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Step into the new home for innovative food, beverage, artisans and merchants. Mule Alley now features MB Mercantile & Supply, Lucchese Bootmaker, Cowtown Winery, Provender Hall by Marcus Paslay, Shake Shack, and PH Barn Door . Come celebrate and explore all that Mule Alley has to offer.
66
Best of Fort Worth 2020 2020’s been a tough year, but we’re getting through it the only way we know how — by doing our best. Here’s our annual list of everything that makes our city great, from its shops to its restaurants, and most of all, its people.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW, BRIAN KENDALL, AND SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
113
Top Realtors
The city’s superstars in real estate.
Best Of winners Laura Lape and Abraham Alexander at Rio Mambo
the fort
: know
16 Buzz
Businesses reopen right as protests begin in Fort Worth.
20 Black Voices
Community influencers speak out on racism and equality.
22 Fort Worthian
Corks in Cowtown co-host Barton Fluker takes a break from the chambong to discuss more serious issues in our city.
24 A Most Dangerous Job
The story of two nurses thrust into the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic.
: live
32 The Doc-tor Is In Music to help us heal, as prescribed by the staff at Doc’s Records & Vintage.
34 On Pointe
An inside look at Texas Ballet Theater’s program for dancers with Down syndrome.
38 Selling the Dream
Realtor Jeannie Anderson shares her thoughts on homebuying in the era of COVID-19.
42 Page Turners
Summer reading list recs from the owner of Monkey and Dog Books.
44 The Beauty Buzz
As CBD makes its way to skin care, local wellness shops are testing it out for themselves.
46 Little Brains, Big Changes
Kids struggle with mental health too. Here are a few ways adults can help.
48 Where the Streets Have No Names
A trip through Texas’ ghost towns.
58 Restaurant News
Between ghost kitchens and new openings, Fort Worth’s food scene keeps cooking.
62 Restaurant Reboot
Even after reopening, Fort Worth restaurants are still adjusting to new ways of doing business.
133 End of Intermission
Performing arts venues have the governor’s go-signal to reopen, but not everyone can raise the curtain just yet.
150 A simple image with a major message.
Zoo Preschool pairs education with big-time fun. Students ages 3 to 5 will enjoy learning all about the natural habitats of native and exotic animals, participate in interactive activities and master new skills during fun-filled days of adventure. Zoo Preschool Overview: • September 2020 to May 2021 • Classes meet once a week for three hours • Zoo Preschool T-shirt included
Registration Now Open: FortWorthZoo.org/Preschool
On a Serious Note
When I first arrived at Fort Worth Magazine two years ago, the team, which honestly hasn’t changed much since my arrival, had recently finished its annual Best Of issue. Having now overseen this special edition twice, I’m suspect that the previous executive editor might have consciously timed her exit to ensure she could edit at least one more Best Of issue. It’s a blast.
There are times when I take my job very seriously; perhaps it’s every journalist’s nature. And recent events have heightened this earnestness for in-depth stories, hard-hitting features, and stories that present different perspectives in the hope that it will make the reader pause and think. It was earlier this week that my publisher, Hal Brown, reminded me that this issue is supposed to be fun. “It’s a good time. It’s cheeky,” I remember him telling me. And he’s absolutely right. This is our chance to honor all the local businesses that make our city distinct, fabulous, and, well, fun.
While the beautifully written and designed main feature (page 66) is something to look at and smile, that’s not to say we’re ignoring the serious side of what’s happening within our city’s borders. At press time, there are still protesters on the streets (and in businesses) and COVID-19 patients in hospitals. And, allowing my earnestness to slip, we’re still covering these things. So, you might notice this issue is a mishmash of sorts — a juxtaposition of content, if you will. But we hope you walk away with a smile on your face and a few more critical thoughts in your mind.
Brian Kendall EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ON THE COVER: In celebration of the Best of Fort Worth, we popped open a bottle of champagne and dumped it in a margarita (also dubbed the MAGarita, which you can find at Rio Mambo) that was conveniently etched with our Best Of logo. Photographer Olaf Growald took the shot on-site.
Corrections? Comments? Concerns? Send to executive editor Brian Kendall at bkendall@fwtexas.com.
NEXT ISSUE
Gary Patterson Celebrates 20 Years as TCU’s Head Coach
10 Years in Prison: A Narrative
Top Teachers
Private School Guide
owner/publisher hal a. brown
president mike waldum
EDITORIAL
executive editor brian kendall
managing editor samantha calimbahin
contributing editor scott nishimura
contributing writers sadie brown, jenny b. davis, tina howard, malcolm mayhew, josie villa-singleton
contributing photographers olaf growald, crystal wise
ADVERTISING
advertising account supervisors gina burns-wigginton x150, marion c. knight x135
account executive tammy denapoli x141
brand manager scott mobley x140
customer support susan peterson x131
sales interns jessie conn, alison parks
MARKETING
director of events & marketing robyn lacasse
digital marketing & development director robby kyser
direct marketing manager katelyn needham
marketing strategist sarah benkendorfer
CORPORATE
chief financial officer charles newton founding publisher mark hulme
CONTACT
Let’s Chat
A few words from our readers
Rights are rights, for all sides of the conversation.
– Tim R. Debner
Best Of Party
Hope your flip-flops and face masks are ready. Our Best Of Party is all set for July 17 at Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Of course, we’ll have masks, hand sanitizing stations, social distancing, and more precautions to ensure everyone has a good time while staying safe. More info at fwtx.com/best-of-2020.
This group is challenging the status quo in Fort Worth. Racism is economics, and until the city addresses the wealth gap between whites and blacks, then they are not serious about Black Lives Matter. – Kyev Tatum
Why are they doing this? All of us support at least some police reforms as things stand. Why go out of their way to piss people off? This is only going to turn people against them. – Chris Komatsu
We rightly see [Rosa] Parks and John Lewis and so many civil rights fighters as the heroes, and the white people back then as villains on the wrong side of history. Just a little food for thought as we all navigate a path to a society that really and truly provides equal protection under the law. – Jennifer Floyd Engel
Obviously, their response to a question from a customer/community was uncalled for. Just from a pure business choice, you have to be smarter than that. As far as anger of the names on the menu, I think the scorched earth directed just at them is a little overboard.
– Ryan Mcginnis
Sounds like a nice concept. They sell food, right? Is it good? That’s all that matters.
– Cody Kralik
follow us for more @fwtxmag
Enough Is Enough
They made headlines for taking protests into businesses. But this Fort Worth group’s core mission lies in nine pages of proposed policy reform that they’re presenting to the city.
BY JESSICA STRANGE AND SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
Asplinter group has emerged from among the protesters calling for reform after the death of George Floyd — one that gained over 4,200 members on Facebook in less than a month.
The group — Enough is Enough Fort Worth! — has led protests in popular areas of town like West Seventh Street and Sundance Square, sometimes taking their march into restaurants and stores.
“The reason for that approach was we felt as though our reason for being out there was falling on deaf ears, that people were just going on their day-today ways,” co-founder Kwame Osei Jr. says. “So, we decided to march into those businesses to bring more awareness.”
But the group’s been met with mixed responses. One march into Texas de Brazil led to a diner throwing water on a protester and calling her a racial slur.
Osei Jr. tells Fort Worth Magazine that the group will no longer go into restaurants unless invited. “We do have restaurants that are inviting us to come in,” he says.
As of press time, EIEFW! was also meeting with city officials to discuss the group’s ideas for police reform. EIEFW! drafted a nine-page policy proposal that outlines 13 demands and a budget recommendation. Proposals include making officers’ disciplinary histories accessible to the public, removing armed police from public schools, and reallocating police funds to provide social services to victims of police violence.
“We’re trying to dispel what ‘defund the police’ means,” Osei Jr. says. “Instantly, a lot of people are turned off when they hear the term. What it actually means is reallocation of the funds to different programs because we’re asking our police officers to do too much. If we had different programs in place and we could reallocate funds, not only will it increase the relationship between citizens and police officers; it will also help a lot of our citizens in a more positive way.” Read the full Q&A with EIEFW! on fwtx.com.
FORT WORTH PROTESTS: A TIMELINE
May 25 – George Floyd killed by Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds while three other officers watched.
May 26 – Video of Floyd’s death circulates on social media, causing nationwide outrage.
May 29 – About 200 Fort Worth protesters gather downtown peacefully.
May 29 – Chauvin arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.
May 31 – Tensions rise as Fort Worth protesters block West Seventh Street bridge and officers use tear gas, several dozen arrests made.
June 1 – Mayor Betsy Price declares state of emergency and 8 p.m. curfew for all of Fort Worth.
June 4 – Chauvin’s charges upgraded to second-degree murder, and three officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
June 4 – Nightly curfew ends.
June 8 – Enough is Enough Fort Worth! brings protests inside businesses with mixed response.
June 9 – Chief Ed Kraus announces FWPD will drop all rioting charges against protesters arrested on May 31; peaceful protests continue.
June 13 – Three members of EIEFW! are arrested in Sundance Square on various charges.
June 13 – Mayor Price, Chief Kraus, and City Manager David Cooke meet with protesters to discuss police reform.
June 15 – FWPD addresses claims made by Fox News host Tucker Carlson regarding protester arrests.
June 16 – President Trump signs executive order on policing.
June 19 – Activist Opal Lee leads Juneteenth caravan from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., in an effort to make Juneteenth a national holiday.
Enough is Enough gathers along West Seventh Street.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE WORTH WAITING FOR...
Silver Star Spirits is proud to announce the launch of our first Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
Appropriately named “1849,” this 2020 release is in honor of our Fort Worth home and will be released on June 6th 2020, the day of our beloved City’s birthday. Fort Worth, Texas, was originally formed on June 6th, 1849, as an army outpost on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River, where millions of cattle were herded on the Chisholm Trail. Thus, this city we call home is known as “Cowtown.”
Silver Star 1849 Straight Bourbon Whiskey is our first release from a select number of mature bourbon barrels. Silver Star 1849 Straight Bourbon Whiskey has been patiently resting in our barrel room here in Fort Worth, Texas, the “place where the West begins.”
The newest member to our lineup, Silver Star 1849 Bourbon will be available at our distillery only, until August 1st when at that time it will become available for our Texas retail partners to purchase and feature. We welcome you and your friends to come by and pick up a bottle of Silver Star 1849. Visit our website: www.silverstarspirits.com for distillery hours and updates
I welcome you to try my most recent Whiskey Expression – 1849 Straight Bourbon Whiskey – Kirk Richards Whiskey Maker
CHEF JON BONNELL TALKS PARTICIPATING IN PROTESTS WHILE REOPENING RESTAURANTS
BY SCOTT NISHIMURA
It’s been a wild re-entry for Fort Worth restaurants as they return to dine-in service for the first time in three months, since COVID-19 shut them down to all but takeout and curbside sales.
On top of COVID-19’s lingering impact, nationwide and local protests against police — and a resulting curfew that ran for several nights — began just as restaurants were trying to reopen. Fort Worth restaurateur Jon Bonnell was drawn into interacting with protesters outside Waters just days into his reopening.
One of the leaders of the group identified Bonnell on the patio as a community leader. “He said, ‘I need you to give the mayor a message.’ I said, ‘What’s that?’ He said, ‘I need you to stand up and say, ‘Black Lives Matter.’”
Bonnell, who steadfastly avoids politics on his robust social media channels, told the group leader, “We’re on your side. I saw that video [of George Floyd], and I cried. That person shouldn’t have died. I’m with you all. We hurt too. We’ve been closed for 80 days, and we need to be in business. If not, we’re going to be in bankruptcy. He came up, and we hugged.”
That Saturday, Bonnell says, “We decided to take an even more proactive approach. I don’t take political stances. I’ll always stand up for what’s right, but I don’t want to be political. I hate politics. I’m a gun owner, a hunter, but I don’t belong to the NRA. If you join a political side, there’s parts of it you’re not going to agree with. This entire [Black Lives Matter] movement, there are plenty of things I agree with, but others I don’t. I don’t support eliminating the police. If you join a whole movement, you’ve got the whole bucket.”
So Bonnell made several signs, including “George Floyd Did Not Deserve to Die,” “Black Lives Matter to Us Too,” “Racism Is Never OK,” and “The Only Thing Black That I Hate Is Jelly Beans.” Bonnell held up the signs as protesters marched by, and some customers asked if they could hold up the signs.
Bonnell passed out bottles of cold water to the protesters. “If it brings out the good feelings and we can agree on the parts we can agree on, it makes sense,” he says.
Bonnell’s delicate positioning earned him numerous plaudits on social media, and one critic — debunked by numerous Bonnell supporters — accused of him of having “caved” to save his sales. One customer on the patio told Bonnell he disagreed with Bonnell.
“There was one customer on the patio who said, ‘I do not agree with the stance that you’re taking. You should not appease these people. You should not have taken their side.’ I said, ‘We went out there for one moment, gave some guys some water, and you get to eat in peace.’ I did not join their entire movement.”
FORT WORTH’S BIGGEST MUSEUMS REOPEN TO THE PUBLIC
BY SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
FORT WORTH’S CULTURAL DISTRICT REAWAKENED THIS SUMMER AFTER SPENDING MONTHS CLOSED DUE TO COVID-19.
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art was among the first to reopen on June 19, with the Kimbell Art Museum following on June 20, the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame on June 24, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth on July 1. (At press time, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History remained closed.)
Safety measures vary by museum, but most are requiring patrons to wear masks, discouraging those experiencing symptoms of respiratory infection to visit, and encouraging social distancing. A full description of safety measures can be found on each museum’s website.
MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE AIMS TO RECOGNIZE TRAUMA, PROVIDE SUPPORT
BY SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
BETWEEN A GLOBAL PANDEMIC AND CIVIL UNREST, WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE WORLD AROUND US CAN TAKE A TOLL ON ONE’S MIND.
That’s why Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County launched Recognize & Rise, a multi-year initiative meant to increase awareness about trauma and stress, offer resources, and help the community heal.
According to NationalCouncil.org, more than 223 million people — that’s 70% of adults — in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.
With the mantra — “trauma affects us all” — Recognize & Rise features a website, blog, and Facebook page, as well as media relations, marketing, and advertising efforts, to showcase the work of local organizations and discuss trauma-related topics with Mental Health Connection member agencies.
More than 100 local mental health agencies, education and health systems, government leaders, and individuals are supporting the initiative, with funding coming from donors like The Morris Foundation.
More information is available at recognizeandrise.org.
Fast. Friendly. Fair.
Here's the deal.
AUTO GROUP
Black Voices
Excerpts from recent conversations about racism, equality, and the power of community.
Lou CharLe$ Rapper
I think Fort Worth, and the entire country, needs to look themselves in the mirror. I think that’s the crux of the issue. America has not faced their original sin — stolen land, slavery. Until we have reconciliation, this is going to be a cycle. I feel like what we’re asking for, what I would like to see, is legislative changes.
I’m happy that y’all are tuning into this show, but this has been going on long before. This is season 400. This is the 400th season of this show, and y’all are just tuning it. It’s cool that y’all are tuning in, but you should go back and watch a couple of the past seasons. You need to catch up. You need to binge watch and educate yourself.
Channing Godfrey Peoples
Writer and director, “Miss Juneteenth”
On the significance of her film, “Miss Juneteenth,” coming out during this time:
We’re at a time where I think that black stories are being amplified, and people are actually seeking out black stories and attempting, I think, to understand these historical moments.
It’s interesting because we were already in motion to have the film released on Juneteenth, and it’s bittersweet because I think as a black person right now, living in this country, there’s so much trauma that is happening.
And I think, psychologically, it’s traumatic for us all, especially seeing what has happened as of late, which has been happening for some time.
The eyes of the world are on the protests and our country at this moment. And it’s bittersweet in the sense that I am very glad to see the
story go out in the world because I think more black stories should be amplified, but at the same time as a black person, we’re literally navigating our survival right now.
D. Wambui Richardson
Artistic Director, Jubilee Theatre
What we’re experiencing right now are the voices of people who feel as though they have not been heard; this is the physical manifestation of a voice that hasn’t been heard and us not addressing those underlying issues.
I took part in a previous roundtable, and one of the commenters asked, “Where are all the black men and why aren’t they raising their kids? If they were raising their children, then a lot of these things wouldn’t be happening.” I had to chime in and say, “I have two sons. Two 19-year-olds who are going to college. I raised them. I’ve been in their lives every day since the moment they came into the world.”
There’s a narrative that the black family is broken and doesn’t follow the norm of the white family. Our families are just as powerful and just as strong as any other family, even if you think that they’re different. I’m the product of a single-parent home. Just because I’m a product of a [single-parent] home does not mean that the police or anyone else has the right to mistreat me and not treat me the way he would treat your own child.
Dante Williams Community Frontline
On inaction when race is not a hot topic:
At some point, waiting is dying. We’ve seen more deaths because we continue to wait. We’ve seen more low-income communities stay low income because the economics are not being built there. We’ve seen the
education system continue to fail black and brown communities. We see these things, and it’s always, “Well, wait. We’re doing. We’re working on it.” At some point, like that letter said, we have to make bold and courageous decisions about the inequities that face black and brown communities. It takes great leaders to think outside the box to get it done.
Johnica Rivers Writer
On barriers she’s overcome as a black writer:
Honestly, I have not had a ton of what I would call barriers. A large part of that has to do with my phenotype, the way that I look, and my educational pedigree. Often times, white people approach me or give me certain opportunities because they think, based on distant observation, that they’re about to get a mild black person, if you will. But that is absolutely not what you get. I’m constantly advocating.
Choke Artist, owner of BRooHa
I have a book club; it’s the Fort Worth Woke Book Club. We started this book club because we wanted to have the conversations that are very difficult, and we wanted to create a safe space to do so, but in a way that’s very direct. I’m not going to beat around the bush. We’re not going to skirt around the issues. It’s not going to be a palatable
thing for you. It’s not going to taste good, and it’s not going to be easy. The one thing I could say is with the new people coming in, I’m not going to try to sit here and do the education for you for free. Books have been written. There are movies out. There are things for you. Catch up on all the damn episodes. It’s been going on. Now that you want to join, don’t do it because it’s cool to be woke. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.
