“They were always well-dressed, and I admired that,” Christi recalled. “I loved their fur coats, and [I] later inherited them.”

Last year, Braswell began her first venture as an entrepreneur after spending 12 years raising her son, Roman Braswell, as a stay-at-home mom. When Christi realized there were few options for relining her grandmother’s and great-grandmother’s coats with custom silks, she began learning about the silk industry and patternmaking.

“I’ve learned a lot about silk over the past year,” Christi said. “I like quiet luxury. What is luxurious to this person might be different to you. I lined one coat for a girl who sent me a photo of a cow. I made it look fashion-forward and pretty. It is meaningful to her.”

Photo credit: Amber Tice Photo

Wild Silks launched in March. The company designs and sells an exclusive range of scarves, twillies [a twilly is a long, narrow, double-sided silk scarf], and jacket linings and is barely five months old, but her business connections and partners already span the globe and include Italian fashion houses Silkpro and Silk Lab Italy and New York City-based Lost Pattern New York.

Andrew Hunt, who took over ownership of local furrier David Hunt Furs in 2018, was an early supporter of Christi’s vision. She was a regular customer who — like thousands of North Texas women — brought her coats to David Hunt Furs for safe storage every summer. When she told Andrew that she was learning to realign fur coats with custom silks, he had an idea.

“Why am I buying lining from a third party?” Andrew recalled. “Why don’t I work with her?”

The partnership allows Wild Silks to use David Hunt Furs’ store and showroom. When new and long-time customers purchase a new fur coat or bring in an heirloom to be relined, they now have the option of customizing the lining. Christi sets up a time to meet with the customer at the store to discuss what they want.

Starting with a questionnaire, Christi notes favorite colors and what themes or specific designs they want to incorporate. Sometimes, the customer has a picture or a favorite pet that they bring. Then, she works with her design partner, Molly Stevens, to draft three to six digital mockups for the customer. Andrew said the partnership has been beneficial to both their businesses.

Although Christi exclusively handles customer conversations – her favorite part of her job, she said – much of the design work happens collaboratively between her and Molly. Both women contribute unique designs to Wild Silks’ scarves and twillies. Molly describes her creative process of taking Christi’s notes and bringing them to digital fruition.

“We start with what [the customer’s] likes are,” Molly said. “They may have a particular design or color in mind. Then, my creative mind takes over. I like to come back with a few different options for them to pick from. The silk printing process retains the essence of the original art. I enjoy seeing the vision come to life from the design I create. When you finally get to touch it and wear it, that’s my favorite part. It’s gone from inside my head to being out in the world.”

Andrew said the blending of silk and fur options at his store is a “peanut butter and jelly” combination that customers appreciate.

“Adding [Wild Silk’s] scarves to our inventory made sense because that’s a big thing for the stock shows,” he said. “With my experience on the fur side, I have been able to help Christi navigate that world while using my store as a home base. Customers love her because she is very genuine, and everything comes from the heart.”

Fort Worthians approach furs differently than Chicagoans or New Yorkers, Andrew continued.

“People up North buy furs for warmth,” he said. “Here, it’s more for fashion reasons. You may want to wear it to a rodeo or with jeans. You want something versatile that will stay in style. When you have daughters, you can pass it on to them. I’ve known people’s grandmothers and moms who have coats that my dad [David Hunt] started them with. It’s a really personal thing.”

Younger women who inherit their mother’s or grandmother’s furs and don’t want a full-length coat can work with David Hunt Furs and Wild Silks to repurpose the outerwear into a fur shawl, purse, vest, jacket, or even a rug. Christi said it’s the fur that matters to the women who inherited the coats, not necessarily the form it later takes on.

Photo credit: Amber Tice Photo

While the idea was born from a desire to find linings for heirloom fur coats, Wild Silks is increasingly focused on creating custom scarves and twillies. Any product sold by Wild Silks is of the highest quality, sold in eco-friendly packaging, and crafted by women earning fair wages.

“Our scarves are hand-rolled, not machine-rolled,” she said. “That is a very traditional method that is rarely done anymore. The businesses I work with give these women gainful employment so they can provide for their kids. That’s important to me because I’ve been a stay-at-home mom until recently.”

Christi recently visited Northern Italy to see firsthand the work of Wild Silk’s top silk producers. She always leaves the artisans she visits with small gifts as a sign of her gratitude and an example of Texas hospitality.

“If I meet with someone, I bring a product, and I leave it for the team,” she said. “I want them to have a piece of Texas. It shows them something about me and where I come from. My designs are different from theirs. That was fun for them. They were proud to show me the behind-the-scenes of their factory and were eager and excited to work with someone from Texas. They call me the ‘Texas girl.’ I was nervous [to meet them] at first, but the visit gave me the confidence to know that I’m good at what I’m doing.”

Christi plans to travel around three times per year to meet the silk producers she works with in person, stay up to date with world trends, and be inspired by other cultures.

She said the countries involved in fabricating and printing designs on silk are masters in different types of silk and printing techniques. Some of her scarves are printed in Europe, while others come from China.

“One company may do better with lightweight, breathable silk while another is better for thicker materials or hand-rolling,” she said. “Anywhere you go, people are making cheap stuff and high-quality stuff. I want to be versatile, and I’m picky.”

In September of 2024, Christi is attending New York Fashion Week as the guest of Yong Wang, CEO of Lost Pattern New York. She will use the opportunity to make new friends and business connections as she grows Wild Silks’ footprint. Many of her current connections have started with cold calls to silk producers and printmakers. Not every call leads to a business connection; sometimes, the deal depends on whether their personalities mesh.

Photo credit: Amber Tice Photo

The silk maven often jokes that one of her most significant assets is her love of talking to anyone she finds, but there’s more to her socializing gifts than gabbing. Anyone who knows Christi personally (myself included) knows she’s an equally attentive listener who can meet people on their level and make them feel immediately valued and appreciated.

Christi has scheduled meetings with big-name retailers interested in purchasing her silk products for the fall of 2024. Andrew said their collaborations will continue to grow, as well. Fort Worth is not known for launching original luxury clothing lines that sell nationally and internationally. However, that could change in the coming years, given the fast growth of Wild Silks and the new connections Christi and Andrew have made over the past few months.

The explosive growth of Fort Worth and its growing reputation, thanks in part to our “cowboys and culture” heritage, as well as the popularity of new Western-themed shows on major streaming services, are creating new opportunities for a Fort Worth-based clothing brand to benefit from Cowtown’s growing cultural and economic footprint.

Christi said her growing product line is and will likely always be customizable and unique.

“My passion is personalizing fabrics and silks to make each coat unique,” she said. “I love having a third piece, whether that’s a belt, scarf, jacket, or handbag. It completes the look. Personally, I can put on a fur coat over athleisure wear. Whatever makes me feel good, that’s what is in style for me.”

Molly, who is in her twenties, said Wild Silks appeals to women of all ages. The tiny but mighty duo is preparing to launch TCU-themed silk products that should prove popular this year. Plans are in the works to feature prints based on original works by local artists. Molly added that the first samples of Wild Silks’ new ties and bowties for men recently arrived.

