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What started off as a conversation between friends Jill Simms and Sondra Lagasse has grown into Woodlands Style House, a design company founded in September 2016. Founded to fill the need for more accessible interior design options in The Woodlands, Simms and Lagasse, both residents of The Woodlands, said Woodlands Style House offers personalized home designs that are unique to each client.

How it happened: Simms said her background in marketing along with Lagasse’s background in home decorating allowed the two to combine each other's strengths and form a successful business. After quickly earning the communities’ trust and realizing the high demand for their services, Woodlands Style House had no choice but to expand its team, Simms said.

Quote of note: “Most of our clients have a hard time imagining the potential of a space, so that's a big part of what we do, but there's collaboration involved,” Simms said.

The Dumpling Zone is opening soon in The Shenandoah area.

The gist: The restaurant known for fresh handmade dumplings, noodles and a variety of traditional and modern dishes is scheduled to open in Metropark Square, according to information from Visit Shenandoah, the city’s visitor and convention bureau. The opening date for the restaurant has not yet been finalized.

• 8888 Metropark Drive, Shenandoah

AJ Santana grew up surrounded by music and developed the skill of lyric memorization. Following his passion, Santana joined his first "screamo" band at the age of 16 and bounced from metal band to metal band in Houston before stumbling into the cover industry, he said.

How did you first get into music and what drew you to the genre you play?
My parents were my first "A&R" reps. My mom is a dancing fool and my dad is a rocker; music was the language we used to connect. Growing up, my ears were a melting pot—Aerosmith and Garth Brooks from my mom, Steve Miller and Pantera from my dad, plus my sisters' R&B and my friends' Nu-Metal.

How has the local music scene shaped you as an artist?
I didn't realize that being a multi-genre artist could be a total game-changer until I met my crew here. Teamwork is the only way the dream works, and Houston provided the community to make that dream a reality.

Lone Star Family Health Center is preparing to add vision services this year, expanding access to affordable eye care for Montgomery County-area patients.

The new service is being supported by the Conroe Noon Lions Club, which contributed a $100,000 grant, plus an additional $10,000 per year for five years, to help fund the program’s development and launch, according to a May 13 news release.

What they’ll offer: The vision services will include routine vision screenings and eye exams to help assess overall eye health and detect common vision concerns, per the release.

Karen Harwell, CEO of Lone Star Family Health Center, said the new service continues the nonprofit’s work to address health care disparities.

“Our new vision services reflect Lone Star Family Health Center’s continued commitment to focus on healthcare disparities and ensuring the community has access to high-quality care, regardless of ability to pay,” Harwell said in the release.

• 605 S. Conroe Medical Drive, Conroe

With hurricane season beginning June 1 and running through Nov. 30, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officials are predicting the first below-average Atlantic hurricane season since 2015.

What you need to know: The latest NOAA forecasts are expecting residents along the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding areas to see a less active hurricane season than normal, with a 55% chance of a below-normal season, NOAA Administrator Neil Jacobs said at a May 21 news conference.

According to predictions, the NOAA is forecasting a range of eight to 14 named storms in the Atlantic Ocean with winds of 39 mph or higher, including:

• Three to six hurricanes with winds of 74 mph or higher
• One to three major hurricanes with winds of 111 mph or higher