Spotlight on Texas Wine Month

October 2018 Main Street Matters

By Susan Leary, Main Street Manager, Childress Main Street Program

Every year Texas Wine Month officially begins in October, one of our favorite months to celebrate the bountiful harvest and the wines produced. In our main spotlight this month, we asked five Texas Main Street managers with downtown wineries, “How has the Texas Wine Industry contributed to your Main Street district?”

The 501 Winery opened in November 2015, one block off U.S. Highway 287 in the Childress Main Street district. In the short period of three years, they have seen visitors from every state and many foreign visitors from over 20 countries. The winery sits at the entrance to our Main Street district and is named after our Fort Worth & Denver Steam Locomotive No. 501 that sits at the end of our district. The wonderful employees of the winery encourage visitors to explore our downtown and visit the locomotive. It is the most photographed landmark in Childress. They include in all their advertising that they are located in the Childress Main Street district. The 501 Winery is Childress’ second main tourism attraction, just behind the Stoney Ridge Golf Course. To have a staple like the winery in our downtown has been a huge draw for visitors, and our downtown merchants have seen an increase in their sales since its opening. We feel they were the perfect fit for Main Street and are one of our best partners for Main Street activities. The owner also serves on the Childress Advisory Board. Our blessing, the 501 Winery, and Childress Main Street Program, a win-win!

By Anita Brown, Main Street Manager, Waxahachie Main Street Program

Our first winery sprang from a completely unexpected source. Karla Gibson and her husband made wine as a hobby and mostly shared it with friends and associates. After receiving rave reviews from those who were privileged to get to sample their products, Karla decided it might be a new career path. After turning a dream into a reality in 2015, and after securing a space in February of 2016, she opened for business on December 30, 2016. During the time of getting licensed and preparing the interior of her store, Karla and her husband were making and bottling what they thought was enough wine to sustain them for a while. Within the first three months of being open, they had to stop selling bottles and cases of wine to go because their supply was quickly being depleted. Karla’s winery and her wine proved so popular that she eventually had to find a larger winery who would follow her recipes to help with production in order to meet demand! Now open for almost two years, Cork House Winery is a favorite spot in downtown Waxahachie that hosts live music, and contributes to the ambiance and offerings for nightlife here. Since the winery opened, downtown Waxahachie has gained a wine bar/restaurant and our first local brewery.

By Aaron Werner, Former Main Street Coordinator, McKinney Main Street Program

Historic Downtown McKinney has two hometown wineries on opposite sides of the square. It is easy to contribute some of downtown McKinney’s progression to both Lone Star Wine Cellars and Landon Winery. Each one has brought something totally unique to our downtown. They are featured at local events such as McKinney Oktoberfest and have played a critical role in the development of our arts festival, Arts in Bloom, a celebration of art and wine. In addition, these wineries are ambassadors for McKinney when they travel to other wine tasting events across the state. Our goal is for historic downtown McKinney to become known as an entertainment destination—a place that offers a full experience, beyond shopping and dining. Our wineries play a huge part in this because they prolong people’s stay when visiting the square. Guests can sit on an open-air patio, share a bottle of wine with friends, and listen to a local act. The live music alone changes the atmosphere of the entire square. When visitors walk past one of the wineries on a Saturday night, they can tell that this place is alive, people are enjoying themselves, and those feelings are contagious.

By Sarah O’Brien, Former Main Street Manager, Bastrop Main Street Program

Thankfully Bastrop’s Colorado River Winery has been a staple of our eclectic Main Street scene for years. Owners Brad and Sylvia Cook have been involved with special events including Lost Pines Christmas, Wine Swirl, and our new Table on Main event. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention our fantastic wine shop, Cripple Creek Wine & Gifts, whose friendly service, vast array of Texas wines, and regular wine tastings is a First Friday must do. Owners Sean and Abbie Neighbours are the inspiring young merchants you want in your downtown. A second winery, Blessed Bee Winery, opened inside the TDA Award Winning Lost Pines Art Center. They serve a variety of locally produced mead wines, as well as the finest champagnes and wines from Texas to California. Kathleen O’Steen and her team host the annual Texas Mead Festival. Last year was their first entry into our downtown event scene concocting a delicious wassail for our annual #smallbusinesssaturday celebration. Instead of longing for a downtown winery as I did for so many years, now I struggle trying to decide where to enjoy Mimosa Mornings because yes, we have more than one of those events every Saturday. Raise a glass and help me cheer the amazing folks behind downtown Bastrop’s wine scene.

By Deby Lannen, Former Main Street Manager, Taylor Main Street Program

Since Pilot Knob Vineyard and Winery joined the downtown Main Street family in the city of Taylor, they have rounded out our entertainment options and provided a wonderful place where people can enjoy themselves in our beautiful downtown. For several years as I traveled around visiting other Main Street cities, I found myself experiencing a little bit of “Main Street Envy” when I would see Main Streets with fun gathering spots where friends and families could meet after shopping, or just sit down and visit. I wished we had more of those types of places in Taylor’s Main Street district. As our downtown has grown, we have attracted more variety in businesses, which now includes a fantastic brewery that really lends a sense of character. So when Pilot Knob established their presence in downtown Taylor, they gave us a new gathering spot. In addition to serving fantastic wine, they also host events like painting / wood sign making classes, and live music events. They also provide rental space for events like bridal showers and birthday parties. Pilot Knob has taken the fun, independent spirit of downtown Taylor to heart, and they have become an integral part of our Main Street family.