SECRETS OF DENTON 3: RETURN OF THE SECRETS

It’s that time of year again, y’all. The school doors are fresh with WD-40 and the cars are accidentally turning north onto Elm St. again. School is back in session and with it, a new crop of Dentonites have flooded our city limits. Will these fresh, young faces become lifelong Dentonites or only commute here, never even taking a step onto our town square? Only time will tell, but we’ve decided to do our part to get them to become a part of the former group, by providing them with some insider knowledge on some cool stuff Denton has to offer that would normally take awhile to figure out. Yes, that’s right. It’s time for Secrets of Denton County 3: Return of the Secrets.

We bring our own bottle to Bagheri's to go alongside our lobster ravioli and our jokes from Sid. Speaking of Sid - don't worry about calling one of the brothers the wrong name, they're both named Sid. 

First, let’s start with our lists from previous years. The vast majority of the tips found within these links are still good even to this day.

First, there was Secrets of Denton County. 

Then, the following year came Even More Secrets of Denton County. 

Now, let's get on to a fresh new batch of secrets. Afterall, that's what you're here for, right? If we neglect to highlight a secret you feel is worth sharing, please feel free to let us know in the comments! 

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1. While the Golden Triangle Mall is an area we mostly try to avoid, the Silver Cinema Theatre is good for a couple things. For one, if you need to see a movie, but only have a two bucks, this is the place to go. Better than that, though, are the movie descriptions written by the employees of the theatre. They’re worth an entire trip to the mall, construction withstanding.
   
   
2. Weinberger’s sells meats and cheeses by the pound, y’all. For some reason, this blew our minds when we found out. Go get some for yourself if you haven't already.
   
   
3. While Denton is full of artists, musicians and tons of other creative folk, sadly, we don’t have too many high paying jobs that can support these people at a livable wage. This forces many of said creatives to work low-paying day jobs to try and make ends meet. Many of them are still without health care and when bad things happen to them, their lack of insurance often exacerbates the problem. The Denton Community Health Clinic offers services that may help quite a few of them. Payment is decided by a sliding scale based on income level. In addition, they also offer discounts on products such as blood tests and x-rays.
   
   
4. If you’re driving something environmentally cautious, there are a couple areas in Denton that can help you out. Car charging stations for electronic vehicles are located at the North Branch Library and fourteen more are scheduled to be rolled out throughout other parts of Denton. In addition, we’ve heard that Mr. Chopsticks will help you out with grease for your biodiesel fuel.
   
   
5. There’s a secret to getting local printers, Pan Ector, to return your calls in a timely manner. Just call twice and immediately hang up both times, call again and let it ring for seven times and then call one more time and press *77, and one of ‘em should call you back within a week.
   
   
6. Love eating local produce? Buy yours right at the source through Cardo’s Farm Project’s Farm Share program. Every week contributors are guaranteed at least $20 worth of fresh, organic produce from Denton’s own fields. Middle-man, shmiddle-man! Watch our ages-old interview with Cardo’s if you want a first-hand view of what life on the farm used to be like.
   
   
7. Go to house shows. Also, if you decide to host your own house show, talk to your neighbors beforehand and make sure to find the best spot, soundwise, in your humble abode. While we’re on the subject, please try not to make people older than 22 feel “old” at your house show. We’re tired of that.
   
   
8. Natural Grocers is nice for normal, organic grocery shopping and has wonderful customer service. However, there’s still reason to trek back to The Cupboard for their quaint, vegan-friendly cafe and prepared foods section.
   
   
9. There are plenty of great trails in and around Denton for you to hike with your Merrell’s, if you’re into that.
   
   
10. We’ve mourned the loss of the late, great baked potato delivery service, Wyld Taters, for what seems like years now. In the meantime, we’ve come to find that our primary source of getting non-pizza items delivered in town has become entreesdenton.com. They deliver the likes of Andaman Thai, RG’s Burgers, and even Mazatlan straight to your door. Of course, The Bowllery and Cowboy Chicken deliver, as well, if you’re hungry and that's what you're looking for.
    
    
11. You can drink on the courthouse lawn so long as what you’re drinking from is not made of glass. Just don't over indulge and get yourself a PI!
    
    
12. Speaking of drinking, some of our favorite places in town are BYOB. Pick up a bottle from Wine Squared (they have a discount for bottles you take with you) and take it to Bagheri’s or Siam House for a wonderful evening of cheap hooch.
    
    
13. If you’re into cheap, weird stuff that may or may not be stolen, there’s a great flea market on 380 right past 288 that’s open every weekend. Our fave breakfast taco dealers, La Estrella, have their truck out there pretty often, too.
    
