Category Archives: Grapevine

New Concept Convenience Store Thrives in Grapevine

Most people who have driven in Texas by vehicle, whether on long trips or just traveling around town, are likely to be familiar with the concept of the “convenience store.” These are the gas stations that also carry food, drinks, and other necessities for the traveler or hometown resident. Merriam-Webster defines this type of business as, “A small, often franchised, market that is open long hours.” These are the places that are open 12 – 24 hours a day to make sure that customers can get what they need when they need it.

People who want to save time often buy from convenience stores because they’re…convenient. There’s no huge store to walk through, there are many items available, and usually, there’s no big line to wait in. Folks can be in and out in five minutes, depending on their needs and the store’s merchandise. The prices may be a bit higher than bigger stores, but that can be a small price to pay to save a trip to a Big Box store.

The concept of a “mega” convenience store is well-illustrated by Buc-ees’s, which tends to be an automatic stop for those traveling long distances on the highways of Texas, as well as in four other states. When stopping at this mega-store, travelers can count on clean restrooms, plenty of homemade goodies, interesting home décor available for purchase, and tons of gas pumps. They can also count on difficulty finding a parking place, crowded stores, lines for the restrooms, and oftentimes, lines for gasoline.

Almost every convenience store in Grapevine is a regular gas and basic needs station. Some serve up pizza and a small menu of goodies. A new concept convenience store, which opened about a year ago, is giving the “normal” convenience store model a run for its money. Welcome to Texas Best Smokehouse.

Read more from NewsBreak…

Enjoy the gallery below:

Grapevine Dispatchers Receive 21% Raise and New Title

Grapevine 9-1-1 dispatchers are now among the highest paid in all of North Texas. A new 21.5% pay increase just took effect for current employees and new hires, along with a new job title.

The higher pay is part of a new hiring strategy to combat severe staffing shortages and recruit the most qualified candidates. The 9-1-1 industry nationwide has seen a significant drop in applications since the start of the pandemic. Grapevine Police announced a hiring bonus last year to draw in more applicants, but with local agencies raising their pay, the Department needed to do even more to remain competitive. 

The 21.5% pay increase puts starting salaries at $52,208 – $73,091 a year based on experience.  Benefits for City of Grapevine employees are also among with best in the region, making employment even more attractive to families and parents. 

Grapevine Police also reclassified the job title from Telecommunicators to Emergency Communications Specialists. The new title is designed to better define the employees’ job descriptions and industry standards. Emergency Communications Specialists, also nicknamed Dispatchers, are designated as first responders in the state of Texas. They are trained in life-saving techniques and can provide medical aid as needed over the phone until police, fire or paramedics can arrive on the scene.

Emergency Communications Manager Kellie Hayney says both changes highlight the importance of dispatchers and the role they play in public safety. “Emergency Communications Specialists are the true first responders. When every second counts during an emergency, their skills with a caller can be the reason a life is saved. We are grateful to the City and Department for recognizing their importance, and the need to attract the best candidates to serve our community.”

The current Emergency Communications Specialist hiring process closes on June 10. Anyone wanting to apply can go to GrapevinePD.org and click on “Apply for a Job” to learn more.

A new dispatcher recruiting video is also posted on social media. You can find it at: https://bit.ly/3yU7sVI

U.S. Attorney announces federal sentencing for executives from Grapevine real estate investment firm

Four executives from a Grapevine-based real estate investment firm have been sentenced to a total of 20 years in prison, says U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham.

According to the attorney for the Northern District of Texas, a federal jury convicted executives from the United Development Funding firm (UDF).

The four of them were found guilty in January for 10 counts, including securities fraud, conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. They were all sentenced to prison on Friday.

Read more from NewsBreak…

FREE STUFF!

If you are interested in the history of Grapevine – mainly its alleged ghostly history – then be the first to comment on this post on the webpage or our Facebook page. Leave us your email address or phone number so that we can contact you when you win (a PM or DM is fine as long as you leave a comment as well). Your prize is four (4) tickets to the Night Watchman Tour, courtesy of Grape Vine Springs Winery.

I have personally taken this tour and even if you don’t see any ghosts, the historical narrative is fascinating! Several people have captured ghostly faces in their photos!

This is a WALKING TOUR up and down Main Street, so be prepared to walk 60-90 minutes. The tour ends back at the Winery, where every tour participant can enjoy a free glass of the excellent wines offered by Grape Vine Springs.

