Steel Magnolias hits Lake Dallas
In an effort to bolster development, the city rezoned property at 111 Gotcher Avenue to a commercial district. A new salon and spa will occupy the zoning.
City council held a special meeting on Monday, Nov. 24, and unanimously approved for the new lot. The property was previously zoned for residential single-family dwelling.
“The property was residential property and has been residential since the house was moved on since the 1950s,” said property owner Kay Swihart of Corinth.
The building is about 100 years old and was once a Baptist church, said Swihart.
The lot is about 0.585 acres, and was leased to business partners Rachelle Garland of Hickory Creek and Karen McCown of Denton. They plan to open Steel Magnolias Salon and Spa.
“They have signed their lease and it was effective Nov. 15, so the business will be opening Dec. 1,” Swihart said.
Garland, who has been in the salon and spa industry for about 19 years, said the antique building will make all the difference. It is about 1,000-square feet.
“We’re not in a shopping center, we’re in a free standing house,” Garland said. “It’s very charming and unique.”
The freestanding antique building will give a personal, intimate setting she said, setting it apart from most other businesses in the Lake Cities area. Currently the business has two employees, but is hoping to expand to four as soon as possible.
“Most of my clients that I have currently do not live in Lake Dallas,” she said. “So we would like to have Lake Dallas coming to us and Hickory Creek, and the whole tri-city area.”
“Quad-city area,” interrupts co-owner Karen McCown as she corrects Garland.
“We’ll have a full service salon and spa, and so we are bringing it back to just a real serene, and old fashioned, eclectic type [of building], where it’s just calming and relaxing and they’re not really fast paced,” she said.
This will be the only full-service salon and spa in Lake Dallas.
“I think personally that anything we can do to bring business to Lake Dallas is a positive thing,” said City Councilmember Alan Fletcher who voted in favor of the rezoning. “So, if you have an owner who is really wanting to make an investment in Lake Dallas and it’s going to bring more traffic to Lake Dallas, and if we can do that, I’m all for it. It should be a positive impact on the city.”
Others on the council also voted for the rezone and agreed.
“Hopefully it will spur a lot more development,” said Mayor Pro-Tem Karl Hammond.
If Steel Magnolias Spa and Salon lives up to the expectations of the council, it could bring more traffic to Lake Dallas, and possibly more development.
“We just want to add a little bit more charm and have a full service salon and spa,” McCown said.