    
14. r/Denton
    
    
15. There’s always a free Saturday morning bluegrass/folk jam session on the Courthouse Square lawn. It makes for some awesome “morning after” fare. Pick up some croissants from Ravelin beforehand for a makeshift brunch.
    
    
16. That elotes cart on the EMTC is actually open sometimes, but a watched pot never boils, so walk up to it blindfolded and be prepared for an awesome corn dish. In addition, the "secret" is already out on this one, but for some of the best legit Mexican food in town, get your grub on at the EMTC. 
    
    
17. Eagle Drive QT, Discount Tire and Denton Tire all offer free air for a low tire. Also, you can nab  free “Check Engine Light” service at the Pep Boys near the Golden Triangle Mall.
    
    
18. Querencia Community Bike Shop, off of the Square on Cedar St. (look for their new mural) offers cheap fixes, repair seminars, and tons of friendly help for your fixie.
    
    
19. With some savvy Google-mapping, we’ve found that taking 1830 Country Club Rd. south from Ft. Worth Dr. down through Flower Mound in order to get to DFW airport is only an extra eight minutes. Not only that, but it also provides a far more relaxing, pristine drive than the I-35 cemented insanity we’re all used to. Also, the A-train/DART stops at Love Field (student discount FTW).
    
    
20. In our many year’s of living here, we still haven’t been able to raise the ghost at Goatman’s Bridge.
    
    
21. If you haven’t camped or enjoyed some of the cheap outdoor programs at Ray Roberts Park, you’re doing weekends wrong. There is even a small lake front beach that you can lounge, read, grill and play volleyball on. 
    
    
22. There's an actual museum in the courthouse. Yes, the Courthouse Square Museum is awesome for free wandering-about fun. They have rotating exhibits, too, so if you haven’t been in a while, it’s time to check it out again. Also, check out the free Bayless-Selby House Museum or Firefighters Museum on Hickory/Bell during Saturday Community Market shopping.
    
    
23. Speaking of the Bayless-Selby House Museum, those other houses next to it that are “in progress,” are actually an artistic statement by the city on the length of time a community will put up with an old house on ugly, rusted piece of iron next to a community market without complaining about it.
    
    
24. The Little Chapel in the Woods is a beautiful, architectural achievement dedicated by Eleanor Roosevelt and it lives right, smack-dab in the middle of the TWU campus. You can get married there or even hold your band practice inside the building in order to get them sweet, sweet stained glass acoustics, if you time it right.
    
    
25. Tuesday nights at Sweetwater, you can grab the best meatloaf in town, hands down. In fact, it’s possibly the best meal you’ll have that entire month.
    
    
26. Denton is great for frolfers. North Lakes Park has a wonderful frisbee golf course and UNT has a disc golf field, too. Oh, and UNT has batting cages.
    
    
27. Got a shattered smartphone screen? The bookstore by UNT at the corner of Eagle and Ave C can fix it for $70. Also, Naranja Cafe, the boba tea shop on Ave. C, doubles as a fixer of plenty of phone problems.
    
    
28. If you’re looking for a quick way to bolster your record collection, Mad World Records has a great 99￠section full of stuff that they don’t have the good sense to sell for more money. Aside from that, we’d argue that Books and More on University may have the best record selection in town despite it’s less than ideal exteriors.
    
    
29. Buy a good lock if you can’t take your bike inside with you. Denton often has a problem with bike theft. If it’s already too late for you and your two-wheeler, make sure and check Craigslist before resorting to purchasing a new bike.
    
    
30. DFW is known for its GREAT artists, many of which graduate from Denton’s universities before making it big as professionals in the Metroplex. UNT and TWU galleries, both of which are scattered across their respective campuses, host year-round professional and student exhibitions which showcase some of the best local and national contemporary art. Lots of students who display their work are also looking to sell, and at great prices. All the better to beautify your digs with!

BACK IN THE DAY: SCHOOL SPIRIT

by Shaun Treat

Early turn-of-the-century graduates of Denton College, who had to walk for miles uphill both ways in the sweltering Texas sun.

As students yet again return to UNT and TWU for the golden beginnings of another academic year, we Dentonians often roll our eyes at the throngs of fresh faces wandering the Square crosswalks with noses glued to their smartphones and the inevitable wrong-way cars drifting cluelessly down traffic-packed one-way streets. Its a familiar fall ritual here, since Denton has long been a university town – nay, a proud two-college town – that locals cherish for the thriving arts and music scene which accompany the noise and bustle of rowdy students. Denton’s 1959 Centennial Committee report proudly observed that “the citizens of Denton have always been ‘Schoolminded’,” so we figured we’d take a brief look back at why this has indeed been the case since way back in the day.

