{"id":49629,"date":"2025-11-14T17:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T17:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/49629\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T17:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T17:12:09","slug":"fort-worths-near-southside-is-more-funky-town-than-cowtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/49629\/","title":{"rendered":"Fort Worth\u2019s Near Southside Is More Funky Town Than Cowtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

While it can be hard to determine a cultural scene\u2019s beginnings with indisputable accuracy, I shouldn\u2019t be surprised anymore when I hear that the catalyst was an empty warehouse. And in the case of Fort Worth\u2019s Near Southside neighborhood, that catalyst was spelled \u201cWhere House.\u201d This past October, I was admiring the event space\u2019s long-shuttered brick building\u2014a facade that marries Old West jail and 1980s Chinese restaurant\u2014with its former co-curator, painter Jay Wilkinson, who laid out what was once his version of house rules: \u201cMake sure nobody burns. No one dies. And besides that, go nuts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around the Where House\u2019s inception, in 2010, Near Southside, just south of downtown, was becoming a paradise for young musicians and artists: a playground of abandoned warehouses and medical offices, with few neighbors to call in noise complaints. Wilkinson said he could ride his bike down the middle of the street in the late afternoon and see no one for blocks. His friend Casey Smith, a woodworker and builder who restores structures, rented an empty building for a workshop, fixed its precarious electrical wiring, and began throwing parties, inviting Wilkinson to collaborate on themes and installations. Somewhere along the way, the building acquired its name. \u201cThe Where House became a catchall for anybody to be like, \u2018Hey, I have an idea,\u2019 and I\u2019m like, \u2018Great, please come do it here.\u2019\u201d Soon they were hosting art shows together, one of which featured a twenty-foot-tall papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9 cyclops. They put on concerts<\/a> by the Quaker City Night Hawks, White Denim, and Telegraph Canyon. They arranged an open mic night that drew a local dishwasher named Leon Bridges<\/a> out onto the stage. Before long, adventurous types who weren\u2019t already in the neighborhood found cool, affordable places to live, and naturally, other outfits bubbled up nearby: a cafe, a dive bar, more multiuse spaces.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Jay\"JayJay Wilkinson in front of a mural he created.Photograph by Desiree Rios<\/p>\n

Near Southside would become the yin to Sundance Square\u2019s yang. Continuing a tradition of Fort Worth artists who have steered clear of on-the-nose Western imagery, the creators of Near Southside embraced an ethos that was less Cowtown and more Funky Town, a nickname dating back to 1986, when then R&B radio station KKDA 104.5 ordained the city Funky Town Fort Worth. No one was exactly hostile toward cowboy boots or horses, Wilkinson said, but as he put it,\u00a0 \u201cSouthside is the last bastion of really trying to develop itself and keep that out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, the neighborhood evolved over the next fifteen years. Fort Worth\u2019s population boomed; it\u2019s now the fourth most populous city in Texas, just under Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, and just above Austin. Near Southside\u2019s first stretch of enticing businesses, along West Magnolia Avenue, garnered rising interest, which was followed by rising rent and a turnover in proprietors. In 2017 the owner of the building where the Where House had been hosting events wanted his space back, and that era came to an end.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Patrons\"PatronsPatrons outside Cherry Coffee Shop, on West Magnolia Avenue.Photograph by Desiree Rios<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the bad news. (Oh come on, you knew that was coming.)<\/p>\n

The good news is that the whole area around West Magnolia Avenue, called Magnolia Village, is now an established destination, and the spark generated by early pioneers like Wilkinson and Smith has spread to other parts of Near Southside. And newcomers are aware that they have a duty to uphold that trailblazing spirit. For Jonny Arguello, who owns Gustos Burger Bar + More, that means giving artists and musicians day jobs\u2014and accepting the challenges that brings. \u201cWe had to weed out a few, but we need \u2019em!\u201d he told me. He pointed toward his kitchen staff and said that one of his cooks was getting a record deal and another would be performing at the restaurant the following weekend. Standing nearby, Wilkinson looked as if he wanted to hand Arguello a medal.<\/p>\n

Gustos anchors the west side of Magnolia Village, the older of Near Southside\u2019s two hubs. Traveling east, you\u2019ll see businesses like Panther City Vinyl, an old auto-shop-turned-cafe called Avoca Coffee, the ice cream shop Melt, an old grocery store-turned-cafe called Cherry Coffee Shop, and Heim Craft BBQ<\/a>, along with dive bars like the Chat Room Pub and the Boiled Owl. (\u201cIt\u2019s called the Chat Room because it was literally a chat room with computer access to the internet,\u201d said Wilkinson.) On the easternmost end, the Southside Preservation Hall hosts monthly cult-classic movie nights called Weird Wednesday<\/a>, and Paris Coffee Shop, which dates back to 1926, lists more than the obligatory two specialty pies on its menu. The day I visited, I counted seven.<\/p>\n