LaTasha
Jackson-McDougle
Founder, Cheryl’s Voice
This is not just about George Floyd. This is about the endless years of oppression. I work in the criminal justice system. I’ve seen cases where — same person, same criminal background — they may not have ever been arrested before, committed the same offense, but one’s white, one’s black, one’s Hispanic. All three of them are going to get different sentences by the same person. That’s a problem. And that’s another reason why these marches are going on.
Because you’re black, you’re getting a heavier sentence versus someone who is not. We need to take a step back and look at the real deal and say, “This is not OK. We need to make some policy changes. We need to join together.” A lot of people are trying to say the Black Lives Matter movement is about division. It’s really about unity. We can’t do it if we don’t have unity and equality on social justice. That’s what this is about.
Frank Moss
CEO, Franklin & Anthony Community Frontline
On what Community Frontline is doing to bring about positive change on a local level: This is not actually a new conversation for us. This is something that we have been pushing for a very long time. One of the focuses is, we want to really push the community relationship with police, but we’ve also been trying to find out what are some of the issues that we are having with the community trusting in the police force. And one of the things is, the people that protect our areas are not necessarily from our areas or have an understanding of the people in it. So, we’re trying to help provide opportunities for police to serve in the communities.
Barton Fluker
Co-host of Corks in Cowtown
BY SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
BY
PHOTO
OLAF GROWALD
On any given day, Barton Fluker is a man about town, best known for sharing laughs, chambongs, and lively conversations with co-host Robyn Risenhoover on their podcast, Corks in Cowtown.
But for the episode that aired on June 2, there was no joking around. No laughing. No chambongs or drinking at all for that matter. Instead, Fluker and Risenhoover used the hour and 23 minutes to have a candid discussion about racism and answer listeners’ questions in light of the death of George Floyd.
“This is history right now,” Fluker says. “We didn’t want to be silent.”
The issue especially hits home for Fluker, who says that, while he’s grateful his experiences with racism haven’t been as severe as others, racism still exists in Fort Worth. Fluker wants Corks in Cowtown to be about more than just exploring the city’s nightlife and chatting about dating — it’s also a way to help bring change through the power of conversation.
“It was vital to be able to have the platform that we have, myself being a black man and Robyn being a white woman, to talk about everything that’s going on,” Fluker says. “We have an opportunity to speak up and speak out about the terrible injustices that are happening.”
There’s more he wants to do to help the community. Understanding how overwhelming recent events have been, Corks in Cowtown recently announced that local counselor Tiffany Latta will appear regularly on the show, offering free therapy sessions and answering listeners’ questions.
Fluker also wants to spread a message of love through his clothing brand, Love Remixed, which is currently available online at itsloveremixed.com.
Shirts and accessories feature phrases like “Choose Love” and “Trust Love” to remind wearers to treat others kindly.
“Choosing love is most important,” Fluker says, “because love can help bridge anything.”
1. Catching a ride with fellow podcaster Elena Davies. 2. Hanging with friends at Kent & Co. (Barton works there as assistant GM.) 3. Modeling his clothing brand, Love Remixed, in front of the Melt Ice Creams wall. 4. Filming his demo reel at Shipping & Receiving. 5. Hosting the Southside C.A.R.E.S. fundraiser, featuring Leon Bridges and Abraham Alexander. 6. Posing for photographer Joe Johnson at Sons Coffee. 7. Barton’s hero, Martin Luther
A Most Dangerous Job
Lauren Flanagan and Alyssa Springfield, two Fort Worth nurses, braved New York City at the height of the pandemic.
BY BRIAN KENDALL
Lauren Flanagan and Alyssa Springfield work together as nurses at JPS in Fort Worth, where Lauren’s worked since 2016 and Alyssa since 2019. They’re both in their 20s — Alyssa’s 26 and Lauren’s 28 — and they’re both from the Fort Worth area, Springtown and Colleyville, respectively.
The two had been to New York before; they’re both well-traveled and had visited the Big Apple during adulthood. But things were quite different when they arrived at their hotel in the heart of Times Square on April 13 of this year. No Broadway shows were playing, no trips to the top of the Empire State Building were taking place, and no MICHELIN restaurants were open. Instead of snapping selfies off Ellis Island, the two were stuck in scrubs snapping selfies wearing N95 masks in empty streets.
Times Square, Alyssa noted, was like a ghost town. While all the lights and extravagant billboards were still operational, the famous ABC news ticker as seen from their hotel room on the 12th floor — a once swanky Sheraton that had now been turned into quarters for medical workers — gave only updates on the number of deaths and confirmed cases of COVID-19. Climbing each day.
New York City wasn’t just a hot spot for COVID-19 cases; it was the epicenter. If the government could have dropped a seal-proof container over the city in the hopes of containing the virus, they might have.
It was mid-March when it became apparent that the virus, which in retrospect seems like it was a mere blip on people’s radar at the time, had legs and was on the precipice of wreaking havoc. On March 12, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced restrictions on mass gatherings. Following this proclamation, the virus only spread, people only got sicker, and restrictions only got tighter.
In the following three weeks after de Blasio’s announcement, the number of people who had died from
COVID-19 in New York City had surpassed 1,000 people.
With the steep rise of COVID-19 cases in the most densely populated city in the U.S. — and hospitals already in need of medical workers prepandemic — a mass and necessary congregation of nurses occurred in New York City.
Well aware of the need for young nurses not at risk of complications from COVID-19, Lauren and Alyssa volunteered to go to New York City through an emergency response staffing agency. Lauren says it’s a FEMA-driven system that acted quickly upon learning the two were willing to go to New York.
“It’s not like a normal travel nursing experience,” Lauren says. “They literally say, ‘Book a flight, come to this hotel, and then be ready to work,’ and we’ve worked every single day since we’ve been here basically.”
To equate the experiences of Lauren and Alyssa to a war isn’t far-fetched. When overseas combat occurs, military personnel often get called to duty, and little information is shared until they arrive. The situation is riddled with anxiety and an ominous feeling. And, similar to soldiers in war, Lauren and Alyssa were well aware that they were putting their lives on the line. Just replace active rounds of ammunition with dodging bacteria — one slip up, loose mask, or poorly timed rub of the eye could spell trouble.
“It’s something we had to accept before we even came up here,” Alyssa
says. “I was like, okay, what are the odds, what are the chances, and what are the risks of this? Do I believe that I will actually live or die from this? I’ve kind of just accepted that and have a peace about it.”
On their first day, when going through an orientation of sorts, the grim tone from those who had been in New York since the beginning of the pandemic made the two hyperaware of the severity of the circumstances.
“We came into this situation knowing that, obviously, our travel staff is the hospital staff,” Lauren says. “Ninety-five percent of their hospital staff was gone. Much of this was due to being overworked, but a lot of it was due to them being ill themselves. And several staff members have died. That made it really hard to go into that situation. We knew that [death] was a possibility, but it’s just really hard and scary hearing that.”
Death became normalized, which they both begrudgingly admit, and was something the pair witnessed multiple times a day.
Lauren and Alyssa worked in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and as Lauren explains it, once a patient gets sent to the ICU, it’s a death sentence. Their unit’s mortality rate was 99.5%. Nurses would place body bags under the
They literally say, ‘Book a flight, come to this hotel, and then be ready to work,’ and we’ve worked every single day since we’ve been here basically.
Lauren Flanagan
Alyssa Springfield and Lauren Flanagan
Cooler trucks outside of hospital
sheets because they were all too aware of the patient’s fate.
“We knew within minutes, hours, whatever, they were going to die,” Lauren says.
Lauren and Alyssa often felt bad lying to their patients when they’d hold their hands and tell them, “Everything’s going to be okay.” They felt helpless knowing there was nothing more they could do or say. At that point, providing a bit of comfort became their primary charge.
The cooler trucks, which became a symbolic story about the extent of the situation in New York City and held the bodies of those who had perished from COVID-19, sat right outside their window. Lacking any signs of success, it became clear throughout our telephone conversation that Lauren and Alyssa had become dispirited in the few weeks they’d been in New York.
There were many things the two shared that they felt uncomfortable publishing — the conditions of the hospitals, the regulations, the lack of supplies, and more. While avoiding the specifics of these situations, it’s important to understand that the hospitals — or places where COVID-19 patients were receiving treatment — were struggling to keep up with the virus. Too many cases and too few resources.
While the hospital had plenty of ventilators — “a bazillion,” as Lauren puts it — they didn’t have enough monitors. So, patients would often be on ventilators, but when nurses would check on them, they would be dead, as there were no monitors checking their vitals. Lauren suspects this to be the reason many died in their care.
Out of the countless patients (hundreds or thousands), Lauren saw only two extubations — when a doctor takes out a tube that helps a patient breathe, marking a release from the ICU and a reprieve from the aforementioned death sentence — and they remain her favorite stories to tell. She remembers those patients fondly. Their smiles. Their eyes. Their accents. And their relief.
As of press time, there are over
385,000 confirmed cases in the state of New York City, 7,822 in Tarrant County, and the number of cases continues to trend upward.
Lauren and Alyssa have since returned to Fort Worth and JPS. The pair spent 27 days in New York City. Alyssa would test positive for COVID19 while in New York (she’s healthy and COVID-free now); half the nurses in the group they worked with would also test positive. Lauren, despite rooming with Alyssa and being in constant contact with the other nurses, never tested positive.
“Since I’ve come back, my time in New York feels like a dream,” Lauren says. “It feels like it never happened. It feels like it’s been excised from my life.”
The Doc-tor Is In
The folks at Doc’s Records & Vintage have the perfect prescription for tunes to listen to during turbulent times.
BY JESSICA STRANGE
Stimulants - Whether you’re feeling frustrated with the state of the world right now or just can’t stop bingeing Netflix shows, these albums should help you get back on your feet and get stuff done.
Stevie Wonder Innervisions, 1973
Prescribed by Aaron McClendon
Almost half a century later, Innervisions still addresses issues we’re experiencing now, like racism, inequality, and political unrest. But Wonder’s smooth, soulful voice reminds us, “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”
Novos
Baianos Acabou Chorare, 1972
Prescribed by Daniel Salas
Joyful Brazilian bossa nova will have you sambaing in your kitchen. Upbeat and colorful, this album will lift even the bluest spirits.
Talking
Heads
Speaking in Tongues, 1983
Prescribed by Aaron McClendon
Frontman David Byrne understands sometimes you just want to metaphorically burn it all down. This eclectic mix of new-wave synth and funky bass lines will give you the soundtrack and energy to do it.
Charles
Mingus
Presents Charles Mingus, 1961
Prescribed by Scott Ladouceur
This wonderfully punchy and essential jazz album is packed with power. Put it on while you sip your morning Joe, and you’re sure to take life by the horns.
Various
Artists
Studio One Women, The Original, 2004
Prescribed by Skyler Salinas
Like mama telling you everything will be all right, this compilation of reggae, rocksteady, and ska from the women of Studio One soothes your soul.
Curtis Mayfield Curtis, 1970
Prescribed by Aaron McClendon
“Just move on up to a greater day,” Mayfield commands, as if he traveled in time to be your own personal hype man. His strongly rhythmic album will help you do just that.
Relaxants - Overwhelmed and need to chill out a bit? Want to listen to something moody just to reinforce the fact that times are tough? These albums are for you.
Alice
Coltrane
Journey in Satchidananda, 1971
Prescribed by Justin Robertson
Deeply hypnotic and spiritual, Coltrane recorded this album as a healing response to an era of unrest not unlike today. Its meditative mix of harp, saxophone, and Eastern instruments is like a purifying detox for your brain.
Willie
Nelson Teatro, 1998
Prescribed by Godfrey Nabiryanga
“Darkness on the Face of the Earth” and “I’ve Just Destroyed the World” are just a couple track titles to give you an idea of this album’s vibe. But Willie Nelson’s honey-smooth vocals, accompanied by the always calming Emmylou Harris, somehow make everything feel okay.
Junior Kimbrough Most Things Haven’t Worked Out, 1997
Prescribed by Justin Robertson
The album title alone is pretty on brand for 2020 so far. Aside from that, Kimbrough’s power blues is a good soundtrack if you just want to sit with your feelings of despair.
Soft
Machine
The Soft Machine, 1968
Prescribed by Daniel Salas Wanna get weird? The experimental prog rock of Soft Machine is here for you and all the trippy weirdness your heart desires.
Roxy
Music
For Your Pleasure, 1973
Prescribed by Jenkins Boyd
You’re tired, and you just want some moody, avant garde glam rock. After listening to the 9-minute-long track “The Bogus Man,” you’ll be so disoriented that you’ll forget that you were stressed out to begin with.
You can get your fix at Doc’s Records & Vintage, 2628 Weisenberger St.
Armstrong™ Collection
On Pointe
Texas
Ballet Theater’s adaptive
dance program allows young dancers of all abilities to share in the love and joy of dance.
BY SADIE BROWN
Soft light washes through large storefront windows of the lobby at the Texas Ballet Theater School in Fort Worth, illuminating the room with a friendly glow. The school is still and hushed with anticipation on a Sunday afternoon in February. A new group of students will arrive any minute. Instructor Mariana Blessing and educational program’s manager Catherine Roe open the doors with bright smiles and enthusiastic greetings as four young danc-
ers with Down syndrome arrive with their families. In an instant, the school fills with excitement. The girls show off their ballet-pink leotards, bows, and sparkly shoes while parents and families chat warmly. Blessing and Roe shuffle the group down a long hall with photos of TBT dancers and productions on either side, saying goodbye to parents and siblings as they reach the studio door.
The girls are part of the inaugural class of the new Adaptive Dance program at Texas Ballet Theater, designed to meet the specific educational needs of students with Down syndrome in a safe environment. TBT offered a limited class series for children ages 5 to 7 in February and hopes to expand
PHOTO BY SADIE BROWN
the offerings to include permanent programs available to more children with different disabilities. The program partners with the Rehabilitation Services Department at Cook Children’s to consult on therapeutic efforts.
“True to their title, adaptive classes are constantly adapting to the group of students in the room,” Roe says. “A traditional dance class may have a set curriculum or set of standards or expectations that all students follow, but adaptive dance classes are adapted to the specific group of students in the room.”
Colleen Howk grew up a dancer and always wanted to enroll her 6-year-old daughter, Yua, in classes but questioned whether the instructors would be able to effectively teach a child with Down syndrome. She wondered if a program separate from typically abled children was the right choice for Yua.
“Inclusion is such a big deal, and it feels like we have to fight for inclusion,” Howk says.
The mother of five’s apprehension was put to rest after seeing the TBT instructors interact with the children and how much her daughter loved the class.
“They were so mindful,” Howk says. “They were so careful and thoughtful of everyone’s needs.”
Howk adopted Yua while living in Japan with her family during her husband’s military service. They were moved by stories of adoption and made the decision to adopt a child that others may not want. Howk knew it was a sign when her husband heard about an adoption at a prayer brunch with their church in Japan. They connected with a faith-based service and adopted a young boy with Down syndrome. Later, they adopted Yua, as well.
“People don’t value people with special needs,” Howk says. “You aren’t guaranteed health and ability in life
whether or not you are given the diagnosis prenatally or at birth.”
Class begins with warm-up exercises and stretching in a way that promotes strength, coordination, and cognition but feels like a game. Teachers and students sing along to upbeat songs that teach the young dancers to open and shut their hands or touch their chin, nose, and toes. Blessing, Roe, and volunteer physical, occupational, and speech therapists from Cook Children’s lead the class by example, singing along and hopping around the room like bunnies to the beat of the music.
The verbal cues in the songs give the kids fun instructions to pretend to be an elephant or a giraffe, raising their arms in a way that engages or stretches specific muscles. Hopping or walking on their “tippy toes” assists with balance and stability. Learning sequences can promote memory function, and a classroom atmosphere teaches social skills and relationship building, all with enthusiastic support and silliness from the instructors. Ayah Sayyed says the class is a time for her 5-year-old daughter Sabeel to embrace independence and focus on herself, away from the rest of the family.
“It’s her time to shine, and she’s using it any way she can,” Sayyed says. Yua also seems to know this class is all about her. The young dancer has big brown eyes and dark hair. She is
outgoing and confident, knows what she likes, and isn’t afraid to use her voice or be the center of attention. She and her classmates’ curiosity and independence lead them to explore and freestyle on their own, being gently redirected now and again by Roe, Blessing, and the volunteers.
The class is consistent to reinforce structure — no surprises. There is always a short story time and coloring session where students listen to Blessing read a dance-related storybook, and then everyone colors a ballerina coloring page. Yua asks for the purple crayon every time.
Clinical therapeutic benefits and measurable outcomes don’t show the full value of adaptive programming. The dancers are learning self-expression, healthy emotional outlets, connection, creativity, and the joy of ballet.
“I know the impact that dance has in my own life; I see it in my students,” Blessing says. “I want that opportunity to be available to everybody.”
The program developed in response to the needs of the community, says Roe. With two years of preparation and support from the program’s founding sponsor, the H.L. & Elizabeth M. Brown Foundation, Texas Ballet Theater is able to offer a safe, educational space for children who may not have had access to it previously. Roe and Blessing attended a workshop with industry leader Boston Ballet to learn adaptive dance methods and even took a mock class. Blessing says she wanted to be “ready and equipped.”
“The students and parents are the experts in their strengths and weaknesses,” Blessing says. “We are just here to facilitate a dance class.”
Blessing is key to linking Cook Children’s and TBT. She
was an intern in Cook Children’s Child Life department and, with Roe, reached out to make the connection, according to PT/OT program manager Carolyn Mullins.
“We looked into it, and it looked like a wonderful opportunity for children in our community with special needs to practice the skills they learn in therapy in the real world with their peers and siblings,” Mullins says. “Those opportunities are few and far between and often difficult for families to find.”
The current Adaptive Dance program specifically serves young children with Down syndrome. Blessing was involved in the KinderFrogs program at TCU and has more experience working with children with Down syndrome than children with other disabilities. As the program grows and evolves, TBT hopes to add classes for dancers of all ages, as well as include programming for people with other disabilities.
“It’s a matter of listening to the community and seeing what they want,” says Blessing. “I am really hopeful for the future and what’s in store for this program.”
The class wraps up with “Let It Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” and some time for the children to freestyle. Instructors and the little dancers explore creating their own movements — usually spinning, jumping, and making faces in the mirror. This, more than any other part of the class, seems to have all the students on the same page.
Before the girls’ families are allowed in for pickup, all the students must be sitting quietly in a line against one wall. Roe opens the door and moms and dads and siblings flood into the room to reunite with their dancers.