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Soon after the town lots were sold in January of 1857, Denton sought to make good on an 1836 provision in the Constitution of the Republic of Texas to dutifully “provide by law a general system of education.” Easier resolved than done, since the upheaval of the Civil War and its aftermath insured that the Texas legislature would be about as helpful in supporting a quality public education system back then as it’s bumbling Austin antics are today. Regardless, populated by plucky immigrants who knew the importance of education, Denton’s citizens had established numerous privately-funded schools with at least 47 teachers who variously “taught a Literary school in Denton” between 1858 and 1884, when the first public school opened.

The first schools in 1858 were taught by James B. Ford in Denton’s courthouse, and James W. Bryson taught another on South Elm Street. These subscription school “cessions” were usually short and covered the most basic fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic during the summer months between harvest seasons for families who could pay tuition. After the 1860s Civil War, with little help from the carpetbag government, two fraternal orders dedicated to educating virtuous democratic citizens would step in to provide building space and needed funds for school teachers. The Stanfield Lodge No.217 and the IOOF Lodge No.82 provided their facilities to rotating Sabbath services of various denominations and “free public school purposes” under their own board of trustees or education superintendents.

Sponsoring war orphans and poor Masonic kin, these charitable groups provided an invaluable contribution to the future of Denton during economic hardship. Denton finally received funding and taxes for a free public school in 1884 when the Odd Fellows’ schoolhouse on South Locust was sold to the city for $300, after more than a few years of haggling, and it then became the Denton City School before it was the Robert E. Lee public school of Denton. Take THAT, Yankees!

The first building at Texas Normal College, 1891.

Yet Denton wasn’t content with these little schoolhouses on the prairie, especially when there is money to be made from taxpayer dollars. Seeking innovative ideas to stimulate our economy in the 1890s depression, the City of Denton contracted with Professor Joshua C. Chilton to establish a private college with aspirations to become a state university. The deal had been prodded by an influential group of ten men belonging to the Denton Board of Trade and fraternal orders, collectively known as “The Syndicate,” the backroom wheeling-and-dealing soon yielding more than a little insider trading on real estate ventures and construction contracts for Masonic bretheren. An enrollment of 70 students attended their first classes in 1890 on the upper floor of a hardware store on the northwest Denton Square (now Ethan Allen’s Furniture), but the next year moved into a newly constructed building on The Syndicate’s 240 acres of land that would become profitably annexed by the city to eventually grow into today’s University of North Texas campus.

Lower-than-expected enrollments and financial problems were compounded by Mr. Chilton’s resignation due to health problems (he died within a year) but, after several unsuccessful attempts, the private college finally became a state school in 1899 called the North Texas Normal College & Teacher Training Insitute. As a condition of such lucrative accreditation, the City of Denton agreed to donate all the Normal School property to the State of Texas, including all land, buildings, and “an abundant supply of artesian water.” I’m betting “The Syndicate” was smiling through their cigars and bags of cash, laughing all the way to the bank. When it opened for registration as North Texas Normal College in September of 1901, the university had 14 faculty and about 200 students and thus a college town was born. By 1917, the NTNC Yucca yearbook dubbed themselves “The Athens of North Texas” (though not one of UNT’s official six name changes over the years).

We don’t know for sure if these 10 men are “The Syndicate,” but we also don’t know they ain’t.

Denton City School, est. 1884

If you think the history of Texas Womans University is any less saturated with behind-the-scenes political intrigue, think again. It was established by Gov. Joseph Sayers signing into law a 1901 bill creating the “Texas Industrial Institute and College for the Education of the White Girls of the State of Texas in Arts and Sciences.” A past column has already explained the sketchy circumstances of how Denton’s African-American township-within-a-town neighborhood of Quakertown was forcibly evicted in 1921, after a slow-burning showdown when the “Girls Industrial College of Texas” was established as a state university in 1903. But there are indeed many proud moments in Denton’s history of racial integration, especially with North Texas State University’s 1950s athletic program.

Few may realize that these teaching colleges began above the Denton Square in 1901, like a few subscription schools in Denton during the late 1800s, they quite progressively taught women as well as the children of freed slaves and some indigenous natives. The first “free colored school” was established in Denton’s Quakertown as The Fred Douglas School in 1878, one of the few opportunities for the education of freed slaves in North Texas. From its beginnings, Denton has always valued education and this commitment seems written into our community DNA.