“Fort Worth feels small, but it is also so big,” she said. “There are so many things you can do with silk, which means we can continually grow and do so many things with it and not just stick with the scarves. We’re excited about seeing where it can possibly go.”

Wild Silks’ Western sensibilities, Molly added, will always be at the core of the company’s design work. Andrew said the feedback from locals about the new custom silk linings and scarves has been “great” and that Wild Silks’ full line of scarves and twillies is ready to meet heavy demand this fall.

Photo credit: Amber Tice Photo

“[Christi and Molly] love the products, and [that’s seen] even in the presentation of the boxes,” he said.

Wild Silks started with fur linings and then branched out into silk scarves and other silk products. Now, the design of each new product doesn’t feel like starting over, Christi said. She is already researching how to print on new textiles, like intricately woven jacquard fabric, and design garments from scratch. (Hint: She’s open to launching a clothing line.) The fashion world always favors bold new ideas, Christi said, adding that she plans to do everything she can to focus on her future business relationships with people with whom she has personal connections.

After graduating from TCU with a degree in psycho-social kinesiology, Christi Braswell spent most of her adult life focused on raising her son. The recent jump into entrepreneurship was inspired by her familial elders who tirelessly worked as firefighters, engineers, and other fields. She also wants to set an example for her son while proving to herself that she has what it takes to build something beautiful.

“It’s an exciting time,” she said. “I now believe in myself and know I have it in me to do this.”

The post Wild at Heart first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The 2020 pandemic was particularly battering to Hispanic families, many of whom didn’t have the luxury of sheltering in place due to their overrepresentation in essential fields that kept food manufacturing and distribution going, along with other vital services.

Anette Landeros, president of the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and her team were struck by the resilience of Fort Worth’s Hispanic business owners during those difficult and often deadly times. To celebrate the contributions of those business owners to our city’s economy and culture, her team launched a new public awareness campaign.

“Hecho en Fort Worth emerged as a dynamic campaign initiated at the conclusion of the pandemic in 2021,” Landeros said. “The preceding year had been a rollercoaster ride for both our business community and our organization, marked by virtual events, innovative adaptations, and the resilient navigation of uncertainty. We took immense pride in the unity displayed by our business community during challenging times.”

The program’s name, which translates to “Made in Fort Worth,” is a reminder that many of the goods and services enjoyed by locals come from the labor of Hispanic families. Landeros said Hecho in Fort Worth has become something of a rallying cry that demonstrates pride in Fort Worth’s history and diverse business community. Last year’s annual fundraiser was rebranded Hecho in Fort Worth to further bolster public awareness of the initiative. Marketing efforts include Hecho in Fort Worth signs on dozens of rentable bikes from Fort Worth Bike Sharing and Trinity Metro, custom scarves featuring the vibrant red, flower-adorned steer head Hecho in Fort Worth logo, Saddleback Leather coasters, and the distribution of custom placards proudly displayed by Hispanic-owned businesses.

Landeros credits Hispanic Chamber member Lydia Guajardo and her marketing team for creating the designs that Landeros said brought the “grand vision to life.”

“The branding, initially created for the gala, gained widespread attention and resonance,” Landeros continued. “The infusion of Spanish flair not only piqued interest but also significantly enhanced the visual appeal.”

Last year’s Hispanic Heritage Month featured Hecho in Fort Worth banners throughout downtown’s Main Street while the custom silk scarves have become popular accessories at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo. Hispanics now account for 35% of Fort Worth’s population and are the second-largest ethnic group behind Caucasians. U.S. Census data shows that the Hispanic population in Tarrant County grew from 482,977 to 620,907 between 2010 and 2020. Researchers from Arizona State University released a report last year that found Hispanics are the fastest-growing contributors to the U.S. economy, contributing $3.2 trillion of the nation’s gross domestic product.

Photo credit: Ximena Arista-Zapata

Hispanic-owned businesses manage everything from small stores to massive real estate and architecture companies. Arts organizations like local stalwart Artes de la Rosa rub shoulders with smaller mom-and-pop shops like J. Munoz Trucking and small coffee shops such as Casa Azul Coffee. Some local businesses, like the Near Southside’s destination for board game lovers, Game Theory, do not bear Latin names or make Mexican-themed products even though their owner or co-owner has familial roots in Spain or Latin America.

Landeros said her group has plans to expand the program through downtown banners, new merchandise, and murals. The idea, she said, is to embed the campaign even further into the Fort Worth community because the Hecho in Fort Worth campaign is meant to celebrate every business in the city, including non-Hispanic companies.

“Imagine residing in a city where cultural differences are not only acknowledged but celebrated, shared, and embraced as valuable assets,” Landeros said. “That’s the vision we aspire to realize. We aim to share our rich culture, instill a sense of pride, and extend a warm welcome to the entire city, inviting everyone to partake in and appreciate the vibrant tapestry that defines Fort Worth. Let’s create a community where diversity is not just recognized but cherished. After all, we are all collectively contributing to what is Hecho en Fort Worth.”

The post Appreciating the Vibrant Tapestry of Fort Worth first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“Around 20% of our product is non-alcoholic,” Tyler said. “Being someone who doesn’t drink, it’s important to me to offer a range of drinking options. Bars are about having a good time and making memories. What you’re drinking doesn’t have to be alcoholic.”

Selling Topo Chicos, non-alcoholic craft beers, and CBD sodas allows the owners of this local music venue in the Near Southside to keep up with trends in drinking culture. According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, 38% of Americans abstain from consuming alcohol, and Gen Z shows a slight decline in alcohol consumption compared with previous generations.

Tyler and John, like many bar and restaurant owners, have seen a noticeable decline in the number of folks who go out for live music or socializing in bars compared to five or six years ago. Creating the right messaging and providing the social environment is part of their mission to keep their nearly one-year-old venue open while supporting local music.

One factor for the slowdown in local live music attendance, the co-owners posited, could be the rise of the popularity of streaming services like Netflix after the Covid pandemic.

“People socialize differently now,” John said. “The pandemic definitely got people in the habit of staying home. Netflix has made it so you don’t have to get out of your La-Z Boy. [Covid] forced everyone to work from home, so people got comfy staying home.”

While music venues shutter for various reasons, the recent closing of Downtown Cowtown at the Isis Theater, Lola’s Fort Worth, and Twilite Lounge Fort Worth spurred several articles from local publications about the precarious state of the local music scene. Groups like Hear Fort Worth (a nonprofit under the auspices of Visit Fort Worth) and Amplify 817 (a program of the Fort Worth public library system) focus on spotlighting local talent and organizing mixers and performance events. Still, the survival of local music venues remains one of the most critical, if not the most critical, factors for keeping local music thriving.

One hopeful sign for the Stevens: John said national and regional acts are beginning to find The Cicada and book it as a tour stop.

Tyler and John Stevens in the Cicada
photo credit: Johnny Govea

As a music venue, “You can only chew on the same local scene for so long,” John said. “We are trying to develop other acts – bands out hitting the road. A lot of bands are having to go back to performing because streams aren’t [paying what they used to]. I want to create a stop for those working musicians. The first time, maybe a few people come. The 12 people here tell others. By the third time they play here, they are selling it out.”