Still taking shape is Near Southside\u2019s other hub: South Main Village. To learn how it differed from Magnolia Village, I called Megan Henderson, the director of events and communications at the nonprofit Near Southside Inc. and the neighborhood\u2019s go-to source for information. Magnolia has more of a family vibe these days, she said; South Main is more counterculture. \u201cIt\u2019s all the old indie-rock kids who are now business owners in the neighborhood,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Starting on the north end of South Main Village, near T Bone Burnett Boulevard and Leon Bridges Way, I made a pilgrimage to Record Town, a business that has been a polestar in Fort Worth since 1957, when it opened at its original location, near Texas Christian University. It would be hard to convey the impact that co-owners Sumter Bruton II and Kathleen Bruton had on generations of music lovers and musicians. The Brutons\u2019 son Stephen became a touring and recording artist, and when Sumter II died, in 1988, Stephen\u2019s brother, Sumter III, helped manage the store, turning yet another generation on to local jazz legends like Ornette Coleman and King Curtis.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOh yeah, the customers are hardcore,\u201d said Zack Quiroz, who was working the counter the day I stopped by. \u201cSometimes I feel like a drug dealer.\u201d (In fact, it was two longtime shoppers who bought the business when the Bruton family decided to sell.) One wall of the shop is lined with framed posters, records, news articles, and photos of Fort Worth legends; others display eye-catching vintage album covers preserved in clear plastic sleeves, such as Ike & Tina Turner\u2019s Kings of Rhythm Dance and Bo Diddley\u2019s self-titled 1958 LP.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Quiroz was talking about the upcoming Fort Worth Songwriter Festival with Southside Preservation Hall director Matthew Williams and songwriter Keegan McInroe. \u201cI think the old Record Town site is now a Jimmy John\u2019s,\u201d he said. (More precisely, the former address is now attached to Ampersand Coffee; the sub shop is next door.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe homogenization of America,\u201d said McInroe, \u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Ooh, look! Another PetSmart!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Outside Outside Record Town. Photograph by Desiree Rios \"A A wall inside Record Town. Photograph by Desiree Rios <\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s one of the things I like about the Near Southside: It hasn\u2019t been completely gentrified,\u201d said Quiroz.<\/p>\n

McInroe qualified this. \u201cWell, gentrification, yes. Corporatization, not so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unlike the record stores, the neighborhood\u2019s live-music venues have hit a slump. Tulips and the Cicada, both in South Main Village, are the only ones in the neighborhood. Younger audiences don\u2019t buy booze in the same quantities as their soaked forebears, and reduced alcohol sales, which propped up clubs for years, have created a nationwide conundrum for a dwindling number of venue owners.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looking for a way to further establish relationships between bands and local audiences, the neighborhood started Lost \u2019N Sound<\/a>, with the next event taking place on November 15. Bands will set up all over the neighborhood\u2014in the South Main Micro Park and in bars like HopFusion Ale Works, Nickel City, and the Bearded Lady\u2014for a day of music.\u00a0<\/p>\n

They\u2019ll also find a makeshift stage in the Down n\u2019 Out bar. When I popped my head in, owner Eric Vickers, wearing a T-shirt that read \u201cNear Southside Is for Lovers,\u201d said, \u201cSomebody told me this was a millennial dive bar. I was like, \u2018Wait, what are you accusing me of?\u2019\u201d Feigning outrage, he motioned toward the red-leather pub stools, votive candles, and the eighties television sets playing VHS movies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Eric Eric Vickers, the owner of the Down n\u2019 Out, behind the bar. Photograph by Desiree Rios \"Patrons Patrons playing pool at the Down n\u2019 Out. Photograph by Desiree Rios <\/p>\n

