Shopping news

Buff City Soap lathers up for opening of first Fort Worth-area store

Watch them make the soap in-store.

Photo courtesy of Buff City Soap

After Buff City Soap moved its headquarters from Memphis to Dallas last year, it is cleaning up across North Texas, opening several new stores in the area — including the first one in Tarrant County.

The brand, known for its plant-based soap and body products that customers can watch being made in-store, is opening its doors in Southlake, at 1431 E. Southlake Blvd., in the Shops of Southlake (across from Central Market) on Thursday, November 11.

Local residents Dorvin and Leigh Ellen Lively, with their daughter Lindsey, own and operate the shop.

“We are so excited to bring plant-based soap that is handcrafted daily to the residents of Southlake,” says Lindsey, who has been a longtime fan herself.

Their grand-opening deal is pretty great: The first 50 people who visit the new Southlake store during a special VIP event each day — 9 am-7 pm November 11, 9 am-8 pm November 12-13, and 11 am-6 pm November 14 — will get free soap for a year.

In addition, a grand opening event will take place January 7-9, 2022, where customers will have their second chance to win — this time, it's free laundry soap for a year. (Mark your calendars and get on this free stuff, people — stuff's not cheap!)

Normal store hours will be 10 am-6 pm Monday-Thursday, 10 am-8 pm Friday-Saturday, and 12-6 pm Sunday.

Even before the Southlake store opens, a new Buff City will debut in the northern Dallas suburb of Prosper, on November 4. There are also stores planned for Mansfield and Denton, with no opening dates set yet, a spokesman says.

They will join existing local stores in Allen, McKinney, Celina, Highland Village, and the Park Cities.

Buff City Soap was founded in 2013 as a high-quality alternative to commercial soap products full of sulfates, harsh chemicals, detergents, and animal fats. They allow customers to watch the soap-making process live, in-store, and are transparent about their ingredients and process.

Each store offers more than 30 customizable scents in a variety of handcrafted products — soap bars, bath bombs, foaming hand soap, and laundry soap — with fun names like "Ferocious Beast," "Good Morning Sunshine," and "Narcissist." Prices run from about $7 for a soap bar or foaming bottle to $18 for laundry detergent.

NEW CRUSH

Lauded Texas winemaker uplifts Hill Country town with new vineyard and tasting room

Photo by David Capote

Uplift Vineyard devotes 55 acres to growing grapes.

One of Texas’ most acclaimed winemakers is stomping on new grounds. William Chris Wine Company is opening of a new vineyard and tasting room on a gorgeous 78-acre property in Burnet, about 170 miles (or just over two-and-a-half hours) southwest of Fort Worth.

William Chris founders Chris Brundrett and Andrew Sides purchased the property, formerly named Hoover Valley, in 2021 from a private owner. The rebranded Uplift Vineyard hired the vineyard team and rehabbed the existing structures to offer elevated wine-tasting experiences and host future private events.

Uplift will be William Chris’ first estate wine brand. For those not up on wine-speak, the offerings will use grapes exclusively grown in the vineyard instead of those harvested by outside growers. Winemaker Claire Richardson will head the program, featuring a surfeit of single-varietal wines and proprietary blends.

Fall releases will zero in on hefty sippers like a single variety Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, as well as a Bordeaux blend. Springtime will lighten up with Italian grapes such as Montepulciano, Aglianico, and Sangiovese.

Eventually, Uplift Vineyard will expand its wine offerings to a medium-body Rhône blend featuring Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre and explore white blends and rosés.

“Every bottle of Uplift wine will come from only the best grapes harvested from this spectacular site, situated in the Llano Uplift geological region,” says CEO Bundrett via a release. “We’re looking forward to bringing awareness to this unique location within the Texas Hill Country AVA because the fruit that’s being grown here is just outstanding.”

Guests can enjoy the vintages at the tasting room or via a limited-capacity wine club, the Uplift Viticultural Society. Uplift is in the final stages of filling the first 300 of 1,000 total spots for the ultra-exclusive Founders Club.

Looking forward, Uplift will host onsite cooking demonstrations and full-day experiences that take advantage of the bucolic setting. For now, the tasting room is open for reservations only, Thursdays through Sundays, 11 am-6 pm.

Last fall, William Chris Vineyards came in at No. 56 on the World’s Best Vineyards' list of top wine destinations for 2022. It was the only Texas vineyard on the list and one of only seven wineries from the U.S.

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