“Let It Go” makes an encore performance, and all the students reprise the freestyle, this time tugging on the hands of parents and siblings while people take the opportunity for photos.
Some of Yua’s brothers and sisters join her on the dance floor after some
good-natured prodding from the rest of the family while Howk videos on her phone. Sabeel spins around in circles with her arms wide and tongue out.
The kids wander down the hall to go home even more excited than when they arrived, amped up on Disney songs and endorphins. Slowly, calm and quiet fills the school as the door closes after the last of the families, leaving Roe, Blessing, and the volunteers to relax — if only for a moment.
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, Texas Ballet Theater had to cut its second four-week adaptive dance series short. Roe says that the immediate impact of the virus does not change TBT’s long-term plans to expand and offer permanent adaptive dance programming. She encourages prospective students and families to check Texas Ballet Theater’s website and social media for updates about class schedules.
Programs like TBT’s Adaptive Dance highlight issues with accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in North Texas. At what point does specialized programming become isolation? Mullins and Howk both say there are benefits to inclusive and adaptive programming, and that each individual has different and specific needs.
“If there were four little girls with Down syndrome and four without, how much more effective would that class be?” Howk says. “They could model that behavior.”
“Inclusive programs can be a great benefit and learning experience for all of the children and staff that are participating,” Mullins says. “Adapted programs provide a safe learning environment for children with special needs that allows the student to participate in events and
activities with their peers.”
Howk advocates for practicing love and compassion, saying, “It takes more work, but it’s worth it.”
“Our world moves so fast, and a lot of times people with different abilities just need things to slow down,” she says.
Many of Howk’s concerns about inclusion and kindness toward people with disabilities are applicable in a broader sense. She says people should be treated as an individual and not “arbitrarily benchmarked” by some made-up standard of what is “normal.”
She worries that good intentions get lost in the “big machine” of society.
Months later, Yua still talks about ballet. Howk is considering signing her up for classes closer to their home.
“Every time you talk about ballet, she says, ‘I did that!’ and she shows her moves,” Howk says.
The Adaptive Dance program at Texas Ballet Theater has the ability to help launch a new demographic of people who love dance. It pursues its mission of focusing on art, access, and education. Howk would also add “love and compassion” to that list.
“You could see it on the teachers’ faces; they were loving our girls,” Howk says. “It was beautiful. They were teaching our girls their love of dance.”
Selling the Dream
A chat with Jeannie Anderson of Compass, who is also the real estate agent for one of three homes that comprise the first annual Fort Worth Magazine Dream Street.
BY SCOTT NISHIMURA
One of Fort Worth Magazine’s three 2020 Dream Street homes, being built side by side at the end of a cul-de-sac in Southlake’s Oxford Place luxury development, is already under contract to be sold. The three homes are scheduled to be completed late this summer and be open for tours in October to benefit
a Wish with Wings, our official charity. Realtor Jeannie Anderson put the one-story, 6,000-square-foot home by builder Jon Atwood under contract; it listed at $3.2 million. Anderson, who works for Compass, which has the listings for all 11 lots in Oxford Place, including the other two Dream Homes, sat down for a Q&A with the magazine about the luxury market in
the Southlake-Westlake-Colleyville corridor.
PROSPECTIVE BUYER OF THE ATWOOD HOME
“The prospective buyer reached out because they were wanting to build a house. When you get in that $3 million price point, they want custom, and they know exactly what they want. Their agent, my builder, and I were all walking a lot in Oxford Place. We started talking about the Dream Home. [Husband and wife] have two sets of twins. She’s a physician. The way the house is laid out, it’s ideal. It’s one story. They’re getting to make some changes. Plus, they can save the time of not having to design a house.”
IMPORTANCE OF THE ONE-STORY
“I think it was pretty important to them. A lot of people are liking this one-story feel right now. [With the aging of the population], we see more and more people preferring a one-story if it can be done. The only reason it can’t be done is if they have smaller lots, and they have to go up.”
[All Oxford Place lots are one acre.]
STRENGTH OF THE MARKET AMID COVID-19
“The market is really good here. We definitely have an increase right now as far as listings that are under contract. Compass in general has seen a 40% increase in homes that are either contract or sold this year, versus last year at this time. With COVID-19, we just changed some of our strategies. We stated doing more live virtual tours. We started doing virtual open houses. I’m selling to someone in the U.K. right now by video. We picked up and increased paperless transactions. We really haven’t slowed down. The only thing that slowed down was when we weren’t able to have a house open.”
INCREASED BUYER INTEREST IN LESS DENSITY AMID COVID-19
“Searches of people looking for singlefamily homes have gone up three times, instead of condo and urban living. We’ve seen increases of people looking for outdoor space and in the suburbs with pools. I think COVID-19 has put a little scare in people, and it’s pushed us more into family life. [Interest in] urban living has gone down a little, and you’ve seen more [interest in] suburb living.”
MARKET CONDITIONS
“Southlake, Westlake, it’s still strong. In Southlake, there are 127 active [listings] on MLS right now. Year to date, [MLS shows] already over 200 Southlake [listings] that have already sold. There’s a lot that doesn’t go on the MLS. I have 10 homes that never hit the MLS because they’re new. $970,000 is the average sold price in Southlake. Westlake has 47 active [listings], 11 sold or pending since January. $2.5 million average [sold price].”
In Colleyville, Compass has the listings for the lots and build jobs in the Oakleigh neighborhood, home of the magazine’s Showcase Home Colleyville last year. “You’re probably about 60-75 days on the market. I sold at $1.6, $1.7, $1.8 million [for lot and home]. The prices have been strong. You’re getting a couple of builders who are getting worried [because of the start of the summer season], but it’s still been strong. Out of 23 lots, we’re probably down to nine lots.”
SUPPLY OF LOTS
“The lots are limited. We’ve been kind of landlocked for a little while. When we get a subdivision like Oxford that has 1-acre lots, it’s such a rare occasion. We’ve probably got two subdivisions that have 1-acre lots in all of Southlake.”
THE $3 MILLION DREAM STREET PRICING
“It’s not that unusual. In Southlake, we really can’t build less than $325 a square foot. In Westlake, it’s probably closer to $400 per square foot.”
Dream Street Builders and Subcontractors
Fort Worth Magazine has teamed up annually for two decades with luxury homebuilders, designers, Realtors, and subcontractors to build Dream Homes and show off the latest in building, design, and fashion trends. Here are the Dream Street partners who’ve come on board so far for this year’s Dream Street in Southlake’s Oxford Place development.
1100 High Court, Lot 6 (Under contract to be sold)
Builder: Atwood Custom Homes
Home plans: J Bolton & Associates
Interior: Stacy Furniture & Design
Realtor: Jeannie Anderson, Compass
Appliances: Expressions Home Gallery
Cabinets, kitchen: The Kitchen Source
Concrete flatwork: Blythe Concrete
Countertops fabrication: Absolute Stone & Tile
Countertops material: Levantina
Doors, exterior: Quarles Lumber
Drywall and texture: Alliance Drywall
Fencing iron and automated gates: Lambert’s Ornamental Iron
Fireplace inserts, interior: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth
Fireplace, Isokern and insert: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth
Fire protection systems: Safe Life Fire Protection
Flooring, tile materials: Interceramic USA
Flooring, wood and tile labor: North Texas Surfaces
Flooring, wood, materials: DuChateau
Garage doors/openers: Overhead Door Company of Fort Worth
Light fixtures and outdoor lighting: Passion Lighting
Low voltage/AV/security: Multimedia Solutions
Lumber and trusses: DeFord Lumber Co.
Paint: Sherwin-Williams
Paint labor: J & V Painting
Plumbing labor and supplies: Pro Serve Plumbing
Pool: Leschber Designs
Roofing: Ramon Roofing
Shower glass and mirrors: Galactic Glass LLC
Site surveillance: SiteViewPRO
Stairs and railings: Lambert’s Ornamental Iron
Stucco material and labor: Centurion Stone of DFW
Windows and interior doors: Quarles Windows
Wine room cabinets: Vineyard Wine Cellars
3D virtual tour: Metroplex360
1105 High Court, Lot 5 (Listed for sale, $3.795 million)
Builder: WillowTree Custom Homes
Architect: Flynn+Watson Architects
Interior: Susan Semmelmann Interiors
Realtor: Tommy Pistana, Compass
Appliances: Expressions Home Gallery
Cabinets, kitchen: The Kitchen Source
Cabinets, other: JIL Custom Cabinets
Concrete flatwork: Blythe Concrete
Countertops fabrication: Absolute Stone & Tile
Countertops material: Levantina
Doors, exterior front: M2 Metals Iron Doors
Drywall and texture: Alliance Drywall
Electrician: MPT Electric
Fire protection systems: Safe Life Fire Protection
Flooring, tile materials: Daltile
Flooring, wood and tile labor: North Texas Surfaces
Flooring, wood, materials: DuChateau
Garage doors/openers: Open Up Garage Doors
Gutters: Loveless Gutters
Hardware, cabinets: Pierce Fine Decorative Hardware and Plumbing
HVAC: Hawk Air Company
Insulation: New Leaf Foam Insulation
Landscape/irrigation/grade/lighting: Joey Design Irrigation and Landscapes
Light fixtures and outdoor lighting: Passion Lighting
Low voltage/AV/security: ComwareAV
Lumber and trusses: DeFord Lumber Co.
Paint: Benjamin Moore
Paint labor: J & V Painting
Patio furniture: Yard Art Patio & Fireplace
Plumbing fixtures: Expressions Home Gallery
Plumbing labor and supplies: Posey Plumbing
Pool: Claffey Pools
Pool Table: Fort Worth Billiards
Shower glass and mirrors: Fashion Glass & Mirror
Site surveillance: SiteViewPRO
Stone materials: Texas Stone Creations
Stucco material and labor: MCD Stucco
Wine room cabinets: Vineyard Wine Cellars
3D virtual tour: Metroplex360
Page Turners
As the economy reopens and bookworms slowly return to their happy places — bookstores — Shelley Lowe, owner of Monkey and Dog Books, gives us a little insight into her store and shares some of her favorite reads.
BY TINA HOWARD
4 QUESTIONS: SHELLEY LOWE
The Sweeney Sisters by Lian Dolan After their mother’s death, sisters Maggie, Eliza, and Tricia Sweeney drifted apart, held together only by their famous literary lion and college professor father. When he also unexpectedly dies, the girls gather back together in their childhood home, only to encounter a fourth, previously unknown sister.
1 Tell us a little bit about yourself, Shelley. I’ve been a reader almost all my life. Being able to escape into a book has been a catharsis for me in so many situations (the present one included). I’ve always enjoyed learning, and my love of reading has been essential for my autodidactic personality. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Latin and a Master of Arts in teaching English as a second language. I’ve been lucky to get to teach Latin and English to many outstanding students. 2 Where does the name Monkey and Dog come from, and why did you want to open a bookstore? Growing up, I always wanted to do three things: teach, be a mother, and own a bookshop. I used to “play bookshop” with my father’s books; I had a library with my own books. Monkey and Dog Books got its name from my two amazing sons who had these nicknames growing up. Starting
Lost Children Archive by Valeria Luiselli
as a children’s shop, I felt the name would be something children would like and remember. 3 What are you reading right now? I nearly always have three or more books going at a time. I’m reading a middle grade survival novel, 96 Miles, by J.L. Esplin; a light novel, The Sweeney Sisters, by Lian Dolan; and a work of history, Author in Chief, by Craig Fehrman. I’ve noticed that since the world seemingly turned upside down, I’ve had to stick to lighter reads. 4 If you were stuck at home with only three books, what would they be and why? Stuck at home with only three books? I suppose Bill Bryson’s At Home (for its incredibly interesting information about one’s house); E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web (sentimental reasons — first book I ever read and favorite children’s book); and Jane Eyre. This question is incredibly hard … it’s Stryon’s Sophie’s Choice in a way! Also — to me, having a Bible is just a given … not counted as one of the three!
The Valedictorian of Being Dead by Heather B. Armstrong
A powerful memoir about a mother’s choice to undergo an experimental procedure in an effort to “reboot” her brain with the hopes of eliminating her debilitating, suicidal depression. The experiment administers anesthesia to quiet all brain activity for a full 15 minutes and then brings her back to life from a flatline.
“The boy” and “the girl” set out on a cross-country trip from New York to Arizona with their two sound documentarian parents, who are working on separate projects that shed light on immigration, displacement, and the children lost in the midst of it all. But as the trip progresses, a fracture between the parents begins to reveal itself.
Tina Howard, along with her husband, Todd, is the owner of Leaves Book and Tea Shop on St. Louis Avenue in the Near Southside.
The Beauty Buzz
Why cannabis-infused skin care is so addictive.
BY JENNY B. DAVIS
The Sunflower Shoppe doesn’t need to chase trends. With three locations across Fort Worth and Colleyville, it’s been a trusted source for natural food, vitamins, and health and wellness supplies for 50 years. So, when its head buyer heard the hype surrounding skin care infused with cannabis-derived ingredients, she decided to test it on her own face to make sure it worked before stocking it on the Shoppe’s shelves.
Turns out, she didn’t just like it — she loved it, says Erika McCarthy, co-owner and vice president of marketing. “She’s at the age where her skin is beginning to change, and she claims her skin actually feels softer and appears brighter,” McCarthy says. “We are really careful about what we sell — our new product submission is rigorous, and we look carefully at sourcing, raw materials, the manufacturing process, and more.” McCarthy says she’s not looking to jump on any brand bandwagons — social media saturation doesn’t mean a product is up to Sunflower Shoppe standards. But she says she hopes to be offering several CBD skin care products by July.
Skin care infused with cannabisderived ingredients is the biggest buzz in beauty right now, part of a global market valued at over $580 million and predicted to hit $1.7 billion by 2025, according to research cited by Forbes. Most products include one of two ingredients: cannabidiol, or CBD, a naturally occurring chemical compound derived from the cannabis sativa plant’s leaves, and cannabis sativa seed oil, which as the name suggests, comes from the plant’s seeds.
You can’t get high from either, but both provide proven antioxidant and antiinflammatory benefits when applied to the skin.
Veteran skin care formulator Melissa Jochim was so impressed by cannabis sativa seed oil that she based her company, High Beauty, on it. “Cannabis sativa seed oil is unlike any other oil I’ve worked with,” she says. “It has an unequaled essential fatty acid profile — it’s your skin’s daily multivitamin, providing high levels of vitamins A, B, C, D, and E; minerals, and all twenty amino acids — and it helps fortify the skin’s extracellular matrix and lipid barrier to inhibit the dehydration of skin cells for healthy, beautiful skin.”
In just two years, High Beauty has become so successful that Jochim recently won a 2020 Rising Star Award from the prestigious Fashion Group International in the beauty entrepreneur category. But Jochim believes her brand still has plenty of growth potential as the market continues to expand. “I think that cannabis will be recognized as a go-to ingredient in skin care because of its amazing nutrients and properties,” she says.
McCarthy agrees. “We have been selling CBD oil since 2015, and we believe our customers have seen the healing and anti-inflammatory benefits of the pill and liquid form,” she says. “They’re now ready to experience those same benefits from a skin care product.”
Find High Beauty at highbeauty.com; for new product information from The Sunflower Shoppe, visit sunflowershoppe.com.
The goal of Reign Together is to create products that promote relaxation and connections. Its Royal Mask helps skin recover from the effects of stress, elevating vitality, restoring moisture, and making fine lines and wrinkles appear smoother. $70, reigntogether.com
Developed by certified crystal healer Mazz Hanna, the Rose Quartz Infused Mint Lip Balm from her eponymous brand boasts 15 milligrams of organic hemp extract along with hemp seed oil, sunscreen, and more for all-day hydration and protection. $15, mazzhanna.com
Demeter’s sheer-feeling massage and body oil is lightly scented by the New Yorkbased brand’s signature Cannabis Flower fragrance, a scent that’s slightly floral with a hint of spice. $12.60, demeterfragrance.com
The hero ingredient in CBD Ageless Wrinkle Filling Serum from Elina Organics comes encapsulated in liposomes made from organic sunflowers to help restore collagen and impart a feeling of firmness to the face. $38, elinaorganicsskincare.com
Little Brains, Big Changes
How to support kids during uneasy times.
BY JESSICA STRANGE
2020 has been a year of major change and unrest, and we’re only halfway through it. In a matter of just a few months, our children lost their school routine, their friends, their extracurriculars, and their sense of normalcy. Add to that an uprising of civil unrest, and now today’s kids are facing a double-pandemic that no other living person has ever had to endure.
While no one can say they’re an expert in times like these, having never lived through them before, we talked to three local specialists about concrete ways we can help children manage the anxieties and uncertainties that are weighing heavily on us all.
Acknowledge their grief.
Grief is a natural reaction to loss. Some children may have actually lost loved ones during the pandemic, but collectively, we are all grieving the loss of normal life. Grief manifests itself in many ways, and for kids, that may look like misbehavior or changes in mood. Allow space for the sadness and fear that they’re feeling right now.
“Your job as a parent is to be with them, companion them in their feelings, and let go of the responsibility to have to fix the feeling,” Fort Worthbased counselor Elizabeth Jones says.
She says that a lot of the parents she works with don’t necessarily recognize the grief their child is experiencing right away.
“As soon as I say the words ‘they’re grieving,’ it’s like the parents take a huge sigh of relief, and they say, ‘Oh, that’s what we’re all feeling,’” she says.
Keep them informed in an age-appropriate way.
“Always tell the truth, but in a developmentally appropriate language,” Jones says.
The way you discuss what’s going on in the world with your 3-year-old will be different than how you talk to your teenager, but honesty is important in all conversations.
There are three questions to think about before communicating with your child, says Dana Minor, program director at The WARM Place, a grief support group for children and teens.
“Ask yourself, ‘What do they need to know? What do they want to know? And what can they understand?’” she says.
It’s also important to recognize that parents will not always know the answer, and it’s okay to say, “I don’t know.”
Try to stick to a routine, whatever that may look like.
Even just hearing the word “routine” might make parents scoff these days, but all three specialists stressed the importance of setting routine goals that are reachable.
“Routine is highly comfortable and comforting for kids,” says child life specialist Kelly Cox.
While it may not be feasible to run a tight ship while you’re juggling working from home with child care, agreeing on important plans for your day, no matter how small they are, can prove helpful for everyone.