To draw new patrons, Tyler organizes various events, from pop-up markets to craft-making events. One popular draw for the venue has been burlesque bingo, where each callout of “Bingo!” comes with the removal of an article of clothing from the organizers.

“It’s more campy than racy,” Tyler said with a laugh, adding that attendees love the playful spin on the game.

For every popular event, the couple says they see around four to five attendees become regular customers. John, himself a lifelong performer, and Tyler have decades of experience in the food service industry. They said music venues do best when they have bar regulars to float the business in between shows.

“I’m trying to work hard on the social media side of the business to drive home the bar aspect of Cicada and build a community of regulars,” Tyler said. “The regulars become your friends. You can have regulars who’re here more than employees. They call it happy hour for a reason. People are supposed to decompress and move the water cooler chat to another location.”

Misconceptions about music venues like The Cicada persist, Tyler said. Folks who quit drinking entirely may worry that stepping into a bar will come with pressure to order alcoholic drinks, and some people think live shows are too raucous for enjoying conversations with friends.

“People often ask me why I work in a bar after quitting drinking,” Tyler said. “This is the career I picked to be around people. I get to create a fun environment for people to create memories and friendships.”

Each new customer – whether they come for a craft show or a cocktail – is potentially a live music fan. Fort Worth boasts an abundance of exceptional talent, so music will always be an important draw for The Cicada, the co-owners said. Local acts like Royal Sons, Holy Moly, and Denver Williams bring steady crowds, and there are bands repping Gen Z, even though that generation appears less enamored with live local music shows.

“We have a 15-year-old at home,” John said. “He isn’t about sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll like past generations. Their interests are different. Regardless, we have to get people to be social again. We just have to figure out how to do that.”

The bar owners see promise in their neck of the Near Southside off Rosedale Avenue and South Main Street. Nearby Brix Barbecue and Down ’n Out are helping fill in the neighborhood that lost anchor tenant Four Sisters – A Taste of Vietnam over a year ago. However, John and Tyler say several more new businesses are needed in the immediate area to make it more of a destination.

Unexpected culture-changing events like the pandemic and rising rent haven’t helped the local music scene. Still, the music venue model has stood the test of time, and Fort Worth’s booming population brings tens of thousands of new residents and potential new concert attendees to Tarrant County and Fort Worth every year.

The Cicada’s first year has come with many challenges. The owners said they both work seven days a week to ensure quality customer service and keep their staffing overhead down. But supporting local music and building community are worth the initial struggle.

“My goal is to find new live music lovers,” Tyler said. “Whether we do it through dog adoption events, crafts, or my Panther City Bar Bazaar events. When people come in, they see that it is safe and inclusive here. It will work out, eventually. The model will build itself.”

The post Building a Business in a Changing World first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“We work with a lot of younger students,” Werner said. “Because I had this roundabout path to my career, I try to show kids a little behind-the-scenes of what jobs are available in the artistic and museum worlds. If you don’t know what’s out there, how are you going to know [what career is right]?”

When the education director was a youth, he thought artists either taught art, made art, or worked in graphic design. The Tennessee native’s father was a pastor whose job kept the family moving to churches in Tennessee, Virginia, and East Texas.

“I grew up just being interested in art and doing a lot of drawing,” Werner recalled. “I was really into stuff that had a visual culture around it, like punk music and skateboarding. I was always keyed into the graphics on skateboards and record covers. I’d recreate those drawings and logos. For me, art, music, and skateboarding all went together.”

Marshall High School, near the Louisiana border, was typical of small-town Texas schools. Life centered around football and marching band. While maintaining a trio of skater friends, Adam met his current wife Robbie, although the two didn’t date until college. Looking back, he appreciates the mixed-socioeconomic student population which forced him to interact with folks from all walks of life.

photo credit: Brad Frace

“My art teachers were inventing new courses for two or three of us who were really serious about art,” he said. “That is when they were just starting to have digital art classes.”

Adam entered a portfolio competition offered by nearby Kilgore College and placed second. The accolade came with a steep cut in tuition, so he began college near his hometown before transferring to the University of North Texas (UNT) to study graphic design. Robbie was studying architecture at the nearby University of Texas, Arlington (UTA), when the two started dating. The couple’s circle of friends lived in the Mid-Cities, so Adam transferred again, this time to UTA.

If Adam’s career had a middle period, it focused on providing for his growing family. Before finishing his degree from UTA, Adam and Robbie married and moved to Tennessee for a few years. He was burned out on the idea of perching in front of a computer as a graphic designer and worked at a digital printing company and, later, at a health food store. With their first child, Amaris, on the way, Adam’s love of creating art would have to be put on hold.

Fond memories of visiting Fort Worth brought the family back to Cowtown in 2002, and Robbie found a job at the Kimbell Art Museum’s gift store.

“I realized I needed to go back and do what I loved doing, which was drawing and painting,” he said about his decision to finish his degree from UTA.

As Adam and Robbie juggled work and child-rearing, the couple placed spending time with their children over career-building. Adam worked nights at UPS, taking classes when Robbie wasn’t working at the Kimbell.

“[Amaris] would go to bed at 7,” Adam recalled. “That’s when I would go to bed before getting up for work at one or two in the morning.”

This life made college studies slow-going. With Paige, their second daughter, on the way, Adam finished his final courses on Robbie’s days off so their first daughter would be with at least one parent.

“I needed stability and health insurance,” Adam said of that time. “I opted to get a teaching certification. We chose to live frugally and struggle in a lot of ways but prioritized spending time with our kids.”

Adam’s time teaching elementary art in Castleberry ISD informs his current work at the Amon Carter, where he frequently coordinates with public school teachers and administrators. School hours and time at home planning for the next day took away from his artistic endeavors, but he still found periods of time to produce work.

Image courtesy of Adam Werner

“Teaching takes an incredible amount of time,” Adam said. “You are spending your evenings prepping for the next day,” Adam said. “Even if you had time available, you are mentally and physically taxed. When there were opportunities for a group show or exhibition, I made work in batches.”

When Adam could squirrel away time for personal projects, his day job was his muse. His drawings and paintings had common themes: paper airplanes, wads of paper, and school-related rituals like ironing on Sundays. The creative output, he said, was self-referential.

Artistic cohorts organized pop-up shows in Arlington and Fort Worth which gave Adam an outlet for his paper-strew visual artworks. In 2012, Robbie opened the uber-popular baked goods store, Stir Crazy. When she outgrew her original location, Robbie moved her business (which she recently sold to Leaves’ Tina Howard) to West Magnolia Avenue three years later.

After more than a decade teaching public school, Adam was ready for a break, so he worked with his wife for a year and a half.

“I was happy doing what I had been doing,” he said, “but I was doing the same thing for 11 years. I was ready for something different. It was nice on one level. We were paying both of our paychecks out of the business, though, and it wasn’t making financial sense.”