Old Main Building of TWU, est. 1903

Denton actually had a third college at one time, but it didn’t take. The private John B. Denton College was also established here in 1901 but soon became “Southwestern Christian College” when the Church of Christ assumed its administration in 1904, moving it to Cleburne in 1909 before finally settling as the Abilene Christian College. That site on Congress Street is where Calhoun Middle School was until 1957. The private Selwyn School of Denton was also established in ‘57, one of many that would replace other schools now long since gone. As you can see, compared to other frontier towns and Texas outposts, Denton has pretty much been an educational hub since the get-go, a proud tradition of neighbors-helping-neighbors that continues in our community today!

Recently, the local United Way, Denton ISD groups and our civic leaders have teamed up for a program called MENTOR DENTON, a grassroots project for volunteers to donate one hour a week for one year helping an at-risk student in our public schools. One more way we can continue the tradition of community involvement helping to aide eduction for all in Denton.

1913 Educational rally on the Denton Square, ‘cuz we love a parade.

1888 officers of Denton’s Stanfield Lodge, early education boosters.

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Back in The Day is an ongoing WDDI contribution from Shaun Treat, an assistant professor in Communication Studies at the University of North Texas and founder of the Denton Haunts historical ghost tour. Doc Treat has written about numerous local places and personalities at his Denton Haunts blog, and is forever indebted to the great work of the fine folks with the Denton County Historical Commission and 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.

WHAT WE DID: AUGUST 26th

We spent our weekend cramming in as much fun as possible and avoiding 288 as we got ready for the burgeoning new school year. New students made their way into town and we saw plenty of them biking/walking around exploring Denton (read: there was a line at the grocery store again). We did more than just eat tasty treats, though. We caught a few shows, took a ride down to the 'burbs on the A-Train and enjoyed the last few hours of summer freedom. 

Share your weekend pics with us by tagging them with #WDDI on your tweets and 'grams and you may see a few of your photos posted here next week. 

We hopped on the A Train this weekend to meet friends down in Carrollton - we loved the stress free ride as we skipped out on the traffic. When was the last time you took the A Train? 

The house show scene in Denton is still going strong as was evident by the three day long Blotto Fest this past weekend. Here's a shot of Brooks Willhoite from Mountain of Smoke playing the small room from this past Saturday.  

We attended the Better Block: Denton meeting and were proponents of using this nice, little stretch of McKinney across the street from the post office as the area to improve. We think it has potential. What do you think? 

Apparently, we eat a lot for you guys. Maybe it's because we love food. Maybe because we think you should know where the good food is. Either way, we tried out Bagheri's for the first time in a long time - and we weren't disappointed one bit. We recommend the lobster ravioli. Really, trust us. 

As part of an upcoming feature on restaurants right outside of the Denton city limits, we ate at Mom's on Main in Aubrey, TX and were pretty full after a couple of gut bombs like what you see in the picture above.  

For an entirely different upcoming feature, we purchased a few bags of beans from Seven Mile and their new coffee roaster and had ourselves a couple of tastings. Oh, the things we do for you people.  

Fishboy at J&J's with Human Behavior, Joey Kendall and Timothy Jarrod Smith

photo by Dave Koen  

Falafel, dolmas, hummus and tabouli graced our table at the Green Zatar as we managed to make our way down Sunset for a bite to eat after the Better Block meeting to discuss neighborhoods with potential. 

Breakfast of champions - Joey's cinnamon rolls at Royal's Bagels. Perfect for kicking off a Saturday morning. 

We admired the new signage at East Side Social Club. We're ready to try out the whiskey selection when they open next month. 

Denton native, Mike Wiebe of the Riverboat Gamblers standing in the middle of the crowd at Rubber Gloves. 

photo by Dave Koen

Irish Boozer (on S. Elm next to Last Drop Tavern) is open, y'all. We went over to see what they've got on tap and were pretty happy with what we found. 

Don't worry guys. We went ahead and tried out Irish Boozer's signature dish - a pair of their Rusty Nuts. They didn't disappoint, either. We highly recommend that you head over and check 'em out. 

THREE SONGS: AUGUST

Once a month, we like to take a moment and highlight three songs from local bands that have ear wormed their way into our brains. While we normally try to highlight some lesser known Denton bands, August has been a big month for music releases. Below, we take a listen to the likes of Midlake, Bad Sports and Botany. Read on for weekend tunes!

Which long standing Denton band is regarded as the most revered? Has any sort of committee decided this yet? We’re not sure if it’s supposed to be Midlake, Brave Combo or The Baptist Generals. Either way, “Antiphon” is Midlake's first foray back without longtime vocalist Tim Smith.

