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    Closure News

    Dallas-based art store chain is calling it quits after 71 years

    Teresa Gubbins
    Oct 28, 2022 | 3:43 pm
    asel art supply

    They were a local institution for art supplies.

    Asel

    After 71 years, a revered Dallas-based art store chain is calling it quits. Asel Art Supply, first founded in downtown Dallas in 1951, is closing all its stores as of December 31.

    That includes locations in Richardson, Arlington, Fort Worth, two in San Antonio, and one in Lubbock.

    The chain previously closed its Plano store as well as its erstwhile flagship location on Cedar Springs Road in Dallas in September.

    A spokesperson said the closures were due to a variety of reasons.

    "There were a lot of factors, it was not just one thing," the spokesperson said. "COVID for sure. It started with COVID, and the impact that had on supply chain issues and manufacturing problems. But also the consolidation of the industry overall."

    Asel was founded by Kenny Asel and his brother Herb, who then sold the business in 1973. In 1987, a trust was created to transfer the company to employee ownership. There are 60 employees.

    "It was a decision made by our management team, with advice from our accountant," the spokesperson said.

    The closure feels reminiscent of the demise of record stores, another industry whose physical environment had the potential to stimulate inspiration.

    Asel was heaven for stationery addicts — a treasure trove of colored pens, Parisian sketching crayons, woodless graphite pencils, modeling clay, tracing paper, soft pastels in a rainbow of colors, rulers with cork backing, sketch pads with a fine-tooth surface, chalk, nice wooden easels, so much to like.

    The chain is offering 40 percent off all merchandise.

    In its heyday, Asel was a source not only for artists and schools, but also commercial customers such as ad agencies and printing companies. At one point, it had 10 locations.

    Art Simmons worked as an art director at Bozell Advertising back in the 70s, when graphics production was done by hand and required an artillery of paste-up materials like rubber cement, Bestine thinner, Spray-Mount, waxers, gum erasers, and blue pencils.

    "We used to have two good art stores back in the '70s: Asel and the Rush Company, where you could buy art supplies," he says. "Rush was more on the commercial side, for art studios, with mounting boards, Exact-O blades, that kind of stuff. This was in the day when you did everything by hand. With computers, most of that work went online."

    "Asel was more for traditional painting and drawing," he says. "They had a good painting section with oils, acrylics, drawing paper, tablets, and a good selection of art books. I think that helped them hang on as long as they did."

    Simmons says that Kenny Asel would go the extra mile to encourage purchases. "Kenny would call on the agencies, he was a good salesman and a nice guy," he says.

    Asel's departure seems likely to benefit Jerry's Artarama Art Supplies & Framing, a North Carolina chain that opened a store at Preston Valley Shopping Center, in 2021, selling art supplies and materials, custom framing, canvas-stretching, demonstrations, and special events.

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    Season Announcement

    Big spenders + bigger voices fill Lyric Stage's 2025-26 Dallas season

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jun 18, 2025 | 12:29 pm
    Rocky Horror Picture Show with Tim Curry
    The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
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    For its 2025-26 season, Lyric Stage is pairing a sweet transvestite with Civil War-era sisters, a dance hall hostess with harmonizing ghosts, and a whole bunch of divas with their much-deserved spotlight.

    Now in its 32nd season, the nonprofit Lyric Stage is dedicated to the development and preservation of musicals, having produced more than 125 productions, which include 21 world-premiere musicals and two Off-Broadway shows.

    Under the helm of newish artistic directors Tricia Guenther and Scott Guenther, four of its current shows will take place in its Lyric Studio Space near the Trinity River, with one at Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Arts District.

    First up (and just in time for Halloween) is The Rocky Horror Show — note the missing "Picture." This is the stage version on which the cult classic movie was later based, but don't worry, audiences are still encouraged to shout at the performers and throw toilet paper and other props.

    Sweethearts Brad and Janet, stuck with a flat tire during a storm, discover the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter. As their innocence is lost, Brad and Janet meet a houseful of wild characters, including a rocking biker and a creepy butler. Through elaborate dances and rock songs, Frank-N-Furter unveils his latest creation: a muscular man named “Rocky.” It runs October 10-26, 2025 at Lyric Stage Studio and is not family-friendly.

    For the holiday season, Forever Plaid - Plaid Tidings brings Francis, Jinx, Smudge, and Sparky back to Earth on the orders of Rosemary Clooney to put a little harmony into a discordant world.

    Stewart Ross' musical is sprinkled with Christmas offerings and audience favorites, like the riotous three-minute-and-eleven-second version of The Ed Sullivan Show, this time, featuring the Rockettes, the Chipmunks, and The Vienna Boys Choir. It runs December 5-21, 2025, at Lyric Stage Studio.

    For one night only, the Dallas Divas return just in time for Valentine’s Day.

    Showcasing some of the most talented voices in Dallas, singing songs ranging from Broadway to pop, the performance is a Lyric Stage tradition. It is February 11, 2026, at Moody Performance Hall.

    Inspired by Federico Fellini’s Night of Cabiria, Sweet Charity explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City.

    With a tuneful, groovy, mid-1960s score by Cy Coleman, sparkling lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and a hilarious book by Neil Simon, Sweet Charity captures all the energy, humor, and heartbreak of Life in the Big City for an unfortunate but irrepressible optimist. The production is the original 1966 Broadway (not the movie version) with such hit songs as “Big Spender,” “If My Friends Could See Me Now,” “I’m a Brass Band,” and “Baby, Dream Your Dream.” It runs April 17-May 3, 2026, at Lyric Stage Studio.

    Closing out the season is Louisa May Alcott's timeless Little Women, with a book by Allan Knee, lyrics by Mindi Dickstein, and music by Jason Howland.

    The musical follows the adventures of sisters Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy March. Jo is trying to sell her stories for publication, but the publishers are not interested in a woman's creativity. Her friend, Professor Bhaer, tells her that she has to do better and write more from herself. Begrudgingly taking this advice, Jo weaves the story of herself and her sisters and their experience growing up in Civil War America. It runs July 17-August 2, 2026, at Lyric Stage Studio.

    Season tickets, which range from $40-$60, are available beginning July 1. Lyric Stage is located at 1170 Quaker St. in Dallas.

    dallas divasfederico felliniforever plaidlittle womenlyric stagemoody performance hallnight of cabiriarockettesrocky horror showsweet charitysweet transvestitetheatertime warpvienna boys choirmusical theatremusicals
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