Adam considered teaching high school but had always been intrigued with the museum environment. When the Amon Carter posted a position for a community teaching lead, the former schoolteacher applied. The Amon Carter was expanding its outreach program, and the museum split its education program into two parts, with one organizing school tours to the Cultural District while another team brought the knowledge and resources of the museum to schools and community-based arts groups like Artes de la Rosa Cultural Center for the Arts on the North Side. Artist and writer Jessica Fuentes managed both programs which were overseen by Director of Education and Library Services Amanda Blake.

Under Fuentes’ leadership, the Amon Carter launched the Carter Community Artist Program which connects local artists with area youths. But early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Fuentes left the museum to focus on writing for Glasstire magazine and managing the gallery programs at Kinfolk House on the East Side.

After her departure, Adam envisioned splitting Fuentes’ role into two parts. The outreach program had grown significantly under her watch, and the work of the gallery and outreach teams was divergent enough to necessitate separate managers.

“Around that same time, the gallery teaching lead was leaving as well,” Adam recalled. “It didn’t make sense to me to have someone new come and take Jessica’s same role. I had started to take on more responsibilities and pitched the idea of managing the teams separately.”

Blake agreed. The gallery and community teaching teams would each have a manager. Now with a crew of four part-time staffers and interns, the outreach program provides arts-centered programs for K through 12 students through in-school programs and 14 community centers.

After-school program, Fire Station Community Center, March 5, 2020.
Photo courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art

“During the summer, we do camps at 10 community centers,” Adam said. “Those are hour-long on-site programs that present digital images from the collection. When we see those same kids come for a field trip, that is always exciting. We try to recreate the excitement of museum visits at the centers through art making where we discuss the Amon Carter’s artworks and have the students make something in response. That’s the basis of the afterschool and summer camps. Carter in the Classrooms is where we coordinate with teachers or administrators, so we connect with their curriculum. We have a huge archive and library and can pull from those resources. Our archivist can pull some amazing materials like photos, magazines, and books. We can use those to make connections to what they are talking about in the classroom.”

Fort Worth ISD partners with the Amon Carter to ensure that all fourth graders visit the museum at least once during the school year. While past generations of students enjoyed regular field trips to museums and cultural centers, today’s middle and high school teachers face stringent benchmark testing that make school outings less frequent, Adam said.

Over the past few years, Adam and his team have built close relationships with a handful of community partners which include Arts de la Rosa, LGBTQ Saves, Tarrant County Black Historical & Genealogical Society, and Cook Children’s Hospital.

Sharon Herrera remembers the chaos during 2020 that disrupted her nonprofit’s work with queer youths.

“We were panicking,” the LGBTQ Saves founder and director recalled. “The Amon Cater was one of the first groups to reach out to us to help. They provided virtual art meetings. We need more Adams in the world. He is a role model for kindness and inclusion.”

Using the social media app Discord, Adam and his team provided live programs that introduced Herrera’s youths to the museum’s collections as well as highlights of the work that goes on at the museum. One art-loving student didn’t realize that there were professional art guides known as docents.

Simply having programs specifically for LGBTQ children presented by a major cultural institution empowers the youths and teens, Herrera said.

“He is making sure that everyone is included,” Herrera added. “He knows our mission is to save lives, and he is showing young people that they can be authentic. The Amon Carter is an affirming space. Just to know that it is open for LGBTQ students is a blessing. The kids know it is a safe space.”

A recent survey by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit working to end suicide among queer youths, found 41% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender respondents have contemplated suicide. Every fourth Thursday of the month, Herrera’s kiddos spend the evening at the Amon Carter where meals, talks about art, and a loving environment are provided by museum staffers.

“The families are invited,” Herrera said. “It is a powerful relationship because of the way the world is. We rely on them heavily because we are volunteer based. The Amon Carter has been there consistently there for us for three years.”

Adam’s team recently began in-person visits in addition to providing virtual educational programs for patients at Cook Children’s. The Amon Carter, he said, is dedicated to always better serving its community partners.

“Over the years, one of the things that has been part of my role in growing this outreach program is deepening relationships and doing more frequent interactions.”

Photo courtesy of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art

It isn’t a top-down approach, he added. When presenting shows tied to the Hispanic community — such as the recent ¡Printing the Revolution! exhibit — Adam reached out to Artes de la Rosa directors for input.

“We aren’t always the experts,” he said. “We love to hear what the community has to say about what we are doing with certain shows. Those relationships are reciprocal.”

This year is the first that Adam and his team have been able to manage the public-school outreach program without COVID-related restrictions. Teachers can apply for a new partnership program with the Amon Carter that allows students to create large artworks like murals or installation pieces.

Fuentes said Adam’s past work as a public-school teacher and strong work ethic has allowed to grow the outreach program in a meaningful way.

“When I decided to leave the Carter in the middle of the pandemic, it was a tricky decision for a lot of reasons,” Fuentes said. “Still, it was made easier knowing that Adam would be there to carry on the work we had done together in the community. Besides being a talented artist and a thoughtful educator, Adam is a community-centered person. I have loved watching him and the new team of community teachers grow and evolve the community partnerships and programs offered by the museum.”

Fuentes recently attended an arts education conference in San Antonio and heard Adam speak during a conference session. “His passion, strong work ethic, and care came across as he recounted the work he and the team are doing,” Fuentes said.

Based on his years in public schools, Adam is confident that his team is well-versed in the needs of the community.

“We have a mix of people who have spent some time in the classroom,” he said. “Others are fresh out of school and gaining experience. I feel like that collective experience informs how we create the programs we do. We are trying to think about what the community needs while providing programs that are equitable and accessible.”

Adam’s circuitous path to being a museum director was beset with setbacks and pauses so he and his wife could prioritize parenting. It’s a backstory that enables Adam to connect with students who are unsure of what they want in life.

“I don’t necessarily recommend going the route I did,” he said with a laugh. “But there is value in each of the experiences I’ve had. They’ve all built and led to where I am today.”

The post From the Museum to the People first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Meghan’s interest in fashion “started when I was in middle school,” she recalled. “I was fascinated by how people dressed. I started picking up fashion magazines. One year at summer camp, all the girls wanted to dress cutely. We were talking and trying to figure out what to wear. I realized I can help people decide what to wear. I liked helping people.”

The founder of The Bright Factory, a new clothing manufacturing factory, finally found her niche in the garment industry. By the spring of 2023, her Fort Worth-based startup will begin fabricating T-shirts for distribution here and across the country. The materials will be ethically sourced, and The Bright Factory will be staffed by formerly incarcerated women.

photo credit: Kylie Butler of Focused Creative Photography

Meghan’s journey to becoming a mission-minded entrepreneur began in the mainstream fashion world. After graduating in 2014 from the University of North Texas with a degree in fashion merchandising, the aspiring stylist — a job that entails curating clothing for models — interned for Dallas-based stylist Jeanette Chivvis.

“I started to work for her as an intern and then assistant,” Meghan recalled. “That job trained me on how commercials and fashion shows work and how to work with models. It was a fun experience.”

Her next job was as a stylist for Neiman Marcus, where she worked until 2019 before working as a freelance stylist.

“It was a corporate environment,” she said. “There were certain rules to follow, like never blending competing brands. The end photos had to go on a website.”