We remember once hearing Denton elder statesman Dave Sims discuss the state of Denton music in 2010, explaining that post Denton’s folk-explosion, the current trend was to find a a sound of a certain era and to finetune said sound to the point of perfection. Midlake has a history of doing just that. Sometimes it works in their favor. Other times, it doesn’t. Their last album divided many American critics right down the middle (those unshaved Europeans seem to think the ‘Lake can do no wrong). That said, Midlake has long been drastically changing their sound in between albums. The Trials of Van Occupanther was mutually agreed upon to be the best Fleetwood Mac album since Tusk. The Courage of Others from 2010, had Midlake evoking a different 70's sound with shades of Neil Young shining through.

The album release dates above show just how meticulous Midlake can be. They take their darn sweet time in between albums, fine tuning everything and hanging out in their studio. It pays off with “Antiphon.” With the departure of Tim Smith, Eric Pulido has taken on vocal duties. The change might not be noticeable to many listeners. The vocal harmonies carry the song throughout, but they eventually get the spotlight stolen by drummer McKenzie Smith’s ramshackle swing throughout the tune. While psychedelia is yet another new guise for Midlake to squeeze themselves into, we find it to suit them well.

Speaking of finding a dormant sound and reviving it well, local ne'er-do-wells, Bad Sports, seem to be doing pretty well in the national music scene lately. Spin is currently streaming their new album in it’s entirety and they’ve had tracks highlighted on both Pitchfork and MTV.com.

The trio has infiltrated the punk scene of DFW and pretty much dominated it for about half a decade now. We remember watching them tear apart a couch at some Dallas Observer show at least four years ago. Since then, they’ve gone on to join the likes of Marked Men, Mind Spiders and other North Texas punk royalty on the excellent Dirtnap Records out of the Pacific Northwest. This might be their crowning year, with their forthcoming album, Bras, looming on the masses.

Most of Bras finds Bad Sports sporting their garage rock moniker well, but this album shows quite a bit of growth. Some songs show hints of the Stones while some even remind us of AC/DC. As with Midlake above, we're once more finding an older sound and aping it to the point of perfection.

Above you’ll find “Get You,” the first track off of their upcoming album and a song which MTV calls this summer’s punk rock answer to Robin Thicke’s "Blurred Lines." We’d be hard-pressed to disagree. This tune is tight and focused, with guitar licks and hooks aplenty. Both tunes sound vaguely threatening to women, too. How did that become this summer's theme? 

While we still bemoan the quiet fading away of Denton band, Sleep Whale, we’re happy to see that they acted as somewhat of a launch pad (maybe raised bed garden?) for several other entities that are still creating great tunes in the same vein. In June, we applauded the recent work of Paul North who was a part of that clan. This month, we’re highlighting a song from Botany, the brain child of vicarious Dentonite, Spencer Stephenson. After Sleep Whale, Stephenson gained some good cred through his work under the Abacus moniker. We’re not sure exactly what precipitated the name change - Botany’s sound isn’t far from what we heard with Abacus, but we’ll take these tunes however we can get them.

Anchor starts out sounding a little like a Tycho song, however, once the song finds it’s foothold (which happens about :45 into it), it becomes a beast of a different nature. The song certainly leaves you wanting to listen to the rest of the album.

DIME FEATURED ARTIST: INFINITE BLUE BIRD

Interview by The DIME Store, Photos by Infinite Blue Bird  

 If you’ve been in the DIME Store this month, odds are you might have spent a long time lingering at the featured artist table, admiring the eclectic jewelry collection from the giggly gals at Infinite Blue Bird. Wooden findings, leather bits, and vintage gems come together in new and exciting ways when “the Birds” get their hands on 'em. Read on to learn why they work great together and why they’re “the Birds” in the first place.

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First of all, what’s the story behind the name “Infinite Blue Bird”?

Allison started an Etsy shop after her wedding to sell some of her vintage blue glass and miscellaneous wedding items; hence the “blue”. She also has a blog called Infinite Sunshine and thought she would continue the name in case they ever went hand in hand. So there is the “infinite”. As far as the bird, anyone who knows Allison knows she has a things for birds - cue the Portlandia video “Put a Bird on it”. Once Allison and Marilyn started making jewelry, they thought they would just utilize the already established shop to sell their jewelry. It has turned out to be a unique name that we are definitely both associated with now. Besides, it gives good reason to make bird calls to your friends without being viewed as crazy….right?

What got you interested in the DIY scene? 