Allow your child some say in the matter. If they’re able to pick what their schedule looks like, they may be more likely to stick to it.
“Ask them, ‘What would make you feel comfortable? What would make you feel happy? What would make you feel less stressed?,’” Minor says.
Help teach kids how to be good digital citizens.
We’re all leaning heavily on electronics right now. Screen time is up for all age groups. Not only does it give us some much-needed entertainment, but it’s also a way to socialize. The specialists all agreed that it’s probably all right to relax a little on screen time limitations. More important than how much your child is using a screen is how they’re using it.
“I would be more inclined to teach your kids how to manage their screens than focusing on limiting it all the time,” Jones says. “That means not putting anything on the internet that would be hurtful or hurt anyone’s feelings even if you think it’s funny. That’s not being that good digital citizen.”
Even with monitoring, kids can be exposed to upsetting news or information on their devices. Jones says it’s important to have an open line of communication with your child so that they know they can come to you if they saw something they shouldn’t have.
Have compassion for yourself as a parent.
Things are hard. Parents are all experiencing different struggles right now, but very few can say that these times are easy. Now is a good time to adjust your expectations for yourself and your family, Minor says.
“You’ve probably heard people say, ‘This is our new normal,’” she says. “But this is not normal.”
Where the Streets Have No Names
A
journey through Texas towns that have long been vacant but not forgotten.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
My wife and I are driving along a bumpy, gravel, unmarked backroad, somewhere in northwest Texas, hunting for a ghost town called Proffitt. “It should be right here,” we say to one another, looking at the GPS, which is utterly useless when it comes to finding what sometimes isn’t meant to be found. Only thing GPS is doing is confusing us even more, sending us up and down red dirt roads made for F150s and Pat Green songs, not our RAV4.
Just as we’re about to give up, there it is, what we’ve been hunting down for the last half hour, the last remain-
PHOTO
ing vestige of this once-thriving city: a beautiful cemetery with graves dating back to the 19th century. Jackpot.
History buffs like me have long been fascinated by ghost towns — communities, cities, and towns that once bustled but are now silent. Wiped away by time, dust, and progress, these abandoned towns are shrouded in intrigue and mystery.
We seek them out for various reasons. Some simply want to admire what’s left behind — beautiful old buildings, fading and cracking in the Texas sun; historic cemeteries; and, if we’re lucky, one or two chatty towns-
people who tell better stories than any history book.
Others are endlessly fascinated by why some communities succeed while others fail — and they go looking for answers.
Over the past several years, thanks to social media, a new breed of ghost town chasers has discovered the thrill of these hunts. Three Facebook groups devoted to images of Texas ghost towns and ruins have more than a combined membership of 100,000, and on a broader scale, the Instagram hashtag #ghosttown will get you more than a million pics. For photographers, both professional and not, what’s old is cool again.
Also, ghost towns offer a summertrip perk that is very 2020: social distancing. On one recent ghost town trip, my wife and I realized we hadn’t talked to a single person during our entire excursion.
Thousands of ghost towns are scattered throughout the state. Many are within a few hours of Fort Worth, perfect for day-tripping. Here are a few of our picks:
Thurber
Located 75 miles west of downtown Fort Worth, right off Interstate 20, Thurber is a great square one for ghost town newbies, as well as a favorite for ghost town vets. To see the town’s towering smokestack, after 100 years still standing tall and proud at 128 feet, alone is worth the drive.
Once the largest city between Fort Worth and El Paso, the companyowned town was built in 1886 by the Johnson Coal Company and, two years later, was purchased by Texas and Pacific Coal Company. Thurber’s mining operation provided fuel for the coal-burning locomotives of numerous railroads of the day, including the Santa Fe and Texas & Pacific.
A brick factory was also built, and soon Thurber bricks were found at key locales throughout the state, from Congress Avenue in Austin to the streets of the Fort Worth Stockyards.
At its peak, Thurber had a popu-
lation of 8,000-10,000. Most were immigrant workers, who represented more than a dozen ethnic groups.
Various business problems and the conversion to oil-burning locomotives led to the city’s demise. In 1933, during the Great Depression, Thurber abruptly shut down. At last count, the population of Thurber was five; there are more historical markers in Thurber than people.
Over time, many of the buildings have been dismantled or crumbled on their own, but several remain, including the town’s smokestack, built in 1908 as part of the town’s electric power plant; the restored St. Barbara’s Catholic Church; and several small red-brick buildings made with Thurber bricks. Two buildings have been converted into restaurants, and there’s also a museum.
Thurber may very well be the most photogenic of all of Texas’ ghost towns. Against the nighttime sky, stars shimmering above, the town’s red brick remains offer a breathtaking sight.
Burkett
If Thurber is a great beginner’s ghost town, Burkett is the next level up, with much to see and explore.
Found on State Highway 206 in west central Texas, about two hours from Fort Worth, Burkett was named in 1886 for its first postmaster, William Burkett. For years, the town flourished: There were cafes, a school, a cotton gin, a drugstore, churches, and various other businesses. In the 1950s, Highway 206 was built nearby, but it bypassed the town’s business district, leading to the city’s downfall. According to the 2000 census, 30 people remain.
There’s much to see, though, including the abandoned red brick school building, a 1920s gas station, several old homes from the early 1900s, and, most impressively, a truss bridge built in 1922. You can still drive across it, but someone else told you that.
Many of the town’s streets are overrun with foliage and abandoned vehicles, giving this once-thriving
Carlton
community a spooky “Last House on the Left”-type of vibe; explorers and Instagrammers will love it.
Proffitt
Let me introduce you to my ghost town bible, Ghost Towns of Texas, a book written in the 1980s by Texas historian T. Lindsay Baker. Since many of Texas’ ghost towns won’t turn up on GPS, Baker’s book is a necessity for ghost town adventurers. Personally, I love the guy and his book, but his directions can sometimes be confusing. See if you can make sense of these directions to Proffitt: “Drive west from Newcastle 7.3 miles on U.S. Highway 380 to a paved country road leading north. Take this paved road 1.0 mile north and then west to the end of the pavement in the center of the former town.” What pavement? What country road? What the heck, T. Lindsay?
Now you’ll understand why it took so long for us to find Proffitt, or at least what’s left of it: a historical cemetery, which contains both marked and unmarked graves of area pioneers, including members of
the Robert Smith Proffitt family, who established the area in 1862.
Proffitt’s tiny cemetery is one of the most fascinating — and eyeopening — in this area of Texas. Its numerous interments of children and infants paint a somber picture of the often-harsh realities of frontier life. According to a historical marker, the largest number of burials here occurred between 1910 and 1920 and includes victims of the World War I-era influenza epidemic. Also interred here are veterans of the Civil War, World War I and World War II.
The historical marker also points out the unmarked graves of three young men who were ambushed and killed by Native Americans in 1867 — an incident for which Proffitt is best known, as those are the cemetery’s first graves.
The town flourished as a farming community from the late 19th century to the 1920s but quietly faded away when several farms consolidated.
While you’re in the area, visit nearby Fort Belknap, a majestic complex of 19th century buildings originally erected in 1851 to help protect the area from Kiowa and Comanche attacks. There’s a museum and a little café that closed during COVID-19 but may be open before summer’s end. Even if they’re not, it’s
nice to roam the picturesque, shady grounds, open year-round.
The Grove
Two hours south of Fort Worth on Farm to Market Road 1114, The Grove is the most tourist-friendly ghost town in Texas. Its camera-ready, half-dozen buildings have been refurbished and are well-kept. It’s listed on all maps, paper and digital, and it’s a breeze to find. Drive around a bit, and you’ll find a handful of friendly neighbors, too; it’s not quite abandoned yet.
Established in the latter part of the 19th century, The Grove — named for its abundance of live oak trees — was once a bustling community with a general store, several cotton gins, and blacksmith shop. The general store, called Dube’s, is now owned by descendants of the original townspeople. For years, it was a museum filled with antiques (which were often used by film companies), but now the building stands still. A note tacked on the window says it may reopen sometime in the future.
There’s still much to see, including the blacksmith shop, a filling station outfitted with a period gas pump and several other 100-year-old-plus buildings. In the town’s center is a water well, built in the 19th century by pick and crowbar; interestingly, it’s still in use.
A smokestack in Thurber harkens to its past days in coal and oil.
The old Cocklebur Saloon at The Grove
through which Native Americans often traveled. It prospered in the late 19th century to the mid-20th century and was home to a hotel, a weekly newspaper, and general store.
Indian Gap
Like many Texas ghost towns, Indian Gap could completely disappear at any moment. Matter of fact, days before we made the two-hour drive south to explore and photograph it, one of its key buildings — a large, two-story, red brick school built in 1913 — was demolished. All that remains of the school are its twin cement columns that once guided students to its main entrance.
Other parts of this community remain intact, although some buildings are behind barbed wire on farmland roamed by easily excitable livestock — virtually the only sounds you’ll hear in this otherwise near-deserted pocket of Texas. The structures are still visible from the road, however, and their eerie, faded exteriors are a must-see for ghost town lovers.
The community dates back to 1857 and, according to the Texas history website texasescapes.com, was named for the nearby gap in mountains
A cluster of a half-dozen original buildings, found near the intersections of Farm to Market Roads 218 and 1702, includes the general store whose worn sign reads: Carl Reinert - Dealer in General Merchandise. This particular building isn’t behind barbed wire, so you’re free to admire, up close, its tin facade, creaky stairs, and original hardware.
A few steps away, you’ll find an unusual sight: an old farm building swaying to the right, like it’s slowly falling asleep.
Carlton
A hundred and forty-two years ago, things were looking pretty good for Carlton, a booming, agriculturalforward town named after early settler F. M. Carlton. It was lucky enough to grow near a well-used wagon road, traveled by merchants eager to trade and spend.
Thanks to the arrival of the Stephenville North and South Railway, the town continued to flourish. In 1920, Carlton had a population of nearly 1,000 and boasted three of everything: three general stores, three grocery stores, three churches, three cotton gins, plus a pair of banks, a lumber-
yard, and various other businesses.
The surge in popularity brought on by the railroad was also taken away by the railroad. When its line was discarded in 1940, Carlton began to decline, illustrating the power railroads wield over small Texas towns. What remains is one of the most impressive ghost towns in this neck of the woods. Take a spin through its streets, and you’ll see antiquated homes that look as though their occupants simply got up and left. Old pieces of furniture are strewn about, and cars that haven’t been revved up in years wither and rust away.
The town still clings mightily to life; we encountered a few of its residents. One was a dog that chased our photographer, and then our car, for a good quarter mile.
Down the street, residents whose curiosity had been piqued by our presence emerged from their home, an old fire station converted into a house, to give us a tour of a dilapidated bank building. They also pointed out a nearby gas station and told us most of the original equipment was still intact. Another bank building burned down, they said.
They then asked us over for a beer. In a rush to hit the next ghost town before sunset, we politely declined but promised to come back. I sure hope they’ll still be there.
Indian Gap
An antique Coke machine is right at home in Carlton.
AGENTS UNSPABLE TOP
Congratulations to the can-do, never-say-never, tirelessly hardworking agents of Williams Trew who were selected as 2020 Top Realtors by Fort Worth Magazine. When the going gets tough, they keep going. Their accomplishments are noteworthy, but we know their real motivation is putting people first. We are incredibly proud of how they serve our community and strive daily to make everyone feel at home.
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Stand and Deliver
Two longtime Fort Worth chefs have recently opened a new kind of restaurant. Called “ghost
kitchens,” they offer food by one way and one way only: delivery.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW
Chefs Lanny Lancarte II and Jesus Garcia launched their respective concepts earlier this year when COVID-19 was keeping diners out of restaurants. Garcia’s spot, Kintaro, is at 6916 Camp Bowie Blvd., while Lancarte’s Eat Fajitas operates out of his popular health-conscious restaurant, Righteous Foods, at 3405 W. Seventh St.
Lancarte’s ghost kitchen employs its own delivery drivers, and orders are placed online or by phone. For Kintaro, customers place orders through a third-party app, such as DoorDash or Uber Eats.
“So many people just aren’t ready to go back into restaurants yet,” says Garcia. “This is a good way to keep people fed while keeping the costs of running a restaurant down.”
Kintaro, a spinoff of Garcia’s recently opened sit-down restaurant in Arlington of the same name, specializes in sushi and ramen — the two cuisines for which Garcia, founder of Oni Ramen and onetime executive chef at Little Lilly Sushi, is best known. His menu includes a dozen varieties of sushi, small plates such as squid salad and braised pork belly, and three types of ramen. Lancarte’s ghost kitchen has been
in the works for nearly two years, long before COVID-19 became a part of our vernacular.
“With a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old, my wife and I ordered out a lot,” he says. “And knowing how food trends had been moving and how viable on-demand dining was becoming, it seemed like the timing was right to start something like this.” When COVID-19 overcame the city, he put the project into high gear.
Lancarte’s menu includes four types of fajitas — sirloin, chicken, combination, and veggie — made for two or four people. Each order comes with rice, sour cream, beans, and grated cheese. Additional sides include housemade chips, queso, guacamole, and salsa. For dessert, there are churros and popsicles from Melt Ice Creams. There’s also beer, wine, and margaritas made with fresh lime juice and agave nectar.
“A lot of restaurants are offering togo options but not a to-go experience,” Lancarte says. “We want this to be more than just food delivered in clamshell containers. Everything is freshly made and presented attractively. We want this to be as close to restaurant dining as possible.”
Eat Fajitas, eatfajitas.com
A TACO JOINT
SEQUEL The longempty restaurant space that once housed Peony Chinese Restaurant and was a momentary home to Salsa Fuego finally has a new tenant.
Jorge’s Taqueria II opened recently in the spacious building at 3500 Alta Mere Drive, near the Benbrook traffic circle. As the name implies, this is the second location of owner Jorge Alvarado’s self-named taco joint. The original, at 6701 East Lancaster, opened five years ago. The success of that restaurant led Alvarado to open the new spot.
Alvarado’s signature item is tacos al pastor, street-size tacos stuffed with marinated pork freshly shaved from a vertical rotisserie. Other menu items include carne asada, tortas, burritos, ceviche, and burgers. Alvarado has a history with the building: He was a cook there when it was Peony. “I was just a kid, but I knew back then that I wanted
Kitchen, Winslow’s Wine Cafe, Shinjuku Station, and Paslay’s Italian spot, Piattello. claypigeon.com
to open a restaurant,” he says. “And I knew I wanted to open it here.” facebook.com/ jorgestaqueriatx
MARCUS KOPPLIN
DONS THE TOQUE AT CLAY PIGEON
There’s a new face in the kitchen at Marcus Paslay’s Americana hotspot Clay Pigeon. Fort Worthbased chef Marcus Kopplin was recently hired as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine. The 32-year-old Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef has worked in some of the city’s most high-profile restaurants, including Cannon Chinese
As for Paslay’s long-awaited third restaurant, Provender Hall, he says he’s hoping to open it early July. The upscale comfort food restaurant, located in the Fort Worth Stockyards’ burgeoning Mule Alley, was days away from opening when COVID-19 struck, forcing him to hit pause. Paslay says he’s now hoping to open in time for the July 4 holiday. provenderhall. com
A FAR NORTH GEM
Far north Fort Worth is very, very lucky to be home to newly opened Del Campo Empanadas, a family-run empanada shop at 10724 North Beach St. Run by Andrea Cacho and Leo Gigante, who originally hail from Buenos Aires, and their children, the charming cafe offers a dozen permanent and rotating varieties of the pastry turnovers in both sweet and savory options, such as broccoli and corn, Argentinestyle beef, chicken, spinach, and bananaNutella. Ask for an extra side of the addicting chimichurri sauce. delcampoempanadas. com
Restaurant news written and compiled by Malcolm Mayhew. You can reach Malcolm at malcolm.mayhew@hotmail.com or on Twitter @foodfortworth.
Come chill at
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It’s time to get your fins up, dust off those flip flops (or cowboy boots!), Hawaiian shirts, and grass skirts, as we’re turning Mule Alley into a beach house, celebrating everything that’s wonderful about the city at our annual Best of Fort Worth party. Think Jimmy Buffett, Alan Jackson, and Kenny Chesney. Come join Fort Worth Magazine for some cheeseburgers in paradise. We’ll pour you something tall and strong to get you into a
state of mind.
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Restaurant Reboot
The recent pandemic has forced restaurateurs to get creative outside of the kitchen and rethink their business models.
BY JOSIE VILLA-SINGLETON
The COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying quarantine to flatten the curve of the virus took all of us by surprise. Similarly, as if watching a slow-moving train wreck, we saw the local restaurant industry experience a blindside of epic proportions as they immediately ceased dining room service. This left many food-based businesses reeling.
Restaurants responded, in what many have euphemistically termed as a “pivot.” In speaking to local restaurateurs and food entrepreneurs, it was less elegant than a pivot and more like a mad scramble to simply survive. Owners had to adapt to unknown territory overnight in an effort to hold on to businesses that already required an extraordinary level of dedication and effort to build and maintain, even in the best of circumstances. Some restaurants chose to close temporarily.
Restaurants that remained open quickly adapted their menus for curbside pickup and delivery. The
Fort Worth community responded immediately and seemed to make it their civic duty to focus their purchasing dollars on supporting local restaurants.
In a surprisingly welcome twist, fine dining restaurants like Ellerbe, Bonnell’s, and Grace began providing family-style meals for an almost unbelievable cost of around $40-$50. This price point would barely cover one single meal during pre-COVID-19 times. This tactic made sense as people cautiously watched their dollars in response to an uncertain economy.
As restaurants slowly begin reopening, some continue to offer curbside and delivery options. Diners are in different stages of quarantine, and restaurants continue to manage a delicate balancing act of serving those eager for a dine-in experience while still offering options for those continuing to maintain social distance. With curbside and delivery meals being the new normal, they may be here to stay.
The dining experience looks
different with waiters and staff wearing masks, touchless menu options, and upgraded hygiene and safety practices. One restaurant installed clear acrylic barriers between booths as an added precaution. While dining rooms still face restrictions, outdoor areas can continue service at full capacity as long as seating maintains social distance. Any place with outdoor seating is in demand now more than ever despite the rising Texas temperatures. Some restaurants created outdoor seating where none existed before.