Tours are held Friday and Saturday nights and leave from the Winery, located at 409 S. Main, at exactly 7pm, so it’s recommended that you check-in around 6:45pm. The tour is kid-friendly, unless you have a sensitive child, as some stories do contain gruesome, but not graphic, details. YOU MUST MAKE A RESERVATION. Just tell them that you have free tickets donated by The Grapevine Source.

For more information, click on the links above, and may the quickest commenter win!

Thanks to Dave and Grape Vine Springs Winery!

From Grapevine to Ukraine: Five Glimpses into War Relief Efforts

Donations are taken by hand from Grapevine to Ukraine/Nataliya Krasovska-Cabe

Most people are aware of the war that is ongoing between Russia and Ukraine. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. According to the United Nations, this war has killed almost 3,000 civilians, and over 7 million people have lost their homes. Another 5 million Ukrainian citizens have had to seek refuge in neighboring countries, most popularly Poland, which is part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Refugees can seek help in any NATO country, and Poland is the closest.

Locally, several individuals, groups, and organizations that are actively participating in the relief effort for Ukraine will have tables at the 38th Annual Main Street Festival that will be held on May 20 – 22.

Read more from NewsBreak…

Dogs, Cats, Bunnies and Snakes, Oh My: Grapevine Animal Shelter Celebrates One Year in New Building

Grapevine Animal Services held an Open House on April 23 to celebrate their first year of business in their new digs, located at 500 Shady Brook Lane. This building is about three times the size of the original, which did not have the space and modern services that are required more often in this day and age.

The Open House featured shelter tours, a coloring contest, crafts for animals (paw prints), giveaways, adoption specials, face painting, a microchip clinic, raffles, Wise Guys Pizza, the Grapevine Mobile Library, music, police and fire vehicles, and popsicles for humans and dogs.

Read more from NewsBreak…

It’s Facebook Contest Time! Win Cool Prizes!

Hello Readers! It’s our 10th anniversary! To celebrate, we’re giving away a goodie bag filled with stuff from awesome businesses and organizations in Grapevine! The winner will receive:

  • A 4-Pack of Tickets to go on the Nightwatchman Ghost Tour, courtesy of Grape Vine Springs Winery
  • A cooler bag filled with goodies for your pet, you, and your kids from Grapevine Animal Services, Grapevine Police, and Grapevine Fire

YOU MUST BE A RESIDENT OF GRAPEVINE, TX TO ENTER

How to Enter:

  • Leave a comment under this post on our Facebook page telling us EITHER why you enjoy the Grapevine Source OR what you would like to see added/changed
  • Tag someone who is unfamiliar with us in your comment
  • Contest ends at midnight on May 1, 2022

The WINNER will be drawn randomly from eligible entries. You will be notified via Facebook if you win. Feel free to leave your email address in your comment if you’d rather be notified that way.

GOOD LUCK, and as always, THANK YOU FOR READING!

Scooter’s Coffee to open in Grapevine

Photo: Scooter’s Coffee

Scooter’s Coffee will be constructing a new location at 897 W. Hwy. 114, Grapevine.

At an April 19 meeting, the Grapevine City Council and the Grapevine Planning and Zoning Committee approved a request to construct the 664-square-foot drive-thru coffee shop, which will include outdoor seating, according to city documents.

Scooter’s serves a variety of hot, cold, and frozen coffee drinks, teas, smoothies, and bakery food items, according to the company’s website.

Read more from Community Impact…

Literary Challenge

Can you identify this popular character from literature based on the information posted below?

A young boy, no older than 12, who is very close to his 3-year-old sister, lives with his parents in a magnificent castle in Lithuania that has been in the family for generations. Thanks to Hitler and WWII, the family must flee to the countryside and stay in a wooden shack that is also part of the family’s estate.

Unfortunately, ruthless scavengers come by and kill the boy’s mother and father and move into the shack to shelter themselves from the harsh winter. The boy’s sister becomes ill. The scavengers run out of food sources.

The boy escapes to a Russian orphanage, where he is trained to be a soldier and has to face his past.

What literary character is this? How could his ultimate fate have been changed, using just the information posted above?

Correct answers (identifying the character; answers about his/her ultimate fate are opinions and are not counted as incorrect or correct) will be automatically entered into our 10th-anniversary contest, in which winners will receive a bag of goodies from local businesses and organizations.

YOU MUST BE A RESIDENT OF GRAPEVINE TO ENTER!

Good luck!

Happy Anniversary!

It has been 10 years since this site has been live on the internet in one form or another! We are re-designing the site and are also putting a contest together for a lucky reader to win a goodie bag of prizes! Stay tuned to enter!

As always, THANK YOU for reading!