We both have a degree in Interior Design from UNT and enjoy creating outside of Infinite Blue Bird. We are always in ‘design’ mode. We are constantly DIY’ing items in our homes, making gifts for friends or artwork for each other. We both have that creative OCD gene, so it works well!

Above: The perfect brown and aqua necklace

Left: Allison is the perfect model to show off their jewelry line. 

How did you get into jewelry making?

We definitely like to wear pretty things, and one day we talked to each other about some pieces we saw online that were inspiring us. Sadly, neither of us are millionaires so we thought we could create our own unique (and affordable) pieces to wear. Allison wore one of our originals to work one day and had several compliments and an offer to buy the necklace off her body! That’s when we knew we were creating things that not only the two of us loved. That was definitely the spark that got us amped up to create more and open up a shop.

How did you two decide to do business together?

We have been friends for eight years and met while working at UNT as students. Through working together we found we had scarily similar personalities and interests. We have a tendency to say the same things at the same time and we find it’s always a good idea to call each other before a night out to make sure we don’t match, which usually never fails! Along with that, we are both always honest with each other and knew that a business partnership would be successful.

What does each of you bring to the table?

We have names for each other when it comes to certain tasks relating to business. Marilyn is cordially known as PR! She is great at communicating with clients, purchasers, and anyone else interested in our business. Allison is happily known as Techie. She works on managing the money and websites, while handling the marketing as well. As far as the designs, ideas, and creation of the product, we work side by side; equally coming up with new design ideas and getting cramps in our hands from cutting and assembling.  

You both work 9 - 5 day jobs outside of your successful creative business. How do you balance it?

It is definitely a challenge to balance our full time jobs, have time to run Infinite Blue Bird on the side, and a social life. We like having the creative outlet, so it isn’t too hard to want to sit down and create. We accomplish most of our creating on the weekends or in the evenings in the studio at Allison’s house. We are usually hanging out together anyway, so it’s a nice way to socialize and be profitable! Two infinite blue birds, one stone! Ha ha ha.

How did you become involved with DIME?

We first encountered DIME while applying to be a part of the Summer Bazaar show in 2012. We were accepted and since then have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the ladies of DIME. We always look forward to working with them and are so proud to be a part of such a great organization. Denton needed a creative group like this, and the response around town has been ecstatic.

If you’re not hanging out up at the DIME Store, what are you favorite places to be around town?

We frequent Oak Street Draft House; it doesn’t get much better than a beer in their beer garden. Prost! We enjoy seeing live music at venues like Banter and Abbey Underground.  Indulging in sushi at Uncommon Grounds is on the list too! And yes, we generally do these things together.

Aside from the DIME Store, where can we purchase your work?

You can shop our stuff on Etsy of course. We also have things available at a cute bakery called Crickles & Co. on the south side of town and for any Oklahoma travelers; we have items available in a store called Made: the Indie Emporium Shop in Tulsa.

Do you have any advice for aspiring Etsy sellers?

It’s definitely important to be flexible in working with your customers. Sometimes they have a slightly different vision for one of your products and as long as your shop is capable of the alteration, we think it’s important to try to fit the request. It may sometimes require a bit more time and brain power, but in the end it’s always worth it. Also, keep in mind what sells in your shop and what doesn’t when creating. Just because you are in love with a design doesn’t mean it will be beneficial to your business if it’s not selling. Use that as a reason to further develop other designs and concepts to keep your product fresh.

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The DIME Store is a shop and artist collective in downtown Denton, featuring 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 Greenhouse.

THE DEN10: AUGUST 21

Well, here we go. Summer's done and we've got a whole semester in front of us to start getting things done. This week we've got the Better Blocks info meeting on Wednesday. If you want to see what that's about, check out this TedTalk.  We'll be rolling out our riveting back-to-school content soon so be on the lookout for all that as we welcome the student population back into town. 

- Questions or comments? Email info@wedentondoit.com  

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Wednesday August 21
Denton Better Block Info Meeting | Greater Denton Arts Council | 5:30PM
This is a really awesome idea that's spreading from Oak Cliff into our city. Show up and share your ideas at the GDAC building which is on the corner of Bell and Hickory streets.

BUZZ BEE - Dentin's Ownly Uhdult Spelleen Bee(r)! | Dan's Silverleaf | 8PM | $5 to enter
All the agony, pain and drama of an actual spelling bee will descend upon Dan's tonight. If you attended the last BUZZ BEE, you know that you are in for a wild ride of spelling things.