Not every food establishment suffered negatively. Places like Meyer & Sage that already offer preprepared food and meals for delivery or grab and go did not have to drastically change their business model. Their heat-and-eat meals reached a newfound audience of families fatigued from cooking. Fast-casual taco joint Salsa Limón already had a phone app in place before the quarantine. Utilizing the app, you could order, pay, and pick up your tacos as quickly as 15 minutes after placing the order for a seamless and touchless experience.
Despite the struggles, chefs like Kevin Martinez of Tokyo Cafe and Yatai Food Kart found a way to give back to the service industry by organizing free weekly meal kits. Melt Ice Creams developed an initiative, Happiness for Heroes, that allows people to donate pints to frontline health care workers. These are just a few examples of food industry folks that found a way to not just survive but to give back. Now, it’s our turn to give back and continue to support the restaurants we love to make sure they stick around for the long run.
Josie Villa-Singleton is the owner of Eat This Fort Worth Food Tours. You can follow her on Instagram at @eatthisfortworth
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Fort Worth is the best. We know it. You know it. Even Dallas knows it. Where the West begins and Funkytown resides just so happens to be where greatness hits its peak. While the following pages of restaurants, bars, people, and things (as voted on by our readers) contribute to our city’s spot above the rest, it’s our resilience, overwhelming sense of community, and support for local businesses that make our city, and all those who live in it, shine. Through thick and thin, murky outlooks, and trying times, one thing is always clear: Fort Worth is tops.
BY MALCOLM MAYHEW, SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN, AND BRIAN KENDALL
FOOD AND DRINK
POPPING UP
Reader Pick: Best Pop-Up
Hao & Dixya
Hao Tran (left) and Dixya Bhattarai (right)
Hao Tran came to Texas at age 6, her family among the first refugees who arrived in Arlington after the fall of Saigon. She speaks fondly about Arlington’s robust Asian food scene, with its massive supermarkets and buffet of restaurants serving everything from pho to dim sum.
But coming to Fort Worth, Tran found there wasn’t much of an Asian culinary presence, at least nothing as diverse as what’s found in Arlington. So, it’s no surprise that when she and friend Dixya Bhattarai launched a dumpling pop-up in the Near Southside, foodies craving Asian cuisine came in swarms.
“There was a line formed out the door before we even opened,” Tran says, noting that she and Bhattarai prepared about 400 dumplings for the event. “Needless to say, we probably needed 800 dumplings.”
Today, their pop-up — Hao & Dixya — occupies The Table, a grocery and event space on South Main Street. They share the space with bread makers Icon Bread and catering company Mockingbird Food Co. and also hosted cooking classes before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The pandemic would challenge The Table to restructure its business, forcing them to take sales online and offer curbside pickup. Tran says
The Table’s retail side — through which Hao & Dixya has been able to sell frozen dumplings — has carried the company over the past few months.
“Working in this industry is so hard; Fort Worth has really made an impact on our business,” Tran says.
Hao and Dixya themselves still have day jobs. Tran is a science teacher at Trimble Technical High School, while Bhattarai works as a dietician. But Hao & Dixya is their culinary outlet, and Tran says she’s glad to do her part in expanding Fort Worth’s flavor palate.
“If I can bring ethnic, Asian foods to Fort Worth, celebrate, and open people’s eyes to what it can taste like — I’m so happy,” she says.
SOUTH MAIN STAPLE
Jesus BBQ Reader Pick: Best Tex-Mex
Jesús Borja shuffles from one end of his restaurant’s tiny kitchen to the other, slicing up the meat for his chicken-fried steak, checking on the fried pies he just put in the oven, rolling an enchilada here and there.
At 90 years old, Borja is the Tony Bennett of Fort Worth’s restaurant scene, an artist so devoted to his craft that, no matter his age or frailty, he absolutely refuses to give it up.
“Every day he can be here, he’s here, making sure everything is up to his standard,” says his daughter, Maria Martinez, who helps run the restaurant with her daughter, Luisa, and son, Andrew Gomez. “And if there’s something he doesn’t like, he lets us know.”
Borja’s high standards are what has kept Jesus BBQ going for more than 50 years. Beloved by everyone from the city’s upper crust to its downtrodden, the tiny, colorful restaurant on South Main Street has been a bastion for Tex-Mex, barbecue, and home cooking ever since Borja opened the joint in 1969.
The restaurant’s namesake dishes, barbecue brisket, chicken, and thick pork ribs, are smoked daily, usually by Andres, in an outdoor smoker. The chunky pork ribs, in particular, are some of the best in town.
The Tex-Mex dishes are dynamite, too, and the reason why readers picked Borja’s spot as the city’s best Tex-Mex. Slide into a green booth for the fantastic chicken enchiladas, filled with tender pulled chicken and topped with unimaginably creamy sour cream sauce.
Elsewhere on the tiny menu is the chicken-fried steak, which many locals swear is the best in town. Chalk that up to the yellow gravy, made with secret ingredients that Borja may very well take to his grave.
“I can tell you the main ingredient,” he says. “It’s love.”
Cherry on Top Catering cherryontopcateringandevents. com
EDITOR PICK
Z’s Cafe zscafe.com
CHEF
READER PICK
Brian Olenjack, Bird Cafe birdinthe.net
EDITOR PICK
Tim Love, Gemelle/Atico cheftimlove.com
COFFEE/TEA
READER PICK
Volunteer Coffee volunteercoffee.com
EDITOR PICK
Roots Coffeehouse rootscoffeehouse.com
COMFORT FOOD
READER PICK
Campfire Grill Texas Kitchen campfiregrilltx.com
EDITOR PICK
Ben’s Triple B bens3b.com
CRAFT BEER
READER PICK
Deep Ellum Funkytown Fermatorium deepellumbrewing.com
EDITOR PICK
Martin House Brewing Company martinhousebrewing.com
CRAFT COCKTAILS
READER PICK
Proper propermagnolia.com
EDITOR PICK
Thompson’s Bookstore thompsonsbookstore.com
DESSERT
READER PICK
Ellerbe Fine Foods ellerbefinefoods.com
EDITOR PICK
Swiss Pastry Shop swisspastryonline.com
DOUGHNUT/KOLACHE
READER PICK
Dough Boy Donuts doughboydonutsdfw.com
EDITOR PICK
Pearl Snap Kolaches pskolaches.com
VOLUNTEER COFFEE
FROZEN TREAT
READER PICK
Pelican’s SnoBalls pelicanssnoballs.com
EDITOR PICK
One could call Volunteer Coffee the TOMS Shoes (another company masterminded by a Fort Worthian) of caffeine. The micro roaster based near Lake Worth not only provides some robust beans, but they also give a portion of their proceeds to charity. Sans a storefront typical of most coffeehouses, Volunteer Coffee instead offers coffee catering service they dub The Pour Over Factory.
Gypsy Scoops
gypsyscoops.com
FUSION
EDITOR PICK Toro Toro torotorofortworth.com
GRAB-N-GO
READER PICK
Meyer & Sage meyerandsage.com
EDITOR PICK
Lettuce Cook lettucecookgourmet.com
GROCERY STORE
FOOD TRUCK
READER PICK
Kings of Comida kingsofcomida.com
EDITOR PICK The Beignet Bus facebook.com/beignetbus
FRENCH FRIES
READER PICK
Mother Clucker mothercluckertx.com
EDITOR PICK Tok Fries, Tokyo Cafe tokyocafefw.com
FRIED WHATEVER
READER PICK
Rogers Roundhouse rogersroundhouse.com
EDITOR PICK The Cookshack thecookshack.com
EDITOR PICK
Neighbor’s House Grocery neighborshousegrocery.com
HEALTHY BITE
READER PICK
Crunchy Girl Granola of Fort Worth crunchygirlgranola.com
EDITOR PICK
Local Foods Kitchen localfoodskitchen.com
HOLE IN THE WALL
READER PICK
Mariachi’s Dine-In mariachisdinein.com
EDITOR PICK
Margie’s Original Italian margiesitaliankitchen.com
ITALIAN
READER PICK
Café Bella
cafebellaftw.com
EDITOR PICK
Piattello Italian Kitchen piatelloitaliankitchen.com
Mi Cocula Mexican Grill facebook.com/ micoculamexicangrill
VEGAN/VEGETARIAN
READER PICK
Diosa Vegana
Taquería facebook.com/ diosaveganataqueria
EDITOR PICK
Arcadia Coffee arcadiacoffee.org
VIETNAMESE/PHO
READER PICK
Four Sisters foursisters.site
EDITOR PICK
Pho Hung facebook.com/ phohungcampbowie
WINE LIST
READER PICK
Thirty Eight & Vine thirtyeightandvine.com
EDITOR PICK
Bonnell’s Fine Texas Cuisine bonnellstexas.com
WOULD YOU LIKE CHICKEN, CHICKEN, OR CHICKEN?
The staple of fried food, the fried chicken, has taken up residence in Cowtown.
NEW ON THE BEAN SCENE
Black Coffee Reader Pick: Best New Coffee Shop
It was over a cup of coffee, interestingly enough, that Mia Moss decided to open her own coffee shop.
“My husband and I had to drive several miles from our house to get a good cup of local coffee,” she says. “When we got back home one day, I told him, “I’m tired of driving somewhere else to get a cup of coffee. I want to do this on our side of town — the east side.’”
The east side of Fort Worth has long been bereft of a good local coffee shop. But that changed earlier this year when Moss put her money where her determination was and, with the help of two local investor couples — Jalea and Ryan Seals and Hailey and Christian Froberg — opened Black Coffee near Texas Wesleyan University. Located in a refurbished 1940s building, the charming java spot won Fort Worth Magazine’s Readers' Choice for Best New Coffee Shop.
In a serene, relaxing atmosphere, customers sip on cappuccinos and lattes, along with specialty drinks, such as the must-have Black Eye, an espresso mixed with your choice of a house blend.
The house blends are incredibly popular. Moss went the extra mile that other coffeehouses sometimes skip by creating two of her own, both inspired by the neighborhood. A medium roast is nicknamed The Eastsider Blend, while The
Poly Blend pays tribute to nearby Polytechnic High School.
“It’s my way of honoring the neighborhood,” says Moss, who grew up in the Rolling Hills area of Fort Worth’s east side, not far from Black Coffee.
Moss says her interest in coffee goes back to one of her first jobs, at a Seattle’s Best Coffee at the airport. She learned the business end of things during her time as a business management major at UTA. She sharpened her barista skills by taking courses at a barista school in Portland.
"If I was going to open a coffee shop, I wanted to do it right on all fronts,” she says.
When the shop opened, the mother of two encouraged customers to use it as a hub for community engagement.
COVID-19 put a dent in her plans, but she has improvised.
“Last week, we had a group of white female students and a few of their black female friends meet in our parking lot and talk about [Black Lives Matter] and what they can do to help,” Moss says. “Even if people don’t feel comfortable coming in and having a face-to-face discussion, I still want them to use our space as a place to engage. That, to me, is what a coffee shop is — a place to have a good cup of coffee and a good conversation.”
Mia Moss
SciFit Center’s Modernized and Sustainable Weight Loss Program
Scifit Center takes a new age approach towards weight loss, fitness and wellness by integrating Body Composition Scanning, Food Sensitivity, Metabolism and DNA Testing. Say goodbye to the traditional weight-scale and measuring-tape method, and welcome the refreshing SciFit approach
This is the End of a One-Size-FitsAll Nutrition Program.
Specializing in weight loss, overall health and wellness, and aesthetic transformations, SciFit professionals have nutrition and fitness programs that are tailored to every individual.
Each and every client that joins SciFit Center is given a completely original and personalized program that is formulated specifically for their schedule, lifestyle, preferences, and goals. Each program is designed from scratch, right in front of the client, with encouraged input and feedback. They create programs that are not only efficient and effective, but that are maintainable and sustainable so that you never have to look back at the “old you!”
Which methods will work best for my body type?
SciFit provides Food Sensitivity, Metabolism and DNA Testing which reveals food sensitiv-
ities, the efficiency of your metabolism, how your body reacts to certain foods, and which exercise methods are most effective for your particular genetic makeup. This takes out the guesswork and allows you to do exactly what benefits you the most.
The Future of Fitness is Here.
The utilization of the technologically advanced Fit3D Body Scanner allows the SciFit team to use detailed and objective data to monitor client progress. The stats provided from the body scan produces detailed information regarding body fat percentage, lean muscle composition, anatomical circumferences, and health risk ranges. This information is utilized to aid the formulation of personalized programs, as well as giving the client hard proof that the program is working.
Weight Loss, Without the Loss: Balancing Healthy Choices with Life’s Indulgences.
One of the main aspects of the SciFit philosophy is you shouldn’t have to miss out on life just because you are trying to make improvements in your health. We teach our clients how to make effective progress while still getting to enjoy good food, social gatherings, and the occasional “forbidden foods.” Having a healthy balance between healthy choices and delicious ones is key to successful sustainability. This is the program where you can have your cake and eat it too… literally!
Dr. Bryce Calvillo, Health & Fitness Specialist
Angela Calvillo, BS, Nutritionist
NIGHTLIFE AND ENTERTAINMENT
A ROLL OF THE DICE Game Theory
Reader Pick: Best Bar with Games
Patrick Lai and Erika Ramos
PHOTOS BY OLAF GROWALD
Erika Ramos remembers the day she met her husband’s family. It began with an awkward dinner, during which not many words were spoken, causing Ramos to fall under the impression that his parents were the more introverted types who weren’t keen on opening up to their son’s romantic partner.
Then, they broke out Kill Doctor Lucky, a mystery board game similar to Clue — and the atmosphere changed.
“We started playing, and his entire family just opened up,” Ramos says. “I saw their personalities — from his mother getting involved to his brother trying to act as a referee making sure everyone was having a good time, his father sitting there laughing at all of us … That, to us, is the beauty of games — what they do to break the ice and help pull out people’s personalities so they can bond and really get to know each other.”
Ramos and husband Patrick Lai’s passion for board games would eventually inspire the couple to open Game Theory, a board game lounge in Fort Worth’s South Main
neighborhood. Opened in 2019, Game Theory features a library of nearly 600 games, from classics like Battleship to cult favorites like Settlers of Catan. Ramos and Lai are also passionate about backing new, upcoming games on Kickstarter, like Jeopardy winner Ken Jennings’ trivia game Half Truth, a copy of which they received just recently.
Game Theory also doubles as a restaurant, so players can duke it out over chicken wings or mini pies while sipping on game-inspired cocktails.
Of course, like every small business, Game Theory found itself tackling the challenge of COVID-19, which forced them to temporarily close and figure out some other way to keep patrons engaged. Their solution — board game rentals, an effort to help ease the boredom for families stuck at home.
Game Theory has since reopened to the public, and Ramos credits the Fort Worth community for helping keep the business afloat. She hopes Game Theory can continue to foster that camaraderie, creating a space that allows locals to “connect with one another the old-fashioned way — around a table filled with fun and food.”
The only independent movie theater in a city of nearly 900,000 people (who are all undoubtedly fans of flicks), The Grand Berry Theater’s warehouse motif, selection of local beers, and distinctive vinyl green couches are making it a favorite of The Foundry District.
BAR WITH GAMES
READER PICK
Game Theory gametheorytx.com
EDITOR PICK
Free Play freeplayftworth.com
BAR/PUB
READER PICK
Thompson’s Bookstore thompsonsbookstore.com
EDITOR PICK
Twilite Lounge thetwilitelounge.com
DANCE/FLOOR
READER PICK
Studio Eighty clubstudio80.com
EDITOR PICK
Ampersand ampersandtx.com
ESCAPE ROOM
READER PICK
Red Door Escape Room reddoorescape.com/escaperooms/fort-worth
EDITOR PICK
The Secret Chambers thesecretchambers.com
FESTIVAL
READER PICK
Oktoberfest Fort Worth oktoberfestfw.com
EDITOR PICK
Beastro fortworthzoo.org/beastro
FIRST DATE
READER PICK
The Grand Berry Theater grandberrytheater.com
EDITOR PICK
Vaquero Coffee Co. vaquerocoffeeco.com
The weathered walls and Southern Cal aesthetic of this Riverside joint have made it a favorite for weddings and photographers. But it’s the intimate live performances from local artists in its 2,000-squarefoot main room — with phenomenal acoustics to boot — that our readers give the thumbs up.
THE POST AT RIVER EAST
FUN RUN
READER PICK
Fort Worth Zoo Run fortworthzoo.org
EDITOR PICK
Blacklight Run (Texas Motor Speedway) blacklightrun.com/fortworthtx
GIRLS NIGHT OUT
READER PICK
Cowtown Paints facebook.com/cowtownpaints
EDITOR PICK
Reata Rooftop Bar reata.net
HAPPY HOUR
READER PICK
Fixe
fixesouthernhouse.com
EDITOR PICK
Zenna Thai & Japanese Restaurant new.zennarestaurant.com
Whoever had the idea of 16 people, half turnt from a BYOB policy, simultaneously peddling to move a streetcar through a busy downtown, clearly has an interesting take on fun.
COWTOWN CYCLE PARTY
SHOPPING AND SERVICES
WHERE WESTERN WEAR BEGINS
M.L. Leddy’s
Editors’ Pick: Best Western Apparel
Martha and Wilson Franklin
PHOTOS
The boot-shaped neon sign of M.L. Leddy’s in the heart of the Stockyards is a Fort Worth landmark akin to the magnificent pink lights of the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. Though not as extravagant — and far less taxing on the city’s electric company — the sign is perfectly Fort Worth: no frills and straightforward. There’s no mistaking, this is a place to get some boots.
As soon as you walk through the door, the smell of leather hits your nostrils like a jab from Mike Tyson. And, while the shop carries all of your typical Western-wear items — oversized belt buckles, thousand-dollar hats, and pearl snap shirts — the two rooms in the back serve (though not technically) double duty as a boot shop and museum. The 10-foot-high shelves are covered in a diverse selection of cowboy boots — with every color and form of leather you can imagine. This hall of fame of boots likely garners as many tourists as it does real boot purchasers.
Founded in San Angelo as a premier saddle and boot maker, the company will celebrate its centennial in 2022; the Main Street shop has been around since 1941.
On the company’s longevity, owners Martha and Wilson Franklin — who is M.L. Leddy’s grandson — say “great customer service never falls
out of favor, and that truly is what we strive for with every interaction.
“We try to stay with classic styles and source the highest quality products and raw materials.”
