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Tony Formby, owner of Acre Distilling Co., stands next to a prototype of the shop display he plans to purchase. (Ismael M. Belkoura | Fort Worth Report)
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Acre Distilling Co. doesn’t get a lot of pedestrian traffic on the southern side of downtown.

“We’re kind of on the dark side of the moon,” owner Tony Formby said.

Formby has relied on his small boutique distillery’s connections with Fort Worth’s entrepreneurial community to generate success. Previous collaborations include monthly taste pairings with Fort Worth businesses FunkyTown Donuts and Drafts and Dusty Biscuit Beignets, working with the Fort Worth Convention Center, and renting the storefront location for events.

Those partnerships helped Acre Distilling Co. and two other local businesses, Black Coffee and Green Thistle Emporium, land $10,000 grants from Main Street America and American Express as part of their Backing Small Businesses grant program. The businesses will use the funds to bring attention to their products and communities.

Black Coffee owner Mia Moss hopes the grant will put her coffee shop and Polytechnic Heights, where she grew up, on the map. Along with Northside, Polytechnic Heights was one of two neighborhoods selected for a Main Street America pilot program looking to reenergize older and historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.

“Sometimes, when you’re in the thick of it, you don’t see the potential,” Moss said. “It’s a goal of mine to help individuals that live in the area, that work in the area, to see the potential, and possibly invest in it.”

Green Thistle on Race Street in northeast Fort Worth and Black Coffee are located in two areas that the city has targeted for revitalization funds. In a city news release, Robert Sturns, the city’s director of economic development, said revitalization efforts start at the business level.

“These Main Street grants are incredibly important to that effort, because they funnel additional resources into these business corridors,” he said.

In an email to the Fort Worth Report, Bethany Rogers, director of strategic projects at Main Street America, said grant recipients stand out among the crowd by displaying three qualities: pride in the business, community involvement, and a detailed project plan. 

“All three recipients from Fort Worth demonstrated these qualities in their applications, and were successful in a very competitive review process where only the top 10% of applicants were awarded funding,” Rogers said.

Fort Worth led Texas with the most grant winners; 17 small businesses were awarded across the state.“I just appreciate the whole organization and what they’re doing across the United States, and that they see the potential in Fort Worth,” Moss said.

Mia Moss, the owner of Black Coffee on East Rosedale, promotes the growth of locally owned businesses. (Cristian ArguetaSoto | Fort Worth Report)

Moss plans to boost her marketing and improve the seating and shelving in her coffee shop. She also used the grant for events such as Sunday Music Days, which Black Coffee hosts the second Sunday of every month. 

Community outreach through events is not new for the Black-owned business. Previous efforts include a community workout and a classic cars event.

Green Thistle has been a mainstay in the River East neighborhood for over a year. The shop offers sustainable and handmade goods as well as a refillery for personal care products meant to reduce plastic use. 

Owner Stephanie Morrison said this was her first time ever applying for a grant. She didn’t expect to win.

“It’s just amazing,” she said, with a laugh.

The detailed application process explored how her business was connected to the community, Morrison said. Green Thistle works with local artisans to sell their work and is using the grant to collaborate with Riverside, including Creatively Beaut Goods and the Riverside Arts District.

“My goal with the grant spending was to make more people aware of my business so that we can make a profit, but also support our goals to bring sustainable options to Fort Worth and bring focus and attention to Race Street,” Morrison said. 

Morrison also plans to hire outside help to assist her business with social media, marketing and air conditioning repairs.

Stephanie Morrison, owner of Green Thistle Emporium, poses for a portrait in front of the store’s refillery, Nov. 29, 2023. (Sandra Sadek | Fort Worth Report)

Formby, who has owned Acre Distilling since 2015, said he plans to use the grant to fund specially designed shop displays to better promote the brand in liquor stores around the state. He plans to make 50 displays, each costing $200.

The grant won’t cover all expenses, but the $10,000 convinced Formby to pull the trigger on the project that he’s been considering for about a year.

“We’re probably going to spend way more than that. But this is a catalyst to pushing us into this market, which I think will be beneficial,” he said.

More money could head toward the three grant recipients. Business owners must spend their grants by Sept. 9. If they do, they will have a chance to win an additional $30,000 from Main Street America.

Moss, Formby and Morrison plan to seize that opportunity.

Ismael M. Belkoura is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at ismael.belkoura@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.