Fishboy / Human Behavior / Joey Kendall / Timothy Jarrod Smith | J&J's | 9PM | FREE
Start your weekend early with Fishboy and an italian sausage sandwich which I maintain is the best sandwich money can currently buy in Denton.

Hailey's and The Denton Comedy Collective | Hailey's | 9PM | FREE
Pizza and joke tellers for the very low price of free.

Thursday August 22
Sacco & Vanzetti / Danny Rush & The DD's / Clair Morales / Old Potion | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $5

Unicorn Lake Summer Concert Series | Beth Marie's @ Unicorn Lake | 7PM
The Kerry Davis Jr. Band tears that metaphorical unicorn a hypothetical new one in front of Beth Marie's this Thursday because this is a family event.

Friday August 23
The Aristocrats | Dan's Silverleaf | 9PM | $18
A supergroup of guys who've played with Vai, Satriani, Zappa, etc. 

Saturday August 24
Back To School Barbell Bash | CrossFit NTX | 9AM | Register Online
Think you're ripped? See how cross fit you really are at this event benefiting the Denton I.S.D.

Sunday August 25
Last Sunday's Open Shop | Tex's Tubs Drum Co. | 11AM 
Need some tool to finish a project? Check out the tools at Tex's this Sunday. 

Monday August 26
Meat Wave / The Ridgelands / Curvette | Rubbergloves | 9PM | $5

DENTON CROWDFUNDING: AUGUST

It's been a while, but the crowdfunding scene in Denton is at a boil currently, so we figured it was as good a time as any to search through Kickstarter, IndieGoGo and a few others to bring to you the best of crowdfunding that Denton has to offer. Go ahead and read through the following campaigns. If something strikes your fancy, please donate and feel good about yourself for the rest of the day.  

Denton Community Splash Park

With tomorrow’s Better Block’s meeting, the idea of making change happen is hot on the mind of Dentonites. This campaign, initiated by local mover and shaker, Amber Briggle, evokes that mindset in spades. If the concept of a “splash pad” doesn’t evoke anything in your mind, imagine the summers your spent in your front yard, running through the water spray from the nearby oscillating sprinkler. Well, a “splash pad” is kind of like that. It’s an area with multiple streams of water in various arrangements, with multiple drains preventing said water from pooling. It’s fun and kids love ‘em. Maybe you’ve seen a small one behind the Barnes and Noble in Highland Village.

Briggle has spoken with the powers-that-be at the city level and been promised that if she raises the funds, the park would be built. If not this year, then in the next year. Briggle went on to say, “The goal… is to bring this money to City Council, show them how serious we are about this, and hope that they can meet us the rest of the way so we can get this built in the next year!

Many Denton artists and businesses have donated their time and products as incentives to donators. $500 will net you your own Paul Slavens concert, $150 will get you an engraved brick on the site and a donation of $250 will allow you and seven of your friends to yell at Kevin Roden about politics of your choice at your very own Drink and Think.

Donate here. 

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Denton Holiday Lighting Festival Song Compilation

The event commonly known as “The Tree Lighting,” “wassail fest,” or “Kettle Korn Time,” is actually the “The Denton Holiday Lighting Festival.” It’s a free event in December every year that you probably already go to (we just learned that every year a commemorative Denton Christmas ornament is produced - how do we not already have all of them?).

This year, they’re producing a compilation CD in celebration of their 25th anniversary. The compilation will be full of of their favorite holiday performances from Denton bands. You can look forward to hearing Sarah Jaffe, Boxcar Bandits, the Denton Community Band and many others on this multi-decade spanning compilation. Our friend Nick is the only person we know who still buys CDs. Thankfully, the crew behind the The Denton Holiday Lighting Fesitval also plans on making the album available to purchase online, as well.

Donations to the cause can get you cool swag like T-shirts and framed photos.

Donate here. 

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Two Hearts, 6,100 Miles Apart

Well, this is a tough one. Local artist, Michael Todd, is looking to fund a trip to Paris to meet his longtime Russian internet girlfriend, Anastasia. He's looking for $25,000 in order to travel the 6,100 miles distance, document said experience through professional means and to then get their story out to the masses in the form of a documentary and follow-up book. While we were left wanting to call Max and Nev of Catfish after reading Todd's novel of a explanation (which we highly encourage you to read, yourself) on his IndieGoGo campaign, something kept us from finding their contact info on MTV.com. We want to read this book. We would pay $12/ticket to get the chance to see this documentary. While our pessimism forces us to doubt the legitimacy of Todd's girlfriends' story, either way, it would be wonderful to watch. Donations will get you the normal digital download or sponsorship credit, but we also found it interesting that they're offering the ability to go to the screening of your choice, naming SXSW, NYFILM and Sundance as future screenings. "Dream big and love conquers all," right? 