Some of those materials — dyed crocodile skins, for example — hang like curtains for customers to pick and customize their footwear.
Which boot in their collection is the most expensive?
If asked, 30-year employee
Gene Lee will take patrons to a glass case and point to a pair of black boots made of crocodile skin. They run $14,000.
“And you get both of them,” Gene says.
Alba Dahlia, founded by lead designer Rachel Ciastko, is a full-service wedding and event floral company. Ciastko traces her love for floral to her mother’s passion. “Every year, she would make our front and backyard lavishly coated in flowers and unique plants,” she says.
Fort Worth Family Cleaners fortworthfamilycleaners.com
EDITOR PICK
Kite’s Custom Cleaners kitescleaners.com
EVENT PLANNER
READER PICK
Moxxie Concepts moxxieconcepts.com
EDITOR PICK
Eclipse Entertainment eclipse-entertainment-llc. business.site
EVENT VENUE
READER PICK
Artspace111 artspace111.com
EDITOR PICK
Dickies Arena dickiesarena.com
EYEWEAR
READER PICK
EYEWORKS eyeworksgroup.com
EDITOR PICK
Griffin Eye Care griffineyecare.com
FINE JEWELRY
READER PICK
Collections Fine Jewelry collectionsfinejewelry.com
EDITOR PICK
Megan Thorne meganthorne.com
ALBA DAHLIA FLORAL
PHOTOS BY SAMI KATHRYN
Artspace111 uses its downtown Fort Worth perch to specialize in exhibitions of contemporary Texas art. Twin brothers Daniel and Dennis Blagg started Artspace111, converting a circa 1911 building into studios and a small gallery. It’s evolved into a 3,000-square-foot gallery. Temporarily closed to the public, Artspace111 is making exhibits available online.
Keeping Up With the Joneses facebook.com/ keepingupwiththejonesesfw
EDITOR PICK
Shop Birdie shopbirdiefw.com
OUTDOOR STORE (FURNITURE, DECOR, ETC.)
READER PICK
The Collective Outdoors thecollectiveoutdoors.com
EDITOR PICK
Into the Garden intothegardenoutdoor.com
RECORD STORE
READER PICK
Panther City Vinyl panthercityvinyl.com
EDITOR PICK
Doc’s Records & Vintage docsrecordsandvintage.com
SUNLESS TANNING
READER PICK
Cowtown Tanning cowtowntanning.com
EDITOR PICK
Tan 2 Glow tan2glow.com
Texlynn Grace Boutique texlynngrace.com
EDITOR PICK
M.L. Leddy’s leddys.com
Panther City Vinyl, on Fort Worth’s Near Southside, is an independent music retailer, selling new and used vinyl records, specialty CD releases, and related accessories. The store buys used music and media from the public. Temporarily closed during COVID-19, on June 2, it reopened.
PANTHER CITY VINYL
BEAUTY AND WELLNESS
A CUT ABOVE THE REST
District Barbershop
Readers’ Pick: Best Barbershop
Edward Ramirez and Francisco Castaneda
PHOTOS
Five years ago, when local barber Edward Ramirez broke away from the Fort Worth Barber Shop to open his own place, he started out small, leasing a shoebox of a spot in the then-burgeoning Foundry District.
We’re talking small. Like 100 square feet small. “Actually, I think it was 104 square feet,” he laughs. “There was enough room for one barber chair, one regular chair, and that was it.” Now, Ramirez and biz partner/ fellow barber Francisco Castaneda have space aplenty. District Barbershop, the pair’s local chain of shave and cut shops, is three locations strong. The flagship is on Jennings Avenue on the Near Southside. A second location opened last year
District Barbershop is a throwback to old-school barbershops but is still very much a part of the here and now. Classic barbershop services include hot towel shaves, openrazor shaves, military-style cuts, and various styles of fades. Barbers are also adept at new hairstyle trends, as well as the exceedingly important art of shaping and trimming facial hair.
near Alliance. And this past May came store No. 3, a franchise in North Richland Hills.
Ramirez attributes the popularity of his shops, which won Readers’ Choice for best barbershop this year, to their authenticity.
“We are a real barbershop,” he says. “That means all of our barbers are licensed barbers. That means they graduated from barber school and received their licenses. Some other places employ stylists, and that is not the same thing, by any means. Being a barber, having that license, makes a huge, huge difference in what someone cutting your hair can do.”
“That’s such a huge deal right now — beards, mustaches, any type of facial hair,” Ramirez says. “We’ve got customers who’ve been with us since we opened because we know exactly how they want their beards trimmed.”
Ramirez’s interest in the world of barbershops wasn’t immediate. As a student at Trimble Tech, the Fort Worth native, who grew up in the Diamond Hill area, studied photography and, after graduation, quickly immersed himself in the world of wedding and portrait photography. He spent the next two decades making a name for himself as an in-demand photographer.
But burnout eventually set in, and Ramirez turned his attention elsewhere.
“I was in my mid-30s, at this major crossroads in life,” he says. “Had no idea what I wanted to do. I just knew that I loved working with my hands, and I loved being around people.”
Enter barber school. Ramirez enrolled at the Williams Barber
College and immediately fell in love with the industry. “I realized being a photographer and being a barber shared a lot of the same aesthetics,” he says.
“You’re working with your hands, working with people, and being very creative. I knew this was what I wanted to do.”
Timing could not have been better. Men’s hairstyles were beginning to shift more toward fades and other clipper cuts. Plus, there was a newfound need for barbers who could cut and shape facial hair.
“There was definitely a need for old school-style barbershops,” Ramirez says. “But all we were trying to do was create a space that barbers enjoyed working in and customers like hanging out in. We also wanted moms and girlfriends and wives to feel comfortable coming in. Back in the day, a long time ago, they may have been given a hard time. That’s not something we wanted. We want to keep it family-friendly. I don’t think that will ever go out of style.”
ELITE SKIN & LASH
Elite Skin & Lash of Colleyville is owned by esthetician Samantha Tisnoi, who’s built her business around skin care services, relaxed atmosphere, high-quality products, and eyelash services. Preparing to reopen after COVID-19 restrictions, Tisnoi created a clear acrylic barrier called “YouProtector,” which allows clients to get treatment with an extra layer of protection.
BEAUTY SALON
READER PICK
Salon Dexterity sdx.salon
EDITOR PICK
Whistle & Sway whistleandsway.com
BOOT CAMP
READER PICK
CrossFit Iron Horse crossfitironhorse.com
EDITOR PICK
The Brick Gym thebrickgym.com
CBD
READER PICK
Zen Alchemy Labs zenalchemylabs.com
EDITOR PICK
Thrive Apothecary thrivetx.com
DANCE STUDIO
READER PICK
Dance Concept dance-concept.com
EDITOR PICK
Foot Works Performing Arts Center footworkspac.com
DAY SPA
READER PICK
Elite Skin & Lash eliteskinandlash.com
EDITOR PICK
Milk + Honey Spa milkandhoneyspa.com
DENTAL CARE
READER PICK
Fort Worth Dental fortworthdental.com
EDITOR PICK
Art District Dental artdistrictdental.com
ESTHETICIAN (WAXING, MICRODERMABRASION)
READER PICK
Vanity Room Waxing
Boutique vanityroombeauty.com
EDITOR PICK
Inner Glow Day Spa innerglowdayspa.com
FACIAL
READER PICK
Spavia Day Spa spaviadayspa.com
EDITOR PICK
Great Skin Spa Skin Care & Facial Club greatskin4you.com
FITNESS PROGRAM
READER PICK
True Change Fitness truechange.fitness
EDITOR PICK
Goss Fitness gossfitness.com
HOLISTIC HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
READER PICK
Fort Worth Float Company fortworthfloatcompany.com
EDITOR PICK
Rebecca Emery (Reiki) rebeccaemery.com
MANICURE OR PEDICURE
READER PICK
European Nail Spa europeannailspafortworth.com
EDITOR PICK
Gem Nail Spa gemnail-spa.com
MASSAGE
READER PICK
CR Massage cyrilmassage.com
EDITOR PICK
The Woodhouse Day Spa woodhousespas.com
MEN’S BARBERSHOP
READER PICK
District Barbershop districtbarbershop.com
EDITOR PICK
1942 Men & Women's Grooming Lounge 1942grooming.com
YOGA STUDIO
READER PICK
Indigo Yoga indigoyoga.net
EDITOR PICK
Soul Sweat Hot Yoga soulsweatyoga.com
HOME AND GARDEN
Sara Hiett, Jon Nappier, and Kim Nappier-Pierce
PHOTOS BY OLAF GROWALD
When Jon Nappier’s business
was
once again voted by Fort Worth Magazine readers as the city’s best painting company — his fourth time to win that honor — we came up with an idea: Let’s take a picture of him all decked out in messy painting gear. We’ll sprinkle paint speckles on his clothes, skin and hair — you know, like he’s been painting all day. Come on, Jon, it’ll be fun. In a polite, gentleman-like fashion, Nappier gave us a hard “no.” That wasn’t the image he wanted to portray.
“I’ll tell you a story,” he says. “I got one of my first customers by pulling up to their house, wearing nice clothes that didn’t have a drop of paint on them. I know most painters look a certain way, but the way I figured it, if I looked messy, customers may think I’ll do a messy job. That wasn’t the image I wanted to convey.”
Nappier’s thoughtful approach worked — on that day and for many days to come. Over the past four decades, Nappier’s company, J & V Painting, has grown into one of the most indemand professional painting companies in Fort Worth, and often beyond. He and his team of contract workers, 35 in all, many of whom have been with him for decades, work on residential homes and commercial buildings big and small, near and far, for all walks of life.
“I’ve done small homes in Como to ski resorts in
Colorado,” he says. “Here’s what we’re working on today: a shopping center in Colleyville, some yard furniture at Eagle Mountain Lake, and then someone’s home in Aledo. To say we do a little bit of everything is an understatement.”
J & V’s specialties include sheetrock jobs, texture, faux finishes, and tape and bed work, along with drywall installation and epoxy flooring.
A true familyrun business, J & V is named after Nappier and his younger brother Vance, who retired three years ago but still helps from time to time. Nappier’s daughters, Sara Hiett and Kim Nappier-Pierce, assist with administrative needs.
Even though he’s in his 70s, Jon is still the face of the company, its front and center.
“He has no problem getting on a ladder and working,” says Hiett. “He still does quite a bit of teaching, too — showing the guys new techniques, new products. He still gets up at 5
every morning and goes to work and stays gone until 6.”
“Sometimes 7,” chimes in NappierPierce. “The man is in his 70s, and I don’t think he’ll ever stop. He loves it too much.”
Jon and his brother started the company in 1975. Along with Jon’s wife, Cindy, the two were running a popular bar on Camp Bowie called Everybody’s Talking. Yet the brothers had grown weary of the hours and were looking for new careers; they didn’t have to look very far.
“We had a lot of painters who came into the bar, and they spent a lot of money, so we knew a person could do well in that industry,” he says. “We went out
and bought paint brushes and a roller; then, next thing you know, we’re buying another piece of equipment, then another piece. We had a buddy whose father taught us a few things about painting, and pretty soon we had a pretty good little business going. And still do.”
Pulliam Pools has been building custom swimming pools for more than 100 years. The company made Pool and Spa News’ 2020 Top 50 Builders. It finished 2019 with $14.8 million in revenue and an average pool price of $68,029.
Zach Freeman founded VMA – staffed fully by veterans –during his last semester at TCU. Freeman graduated with a BBA in Entrepreneurial Management and Supply Chain Management. VMA provides full-service moving services within the DFW area. It also provides statewide moving, to or from DFW.
Texas Leisure Pools & Spas txleisure.com
REAL ESTATE FIRM
READER PICK
Burt Ladner Real Estate burtladner.com
EDITOR PICK
Compass Real Estate compass.com
RODENT CONTROL
READER PICK
Alamo Termite & Pest Control alamopest.com
EDITOR PICK Ideal Partners idealpartners.com
ROOFING COMPANY
READER PICK
Tarrant Roofing tarrantroofing.com
EDITOR PICK
Ramon Roofing, Inc. ramonroofing.com
amon Roofing is well known to Fort Worth Magazine readers as a partner in our Dream Home projects. Paul Ramon founded the company in 1995, and he specializes in tile, slate, and metal roofing. Ramon is one of four Texas roofers that is a certified specialist by the Tile Roofing Institute. Ramon is teaming with Heritage Homes to install the roof on one of the magazine’s 2020 Dream Street homes in Southlake’s Oxford Place.
RAMON ROOFING, INC.
Now More Than Ever
PEOPLE AND CULTURE
POSITIVE INFLUENCE
THE STRONGEST VOICE
Abraham
BY OLAF
Alexander
Reader Pick: Best Musician
Laura Lape Reader Pick: Best Influencer
PHOTO
GROWALD
When Abraham Alexander first entered the music scene with the 2017 single, “America” — a song Abraham wrote in the wake of the killing of five Dallas police officers — he didn’t expect this anthem to be just as relevant 3 1/2 years later. And it’s something he finds disappointing.
“I don’t want people saying, ‘Man, this song is so relevant,’” Abraham says. “Hell, no. I want it to be a Sam Cooke song that people listen to and say, ‘Man, this is beautiful.’ If the song is relevant, it means nothing has changed.
“Love is always going to be relevant. Pain is always going to be relevant. But I don’t want police brutality or inequality within my people to be relevant. It hurts that it is, and I’m praying for a day that the song is not looked at as relevant.”
The days of being a backing vocalist on Leon Bridges’ first album have long been in his rearview, and it’s become clear that Abraham has something
unique and powerful to say.
Having released a bevy of songs in the past year that have received regular rotation on local airwaves, there’s little doubt Abraham is forging a path to potential stardom.
As of press time, Abraham’s song, “Stay,” is creeping up on 3 million Spotify listens, and he’s teaming up with Lauren Childs of Fort Works Art on a project to help local musicians. Inspired by Abraham’s partnering with old friend Leon Bridges to raise money for Near Southside businesses in the wake of COVID-19, the project (called Sounds of Resilience) will raise money and grant funds to 36 different Fort Worth musicians. He’ll also be releasing an official music video for “America.”
“We asked for video submissions of people protesting and being the voices of the movement, and we’re putting a compilation together. I thought that would be a really cool way to unite everyone together.
“I saw more white people marching in Fort Worth than I did people of color. That was beautiful to see because I truly believe these issues will no longer be issues when people who don’t deal with racism are just as enraged as those who do, and I saw that in Fort Worth.”
Laura Lape’s reason for moving to Fort Worth might strike some as unorthodox. It wasn’t the amazing food, friendly people, subtropical climate, or amazing real estate — though she would soon learn all of these things about the city after her arrival — that drew her to the city. No, instead, she and her husband simply pointed their fingers on a map — the fingers landing on Cowtown — and said, “Yep, that’ll be good.”
The pair then packed their things and left Vancouver a mere 10 weeks before having their first child. Since arriving and giving birth, Laura’s found the perfect balance of making friends, being active in the community, and also being a parent.
She’s also managed to grow a massive following on social media via her blog, the aptly titled lauralape.com.
The website, which she proudly describes as a hodgepodge of all of her favorite things — food, TV, fashion, health, beauty, etc., etc., etc. — is something she
initially started as a creative outlet, but it soon evolved into a lifestyle.
“Whenever I started actually putting effort into [my blog], I kind of realized that what had been just a fun, creative outlet, it was really kind of a major component of my identity outside of a mom and a wife,” Laura says. “It was just my own thing.”
And, for now, Laura likes the diverse, splattering of content she provides.
“There might be a time in my life whenever I start to narrow in on certain facets of my life that become more involved in my content,” Laura says. “But for now, my life is all over the place, and my blog kind of reflects that.”
DMUSICIAN/MUSIC GROUP
READER PICK
Abraham Alexander abrahamalexandermusic.com
EDITOR PICK
PRIZM
fanlink.to/prizm
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
READER PICK
Ridglea North Neighborhood Association ridgleanorth.com
EDITOR PICK
Near Southside, Inc. nearsouthsidefw.org
NONPROFIT EVENT
READER PICK
Alliance for Children
Let’s Play Bingo allianceforchildren.org
EDITOR PICK
Jewel Charity Ball jewelcharity.org
PARK
READER PICK
Morris E. Berney Park
EDITOR PICK
Gateway Park
PHILANTHROPIST
READER PICK
Michael Crain
EDITOR PICK
Ed Bass
PHOTOGRAPHER
READER PICK
Mariel and Joey Lifestyle
Photography marielandjoey.com
EDITOR PICK Fawn & Fellow fawnandfellow.com
RADIO PERSONALITY
READER PICK
Corks in Cowtown
EDITOR PICK
Hawkeye from KSCS newcountry963.com/ hawkeyeinthemorning
SERVICE ORGANIZATION
READER PICK
Cowtown Warriors cowtownwarriors.com
EDITOR PICK
Presbyterian Night Shelter journeyhome.org
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER
READER PICK
Laura Lape lauralape.com
EDITOR PICK
Jessica S. Irvin jessicasirvin.com
UP-AND-COMER
READER PICK
Madison Sawyer (CBS 11) dfw.cbslocal.com/personality/ madison-sawyer
EDITOR PICK
Devan Allen, Tarrant County Commissioner tarrantcounty.com/en/ commissioner-2/meet-devan
Who better to photograph a wedding than a couple who’s been there, done that, lived it, and loved it. In case you couldn’t already tell, the business is owned and operated by Mariel and Joey, a married couple, who have clearly been successful in providing our readers with a bit of knowhow — the pair keep up a photography blog, too.
MARIEL AND JOEY LIFESTYLE PHOTOGRAPHY
DANIEL BLAGG
aniel Blagg first served as a combat artist for the Army during the Vietnam War. He’s since been painting for over 50 years in Fort Worth — his politically infused American regionalist art is unmistakable in its jarring effect — and founded Artspace111 with his brothers in 1981.
Print creates an emotional connection. Print builds relationships.
Physical material is more “real” to the brain, involves more emotional processing, is better connected to memory, with greater internalization of ads—all important for brand associations. (FORBES)
Put People First, Good Things Happen
Congratulations to these hard-working agents named 2020 Top Realtors by Fort Worth Magazine. We celebrate not only their professionalism and sales success, but their people-first attitude and “one-door” approach to real estate services that made this achievement possible.
