This Week's Hot Headlines

Late musician's home demolition rocks this week's 5 hottest Fort Worth headlines

The home is at 1209 Hickory Valley Ct. in Arlington.

Photo courtesy of Zillow

Editor's note: A lot happened this week, so here's your chance to get caught up. Read on for the week's most popular headlines. Looking for the best things to do this weekend? Find that list here.

1. Former Arlington home of the late Pantera musician Vinnie Paul is drummed into rubble. The saga of the quirky Arlington home once owned by the late Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul has taken an interesting turn. Earlier this year, the home went on the market for $750,000. Just a few days later, a buyer snapped up the home for an undisclosed amount. Now, the home has been razed.

2. Where to eat in Fort Worth right now: 5 new restaurants with tacos, pizza and more. This edition of our monthly Where to Eat column spotlights five newly-opened restaurants in Fort Worth, from an intriguing new Italian restaurant to an old-timer that's been revived, with everything from pizza to tacos in between. Here's where to eat in Fort Worth right now.

3. Check out the openings in this roundup of Fort Worth restaurant news. This roundup of restaurant news includes tidbits about a new seafood place, a new pho spot, and a brewpub in the works. Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news.

4. These are the 7 best food and drink events in Fort Worth this week. June is here, and with the new month come new food and drink events. A tropical-themed brunch and a Pride Month dinner and show are part of the list. Also new is a cookbook club that comes with tasty dishes and good conversation, a secret cocktail garden pop-up, and the grand opening of a new breakfast and lunch spot.

5. 12 applause-worthy events make it a blockbuster summer for arts in Dallas-Fort Worth. Summer typically is a slower time on the Dallas-Fort Worth arts scene, but nothing has been typical about arts — or anything else — the last couple years. Because of the pandemic, big events were postponed, seasons were reconfigured, and anniversary celebrations were rescheduled. As a result, DFW has a blockbuster summer of performing and visual arts ahead. Here are the can't-miss events.

The home was at 1209 Hickory Valley Ct. in Arlington.

Vinnie Paul house, 1209 Hickory Valley Ct., Arlington

Photo courtesy of Zillow

The home was at 1209 Hickory Valley Ct. in Arlington.

Party Is Over

Party City chain to close all stores including 9 in Fort Worth

Party City

A chain of stores where the party is always going on is closing down: Party City will close all of its stores and has initiated layoffs, effective immediately. According to CNN, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees that Party City has to “commence a winddown process immediately,” and that Friday would be their last day of work for the company.

However, the actual store locations, including those around North Texas, will be open until February 28.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Party City is largest party goods retailer in the U.S. — the go-to destination for every type of celebration, with more than 700 company-owned and franchise store locations across North America selling home decor, candles, balloons, wrapping paper, tableware, bulk candy, baking supplies, and more.

A typical Party City store ranges in size from 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and carries approximately 30,000 items. Halloween accounts for as much as one-quarter of yearly sales, but they celebrate all seasonal holidays, from New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July to Father's Day to Super Bowl Sunday, and offer a wide array of merchandise for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, wedding and bridal showers, and baby showers.

Party and costume merchandise has become more competitive in recent years, with companies like the budget-focused Spirit Halloween expanding beyond its Halloween pop-ups into “Spirit Christmas” stores, as well as competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

In 2023, the chain filed for bankruptcy, then emerged with a plan that included transitioning into a privately held company and canceling nearly $1 billion in debt. At that time, there were approximately 800 U.S. stores.

There are 64 stores in Texas, with 9 in the Fort Worth area, as follows:

Arlington
Burleson
Denton
Euless
Fort Worth
Hurst
Lake Worth
Mansfield
Watauga

Dallas-Fort Worth stores have already started sales between 5 and 50 percent off.

holidays closings