FORT WORTH (WBAP/KLIF)- Downtown Fort Worth residents and office workers now have a full-service grocery store within walking distance that also features a wine bar, a bistro and plenty of workspace for multi-taskers.

Neighbor’s House Grocery at 500 West 7th Street next to Burnett Park and is the first new ground-floor retail outlet to open in the First on 7th redevelopment project. Though the new space is sleek, modern and airy, husband-and-wife owners Kyle and Ashlee Cowan say their business model is as much down-home as it is downtown.

“We got the name from back when I was young we knew our neighbors and knew our neighbors well.. this is based on the tradition of knocking on your neighbor’s door to borrow a cup of sugar or anything else that may complete the family meal,” said Kyle Cowan, a chef whose resume includes his role as executive chef at the acclaimed Water Grill in Dallas. “We want to serve the downtown/West 7th community with that friendly neighborhood feel, and provide assurance that if we don’t carry that special item you’re looking for, we will exhaust all resources to get it in your hands.”

Amenities at Neighbor’s House include a fully outfitted kitchen for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as The Proof Bakery, an in-house sourdough bakery. Patrons also can choose from a wide selection of craft beers, and a wine collection featuring 400 labels. Grab-and-go meals are available for those on a tight lunch schedule.

We identified there were 6,300 people working in the adjacent buildings and many people living Downtown without a grocery store you could walk to.

“We saw the need for a grocery store in Downtown Fort Worth. People who live downtown moved here because they can walk everywhere and live a healthier lifestyle and now they can walk to get their groceries…We’ve had multiple people comment that they could probably do without one of their cars because now they have what they need within walking distance,” said Cowan.

Neighbor’s House also supports local businesses. Shelves are stocked with locally sourced and affordable food options, a selection of recognizable household brands, bottled-in-house pressed juices and specialty products. Among the local vendors partnering with Neighbor’s House is TCU’s Rollin’ n Bowlin’ Acai Bowls & Smoothies, which emphasizes offerings that are both tasty and healthy.

“We are giving a shelf space to any one that has a product they want to sell in the food world.. we re hoping we can make our dreams everyone’s dreams,” Cowan said.

Neighbor’s House is a contemporary space offering 70 seats with window views of the cityscape. The business, which employs 30 people, faces 6th Street on the north side of the First on 7th building. Ample free parking is available in the garage across the street. “We look forward to meeting all of our new neighbors and developing close community relationships,” Co-Owner Ashlee Cowan said.

The store is open Monday-Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and is closed on Sundays

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