Fort Worth’s SiNaCa Studios is officially moving to Arlington after council members approved a 10-year downtown lease and up to $1 million in financial support this week.
However, the vote led an existing glass art studio to say the city is giving an unfair advantage to outside organizations over local businesses.
Darren Hensley, co-owner of Grey Area Studio, told council members on Sept. 29 that the city’s investment negatively impacts his Arlington glass art business. The 10-year-old organization hosts similar workshops, gallery sales and community programming less than 3 miles west of SiNaCa’s new 14,000-square-foot home at 300 W. Front St.
“Arlington, doesn’t need another glass studio,” Hensley told city council members. “It needs to stand by its core principles of empowering local businesses that have invested in the city in order to help those businesses thrive and gain visibility. … We welcome competition. We just never expected Arlington would be that competition.”
Arlington City Council voted 5-3 to approve SiNaCa’s lease agreement with members Mauricio Galante, Nikkie Hunter and Tom Ware against it.
Breinn Richter, executive director of SiNaCa, said the nonprofit is committed to partnering with Grey Area in the future. The studios previously collaborated to bring the Glass Art Society International Conference to North Texas last year.
“There are other cities across the country where there are multiple glass studios all serving to advance the arts, and that is definitely the stance that we are taking,” Richter said.
Grey Area co-owner Josh Yunker believes the city’s decision was made “hastily and irresponsibly” without analyzing the long-term effects on the competitive market.
The business is open to collaboration with SiNaCa, but it’s unclear what that looks like at the moment, he said.
“We harbor no ill feelings towards SiNaCa, they’ve always been our friends,” Yunker said. “I’m sure it’ll be a blessing in disguise.”
Richter said SiNaCa officials reached out to Grey Area when conversations regarding the potential Arlington move began about a year ago. However, Yunker said Grey Area heard bits of information regarding the plans “through the grapevine” a few months ago.
From the dais, Mayor Jim Ross said he plans to visit Grey Area to discuss the best ways to help the business, but emphasized the two glass art studios operate differently.
“We love that you’ve been here in Arlington,” Ross said to Yunker. “We want to make sure that we don’t ignore you on things. And I think we can get to some type of area where we’re all feeling better. … We may never totally agree, but that’s OK.”
Council member Jason Shelton empathized with Grey Area’s concerns, but noted SiNaCa’s relocation is a net positive for Downtown Arlington’s development.
“The greater good here is that we are trying to build a sense of community and activities and events that involve the arts,” he said.
Galante, who voted against the proposal, believes city officials need to support local small businesses and should’ve had more weeks to consider the lease agreement. Hunter said SiNaCa will be a great Arlington asset, but that her primary concern was maintaining a fair playing field for all businesses.
Although Ware voted against the lease, he challenged the SiNaCa team to prove him wrong by creating a collaborative environment that makes Arlington the glass art capital of Texas.
As part of the agreement, SiNaCa is required to partner with Arlington’s Parks, Recreation & Culture Department to develop community camps and create custom glass art for city facilities. The agreement also requires the nonprofit to invest its own $1 million into the West Front Street property.
Richter previously told the Report that the studio’s team will “hit the ground running” to renovate the property for a late summer 2027 reopening. The nonprofit will continue to operate its workshops, classes and shows at its Fort Worth location through the end of its lease on Jan. 31.
David Moreno is the arts and culture reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org.
The Fort Worth Report’s arts and culture coverage is supported in part by the Meta Alice Keith Bratten Foundation and the Virginia Hobbs Charitable Trust. At the Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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