Earlier in the day, when Wilkinson was showing me around, we came upon the Tarantula Tiki Lounge (too early for a drink), and I pressed my face to the front window to imagine a band set up in the Day-Glo interior. Wilkinson told me that he\u2019d instructed his wife to look for him at the Tiki if he ever went missing. He explained that he\u2019d find safety in this haunt, though after looking at the drink menu, I wondered if it\u2019d be more likely that he\u2019d pass out. Drinks include the Black Spider Grog (\u201cOur signature swill. Three rums, grapefruit, blackberry, allspice\u201d) along with \u201cbowls\u201d with names such as Mermaid Orgy (\u201cA hypnotic aphrodisiac from deep within the South Seas. Rum, vodka, passion fruit, curacao, coconut water. Serves 3\u20134\u201d).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Inside an old Supreme Golf warehouse that radiated the ambiance of a circus-painted bomb shelter, Wilkinson took me down a few hallways, passing doors to various businesses, and introduced me to the musician Robert Ellis, who shook my hand and quickly gave us a tour. Now co-owner to two well-established spaces inside the warehouse\u2014both the music studio Niles City Sound and Distribution Bar\u2014Ellis led us to the entrance to the bar, which is undergoing a remodel. \u201cI don\u2019t know how long that\u2019ll take,\u201d he told us as we peeked in at the round, dark-wood tables and giant glass chandelier. It\u2019s a place where Ellis has spent plenty of time, seeing concerts and performing himself. When it went up for sale, he said, \u201cI just got a wild hair and was like, \u2018I\u2019m going to buy this.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

While construction wraps up at the bar, he spends time at Niles City Sound, named after the independent municipality Niles City, which was annexed by Fort Worth in 1923. Ellis recorded his 2019 release Texas Piano Man in this studio when it was under the original ownership, he said, but right after Covid, while living in Austin, he felt a gravitational pull to move north permanently, for the neighborhood vibe. He moved into a 1904 house in Near Southside and eventually took part ownership of the studio.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"T-shirts,\"T-shirts,T-shirts, jackets, and other merchandise on display at Morgan Mercantile. Photograph by Desiree Rios<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve seen this neighborhood change a lot?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s just a lot more happening,\u201d he said. \u201cThe vibe of the neighborhood itself was really cool, but now there\u2019s actually stuff to do. When we used to work in here, there would be nowhere to get food. Now there are five options within a block.\u201d<\/p>\n

He took us inside the studio, where we could see the Abbey Road\u2013style layout, with a control room overlooking an open performance space. Often pointed to by locals as the place where Leon Bridges recorded Coming Home in 2014, it has since become a godsend to musicians like Ellis trying to balance a touring life with a family life. \u201cI just got back from a little tour late last night, took my kids to school this morning, and then came here to work,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Farther south, at the Holly, a natural wine bar and shop (past Morgan Mercantile, T-shirt maker for all things Fort Worth), co-owner Liz Mears was equally bullish on South Main Village\u2019s future. \u201cYou\u2019re seeing it in its infancy, right?\u201d she said. \u201cSouth Main trees and lampposts were put in, what, six years ago now? And Magnolia was just ten years ago.\u201d A new bookstore, Recluse Books, just opened in April. On the horizon are ten independent restaurants, six on South Main. Two coffeehouses are coming in. A whiskey distillery. A speakeasy-style nonalcoholic club.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As I was driving Wilkinson back to his car, he pointed out all the places where he\u2019d painted murals or owned a gallery or worked a temporary job. \u201cIt\u2019s really fascinating to have gotten to be part of all this,\u201d he said. \u201cI really do think that you get one of these areas by just following what\u2019s happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check it out now before the next iteration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"South\"SouthSouth Main Street.Photograph by Desiree RiosRestaurants<\/p>\n

Sabar BBQ<\/a>: Pitmaster Zain Shafi, an alumnus of the much-lauded Goldee\u2019s Bar-B Q, opened this food truck last fall, marrying Texas smoked meats and Pakistani flavors. Sample the brisket\u2013but also the seekh kebab sausage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bocca Osteria Romana<\/a>: Accessible from an alley, this restaurant opens up into a little oasis for top-notch Italian dishes like butter-and-sage ravioli.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ichir\u014d Izakaya<\/a>: Expect charcoal-grilled yakitori but also grilled eel over sushi rice.<\/p>\n

Walloon\u2019s Restaurant<\/a>: If you\u2019re craving cold-water oysters and a martini, this American bistro is perfect.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beren Mediterranean<\/a>: Most of the Turkish dishes here are house-made, from tender kebabs to beautifully pan-seared salmon. Don\u2019t miss the Pink Sultan appetizer: a dip of pureed red beets with garlicky yogurt and virgin olive oil.<\/p>\n

Bars<\/p>\n

The Down n\u2019 Out<\/a>: This millennial dive bar is a hit with the locals, who occasionally meet to swap VHS tapes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Boiled Owl<\/a>: Craft beers and comfort food are on offer at this sleepy bar frequented by regulars.<\/p>\n

Nickel City<\/a>: It has a million drink choices, but we refer you to the Recession Special: a Miller High Life, a shot of Benchmark Bourbon, and a fried mortadella sandwich.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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