Karina Ramírez

A national magazine has named Denton as a hotspot for relocating retirees. Retirement Lifestyles, which highlights communities for prospective retirees, recently named the city as one of its “Top 11 Southern Retirement Hotspots.”

“We like the small-town atmosphere, the friendly people, the attractive downtown and large student population,” executive editor Dan Owens said about Denton in a news release.

Linda Ratliff, city of Denton economic development director, said she was not surprised to see Denton ranked high as a retirement hotspot.

“We have a lot to offer folks who are interested in a wide variety of cultural activities while living in a community that feels like home. Our universities are definitely an asset, and it doesn’t hurt that we have a very low crime rate. People feel safe here,” Ratliff said in an e-mail.

The quarterly magazine reaches 100,000 readers with each issue. Denton will be featured in the upcoming January-March issue.

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A consignment store has relocated from Cross Roads to Pilot Point.

Owned by Oak Point resident Anne Tatum, Lone Star Consignments & More allows people to become more earth-friendly by reselling their furniture, household items and home decor.

“We let people decide what they want to recycle,” said Tatum, whose inventory includes antiques, gift items and a collection of wedding cake toppers from the 1800s. Tatum said her store welcomes all items except clothing.

“Instead of throwing it in the trash, they can bring it to us and we can resell it,” she said.

Lone Star Consignments & More is located at 100 N. U.S. Highway 377, Suite 108. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Beginning next weekend, it will be open on Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m.

For more information, call 940-365-3500 or e-mail atatum@lonestarconsignments.com.

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For the second year in the row, Northstar Bank of Texas will be recognized as one of the best companies to work for in the state.

“We are real excited about that,” said Tony Clark, president and CEO of Northstar Bank, minutes before making the formal announcement to his employees on Tuesday.

Clark said he was proud to learn that employees enjoy working at Northstar.

“We’ve got an incredible 180 employees who enjoy working here,” Clark said. “It makes our business successful; they enjoy getting up and coming to work in the morning.”

The award is a joint project of Texas Monthly, the Texas Association of Business, the Texas State Council of the Society of Human Resource Management, and the Best Companies Group, which provides a statewide survey for employees to identify, recognize and honor the best places of employment.

Boasting eight locations in Denton County and two in northeast Tarrant County, Northstar Bank of Texas will join 100 businesses on Jan. 28 at the annual Texas Association of Business conference in Austin. 

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Walmart officials announced that the Denton store will open at 5 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

“The only day we close is Christmas,” said store manager Tony Quintero.

Officials with Golden Triangle Mall, Best Buy and Target verified that their stores will be closed on Thursday but ready for business on Black Friday.

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Access 1st Capital Bank of Denton was honored by the Independent Bankers Association of Texas for the architectural design of its new headquarters at Carroll Boulevard and Eagle Drive in Denton.

Courtesy photo

Access 1st Capital Bank president and chief executive officer Randy Robinson, left, stands with Jimmy Rasmussen, president and CEO of HomeTown Bank of Galveston, at the 35th annual Independent Bankers Association of Texas convention last month in San Antonio.

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The bank received a Silver Medal award during the Best of Community Banking Awards ceremony held last month at the association’s annual convention in San Antonio.

The new facility reflects the architecture of the Courthouse on the Square with an entry tower that includes a spire and clock faces reminiscent of New York buildings from the early 19th century.

The Best of Community Banking Awards recognize banks for outstanding service in the areas of architectural design, community service, financial literacy and marketing, according to a news release.

Access 1st Capital Bank of Denton has been in business since late 2007 and reports total assets of $104 million.

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A new tenant is moving into the old Long John Silver’s location at 1807 W. University Drive in Denton. The payday loan business is called Car Loans on Cash Titles.

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Social networking and entertainment attorney Tamera H. Bennett — a member of the Women Business Owners of Denton County — was one of the featured speakers at a “Variety Media and Entertainment Law” conference in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Thursday.

The topic of the panel discussion was “The Music Industry’s Response to Piracy: Intervention or Innovation.”

Bennett’s presentation was to include social networking tools and her podcast, she said in an e-mail. Her practice serves clients across Texas and Tennessee.

Coming up

The Denton Chamber of Commerce is organizing a Christmas bicycle fundraiser drive.

The chamber’s Army Ambassadors team, led by Gina Atkinson of Courtyard by Marriott and Larry Parker of Denton Depot, will work to raise funds to donate 30 new bicycles to the Army National Guard and Cumberland Presbyterian Children’s Home, according to a news release.

The goal is to deliver the new bikes before Christmas to both organizations. Bicycles for the Army National Guard will be given to local families who have parents deployed, while CPCH bicycles will be given to children living in the on-campus Single Parent Family Program.

Accepted items include new bicycles, monetary donations and Walmart gift cards. They may be dropped off with Sgt. 1st Class Matthew Walter at the National Guard armory in Denton by Dec. 17. Donations are tax-deductible.

For more information, call Atkinson at 940-300-4039 or gina@lodgestar.net, or Parker at 940-383-4006 or lparker@dentondepot.com.

The items will be delivered by Santa Claus on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com.