In 2019, Meghan learned about the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster. An eight-story garment factory collapsed, killing 1,134 people. The deadly collapse and subsequent news that basic safety protocols were blatantly ignored brought the working conditions of clothing factories to international attention. Meghan said the tragedy prompted her to buy clothes solely from businesses that offered employees a safe working environment and livable wages.

“I had already seen some of the not-so-good parts [of the clothing industry],” she said. “The clothes that I was purchasing at Target contributed to [those types of tragedies]. I couldn’t turn a blind eye. I changed the way I shopped… If it was a new product, I would email the company and look for transparency on their websites. There are a lot more [ethically minded clothing stores now], but it was hard to find at the time.”

Friends noticed Meghan’s change in wardrobe and would ask where she shopped. That prompted conversations on ethically and sustainably sourced clothing, but Meghan noticed most people were unable or unwilling to do the extensive research needed to vet businesses on their working conditions.

“Most consumers don’t consider how many industries our shirts touch,” Meghan said. “I had gotten really good at the end-game styling of fashion, but I had not dived into the designing or manufacturing parts.”

Meghan discovered a lack of local retail options for folks who wanted to support safe and well-paying garment factories, so she decided to create her own.

photo credit: Erin Stetson

After an initial Kickstarter campaign raised $62,000, Meghan moved into her current location on Fort Worth’s South Side. The Bright Factory founder is still fundraising for her for-profit venture that aims to begin releasing ethically made T-shirts this spring. Purchasing all the equipment needed to cut and sew the shirts is a big undertaking, so Meghan and her team plan to begin selling shirts that are made off-site by a trusted company for the initial run. By selling blank tees, Meghan will provide the option of sourcing shirts that can then be customized by individual businesses. Rather than competing with retailers, Meghan aims to collaborate.

“From a marketing aspect, people like missional things,” Farmer said, referring to the perks stores can enjoy when printing on The Bright Factory shirts and products.

Another important component of The Bright Factory’s work is the employing of women who have been released from jail or prison. Farmer’s time volunteering in jails brought her into close contact with many women who are determined to turn their lives around.

“Visiting people in jail is so sobering and hard,” she said. “These ladies have so much hope. A lot of them discussed how they wanted to get a job and support their kids. They had a lot more hope than I expected. I realized that it is not that easy to find a job when you are incarcerated. Either you have a felony on your record, or you have had a large gap in your work history.”

While she hasn’t had to deal with the consequences of a criminal record, Farmer said she, like many people, knows what it is like to make a mistake and be given a second chance. Providing work for these women will hopefully restore a semblance of dignity to them. Like in garment factories in “third-world” countries, life can be undignified and even dangerous for the women who create textiles and clothes in the United States, Farmer said. That is something The Bright Factory aims to change.

Farmer’s business plan allows for expansion and growth. For the next several months, though, she will be focused on hiring and maintaining 10 employees who have few prospects for gainful work.

“We are partnering with local nonprofits and organizations who are already in that space of walking alongside women who are coming out of jail and prison,” Farmer said. “We will go through a hiring process to make sure these ladies feel ready – mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. When you are working with populations who have had promises made [to them] and broken, you want to be careful. We want to restore dignity through that job.”

The post Restoring Dignity first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

In 2020, local real estate agent Tuan Phan and a team of volunteers created The Phan Foundation to address economic inequality and affordable housing in our community. Phan said his family wanted to create a legacy in Fort Worth, and housing was a natural focus. Tuan’s father, Cuong Phan, now works in real estate after a long career as an engineer for Lockheed Martin.

Tuan said his family’s knowledge of renovating and flipping homes will help the nonprofit self-fund a variety of programs.

“We plan on buying properties and charging low-market rent,” he said, adding that any income would go directly toward funding the charity. “The other side of the program is job training. We would teach people the trades of flipping a house – hanging doors, installing drywall, plumbing, etc. Hopefully they can use those skills in the wider market, especially with the shortage of labor we have right now.”

The charity will pay anyone in the job training program a living wage while they learn their craft. Once the renovations are complete, the Foundation would sell the home to continue to fund The Phan Foundation programs.

Although the Foundation is still in the early stages, the goal is to provide the refurbished homes to individuals who are often priced out of the housing market.

“The way the market is now, people are having cash offers,” Tuan said. “Think of people who are teachers. It’s a good solid job, but they can’t always save enough for a down payment. We would target those buyers… We wouldn’t just try to put our homes on the open market.”

photo credit: Adam Updegrove

Kathleen Pacpaco, The Phan Foundation president, said addressing homelessness addresses many societal problems. Ending homelessness frees taxpayer funds for other programs, she said.

“Things go wrong,” Pacpaco added. “We like the idea of giving people a second chance.”

After speaking with directors at local nonprofits, Pacpaco said the Foundation will focus on training youths who are aging out of the state’s foster care system. Helping young adults, particularly ones who haven’t had a steady home, can prevent them from falling into homelessness.

According to the National Foster Youth Institute, nearly one in four foster care children are homeless within four years of turning 18.

Tuan said the Foundation’s team applied for a county grant to launch some initiatives, and he has spoken with some city councilmembers about the possibility of using city grant funds for foundation projects. Those conversations revealed the politics of where affordable housing and shelters are placed in Fort Worth. Here and across the country, many cities struggle with placing affordable housing evenly throughout the city.

“As a city, we need to address NIMBYism,” Tuan said, referring to the acronym N.I.M.B.Y., meaning “Not in My Backyard.”

“Basically, the way society is set up is segregated,” he said. “You have commercial areas here, low-income projects there, and upscale homes here. By physically separating society, you separate people socio-economically, and you mentally separate people. We would like to address that because housing is the basis of everything.”

Pacpaco said one way to begin reversing segregation within a city is through something she called urban acupuncture. The idea is to elevate the look and value of a neighborhood through adaptive reuse of old buildings.

“Imagine there is a dilapidated bank in a bad part of town,” she said. “If you convert that into a multiplex, that is good for the fabric of the city. It elevates the neighborhood.”

Fort Worth can a national leader in the effort to end chronic homelessness and address affordable housing supply. Tuan said the problem is daunting, but the solution may simply mean a new approach.

“We think we can solve these problems,” he said. “We are young and idealistic. The people at City Hall think these problems are solvable, too. If you have enough housing stock, you can have housing for people who need it. That means no one will be homeless for a long time, and anyone who transitions out of supportive housing frees that space for a new tenant… NIMBYism, that’s the biggest problem. People don’t want this in their backyard. I think with a generational shift and a change in attitudes, this can be solved.”

The post Giving People a Second Chance first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The researcher, author, and Robert A. Welch Chair of Chemistry told me that he has always enjoyed teaching courses that use science as the launching pad for discussions of topics that traditionally lie outside the realm of what is considered science. During his previous work on faculty at Texas A&M University, Simanek taught a Cowboy Organic course to agriculture students. The chemistry professors weren’t keen on teaching the class, but Simanek found that he loved teaching the applications of chemistry to farming.

Several years ago, Simanek began toying with the idea of offering a class to any undergraduate who wanted to learn about the science and history of whiskey.