Donate here. 

WHAT WE DID: AUGUST 19TH

The calendar is getting mighty frightening as we start edging our way back to the beginning of the school year. This weekend we made sure to take full advantage of the town before the universities bring in an extra 40,000 people. We hit up the parade on the square, a nearby coffee shop, made a trip out to the lake, and celebrated the great return of one of our favorite BBQ joints. What did you do this weekend? Let us know in the comments and make sure to tag your photos every weekend with #WDDI to be included in What We Did every Monday. 

Our friends at From Tha Heart BBQ had their food truck out again this weekend. We grabbed some food from them and chatted a bit on Friday. They'll be in front of Lone Star Carwash on Dallas Dr. every Friday and Saturday for lunch and dinner starting at 11am. 

The amount of new coffee shops opening in Denton County every year is crazy. We ventured over to Highland Village for the Hot Air Balloon Festival this weekend and stumbled across Roots on 407. Great atmosphere and lots of great coffee options. 

From Tha Heart's truck might not look a little nondescript, but the BBQ isn't. 

Mini horses and donkeys started walking in circles on accident during the fair parade on the square Saturday morning. 

We spent Friday night trying out the white pizza at Luigi's. We may have spent some extra time at the gym the next morning, but it was totally worth it. 

Denton loves it's parades - and we don't mind 'em either. Watching a bunch of kids catch candy and horses stride through the square can be a great way to spend some time on Saturday morning. 

This little house is empty... We got a little nosy and peeked through the windows of one of our favorite little houses after the Boyd Girls closed shop. We're left wondering what will go in next....  

We savored one of the remaining summer weekends by spending time at the lake - and we had to make a short stop at 'The Dam Store' for our favorite treat. 

We can't get back into town without stopping for a 'Bebo burger'. 

MENTOR DENTON: VIDEO

We were sitting in a dark booth in the bar section of The Greenhouse, when we first heard about an ambitious endeavor being made by a large group of Denton entities (namely: United Way Denton, Communities in Schools, UNT, Denton ISD, and the City of Denton). We were there with District 1 City Councilman, Kevin Roden, and he was talking about speaking with Denton ISD Superintendent, Jamie Wilson, and what he would do if he had a large army of volunteers at his disposal.

 "You get me 10,000 volunteers, and we'll make a difference in our schools," Wilson reportedly said. 

That caught our ear and we were immediately on board. We're in and out of Denton ISD schools all the time. Heck, some of us even work there. We're invested in those kids and we don't want them dropping out, failing or even getting that faux-hawk haircut, if it can be prevented. We want to help. You probably do, too. What's stopping us at this point? That's where Mentor Denton comes in.

Mentor Denton is a new entity dedicated to bringing volunteers into our schools in the City of Denton. Through Mentor Denton, you'll learn just what it is to be a mentor, why you're needed and how you can go ahead and get started. 

That brings us to that fairly large-seeming number Wilson said earlier. Ten thousand may seem like a lot of volunteers. It's 10x the grains of rice that are in any given bowl according to deceased comedian Mitch Hedberg, but when you consider the fact that UNT has over 36,000 students, TWU has 13,000 and there's a bunch of us just trying to hang out and live here, that number starts to look a little more paltry. 

By fall of 2015, Mentor Denton hopes to have 10,000 volunteers signed up to dedicate an hour of their time, once a week for a year to partner with a Denton ISD student and change their life for the better. 

Maybe you think you're not "mentor" material. While interviewing local comedian Ron Lechler the other week, we discussed this very subject. He shared his concern that he might not make the greatest role model for kids. He's wrong. There is no set mold for what a mentor is or can be. Different kids need different things. There is most certainly a child out there - maybe he's a Newton Razyor Elementary 5th grader, maybe he's a Guyer High School freshman - who is into stand up comedy. Maybe he's a bit of a jerk, like Lechler. Maybe he's having a hard time at school due to circumstances at home. Hanging out with someone for an hour a week would be a boon to this young mind, and we're sure there's someone there who needs you, too.

The fall of 2015 may seem like a ways off, but it will be here before you know it, and aside from that, Denton ISD needs mentors NOW. We're hoping to gather at least 1,000 volunteers through Mentor Denton this fall in the ramp up to the big number in two years. Go ahead and watch the video embedded above to see how former mentor, Britni Chehayeb's, life was changed by being a mentor for the Denton Independent School District and click through to Mentor Denton to get more information on how you can help.