Today we’d like to introduce you to Francesca Lawrence
Hi Francesca, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I used to work in medical and was good friends with Madison, Ron Semlers (the owner) daughter. When I was looking for a change in jobs Madison came to me and offered me the opportunity to assist in this project and since December of 2022 we have been working hand in hand to make Saddlerock happen!Madison has an amazing sense of style and design that lead the direction of the project. I took on permitting with the city, working closely with the historic preservation deparment, developmental services, and building as we ended up being quite a tricky project! Madison and I were involved in the daily operation and oversaw all construction efforts for the 17 months until we were ready to open!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was the definition of a bumpy road! But no ones fault! We expected to be open in Septmeber of 2023 but we hit many set backs and had a few, if you will, learning curves! Since we are historically preserved by the city of fort worth we had a lot of back and forth trying to figure out what requirments we would be held to as a new commercial building while still respecting the history of the home and not affecting the character or integrity of the property. One of our biggest hurddles along the way was inputting a fire suppression system into the main home. That process in itself took 6 months.
We’ve been impressed with Saddlerock Wine & Beer CO., but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are a wine and craft beer bar located right in between the city and the stockyards! We currently sell 17 skews of our wine. Yes, 100% of our wine can only be purchased through us or our sister tasting room location in West Hills CA. In total, we make 38 skews of wine and will slowly bring in and rotate out styles throughout the seasons. Long term we would love to work with a local wine maker to create a texas lable of our own. The owner, Ron Semler, owns close to 1200 acres in Malibu where he has been producing grapes for close to 45 years. All of our estate wines are 100% our grapes and our Saddlerock wines are grapes sources from all over CA. We offer 14 craft beers on tap, all Texas brewerys. We have live music on Friday/Saturdays and food trucks Thursday-Sunday. We do not have a kitchen on site but we encourage guests to bring their own food! Snack, dinner, a picnic, only thing we ask is that we supply the alcohol! Saddlerock Wine & Beer Co. is roughly 1.25 acres along the trinity river, majority of our seating is outside but we have a great variety of cute and cozy indoor spots when the heat is too much. We are currently working on getting misters and fans installed in our outdoor spaces to help with the heat and we hope to have this done before we host our 4th of July event. We have had so many guests tell us they don’t feel like they are in Texas once they walk into our venue! We tried so hard to keep the personality of the home and embrace its history and guests have noticed it which makes us so excited. We are most proud of the environement we have created at the venue. Our staff get complimented daily, guests are eager to come back, everyone leaves with a smile on their face and they LOVE the wine!! and of course, the men greatly appreciate the beer options! With a spot to overlook the trinity river, have a drink under the victorian stairs, and enjoy the sunset from the back patio there really isnt a bad spot to sit or meet new people. We strive to be a deeper part of the community than just your favorite local bar!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Me personally, I credit Ron for the opportunity to be involved so heavily in this project with no prior experience to justify trusting me with his business haha. He encourages entrepreneurship in all of his children and the young people he meets, it was one of the most valuable learning experiences/opportunities I have had in my 25 years of life and I know I will only learn more from him as we progress.
Madison was my right hand woman and vice versa. We leaned a lot throughout these 17 months and I learned a lot from her. Not just about their family business but valuable skills and business education that I can impletement in future work endevors and my personal life. She encouraged me to be confident in the role I took on and always had faith that we would be successful. The thing I value most is our friendship has stayed strong throughout this experience.
And of course my parents and significant other. Being there to support me mentally through late nights/long days and provide advice anytime I got stuck on a task.
Pricing:
- Wine (glass) 11-14
- Wine (Bottle) 35-61
- Beer (glass) 7-10
Contact Info:
- Website: https://drinksaddlerock.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drinksaddlerockfw/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/Saddlerock-Wine-Beer-Co-61557417874961/?_rdr
Image Credits
Will Greer
