This is Richardson

I'm Tiffany Norris, and you're listening to This Is Richardson, a podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

This is a strange time right now in the world, so this week we wanted to take a look back at some of the places we've featured on the podcast up to this point and let you know how they're dealing with everything.

First up is the restaurants. We've interviewed the owners of seven Richardson restaurants during the last few months, and they are all still open for business in one way or another.

Most are still doing either curbside pickup, drive-through, and/or delivery.

We can personally vouch for the delivery options for Sweet Firefly and Tongue in Cheek as ice cream is my comfort food of choice these days. Eiland Coffee and Woody B's also offer shipping options, and the store front of Sweet Daze is closed, but they are still doing catering orders.

Now Communion Neighborhood Cooperative has been doing some really cool things. Like the others, they offer an online ordering option where you can pick up coffee, many of their regular menu items, or a family meal to go. But they've also launched a campaign called 400 for 500 that we wanted to highlight in this episode.

Here's how it works. For $200, you get 6 of their family-style meals. These are delicious and made from scratch in the Communion Kitchen, and they serve at least four people. You can pick them up hot and ready to go or get them cold and warm them up later in the oven. You can get all six in the same week or spread it out and do one each week for six weeks.

When they hit 400 of these subscriptions, they're committing to serving an additional 100 people per week. Thus the name 400 for 500. Those additional 100 people will include those that are most affected by COVID-19 in our community. So they say that is people who are losing jobs and significant income, first responders, health-care providers, and anyone else who would just be blessed by a meal.

It's hard not to love this idea. Because with a subscription, you're not just helping your family eat. You're not just helping those additional 100 people that Communion is committing to feed. You're also helping a Richardson business and the people who work there. You're helping them stay viable through this uncertain time.

You know, I joked about ice cream earlier, but we really have found ourselves eating out a little more during this quarantined time just because we're aware that the local restaurants that we love have taken a hard hit. And we want to support them. For our little family, that support feels small sometimes, but we are doing what we can. And what we can do includes this podcast.

So the next time you're craving some ice cream or coffee or barbecue or just can't deal with cooking one night, think about one of these seven Richardson businesses:

Communion Neighborhood Cooperative

Eiland Coffee Roasters

Reverie Bakeshop

Sweet Daze

Sweet Firefly

Tongue in Cheek

Woody B's BBQ

I hope we can actually see you at one of these places soon. I'm Tiffany Norris. Thanks for listening to This Is Richardson.

I know several people who've been through the Leadership Richardson program, and it's something I've been interested in too.

So I was super excited to talk with Kim Quirk. She's the executive director and practically a lifelong resident of Richardson, Texas.

Even though I'm not participating any time soon, I enjoyed getting to hear more about Leadership Richardson and what it does for the city.

http://LeadershipRichardson.com/

By the way, do you have any experience with Leadership Richardson? If so, we'd love to hear about it.

Yes, things have changed in our city and our world since I talked with Ian Gill. He’s on a mission to make Richardson a singing city.

And even though their spring performance has been postponed until we navigate through this crisis, we believe that Richardson will be a singing city. We need music, art, and faith now more than ever.

We hope this interview will encourage you and remind you that there is still beauty. You just have to listen.

We’d love to hear from you during this challenging time, especially if there’s a way we can help or encourage you.

Links

Richardson Community Chorale:

Website

Facebook

Instagram

I feel like we've been telling a lot of dessert stories lately. I happen to like sweets almost as much as I like coffee, so we tend to get around on the treat circuit in Richardson.

Sweet Daze is one of my favorites. We first ventured in for donuts one summer, and we were instant fans. I talked with the owner, Holly Nguyen, to hear a little more about her sweet business.

When you get your next craving for a treat, try Sweet Daze. Their designs are so creative, and everything we've tried there has been delightful.

If you do stop by, we'd love to hear about it.

Link

https://www.SweetDaze.com

This Is Richardson is a local podcast telling the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

Spring is in the air. At least it is when we're posting this episode, and there's nothing like a bike ride to give you spring fever.

I think Woody Smith would agree. He's the president and owner of Richardson Bike Mart, and he has a passion for cycling.

