{"id":26808,"date":"2025-10-29T22:06:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T22:06:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/26808\/"},"modified":"2025-10-29T22:06:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-29T22:06:07","slug":"planned-neighborhood-store-for-historic-southside-gets-fort-worth-tax-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/26808\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned neighborhood store for Historic Southside gets Fort Worth tax break"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plans to remodel<\/a> a 114-year-old Historic Southside building for a neighborhood grocery and general store are advancing.<\/p>\n

The 945-square-foot cinder block and concrete building at 1203 E. Leuda St. will be extensively remodeled after Fort Worth City Council members approved a five-year tax abatement \u2014 totaling at least $123,918 \u2014 for the site on Oct. 21.<\/p>\n

Danielle Tucker, a Watauga resident who\u2019s owned the building with her father since 2012, said she wants to open Tucker\u2019s Grocery next fall. She plans to sell fresh produce, fruit, eggs, milk and possibly meat and coffee to fill nutritional gaps.<\/p>\n

The 76104 ZIP code, where the store will be located, has the lowest life expectancy in Texas<\/a> \u2014 67 years \u2014 and is considered a food desert. Nearby grocery stores are at least 2 miles away from the neighborhood, and many convenience stores in the area focus on selling candy, sugary sodas and salty snacks, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen the need for specific ethnic groups to put fresh fruit and produce on the table,\u201d she said. \u201cI can\u2019t fill the need of a large grocery store, but I thought, \u2018Let me try and see what I can do on a smaller scale.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

As plans for an urban village<\/a> at East Rosedale Street and Evans Avenue are underway, the top request of Southside residents for the project is a full-scale grocery store. The city has said it had trouble finding a grocer for the area since there aren\u2019t enough households, even in the booming Near Southside district on the west side of Interstate 35W.<\/p>\n

In December, neighborhood residents advocated for a grocery store<\/a> as part of the urban village. Residents said at the time they wanted a market to buy fresh food and other staples. Officials said they are trying to lure a bodega or small market to the development.<\/p>\n

Grocery stores average about 40,000 square feet in size, according to BRR Architecture.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In June 2024, Tucker\u2019s building on East Leuda received a certificate of appropriateness from the Historic and Cultural Landmarks Commission that allows the repair and restoration of the property.<\/p>\n

The Leuda Street building, constructed around 1911, was once home to a jazz club and beauty salon, among other businesses. In the 2000 documentary \u201cDewey Time<\/a>,\u201d Fort Worth saxophonist Dewey Redman<\/a> recalled that his love of music was inspired by growing up across the street from the Leuda Street \u201cjuke joint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remodeling will include repairing the roof, masonry walls and foundation; installing doors and windows; and adding a new storefront and canopy. The work is required to be consistent with guidelines for the Terrell Heights Historic District, according to a city staff report.<\/p>\n

Remodeling will take several months, Tucker said.<\/p>\n

She is planning to operate Tucker\u2019s Grocery on a 24-hour basis and is seeking distributors and farmers to help supply her store. In addition to groceries, Tucker\u2019s goal is to stock the store with handmade items from local vendors and artists as well as showcase culturally appropriate crafts for the historic Black neighborhood.<\/p>\n

The store would also host food trucks at the site.<\/p>\n

Tucker said she is considering selling beer and wine but would institute no-loitering rules at the property if she decides to do so.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want to attract that type of presence,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Tucker said the store\u2019s name will be an homage to her grandmother\u2019s former grocery business in the historic Black community of Batesville, Mississippi, where her family was involved in civil rights struggles.<\/p>\n

Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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