Too often, consumers are asked to choose between technology or traditional companies to fulfill their real estate needs - but no more. From home showings, to mortgages, to insurance, to closings, when you choose the Ebby Halliday Companies everything can be completed efficiently, and even virtually, if necessary. Combine this convenience with the personal touch of a local expert associated with North Texas’ leading residential real estate brokerage, and it’s simply an unmatched experience.
How may we put our experience and strength to work for you?
Getting Real in the Fort
If you don’t know the ropes, buying or selling a home can appear like a maze of unfeasible tasks. Hence, why it’s important for someone who knows the ropes. A fighter for you in the ring. A real estate agent.
This year, we’re taking a dive into the state of real estate in addition to providing you with the top producers in Greater Tarrant County.
Our Method The 2020 Top Realtors list was compiled by pulling a mix of Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data and broker-reported data to ensure as accurate and comprehensive a list as possible. The MLS list, provided to us by a trusted individual agent in Tarrant County, was first vetted and checked for accuracy. The magazine editorial staff then reached out to Greater Tarrant County real estate brokers to provide data on individual sales. The two data sets were then combined to create our 2020 Top Realtors list. All individuals or brokers on this list are reported to have sold over $8 million in real estate over the last calendar year.
4 Questions with Robert Gleason, CEO, Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS
FW: Can you quickly sum up what it is that the Greater Fort Worth Association of REALTORS does?
RG: Yes. We have a little bit over 3,800 members, and all of our members are Realtors. To be a Realtor member, you have to agree to abide by the code of ethics. So, not everybody who has a real estate license is a Realtor, and I think that’s an important distinction. But our members will join, agree to abide by that. And then, through joining us, they receive access to the MLS [Multiple Listings Service]. So, we provide training and MLS support to all of our members; we manage the Supra Key Box system; and then we engage in advocacy on behalf of our members, both to local, state, and national level.
FW: How would you describe the current state of Fort Worth real estate? Is it a good time to buy a home?
RG: Yes, I think so. And we’ve seen for the last several years, actually, that our market, with the amount of people that we have moving into Fort Worth, is that the availability of homes just hasn’t been able to keep up with the demand. Certainly, it’s always a great investment to do so, but just the long-term trends are there for Fort Worth. If you look at our population growth, if you look at the way our economy is going. Obviously, the last couple of months have been a little bit different, but the foundations are still there for long-term price appreciation for Fort Worth real estate.
FW: What are some of the factors that contribute to this price appreciation?
RG: I would say Fort Worth, comparatively so, has been relatively affordable. Now, we have seen in certain areas of Fort Worth, where prices have gone up fairly quickly. So, in some areas, there is difficulty finding things below a certain price range. But, that being said, we still have a very abundant supply of housing throughout the city at affordable levels, which not every city and not every area around the country can say. So that allows people at all levels of the income scale to get into housing in Fort Worth, which, for a long time, that’s been our competitive advantage.
FW: How has COVID-19 changed the way that Realtors do business right now?
RG: It has led to a lot more use of virtual tours and virtual options. A lot of our members, first day, real estate was an essential business, but the guidance was really on limiting any personal contact as much as possible, only if you absolutely had to. So, we expanded a lot of the virtual open houses and virtual showing options, including some changes to the MLS system where you could include links directly to those and some of the vendors that we have, which provide those for our membership. So, you saw a big expansion of that.
As far as online notarization in the state of Texas, which is allowed, that’s becoming a much more expanded option. And then, in situations now where you do have some people doing open houses and you have people that have showings, maintaining those important guidelines has been key. And so, agents are limiting the number of people who may be coming by to visit a property during a showing. They’ll have masks or gloves or sanitizer out. There’s a lot of adaptation that occurs, just depending on what the seller is comfortable with and then what the buyers might be comfortable with. But generally, the agents have adapted very well in being able to operate in a way that certainly respects all of the safety guidelines, but still being able to complete transactions.
Fort Worth Housing Report
$234,900 Median price in May 2020
0.5% less than May 2019
2.4 equivalent to May 2019 Monthly housing inventory in May 2020
9.9% Down Active Listings 2,421 in May 2020
27.7% Down Closed Sales 935 in May 2020
Average number of days homes spent on the market in May 2020
41 five days more than May 2019
Maribel Saldivar is a high-touch broker known for the extensive market knowledge and an unbeaten devotion to clients, Maribel’s success is based on a great team, extraordinary clients, positive referrals and an unmatched marketing program. Maribel has earned the respect of her clients by working tirelessly on their behalf and by always offering them candid advice. Contact Maribel when you’re ready to buy or sell and she will deliver proven results as your Local Real Estate Expert & Advisor.
Extraordinary service is my mission...every client...every time. I am grateful for every opportunity to be a trusted resource for market knowledge! My clients say I bring my old fashioned work ethic, relentless attention to detail, and tenacity with me every day. While I love real estate, my true passion is people and is fueled by my genuine concern for those I serve! My priority is to create a positive experience and advocate on your behalf while ultimately building a relationship that lasts long after the closing!
After over 20 years in the real estate business, I have fulfilled a vision of creating a more-than-profit company: Insight Realty and the Insight Realty Network. From our start two years ago, I want the Insight Realty Network to be profitable but there are bigger priorities. My first priority was to create a system of advanced broker support, technology and tools to help our veteran Insight Agent partners build a growing business so their families could thrive and then they could be generous in the community. To me, being generous is the ultimate measure of success. Generosity has become our hallmark. Our agent Partners have embraced that mission and our clients seem to appreciate the fresh approach to business. Insight Realty Network is proud to be the fastest-growing real estate brokerage in Tarrant County for the last two years and we have only just begun.
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May of 2020 licensed in Texas for 21 years. We make “relationships through real estate” by taking the amount of clients we can handle with excellence. We strive to be your Realtor for life by not over-promising and under-producing. If you call, text or email you will get me, not an assistant. Faith based, family owned and operated. WORK WILLINGLY AT WHATEVER YOU DO, AS THOUGH YOU WERE WORKING FOR THE LORD RATHER THAN FOR PEOPLE. — COLOSSIANS 3:23
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Pictured (L - R): Tommy Dyer, Kimberly Meyer, Matthew Crites, Judy Oaks, Ann Motheral, Steven Bradbury. Not Pictured: Mitzi Lemons
TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) KIM GARDNER, DOUG ROGERS, DANI HAMPTON, DUSTIN WRIGHT, BEVERLY BEASLEY, JOHN STURGES
MIDDLE ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) CHARLIE BROWN, BARBARA PANTUSO, MARY CORNELIUS, LORI MIRA, SHARON HODNETT, CHRIS HALL
BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT) PAUL TOSELLO, CINDY GILES, CHAZ SWINT, MARCY BARKEMEYER, LEANNA SELLARS, MICHAEL DENNIS
PICTURED: CHRIS MINTEER, ANGELO PUMA, RUTH STORY, JOHN SCHEPPS, KEVIN RHODES, DEBBIE KNOX, ASHLEY PANTUSO
MANSFIELD | MIDLOTHIAN | GRAND PRAIRIE | KENNEDALE | BURLESON
Rachael Brenneman of Keller Williams and her team are set apart because of their dedication and personal approach to the real estate process through positive customer relationships before, during, and after the sale of a home. Their clients trust them to help buy or sell their house. Their goal is to do that while serving, caring for, and encouraging their clients while having fun in the process.
Growing up in Fort Worth, then moving to Mansfield to raise a family, Rachael remains connected to the community where she lives and appreciates what it brings. Because of that, she built the Brenneman Team with local experts who love to share about the uniqueness that each surrounding suburb brings while being so close to Fort Worth with all it has to offer.
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Jubilee Theatre was one of the first performing arts venues to reopen in Fort Worth. But others still wait for their next opening night.
End of Intermission
With restrictions lifted on performing arts venues in Texas, the show goes on for some, but not all, theaters in Fort Worth.
BY SAMANTHA CALIMBAHIN
June 19 was a big day for Jubilee Theatre, not just because it was Juneteenth or the theater’s 39th birthday, but because it was opening night for “How I Got Over” — the theater’s first performance after a three-month shutdown due to COVID-19.
Jubilee was one of the first performing arts venues to reopen in Fort Worth. Of course, things aren’t entirely back to normal. Cast and crew, clad in masks, pass through temperature screenings before coming inside. Everyone gets their own personal hand sanitizer, personal steamer for costumes, and individual laundry bags to avoid items coming in contact with one another.
Within the auditorium, “green means go,” says artistic director D. Wambui Richardson — every other seat is marked red or green, indicating where audiences are allowed to sit. The theater’s ticket portal is also locked at 74 seats, keeping capacity at 50%.
It’s not the most ideal way to premiere a show, Richardson says, but nonetheless, it’s good to be back.
“[We] know it’s not going to be the same as it was before,” he says. “But we can still have a taste of it, just being in the same room together, to hear each other speak again, to dance together, to tell a story together.”
The timing worked itself out for Jubilee. “How I Got Over” — a musical about a gospel singer who returns home after protesting with Martin Luther King Jr. — was in the middle of technical preparations when the theater was forced to close in March. While the cast and crew remained on lockdown, rehearsals continued virtually. Actors followed video recordings of the choreography and blocking at home while running lines together over video chat.
So, when it came time to reopen the theater, everyone was ready.
“To get the show up and be ready
The cast of Jubilee Theatre’s production of “How I Got Over”
on June 19 was our Plan C,” Richardson says. “We had a Plan A, we had a plan B, we had a plan B.5 along the way — we had to make ourselves flexible enough that when the time came for an opening to take place, we would be ready.”
But not all theaters had such fortunate circumstances. Just a few minutes south of Jubilee, Near Southside theater Stage West found itself closing on the opening weekend of its show, “The Children.” The theater decided to film the production instead and stream it via Vimeo On Demand.
“It turned out incredibly well on film,” executive producer Dana Schultes says. “We were able to use three cameras and multiple microphones and take the time to edit it together thoughtfully, with the purpose of showing it as a stage play but to tell the story using cameras.”
The theater remains closed (with the exception of summer camps and other programs). Despite Governor Greg Abbott’s announcement that performing halls may reopen at 50% capacity, Schultes contends that operating in such a way would be unrealistic for Stage West.
“For a show that costs $50,000, if we were to have to present it in a reduced format of 50% capacity … even if we sold every one of those seats, we would be losing half of what we put into it,” she says. “There’s just no way to get ahead with reduced capacity.”
But there’s another factor preventing Stage West and other performing arts theaters from reopening — a national moratorium from the Actors’ Equity Association, which states that members may only return to work when the union deems it safe to do so (Jubilee’s production of “How I Got Over” had no Actors’ Equity members, allowing them to still perform).
Amphibian Stage, like Stage West, is facing similar circumstances. While the theater remains closed, Amphibian has reshifted its focus toward
other programs like DE-CRUIT, which uses Shakespeare to help veterans deal with post-traumatic stress, and Tad-Poles, a stilt-walking program. DE-CRUIT has since shifted to online, while Tad-Poles made surprise porch visits to lift people’s spirits while they remained sequestered at home. Amphibian also employed artists to make gowns and masks and even delivered its popular cookies to theater members and first responders.
But on July 16, Amphibian will return for its first performance since shutting down — “The True History of the Tragic Life and Triumphant Death of Julia Pastrana, the Ugliest Woman in the World.”
The production won’t take place in the theater though. Since the play is meant to be performed in the dark, the show will be entirely on audio, featuring an immersive soundscape by sound designer David Lanza.
“When they’re in the market, you’re going to hear the sounds of the market. When they’re out in Russia, you’re going to hear the icy wind blowing,” executive artistic director Kathleen Culebro says. “It’s in stereo, so you’re going to feel the movement … it’s not just a standard radio play.”
As far as when the theater itself will reopen, Amphibian had not yet set a date as of press time.
Neither has Stage West. Schultes says the theater is waiting until the fall to answer two questions: Has Actors’ Equity lightened its rules about performances, and if it has, is social distancing still in place?
She says Stage West aims to have its first show in November, but even then, it’s difficult to know for sure.
Still, Schultes remains optimistic.
“One way or another, we will get through this,” she says. “I have no doubt about that.”
The cast of “Babette’s Feast” at Amphibian Stage
The cast of “The Children” at Stage West
DIVORCE IN TEXAS
What do you really know about the Law of Divorce in Texas? When you have a cold or sinus issues, everyone is a doctor, and if you are going to get a divorce, everyone is a lawyer. However, everyone’s divorce, just like their health, is different, and a relative or a well-meaning friend’s advice will, more likely, not fit your situation.
1. Texas is a “no fault” divorce state? Correct? Yes, Texas is a “no fault” state for divorce purposes. That only means you do not have to allege and prove fault to get a divorce. You can just state “the marriage relationship is insupportable because of discord and conflict that destroys the legitimate ends of the marriage relationship.” However, we still have and use fault grounds in divorce cases. Fault grounds are adultery, cruelty, etc. Adultery is a sexual relationship with someone other than your spouse while you are married. You continue to be married until the judge renders you a divorce. Just because you are separated does not mean you are “divorced.”
2. Texas is a “community property state,” so all the marital property is divided 50/50, correct? Actually, no, Texas is a community property state, but we do not just divide all the community property 50/50. Our courts are to make a “just and right division having due regard for the rights of each party and any children of the marriage.” This is legalese for saying the court can give one party more community property than the other party for a myriad of reasons. Some of the reasons are fault in the breakup of the marriage as outlined above, disparity in earning capacity or lack of business opportunities, etc. Not all community property states divide the community property the same way. California, another community property state, in fact does divide all of the community property exactly 50/50. They make up for fault, disparity in earning capacity, etc. with alimony payments to make things equal. The ex-spouse receiving the alimony payments may receive the payments for a period of months, years, or until remarriage or even until death.
3. Does Texas have post-divorce alimony?
Yes, we have rehabilitative post-divorce alimony called “maintenance.” The amount a spouse can receive and the length of time the payments continue are based on many factors including: family violence, duration of the marriage, spouses’ ability to provide for their “minimum reasonable needs,”
and other factors. Each case is different, and an attorney must be consulted for a determination in any case to determine eligibility.
4. Do I have an advantage if I file my divorce first before my spouse?
The only real “advantage” is the petitioner (first person to file for divorce) gets to talk first in the courtroom and present their case. Many attorneys believe this could be an advantage because the first person gets to “frame” the arguments. However, the judges will listen to all the evidence and testimony presented because they know there are two sides to every story. What if I don’t want to file a divorce, but I must because of family violence or other serious issues that I must stop or address? Then by all means file. The judges understand that sometimes you must file even if you would prefer not to, but you have no choice.
5. How do I find a good lawyer?
Most people ask their relatives, friends, or neighbors. This is fine, but in Texas we have Board Certification and Board-Certified attorneys have taken a rigorous test to be “certified” by the State Bar of Texas to hold themselves out as specialists. This is a good place to start, and that information is easily obtainable on the internet. If you know any good lawyer in any field of law, ask them to refer you. All well-knowledgeable, qualified lawyers know other well-qualified lawyers in other fields. A client seeking a divorce should find the “right” attorney to represent them to achieve their particular goals. You should look at the website of any recommended attorney, make an appointment, and talk to any lawyer you are interested in representing you.
Disclaimer: You must consult an attorney about your case to get legal advice that would apply to your situation.
Law Office of Gary L. Nickelson
Gary L. Nickelson, Board Certified in Family Law by the State Board of Texas
Chris Nickelson, Board Certified in Civil Appellate Law by the State Board of Texas
5201 W. Freeway, Ste. 100 Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817.735.4000
817.735.1480 fax
garynickelson.com
EXPERTADVICE
Fort Worth Magazine asked the following advertisers to provide our readers with Expert Advice in the individual field in which they are specialists. Just like you, we rely on others with experience in their specialized fields to provide us with useful information. Whether you are searching for a cosmetic surgeon, an attorney, a financial planner, or any specialist in between, Fort Worth Magazine’s Expert Advice section is a great place to begin your selection process.
INTERIOR DESIGN: WWSD WHAT WOULD SUSAN DO?
Can multiple design styles be used in one home? Absolutely! Individual style and taste dictate the beautifully unique outcome of any home design project. Much like a personal library of music can include many genres to create a rich listening experience, a palate for varied design styles can be harmoniously implemented under one roof with the help of an expert eye. It is best to use one foundational style as a guidepost for the overall look and feel of a home. Still, variety can be introduced through the application of art, furniture pieces, and other statement décor. A professional designer can step into the process and create a cohesive aesthetic, so everything flows and makes sense in the finished picture. As a designer, I love bringing every part of a creative story to life within the walls of a home.
How is texture used as a design element? Texture adds depth and dimension to a room, creating visual interest that invites the eye to explore. Utilizing a wide variety of textural components in design is most successful in a monochromatic color scheme; it lends itself beautifully to a natural, organic application of muted tones and textiles. Layering a neutral palette of design elements such as fabric, floral, tile, stone, plaster, and wood creates a gorgeous space. While neutrals are lovely, texture can be used in any color scheme to play with light, shadow, shade, and design. Don’t be afraid to play with texture and experiment with material and placement. The end result may be surprisingly delightful!
What is the best use of pattern in interior design? Pattern is considered visual texture and can be found in almost every
aspect of interior design. For example, the veining of marble and the directional grain of wood are excellent sources of pattern, as are prints on textiles, rug designs, and geometric tiles, to name just a few. The scale of pattern determines the most effective application. Bolder, statement patterns are best utilized as focal features like a decorative wall covering or a fabulous upholstery on a piece of furniture. It is best to pair these large-scale patterns with complementary colors and décor elements rather than attempt to add more pattern and movement. Smaller, more subtle patterns can exist harmoniously in the same space, like layering fabric patterns in the same color family on a custom sofa or bedding set or creating a gorgeous kitchen design with various types of subtly patterned materials. Mastering pattern in design creates a marvelous outcome.
How is artwork chosen for interior design? Choosing artwork is an entirely subjective process; it is something very personal for every individual. While there is no right or wrong when it comes to art preferences, there are guidelines to consider when deciding on pieces and placement. When selecting works of art, not only are proper scale and symmetry essential to balancing the overall aesthetic, but also determining whether all art forms in a space are telling a cohesive story. The starring role of artwork is to enhance and bring life to a home, not detract from the intended design. As a designer, I guide my clients through the selection of artwork for their homes, as well as design spaces around works of art they already own. Art should be a lifelong adventure in creativity and discovery.
