you.
Denton Square Donuts
UPDATE: While we haven't confirmed this yet, we've heard that Denton Square Donuts has stopped using Bookish beans in their coffee and espresso beverages.
And, of course, Denton Square Donuts should be on this list, too. What was once home to Denton’s coffee shop The Hydrant, Denton Square Donuts has had a roller coaster couple of years. If we’re correct, they’ve seen three different sets of owners since their inception. During the vast majority of that time, though, they’ve been one of the town’s go-to spots for another one of our favorite local roasters, Bookish Coffee. While in the past, we’ve complained about the lack of donuts at Denton Square Donuts, we’ve heard rumors that DSD has recently changed their menu and that actual, honest-to-goodness donuts are on sale here now. However, today we’re discussing ambiance - not food. Don’t be fooled by Denton Square Donuts’ ground floor. Make your way to the back and up the stair case to get to the second floor, one of our favorite hide outs on the square. While it can sometimes be a little to quiet, this brick-walled room is a great place to zone out and finish that novel (it is National Novel Writing Month, after all) or grade that fat stack of papers.