A chance encounter with distiller Rob Arnold in 2014 resulted in Simanek and Arnold collaborating on Shots of Knowledge: The Science of Whiskey, published by TCU Press in 2016. Arnold was looking for lab space to isolate yeast strains that would later make Firestone and Robertson Distilling Company an internationally renowned whiskey producer.

“I wanted to teach a class on whiskey,” Simanek recalled. “Here is [a] distiller and he’s interested in collaborating. The book is a journey through the scientific aspects of making whiskey.”

Shots of Knowledge was a finalist for the 2017 Gourmand World Cookbook Awards and laid the basis for TCU Whiskey School. At the time of our interview, Simanek was wrapping up a summer session of the whiskey class. He said his students are majoring in business, political science, and theater, among other fields. The course’s curriculum has evolved over the years, Simanek said. History portions have balanced out chemistry sections, and the average class size is 11 students. That number allows Simanek to fit everyone in a 12-passenger van for field trips to local distilleries where students speak with industry professionals.

“We just went to Blackland Distillery,” Simanek said. “The owner has great insights into the business of whiskey.”

Any study of whiskey requires an understanding of the numerous categories that the spirit has been divided into over the centuries.

“Whiskey is a product that we all recognize because legislative bodies everywhere have defined it,” he said. “The first level of sorting is geographical. There is Canadian, American, and Japanese whiskey, among many others. I can’t make Scottish whisky in America. We’ve agreed that Scotch is made in Scotland and Irish whiskey is made in Ireland. So, we have these conventions.”

[Editor’s note: You will see the word spelled as “whiskey” or “whisky,” depending on the geographical origin of the liquor. It is generally spelled “whiskey” with an “e” in America and Ireland, while the Scottish, Canadian, and Japanese liquors are spelled “whisky” without the “e.” The umbrella term in America is spelled with an “e.”]

Simanek interviewing bourbon legend Jimmy Russell of Wild Turkey. “It’s all about people.”
Photo courtesy of Eric Simanek

I was surprised to learn that there are upwards of 37 distinct styles of American whiskey of which bourbon is the one most of us readily know by name. Compared to Ireland’s four styles and Scotland’s five, the United States has an incredibly rich and diverse range of whiskeys. Each American variety is defined by the grain build.

Science plays an active role in identifying the molecules that define a whiskey’s flavor profile, Simanek continued.

“Aromatics give medicinal flavors, esters give you fruity flavors, and sulfur-containing molecules give coffee or rubbery flavors,” he said. “We can analyze a sample of bourbon to find every molecule that is detectible. If you want to argue for complexity, you can compare lists.”

High levels of complexity do not always equal great flavor. I asked Simanek to describe the difference between two revered spirits: Scotch and bourbon.

“Complexity is often a description levied at Scotches because the barrel plays a lower role in aging,” he said. “That dominant flavor [of the barrel’s wood] you get in bourbon doesn’t appear in Scotch. The yeast and grains have a bigger role.”

In true professorial style, he made a classroom analogy.

“You can have two different classrooms,” he said. “If someone is yelling in one class, you don’t see anyone else. If most of the people are making the same amount of noise, you aren’t being washed out by some single dominant characteristic. I describe bourbon as a whiskey that punches you in the nose. Scotch I think more whispers in your ear.”

Simanek’s newest book, The Whiskey Thieves: An American Adventure in 1871, is a historical novel that tells the forgotten story of one of the great whiskey capitals of the world.

“It traces the story of an aspiring journalist and a 13-year-old boy as they go from Washington D.C. across the country,” he said. “St. Louis was the fourth-largest city [in the United States] at the time. They go to Peoria. (It’s next to where I grew up. I didn’t know I was being brought up next to the whiskey capital [in 1871].) President Grant is up for reelection. To finance that election, some coffers are filled with tax revenues stolen from whiskey revenues. If one loves historical fiction, it moves in that direction.”

Throughout our interview, Simanek continually described his love of teaching. TCU’s chemistry department, he said, involves undergraduates in research and work that other universities might relegate to research staff only.

Simanek leaving a book at the Garth Hotel in Granton-on-Spey in Scotland, the place where he finished proofing the document and his base for adventures through Speyside
Photo courtesy of Eric Simanek

“Because TCU is smaller and our focus on our undergraduates, we will produce less knowledge based on scale, but the knowledge we do produce is by a generation that will go on to great research universities to make great contributions,” he said.

Chemists are tasked with solving some of science’s most challenging and complex problems, Simanek said. TCU’s graduating chemists will pursue careers in research, business, and medicine. The chemists who do research at TCU or go on to study at other universities and institutions will look for solutions and cures for climate change, cancer, and other maladies that afflict humanity. The TCU Whiskey School is more than a deep dive into the science of making whiskey, Simanek said. Students learn how science shapes civilization and how society, in return, shapes science.

“The most important lesson these students learn is the intersectionality of science, technology, and society,” he said. “One doesn’t move forward without the other. Whiskey is what it is because of society’s reaction to it, taxation, the engineering processes, and the science itself.”

The post Barrel-Aged Knowledge first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Music, movies, books, and anything else that can be broadly classified as “pop culture” inevitably build a following of fans, some of whom identify as superfans. A superfan is a person with a deep and abiding (some might be so crude as to say obsessive) love of a particular fandom. While many superfans are content to (not-so) secretly obsess over their particular fandom, some create a way to share their love with others, with tours, cafés, museums, and more catering to superfans and the merely curious alike. Here are some of the most fun superfan destinations in the USA.

The Walking Dead

If I had to live through a zombie apocalypse, I’d rather kill those zombies like the brave cast of The Walking Dead that stumble around like someone who was kicked out of the bar at 2 a.m. and can’t find their car keys. (Why do zombies always do that?) The series, which debuted in 2010, still garners three million viewers per episode in its final season. Each March, superfans descend on Atlanta, Georgia, for The Fandemic Dead Tour that features actors from and cosplayers of the series. The nearby city of Senoia, Georgia, which stands in for the town of Woodbury, offers numerous tours. There is also a scavenger hunt, where you and your loved ones can try to survive the apocalypse, and a food tour.

Superhero Destinations

There’s a vocal contingent of cinephiles who wished Thanos made the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) disappear, but there are millions of MCU superfans who love every single minute of every single movie. (Having grown up on Stan Lee, I still count myself as a fan of the comic book adaptations.) For the Marvel superfan in your life, the small town of Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, has a toy and action figure museum that is sure to please. Billed as the first museum devoted to the art and sculpting of action figures, the nonprofit has fielded over 50,000 visitors since opening in 2020. Added bonus: it’s only about a two-hour drive from Fort Worth!

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton is a saint. The legendary singer-songwriter has given over 10 million books to children across the world to promote literacy. She partly funded the Moderna vaccine. To promote the inoculation, she sang “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine” to the chorus of her hit tune “Jolene.” Nestled in the Smokey Mountains, Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home at Dollywood is a two-room replica of her childhood home that contains recreations of some of her favorite childhood mementos. Dollywood itself is a sprawling amusement park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

The SPAM Museum

SPAM evokes strong emotions. SPAM superfans sing its praises while the spiced pork product’s detractors tend to question why canned meat still exists. For superfans, Austin, Minnesota, is home to the SPAM Museum, which tells the history of the Hormel company and its most divisive creation. Tours led by SPAMbassadors (yes, SPAMbassadors) highlight everything from early cookbooks to photos of World War II GIs enjoying the famous meat.