And I have to say I learned SO much in this interview—both about cycling and about Richardson.

Isn't it cool that we are one of only two Texas cities to achieve bike-friendly status? I love that, and it makes me want to ride more often.

We've had three great experiences with Richardson Bike Mart, purchasing two of our daughters' first bikes there and having another one restored. 

I'm Tiffany Norris, and you're listening to This Is Richardson, a podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

Link:

Bike Mart website

https://www.bikemart.com/about/richardson-pg2159.htm

Looking for a laidback, cool space to hang out on date night? Trying to find a quick drive-through option for ice cream?

We found it.

Tongue in Cheek Ice Cream.

It's in a pretty high traffic area, just off of Arapaho. That presents its own set of challenges, as you'll hear from firefighter-turned-entrepreneur Brett Smith, firefighter-turned-entrepreneur. He's serving up some fascinating and delicious flavors of ice cream.

Did you hear him say coffee-infused ice cream? I'm going to have to try that the next time they offer it. What Brett has done with the space really is impressive, and the ice cream is incredible.

If you check them out, we'd love to hear about it.

Tongue in Cheek web site

You know by now I love a good cup of coffee. And Clay Eiland takes coffee to a whole new level. He's the owner of Eiland Coffee Roasters here in Richardson, and you might have had a cup of his coffee already if you've eaten somewhere like Ida Claire or shopped at Whole Foods.

But you can also go directly to Eiland Coffee Roasters and get an absolutely amazing cup of coffee on-site.

Even though I can't wait to see how they grow beyond their current location, I have to say that Eiland Coffee Roasters is the best kind of hole in the wall place. Definitely swing by and check it out. 

Links

Eiland Coffee Roasters

Also, if you like This is Richardson, you can buy me a cup of coffee and help support the podcast. Click here to find out how.

This Is Richardson is local podcast that tells the stories of the people and places of Richardson, Texas.

In this episode, we're also telling the stories of the animals of Richardson.

Tiffany Norris talks with Noura Jammal, manager of Animal Services for the city of Richardson.

Are you an animal lover as well? If you're looking to share that love, please check out one of the shelter's adoptable pets. The Richardson Animal Shelter is an open adoption facility, and they encourage interaction between visitors and adoptable pets.

Links:

Richardson Animal Services

Instagram: Richardson Animal Shelter

The Kids Play Co is an indoor playground in the II Creeks area with free coffee. And if you've listened for any amount of time, you know that I do love coffee.

I'm Tiffany Norris, and you're listening to This Is Richardson, a podcast that tells the stories of Richardson, Texas.

The Kids Play Co is such a fun, cool place where kids can have parties, attend classes, or just play. The owner Chris Downs fills us in on everything they offer and their history in Richardson.

Having just hosted 15 kids at my house for an 8-year-old's birthday party, I had to laugh when he talked about the stress of having parties at home. It's definitely less stress when you go out.

And if you're listening before Valentine's Day, let us know if you check out their Frozen Valentines event.

Links:

https://thekidsplayco.com/

https://www.livingmagazine.net/the-2019-best-of-n-richardson-murphy-readers-choice-winners/

You can find your local Richardson podcast on Instagram and Facebook and at ThisIsRichardson.com.

Whenever you're listening, I can guarantee it's a good time for ice cream.

Doesn't matter if it's chilly, rainy, or hot as blazes. If you're in Texas, it could be any of those things—sometimes all in the same week.

I think the owners of Sweet Firefly would agree. I talked with one of the owners, Patti Otte, about their story of how they got started and what it's like for them doing business in Richardson.

And I loved what she said about Richardson, "It's a small town in a big city." That echoes what so many of the people we've talked with have said as well, and I think that's a big part of what makes this city so special.

Also, I have to say, after this interview, my daughter and I went back to Sweet Firefly, and we had the hot chocolate with ice cream. And it was straight up amazing. So, the next time it's cold, go get yourself some hot chocolate and ice cream.

If you do, we'd love to hear about it. You can find us on Instagram and Facebook or at ThisIsRichardson.com.

Thanks for listening!