Good Space

A SWEET STORY CONCEALED BENEATH PAINT & RUST: Using a bench grinder outfitted with a wire brush, we removed a hundred years of paint and rust from these door hinges – "ball-tipped, mortised leaf hinges," as they'd be described in a hardware catalog. But a simpler name applies: Sweetheart Hinges.

We salvaged these from an old house near our current renovation, after thieves reduced our supply of antique hinges. After cleaning, we looked to see if the hinges had been engraved with the manufacturer's name. All we found, stamped into the hidden side of one of the leaves, was "S.W." inside the outline of a heart. An internet search revealed that these were produced by The Stanley Works Inc., founded in New Britain, Conn., in 1843 by Frederick Stanley. Today, Stanley and its subsidiaries produce most of the hardware and power tools we use.

In 1854, Stanley hired 19-year-old William Hart, who over the next six decades rose to guide the company's growth, retiring as chairman of the board in 1918 and dying the next year. As a tribute to Mr. Hart, Stanley stamped its hardware and tools with "S.W." surrounded by a heart, from 1919 to 1932. Carpenters came up with the nickname "sweetheart hinges."

We would have guessed the house these came out of had been built in the nineteen-teens, after a fire wiped out the neighborhood in 1909. But now we know the house dates no earlier than 1919.

ALWAYS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING DAYS OF A RENOVATION, when sanding first reveals the beauty of the original hardwood floors. Here, Edgar is just getting started on the red oak planks that were first laid at 800 W. 8th St. in 1928. We first contracted with Ben Ashmore of Ashmore Wood Floors in 1999. After doing several projects with us, Ben retired, so now we are doing business for the first time with Ben Jr., who sports a lot more tattoos than his dad but shares Senior's taste in pick-ups.

MELBA STREET, THEN AND NOW. Something inspired Logan Ragsdale, a retired librarian with family roots in Oak Cliff, to contact us about a trove of photographs from his father's childhood at 700 Melba St., three blocks west of today's Bishop Arts District. This neighborhood, where we are currently restoring a small apartment complex, developed along the North Loop streetcar line in the first decades of the 20th century. We share the photos with you, along with what we learned about the Ragsdales over coffee this morning.

LOOK WHAT THEY GAVE TO SHERI, which she certainly deserves! Congratulations on the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce's recognition of Sheri's tireless work to make mammogram screening for breast cancer affordable to all women in the Dallas area. Sheri founded Mammogram Poster Girls Inc. after surviving two bouts of the disease herself. It's her other job besides serving as No. 2 here at Good Space.

SEE YOU AT THE STARTING LINE this Sunday at the 2026 Dash For The Beads 5K, for which Good Space is again pleased to serve as title sponsor. When the gun goes off at 11 a.m. in front of the Kessler Theater, the sun will be breaking through, with temps in the upper-50s – perfect running conditions! In its third year as race organizer, Dallas Youth Sports has tweaked the course, though in North Oak Cliff it's impossible to run 3.1 miles and avoid the Big Hill. This year the nausea-inducing elevation gain is concentrated on the short stretch of little-known Belleau Ave., which ironically means "beautiful" in French.

Register here – https://runsignup.com/Race/TX/Dallas/DashfortheBeads – that net proceeds will fund athletic programs at Oak Cliff elementary schools.knowing

I.T. WAS A LOT EASIER ON THE BACK, but Joe Eubank, Good Space's computer consultant of 25 years, signed up to build homes for the poor of Ciudad Juárez as soon as he sold his business CPR+More last fall. Along with 24 new friends, Joe spent last weekend contributing the kind of manual labor he hadn't done since his "redneck youth" (his words). Good Space was joined by former tenants, current contractors, fellow investors, Oak Cliff pals, and several volunteers we hadn't met until we climbed aboard the plane to El Paso. All of us were inspired (and well cared for) by Operación Abrigo founder Rev. José Luis Portillo. If you'd like to be on the notification list for next year's trip, our eleventh to organize – Jan. 28-31, 2027 – email us at [email protected].

WELCOME TO BISHOP ARTS AND GOOD SPACE, White Rhino Coffee. As landlord, we look forward to seeing what's in store at 314 (π!) N. Bishop Ave.

(One correction to the article: Emporium's home was built in 1917, not the "1930s.")

White Rhino Coffee Purchases Emporium Pies - cravedfw White Rhino Coffee has acquired Emporium Pies, a beloved dessert shop in North Texas, linking two women-owned, community-focused brands. Both companies emphasize quality and hospitality, with plans to preserve Emporium’s legacy while exploring new collaborations. The acquisition aims to enhance lo...

WORK THREE DAYS UNDER THIS FOREMAN, and it might change your life. José Luis Portillo founded Operación Abrigo more than 30 years ago to build simple, safe homes in the colonias outside Ciudad Juárez where he had grown up as a street vendor. For the tenth year, Good Space, together with fellow Oak Cliff real estate investor Jeff Strong, will organize a trip among volunteer men to spend three days (Jan. 29-Feb. 1) mixing the mortar, hefting the cinder blocks, and raising the rafters that go into the houses. After finishing, Rev. Portillo leads a blessing of our work in the company of the family moving out of a shack of pallets and cardboard and into a one-room house. If interested in joining us, read the Trip Plan and contact either Jeff or David by mid-December.

A MEMORY OF HOME was carved into the utility sink at our current job site by a member of our renovation crew, all of whom hail from Ocampo, Guanajuato in Mexico. A crude but sweet rendering of San Juan Bautista parish.

WE ALREADY HAVE A DOG, but if you need one, or another one – cheap and low-mileage – then visit this canine adoption fair hosted by Good Space and our tenant Lucky Pup Dog Shop at 415 W. 8th St. on Saturday, Nov. 22.