How does lighting factor into interior design plans? Lighting is everything. Without proper lighting, even the most gorgeous interior can seem off balance. Lighting brings the essence of mood, ambiance, and atmosphere to a room, and quite often, the design revolves around the quality and availability of natural light and the strategic placement of hard-wired lighting, such as chandeliers, sconces, and pendants. There are so many stunning lighting options that fall into the category of art and sculpture; they create a narrative within a room by highlighting feature elements and directing attention to areas of interest. The proper installation of these features is critical to the overall home design, which makes the process of construction detailing a crucial one. Once the placement of stationary fixtures is established, it is often difficult to edit in the future. Lighting is the pathway to warmth and invitation within every room of a home; its importance as a design element should not be overlooked.
* SUSAN SEMMELMANN
OWNER, SUSAN SEMMELMANN INTERIORS 4372 West Vickery Blvd. Fort Worth, Texas 76107
940-577-1000 www.semmelmanninteriors.com
THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR EXPERIENCE
EARNING MORE ROYALTY INCOME FROM OIL AND GAS ASSETS
IS IT POSSIBLE
TO GET A NEW SMILE IN JUST ONE DAY?
Alexander Chandler Realty brings an unparalleled depth of experience and knowledge to help guide its clients through the most significant transaction of their lives. It is our goal to bring certainty in an uncertain time by enveloping our clients with knowledge, care, diligence, and expertise.
ACR and its agents know the difference between knowledge and information, especially when it comes to markets. Knowing a neighborhood is one thing; understanding how the larger market works is another. Alexander Chandler, a Harvard Business School alumnus with 24 years broker experience, was the No. 3 ranked agent in the U.S. The expert leadership team and agents have a combined experience of over 500 years, $1 billion in sales, and over 5,000 closed transactions. We bring solid counsel for long-term success to our clients. During the crisis, we did not just pivot, we used our vast experience to shift our resources and knowledge to better serve the community.
Another differentiation point is with a new website where we embrace the most advanced technology available. We focus on the person and not just the technology. Technology is how we communicate. The person is the purpose! ACR offers full virtual online services and an astounding social media campaign. Through training, diligence, knowledge, and care, we bring the highest level of service to our clientele. Now is the time to choose an expert. Choose ACR.
* ALEXANDER CHANDLER
ALEXANDER CHANDLER REALTY
6336 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817.806.4100
alexanderchandler.com
The extreme swings in oil prices during the past few months serve as a perfect reminder that it is best not to “go it alone” when investing in oil and gas properties. Partnering with a proven mineral management company can pay dividends down the road because you will be represented by experts who have extensive experience working for oil and gas companies. Here are two ways a proven mineral management team can add value to your oil and gas assets:
Negotiate lease agreements: The lease agreement is the most important document for a mineral owner. A poorly negotiated agreement could cost oil and gas property owners dearly in lost revenue and burden them with costly deductions and potential liabilities.
Review monthly financial reports: Mistakes in monthly financial reports are commonplace and often go unnoticed for years. In our work with clients, we have found that seven out of 10 mineral rights owners were being underpaid based on the terms of their lease.
Managing oil and gas properties isn’t a skill that most people can quickly learn. It involves juggling multiple moving parts in an industry that is marked by boom-and-bust cycles. By partnering with an expert mineral management firm, you can sleep well at night knowing you have someone on your team who is always working for your best interests.
DRENNAN-CAMPBELL
ARGENT TRUST
4200 South Hulen St., Ste. 217 Fort Worth, Texas 76109
817.502.2931
kchristoffel@argenttrust.com argentfinancial.com
At Just Wright Dental, the answer to that is absolutely. Patients walk into our office every day, fed up with ill-fitting dentures or embarrassed by missing or broken teeth, and walk out with a beautiful, new smile, thanks to our highly trained staff and stateof-the-art dental implant technology.
Our team has simplified the process of helping patients understand how the procedure works, what to expect, and how they can make their treatment a financial reality, all before they ever walk in the door. Because of that, we spend that time getting to know each patient and their unique dental goals. We take a 3D X-ray of their mouth, complete a full assessment, provide them with options for treatment, and explain the healing timeline. At the end of this appointment, most patients are ready to commit to a new smile and confidently set a surgery date.
On that day, the patient arrives with someone who can drive them home. The IV sedation we administer means patients won’t remember the procedure and simply wake up a few hours later with the smile they’ve always wanted fixed in place by dental implants. Most patients are surprised to realize they experienced only mild swelling and minimal soreness afterward, and almost every patient says their only regret is not moving forward with treatment sooner. * DR. JUSTIN WRIGHT
PROVIDING INNOVATIVE TRANSIT SOLUTIONS
Trinity Metro prides itself on offering innovative solutions to meet the public transportation needs of a growing population. From frequent bus and commuter rail service to on-demand options, Trinity Metro offers an array of choices to help customers get where they need to go.
The most recent is the Near Southside ZIPZONE, an on-demand service that includes the Fort Worth Medical District. Operations will begin on Sunday, July 19. Trinity Metro partnered with the City of Fort Worth to provide an option for employees, patients, and visitors to travel to this mixed-use community that has several hospitals and medical facilities.
The ZIPZONE always offers the opportunity for passengers to run errands, go to lunch, or visit the many popular destinations on Magnolia Avenue. It’s the perfect solution for no-hassle parking — no need to search for a spot if your ride can drop you off directly at your choice of locations!
To help riders utilize public transportation for commuting or other day trips, the Near Southside ZIPZONE connects to several bus routes and to Trinity Metro TEXRail and the Fort Worth T&P Station. Hours of operation are 6 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Through a contract with Via, service is provided in black Toyota Siennas.
With more than 40,000 medical professionals in the Near Southside area, Trinity Metro expects the new ZIPZONE to be a popular way to travel.
* WAYNE GENSLER
VP/COO OF BUS AND PARATRANSIT, TRINITY METRO
801 Cherry St., Ste. 850 Fort Worth, Texas 76102
ridetrinitymetro.org
817.215.8600
HOME
CREATING SATISFIED CUSTOMERS
Growing up in a family business performing service in customers’ homes, I always considered my customers to be my best source of new customers. Whether it’s service or delivering new appliances into thousands of homes, I’ve seen how my customers react when a worker respects their home. Everyone at Oliver Dyer Appliance knows his or her customer will refer friends, neighbors, and family members, so they go out of their way to create a satisfied customer.
We only sell appliance brands where the manufacturer backs our efforts to do whatever necessary to satisfy every customer. If it’s not good enough to be in our homes, it isn’t good enough to be in yours. My name, email address, and personal cell phone number are on every invoice. In 16 years, I’ve only had a handful of calls with a problem, but I’ve received thousands of calls complimenting my employees.
* OLIVER DYER
OLIVER DYER APPLIANCE
8320 Camp Bowie W. Fort Worth, Texas 76116
817.312.1856
MARY MARGARET DAVIS REAL ESTATE TEAM
Representing current and future homeowners in Fort Worth and beyond, Mary Margaret listens with empathy and negotiates with skill to ensure successful outcomes. Born and raised in Snyder, Texas, Mary Margaret began selling real estate when she was 20 years of age and earned her broker’s license two years later. She moved to Fort Worth in 1988 and worked for developers and builders until 2011, when she opened her real estate company. Mary Margaret is an esteemed sales manager, educator, Realtor, and animal activist, well-known as a foster-fail queen. She is respected by her clients, colleagues, and community for active involvement in and support of local organizations. During her 32 years of residency in Fort Worth, Mary Margaret has developed important contacts, expertise, and admiration for the North Texas area, all of which she leverages for the success of her clients. She uses her websites along with other tools to showcase the homes she represents and, when requested, calls on her team of professional stagers, painters, designers, handymen, and inspectors to assist with her clients’ buying and selling needs. When you choose Mary Margaret, you choose an expert communicator, researcher, and analyst who will be by your side every step of the way. Mary Margaret’s slogan, “We Make IT Happen,” holds true in every way!
How do you enjoy health and fitness without hating the commitment to your lifestyle? Remember those times as a child when the most impossible goals were possible? Coming from a so-called “fitness enthusiast,” you are probably expecting some secret. Well, I’m here to change your life, not tell you “secrets” with big words and biceps. True Change didn’t exist nine months ago. While growing up, “existing” was all I knew with many problems, like a stutter, ADHD, and was told I couldn’t graduate, while always being picked on and laughed at. Later, I became drug addicted and nearly ended my life, even after four attempts in rehab. My actions defined my living up to the expectations of who everyone thought I should be. I just wanted to be that fearless child before I knew what fear was. After my sobriety date in 2014, health and fitness became the “new normal.” I then understood the gift I get to share with everyone. Helping create the normal you desire. Thanks to countless failures, True Change became “normal” to our locals.
Inside every story is the key to someone’s jail cell, which becomes passion, enjoyment to love yourself again, and to create your story. “Why” you decide to start is essential to living fit, healthy, and happy! True Change’s fun result-driven atmosphere is the byproduct to creating your “new normal” that nobody else defines but you. Starting today is the best choice. Call today and start for free! * JAKE AKINS
DREAMED-OF DRESSES AND DIFFICULT DECISIONS
Q: I’ve dreamed of my dress for years. Why has this become such a stressful decision?
A: So often, brides begin the shopping experience feeling the pressure of their own expectations. Additionally, they enter appointments flooded with options and the opinions of friends, family, and salespeople. However, with a little information, an expert stylist, and a supportive shopping party, the dress search can become magical again.
Q: There are so many beautiful dresses! How will I narrow down so many options?
A: One of the most overwhelming moments in the dress search is walking into a store full of dresses. However, with an expert stylist, you can find the perfect gown in under 90 minutes. By evaluating body type, favorite clothing styles, and the wedding theme, an expert stylist will help take a bride from a store full of options to a few selections to try on and choose from.
Q: How will I know when I’ve found “The Dress”?
A: No two brides respond the same way when they’ve found their wedding dress. It’s important to release any expectations about how you will react when you put on “The Dress” for the first time. It’s the feeling that counts. In “The One,” you will feel like yourself, you will feel beautiful, and you will feel anticipation for the approaching wedding day.
* NIKKI OWINGS & SYBLE OWINGS
BIRDIE BRIDAL
682.288.6693
birdiebridal.com
@birdiebridalfw
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL VA HOME PURCHASE
As a military spouse, I appreciate and understand the sacrifice our service members have made. Utilizing the benefits of your VA loan for a home purchase doesn’t need to be a challenge. Working with a qualified and knowledgeable Realtor and lender is the key to a successful home-buying experience.
Check into your COE (Certificate of Eligibility) with the VA to ensure you are in good standing and verify your amount of eligibility. This can also be done easily by your trusted lender.
Find out your timeline if you are active duty and have orders for a permanent change of station. Virtual technology is our friend, which allows us to video and FaceTime homes as well as surrounding areas. Virtual technology allows you to feel like you are here even when you can’t be.
Did you know that a VA loan does not require a down payment? This means that you can utilize $0 down for your home purchase!
If you have a VA service-connected rating, let’s talk about how this may impact the costs of your loan as well as on the amount you pay for property taxes.
Did you know that most VA loans can close in 30 days, which means more power to our offer. Getting your loan squared away before we start house hunting is the key to success.
Let’s connect and get started on the path to your home purchase!
* JULIE HARPER
MILITARY RELOCATION PROFESSIONAL INSIGHT REALTY NETWORK 817.881.3931 julie@julieharper.com
TIPS FOR SANITY AS YOU SHELTER IN PLACE
As we all “shelter in place,” these are unprecedented times in our history. There are many stressors that come with the constant togetherness that is now present.
Here are a few tips from people who have dealt with family law issues for over 45+ years:
1) Structure the family’s daily routine. Make time for meals together. Assign chores and have a definite bedtime.
2) Assign “duties “ at home — who is to do what and when can bring great relief to tension in the family unit.
3) Be patient. This is a hard thing to do when you are stressed to begin with. Counting to 10 will work in most cases; in extreme cases, go for a walk.
4) Exercise. It’s a great de-stressor.
5) Make yourself a gratitude list and continue to add to it. Be grateful for your health, shelter, spouse, children, and pets.
6) Don’t assume anything. Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings, which can lead to arguments over nothing.
Family Law has been our business for over 45 years. We’ve helped many people through tough times in their relationships, and we are available to help with your family law issues. We hope that if you practice these tips, we will see you in the grocery store instead of our office. Stay Safe!
* GARY L. NICKELSON
THE LAW OFFICE OF GARY L. NICKELSON. 5201 West Freeway, Ste. 100 Fort Worth, TX 76107
817.735.4000
garynickelson.com
TRINITY METRO: COMMITTED TO COMMUNITY
Throughout the year, and especially during challenging times, Trinity Metro is committed to serving customers in Fort Worth and across Tarrant County. During the COVID19 pandemic, Trinity Metro stayed open to make sure essential workers had a way to get to work. Passengers could reach important medical appointments and visit grocery stores and pharmacies for critical supplies.
To help protect customers and employees, Trinity Metro enhanced its cleaning protocol to more frequently disinfect high-touch areas such as door handles, railing, and seats. Buses and ACCESS paratransit vehicles are sanitized daily. Trinity Metro TEXRail trains are disinfected daily after being in service. In addition, transparent barriers were installed between bus operators and the fare box.
Trinity Metro offers a variety of services to meet the needs of passengers in Tarrant County. A network of buses, including several express routes, help people make their move around Fort Worth. TEXRail provides an easy and elegant option for traveling to DFW Airport. ACCESS paratransit is an important option to provide transportation to medical treatments and trips to shopping and other destinations.
This summer, the agency is adding two on-demand services: Crowley ZIPZONE and Near Southside ZIPZONE. Planning is underway for two future transit options: extending TEXRail to the Fort Worth Medical District and developing the East Lancaster Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). Features for BRT are similar to light rail and will provide a faster and more convenient bus service.
* BOB BAULSIR
CEO AND PRESIDENT TRINITY METRO
801 Cherry St., Ste. 850 Fort Worth, Texas 76102
ridetrinitymetro.org
817.215.8600
REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY ADAPTING TO CHANGES IN THE MIDST OF COVID-19
The last few months have resulted in changes in market conditions but also in the way most of us have had to conduct business. Open houses, showings, and client meetings were done via FaceTime, Zoom, and Teams; closings were held in title company parking lots; and we all realized the value of the place we call home. In addition to the way the business of real estate has been conducted, we are seeing a change in what buyers are looking for in a home. Since the COVID-19 outbreak, we have all had an abundance of time to evaluate what is important in a home and what we need. Increased functionality in our homes has suddenly become critical, and home buyers’ wants are reflecting this shift. Rooms and features that may have been considered a nice amenity are now being recategorized as a “must-have.” Features such as home offices, media rooms, pools, built-in desks for homework, and proximity to a park or a green space — all of which were once thought of as additional amenities — are now being considered by some with the same gravity as kitchens and master baths. Over the years, we have seen a decreased demand for dining rooms, but since the quarantine, the request for a home with one or a space for family dining has increased. Perhaps families dining together with more regularity has rekindled this tradition, reminding us of what is most important in a home, the ones we love.
* RICK WEGMAN CHRISTIES INTERNATIONAL REAL ESTATE | ULTERRE rickw@ulterre.com 817.584.7033 ulterre.com
Give Back
Because COVID-19 caused a delay or cancelation of the charity events this season, as a service to all the charities in the Greater Tarrant area, we are listing the new dates or cancelations as they come in.
AUG. 14
Clay Challenge
The Parenting Center
AUG. 29
2020 GALA
Catholic Charities
Fort Worth
SEPT. 2
Doing the Most Good Luncheon
Salvation Army
SEPT. 11
Wild Game Night
Ronald McDonald House
SEPT. DATE TBD
Virtual Event
Humane Society
OCT. 16
Charity Golf Tournament
Cuisine for Healing
There’s nothing more rewarding than giving back and making a difference in the lives of people in this great community. As the city’s magazine — which has the eyes and ears of some of Fort Worth’s most affluent and philanthropic citizens — we feel a responsibility to give back to the people of the city that is our namesake, which is why Philanthropy is one of our core values.
Every year, Fort Worth Magazine sponsors more than 100 charity events, which range from luncheons to black-tie galas. The following promotional section is devoted to these charities and their fundraisers. We invite you to consciously peruse and consider lending a helping hand by either making a donation or attending these events.
OCT. DATE TBD
Promenade Garden Tour
Colleyville Garden Club
OCT. DATE TBD
BBQ Cookoff The Parenting Center
OCT. DATE TBD 5K Run
Humane Society
NOV. 6
Roadhouse Ranch
Ronald McDonald House
TBD Heart Ball American Heart Association TBD Project Goodwill Goodwill Fort Worth TBD Wings of Hope Wings of Hope
Celebrity Chef Dinner Meals on Wheels
2020 Women of Distinction Awards
Featuring powerful Women Who Mean Business
Special appearance by NBC 5’s Deborah Ferguson
Wednesday, September 23, 2020
GS-TOP.ORG/WOD
Join us as we celebrate six exceptional women and one exceptional man who serve as role models to the next generation of female leaders.
Benefiting
Buy tickets and sponsorships online at weblink.donorperfect.com/WoD2020, or contact Wendy Lee at wlee@gs-top.org or 817.735.5315.
DR. MONICA ANDERSON, AUTHOR & SPEAKER
DIANA KAPP, JOURNALIST & AUTHOR
ANETTE SOTO LANDEROS, FWHCC PRESIDENT & CEO
WE SPEAK FORT WORTH
For over 20 years, we’ve had our ears to the ground, our eyes on the ball, and our fingers on the pulse of Fort Worth. This gives us an edge to deliver the city’s best lifestyle, business, and home content.
Fort Worth couple Lance and Katherine Perry made this photo together with Lance holding the hat and Katherine snapping the shot. “The current events, protests highlighting oppression toward people that look like me, created a sense of responsibility. I felt like I needed to do something,” Lance says. “This photo gave me an opportunity to make my own statement in a way that is true to me and my passions. I wanted to make people stop and think, even if just for a moment. My follow-up photo to this was my choice, and I chose love.”
So you’ve snapped a cool pic of the city. We want to see it. Tag your photos on Instagram with #fwtxmag. The winning image will get published on this page — so hit us with your best shot. main line 817.560.6111 | subscriptions 800.856.2032 | website fwtx.com