Selena Quintanilla Pérez

Twenty-seven years after her death, Selena is still the Queen of Tejano music, and her music and fashion sense still resonate with people today. Corpus Christi, where Selena spent her teen years, is home to the Selena Museum, where superfans can view hundreds of Selena photographs, her awards, and, of course, her iconic outfits. Also in the coastal city is Mirador de la Flor, the sculpture by H.W. Tatum that depicts the Tejano singer looking toward the sea.

Rancho Obi-Wan

When Walt Disney Studios bought LucasFilm in 2012, Star Wars superfans were brokenhearted. What would The Mouse do to their beloved space epic? Fortunately for the most hardcore of superfans, Disney doesn’t have a monopoly on Star Wars destinations. Rancho Obi-Wan is the world’s largest privately-owned collection of Star Wars memorabilia — a boastful claim that was certified by Guinness World Records in 2014. The Petaluma, California-based museum holds more than 400,000 Star Wars pieces. From bobbleheads to costumes, stage props to unopened action figures, Rancho Obi-Wan is the place for every Leia, Han, and Luke.

The post A Nation of Superfans first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

It was early January of 2015 when she noticed a FedEx envelope on her front doorstep. The unexpected termination letter turned her world upside down. She had spent the last 13 years as a global director at the Fort Worth eyecare company. While employees knew that the 2011 acquisition of Alcon by Novartis had transformed the beloved local company into a profit-driven machine that saw employees as numbers, Dickerson said the news left her emotionally battered.

“It was devastating,” Dickerson recalled. “I was the first female global director in the organization. I had so many friends there and a love for the company. It was devastating. Things went through my head like, ‘I’m a failure. What are people going to think of me?’”

The need to support her two children, even with a working husband, left Dickerson worried about things that she had taken for granted, like being able to pay the mortgage.

“It took a week or two to work through that raw pain,” she recalled. “It was a moment where I could either wallow or I could get up and fight another day. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a fighter. I immediately took a venture finance course online to learn about raising money. I started sketching out business plans.”

photo credit: Angie Garcia

Flash forward several years, and it’s evident that Dickerson has successfully used that painful event to build something with a bright future. Sitting in the conference room of Eosera, a Fort Worth-based biotechnology company with 20 employees and a growing national portfolio of products, Dickerson was joined by her business partner, Joe Griffin. A few months after Dickerson was let go, Griffin was caught in the same wave of Alcon layoffs that were intended to maximize corporate profits. The two friends and longtime colleagues began planning their next business move.

Griffin, who has a Ph.D. in toxicology, remembered those conversations starting around values and culture. Both biotechnology workers were left emotionally pummeled by their abrupt terminations from a company that they thought would reward their years of earnest labor.

“What can we do to make a better work environment?” Dickerson asked Griffin during those early conversations.

The venture that would become Eosera, they agreed, would be based on a simple principle: Treat people the way you want to be treated.

Our employees “feel valued and empowered every day,” Dickerson said. “In big companies, we got to the point where we felt like numbers, like we were there to deliver the bottom line to them. You didn’t feel like you mattered as a person. It sounds so simple. That is how we lead, and that is how we treat anyone who comes in this door. When we make mistakes, we share with the group and try to teach them that there is value in authenticity. Bringing your true self to work instead of what you think they want is often lost in corporate American.”

But even the loftiest of business missions need a useful product.

Griffin, who handles clinical design and research as Eosera’s chief scientific officer, said the early months of the company focused on listening to medical professionals.

“We took advantage of relationships we had with healthcare professions, looking for any opportunity we could to have lunch or any meetings we could have” with physicians, Griffin said. “We were basically asking them what was missing from the market or what would make their practice or a consumer’s life easier — low-hanging fruit that no one else was paying attention to.”

The overwhelming response, the business co-owners found, was a need for a better ear wax removal product. For various reasons, busy doctors didn’t see removing ear wax as a good use of their time, Griffin said. Being able to recommend a quality home remedy topped the needs of the healthcare professionals Dickerson and Griffin spoke with.

The business partners worked out of UNT Health Science Center for the remainder of 2015. Griffin collected ear wax from area medical practices and got to work learning about which chemicals and solutions would best dissolve or dislodge the waxy material.

“We tried hundreds of combinations of ingredients,” Griffin recalled. “We landed on a couple of formulas that would break down wax better than anything in the market.”

As Griffin dug into the science of ear wax, he learned that the waxy compound varies from person to person but basically consists of dead skin cells and a secretion from the ear canal’s modified sweat glands. The material that coats the ear canals slowly flows outward, he said. Under ideal conditions, the slow movement of ear wax naturally cleanses the ears.

The system in the ear canal is different than anywhere else in the body, Griffin explained. There are several ways that the system of ear wax secretion can break down and lead to buildup in the ear that can cause discomfort and temporary hearing loss. Some people overproduce skin cells, ear wax, or both, according to Griffin. Clogged ear canals may be more prevalent in our modern era, he continued. Earplugs and listening devices that have become a common feature of daily life can obstruct the ear’s natural cleaning process.

While other areas of healthcare had evolved, the ear care industry was relying on decades-old devices and formulas. Once Griffin had developed a small portfolio of washing devices and ear drops, Dickerson needed to land those products on shelves.

In 2016, Eosera won a $50,000 prize from The Dallas Entrepreneur Center and Comerica Bank after winning a pitch competition.

“We were like, ‘Oh my God, we have a company,’” Dickerson recalled thinking of the time.

That award led to phone calls from investors. Eosera’s biggest break, though, came in 2016 when the company was picked up by CVS Pharmacy. Dickerson had 10 minutes to sell a CVS employee on Eosera’s new product, EARWAX MD.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

“I had an eight-minute pitch down,” Dickerson recalled. “I built the story around how there hasn’t been innovation in this category in decades. We are bringing innovation. I was asking to be in 2,000 stores. At the end of the eight minutes, he told me, ‘I love this. I want it in 8,000 stores, and I need it in three months.’”

Dickerson said she was simultaneously ecstatic and terrified by the news.

“I got to the rental car and called Joe,” she said. “I told him that I have really good news and really bad news. We had nothing at the time. We had a dream. We got on a plane and found a manufacturer. Our first production run was 80,000 units. We went from zero to 100 overnight, and that was just the start.”

With each new account, Eosera outgrew its current location. The growing business has been housed by the nonprofit business incubator Tech Fort Worth, in an office in the West 7th area, and now in its current location in a large office and warehouse facility in Fort Worth’s South Side.

Along the way, and as Eosera has expanded its product line, many of Dickerson’s and Griffin’s former colleagues have provided advice or answered technical questions free of charge.

