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Find or Refer a Contractor in Tyler

Has Tyler Heard the Last of the Double D?

August 30th, 2011

Double D Ranch in Tyler TX

I haven’t been deliberately ignoring the final story of the DD vs. Toys R Us. I’ve just been too busy to sit down and write a follow up article until now. Our city’s current boiling controversy involving the Double D Ranch is, at least for now, settled. Judge Christi Kennedy, found in favor of the plaintiff, Toys R Us, and ruled that the corporation that owned El Chico was violating its lease when it converted the restaurant to the Double D Ranch; by employing a “semi nude,” “scantily clad” wait staff.  The injunction put in place last month which barred “The Ranch” for advertising or employing its staff in their famous uniforms was upheld last week. No further changes to the premises are allowed without the consent of Toys R Us, but the restaurant is not prohibited from opening under any other name, provided it keeps with the rules of the injunction.

Now I have to concede, that it seems unwise for the restaurant’s owners to invest the money and time into reconstructing a building that may or may not be able to actually open in a town as conservative as Tyler. Had their lease been airtight I’d be the first to support their right to open regardless of the fact that I find their theme to be tacky and generally tasteless. That being said I hardly think the term “Semi- nude” really applies here. Scantily clad maybe, but even that is kind of nebulous. According to the reports I read, a trial will be held in November to determine the final word on the issue. However, with the injunction having been upheld thus far I don’t see anything changing over the next few months. I suspect what remains, is simply the groups involved, attempting to wrangle up any lost revenue. I could be wrong but I’ll be surprised if the case is overturned at this point. Readers who have any more info on the coming trial are invited to share it in the comments section. I’d be curious to know what remains to be decided. That being said, I strongly suspect that Tyler’s Double D Ranch idea is headed for the last round- up.           

Furniture Stores in Tyler TX, a Consumer Review

June 7th, 2011

furniture stores in Tyler TXRecently my cousin and I went looking around for a recliner, but it wasn’t exactly a hard target search. We were merely browsing a couple of furniture stores looking for any deals. As a single guy, I don’t invest much money in furniture. Aside from some pretty nice book cases I haven’t purchased much at all actually. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with quite a few relatively expensive pieces by both friends and family over the years. I bring this up in the interest of disclosing my own lack of knowledge of the furniture business. We visited two businesses: the much vaunted Southside Furniture, and Bassett.

Southside has been in the middle of a clearance sale. My understanding is that they’re in the process of going out of business. (I could be wrong on this point as I’ve heard a couple explanations for why they’re clearing their inventory, so if any readers know for sure, I’d welcome your comments). I do find it odd that they’d be closing as they only recently changed their name from Ashley’s back to Southside. At any rate, their selection was decent but even with the forty percent discount the prices seemed kind of high. I’m open to the possibility that it’s just my frugality, and the prices were in fact perfectly reasonable. I’m so accustomed to trying to do more with less that I don’t always perceive the great deal. They did have some really nice pieces but even some of the chairs that I personally found rather unattractive were up around four to five hundred dollars. The store itself was really nice by the way, very large and open.
 

Tyler TX Furniture Stores

 
I was less impressed with Bassett, but I’m completely sure why. First off I guess, because their selection of recliners (which happened to be what my cousin was in the market for), was quite a bit smaller. Their products overall were nice, but the store had a much more crowded feel. Both shops had some huge couches and chairs! I don’t know if this is the latest trend in couches or not but some of the bigger models had arm rests in the middle that included cup holders. Personally I’m not a fan of this feature. It brought back too many memories of riding in the back of my parent’s big Starcraft van. Just thinking about it brings on that old nauseous feeling.

At the end of the day neither shop had exactly what my cousin wanted, for what he was willing to pay. Both stops are worth a look see however. I saw a number of reviewers on line complaining about the customer service, but at least on this occasion that was not our experience. The staff at both places was perfectly friendly, offered to help, but let us look around without pestering us.