Lorrie Semler, Addison Real Estate Specialist

Dinner AND a Movie at Addison's Studio Movie Grill. If you can't decide between dinner and a movie, how about both at the same time? That's the concept behind the Studio Movie Grill.

Owner Brian Schultz borrowed the idea after attending a movie in Maryland at the Bethesda Draft House. He brought the concept to Dallas in 1993 and took over the historic Granada Theater, then opened the Addison location five years later. There are also Studio Movie Grills in Plano, Arlington, Lewisville and two in Houston.

Besides movies and food, the Studio Movie Grill also holds thousands of events each year: alumni groups, Bar and Bas Mitzvahs, birthday parties, company parties, board meetings, wedding receptions, and more. I've attended meetings of networking groups there, an art auction, as well as film festivals. It's a great venue for combining business and entertainment (not to mention food) all at the same place.

The menu consists of "normal" movie favorites, such as popcorn and soda, but you can buy a burger, dessert, or a host of other finger foods. (The potato skins are high on my list.) Or, you can just sit back and watch the movie without selecting from the menu. Want dinner without the movie? Enter the lobby and have a seat at the bar.

The Studio Movie Grill is located at 5405 Beltline Rd. Addison, TX 75248. From Belt Line and the Tollway, go 1/2 mile east of the Tollway, then turn north on Prestonwood. SMG is on the north east corner.

Adopt A Pet at Operation Kindness, A No-Kill Animal Shelter

Operation Kindness has been a North Texas instituion since 1976. I adopted Eh? from them in 1984 when they were located in a tiny building in Garland, Texas. Zed joined the family in 1988 and by that time, Operation Kindness had moved to larger quarters on Beltline Road in Farmers Branch. Eh? and Zed never really got along, but did tolerate each other. Sadly, they're both gone now.

I vowed that my next cats would be littermates, in the hopes that they would peacefully coexist. And they do. By the time I got around to adopting Knickknack (Nick) and Bric-a-brac (Bric). Operation Kindness had moved to their current location:
3201 Earhart Dr.,
Carrollton, TX 75006
(just north of Addison, SW of the Keller Springs/Midway intersection, on Earhart, in the cul-de-sac).

Operation Kindness is a non-profit organization and they get no government funding. At any time, they are likely to have between 200 and 250 animals in the shelter, and about 75 in foster homes. Because they are a no-kill facility, the animals remain there until adopted out. Several years ago, my friend Helen adopted Dixie, a dog who had been there for about 15 months. Because they do not euathanize, they can only take in animals when they have room. All animals adopted at Operation Kindness must be spayed or neutered.

So, if a pet is in your future plans, stop by Operation Kindness and pick your pup or choose your cat!

Zed, Eh? Bric, Nick

The Best 2 Cent Copy Shop in Addison: Office Machines Inc.

Forget Kinkos. Don't bother with Office Depot. Office Max? Nah! When I need more copies than my all-in-one printer/copier can handle, I head to one of the two locations of Office Machines, Inc.

But wait! They do more than copying. I also use OMI to coil-bind my listing presentations. And they do business cards! Although their primary business is copier, fax, and laser printer sales and repairs, they have multiple copiers available for the general public to use.

Locations:

• Office Machines, Inc.
  15910 Midway Road
  Addison TX 75001
  972-881-5000
  (Just south of Keller Springs Road, on the east side of the street)
  
• Office Machines, Inc.
  5930 LBJ Freeway #100
  Dallas, TX 75230
  972-392-7990
  (On the south side access road of LBJ Freeway, before Preston Road, next to the Maytag building and around the corner from the Keller Williams office.)

At 2 cents for black & white photocopies and 40 cents for color copies, the Office Machines Inc. prices are hard to beat.

You Can Stand on this Guy's Reputation! All American Flooring.

Joe Kboudi of All American Flooring (formerly The Rug Mart) is an upstanding guy! His family-owned and operated business has been around since 1983. They recently joined forces with Fred Ashouri and Tarek Alkadri of All American Flooring and moved to 4490 Alpha Road, Farmers Branch, Texas (just a toe over the Addison line), between Welch and Midway Roads.

Joe has helped me with carpeting and tile in my current home as well as a previous one. He's my go-to guy for flooring if my sellers are getting ready to put their homes on the market or if my buyers want to change out the floors in their new acquisitions. His installers are the best in the business.

In addition to residential flooring, they do hotels, commerical buildings and remodels. And let's not forget the granite! They can help with kitchen and bath countertops, too.

With great pricing and superior customer service, All American Flooring beats the big box stores handily.

Call Joe at All American Flooring at 972-243-0973.

You can stand on Joe's reputation!

Home Sales in Addison Texas in July, 2009

In June 2009, seven properties closed, as compared to eight in July. In the past 6 months, there have been 46 sales in Addison Texas. That may not seem like a lot, but there are only 15,000 residents in Addison and many live in apartments. Addison home prices have held up well during these economic times. Addision is a great place to live, work and play.

Thinking about making Addison Texas your home? Call me!

Lorrie Semler, e-PRO, GRI, SRES
Addison Resident/Addison Specialist
Keller Williams - Dallas North
972-416-3417
www.LorrieSemler.com