“We are always willing to pay” for those consulting services, Griffin said. “Many times, they give us free wisdom. The bridges that we built can pay off in numerous ways.”

Dickerson said those moments are a commentary on how the co-owners lived out their professional lives. When you pay it forward, sometimes that goodwill pays dividends.

With this issues theme of building your future in mind, I asked Dickerson how it felt to be finally building what I thought was her lifelong goal. Interestingly, her answer wasn’t pegged to Eosera or any one project that she has or will work on.

“You are always building your future,” she said. “I don’t know where I’ll be 10 years from now. If you have a learner mindset, no matter what role you are in, you’re learning something and preparing for who knows what in the future. The future is unknowable, and you should always be open to possibilities and open to learning. We would not be able to do what we are doing now without that history. You are always hitting new peaks.”

As Dickerson answered, Griffin intently listened and nodded.

“Yes, keep learning,” he said. “Make sure that you continue to build your network. If you never burn a bridge, I feel like life would be successful. I can always go to [former colleagues] to ask for help.”

Dickerson occasionally speaks to young entrepreneurs. At one such recent event, a student asked if it was a good idea to start up a business right out of college. Dickerson answered without hesitation.

“No,” she replied. “Go have experiences. Take different jobs. Nothing is forever. Use those experiences to learn. One of my jobs was literally taking price tags on and off garments in college. You have to stick with it. It taught me how I wanted to be treated. You learn so much in those less-than-ideal jobs.”

Eosera, once known as an earwax removal company, is expanding to include nasal products like Baby Nose Well, a nasal aspirator for babies and toddlers. Nose Well for adults is an improvement of the Neti pot — one that can be used without having to tilt your head. In the coming months, Eosera will be on shelves in Krogers across the country. As the product line expands to treat other areas of the body, Dickerson said customers will be introduced to a growing line of premium products.

photo credit: Angie Garcia

“Our overall mission is to bring healthcare products to underserved categories,” Dickerson said. “If you had told us that we would be where we are today, I would have said no way. The volume that we thought was crazy a year ago is super simple now. Right now, it is one bite at a time.”

Dickerson and Griffin are in the process of hiring two leadership positions. At the forefront of their minds, Dickerson said, is ensuring that Eosera’s company culture does not falter. The co-owners said that much of Eosera’s mission and culture was shaped by how they were treated toward the end of their years at Alcon.

Company culture is set by example. At the end of a long day, if an overflowing trash bin needs to be taken out, either co-owner does it without ordering menial tasks to workers. Treating visitors with equal levels of respect is another hallmark of Eosera work culture. The practice of putting people before profits is a model that Dickerson and Griffin said is part of the company’s success. The co-owners acknowledged that, one day, the company that they founded may be guided by a large corporate board and a team of executives. If the company grows the way that Dickerson and Griffin intend it to, then future Eosera employees will never be dismissed with something as cold as a FedEx letter.

“We think Eosera will outgrow us, but we have to leave it in good hands,” Griffin said. “The internal culture is non-negotiable.

Edward Brown is a writing tutor and piano teacher. He is also an award-winning writer for the Fort Worth Weekly and volunteers for numerous Fort Worth nonprofits.

The post Putting People Above Profit first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

While most people know of Festivus from the famous Seinfeld episode “The Strike.” Frank Costanza claims he created the secular holiday as a response to the commercialization of Christmas. In reality, Festivus was conceived of in the 1960s.  

The Festivus Pole

Author and editor Daniel O’Keefe envisioned the holiday as a non-religious celebration that includes the outward trapping of Christmas but none of the commercial baggage. The Festivus pole, for example, consists of a lone aluminum pole that leaves Charlie Brown’s tree appearing comparatively decadent. (It’s interesting to note that Daniel O’Keefe’s son, Dan, co-wrote “The Strike,” thereby bringing Festivus to the rest of us.)  

Since 2014, Festivus has become a beloved part of the holiday season for Fairmount residents. Brandon Garrett and his wife Christa started the annual tradition in 2014. 

“At first, it was just a neighborhood thing” that wasn’t organized, said Lori Gallagher, who has co-organized the events with Kelly Bowden since 2018. 

“The neighborhood always goes all out when decorating,” she continued. “That’s kind of our thing. We have these historic houses and front porches. Brandon came up with the idea of doing a bus tour.” 

That first year, Festivus revelers met at BREWED where they could board buses which then toured the Fairmount neighborhood. Along the pre-planned route, residents reenacted scenes from popular holiday traditions and movies. The Nutcracker, Christmas Vacation, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas are perennial favorites. Residents also had the opportunity to vote on the best decorated homes — a tradition that has carried to this day.  

Another annual tradition has been the donation of gifts to One Safe Place, a nonprofit that prevents violence in Tarrant County’s neighborhoods, schools, and homes. 

Photo courtesy of Historic Fairmount

“The next year, we moved [Festivus] to The Space,” Gallagher said. “People bought tickets and got a tour. That worked for a few years.” 

Bowden’s Rosen House Inn, a bed and breakfast, served as a kid-friendly Festivus stop that featured choirs, hot chocolate, and meet ‘n greets with Santa Claus. After 2017, the Garretts opted out of organizing the events. 

In 2018, a “couple of people came and said we are not having Festivus,” Gallagher recalled. “[We said] ‘Oh, we have to have Festivus.’ It ended up that Kelly and I took over as co-chairs. She is the doer. I’m the one taking notes.” 

Despite the pandemic, Festivus and the donations to One Safe Place continued in 2020 with public health accommodations. In lieu of a bus, participants drove themselves through the pre-planned route, and gifts were dropped off with minimal physical contact, the co-organizers said. This year’s Festivus festivities, which takes place of Saturday, December 11, from 6 to 9 pm, will take similar precautions, they added.  

Bowden said that, for Fairmounters, Festivus kicks off the season of giving. “It’s an all-inclusive Christmas spirit,” she said. 

Gallagher added that the celebration brings the neighborhood together through friendly rivalries via the house decorating contest. In the weeks leading up to Festivus (which is typically held the first weekend in December), the co-chairs canvass Fairmount to see who needs help decorating their homes. If a family is in financial need, the Festivus crew will donate time and resources, even if it occasionally ends up helping the wrong home. 

Photo courtesy of Historic Fairmount

“One couple contacted me about light decorations,” Gallagher recalled with a laugh. “They weren’t home. I put all the lights up, and it was the wrong house. I had to take them all down. They were like, ‘We were waiting for you!’”  

Fairmount residents “take great pride in” their home decorations, Gallagher said. “They want people to show off our neighborhood.” NUSA, a national neighborhood advocacy group, recently awarded Fairmount’s Festivus event with its Neighborhood of the Year Award in the Social Revitalization/Neighborliness category.   

As for any changes to this year’s festivities, Gallagher would only say that there are some “big surprises planned.” So, stay tuned. After all, even if you don’t live in Fairmount, Festivus really is for the rest of us.  

mounEdward Brown is a writing tutor and piano teacher. He is also an award-winning writer for the Fort Worth Weekly and volunteers for numerous Fort Worth nonprofits.

The post Fairmount’s Festivus Really Is for the Rest of Us first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.