Fort Worth’s Central Market store celebrated that location’s 20th anniversary three years ago, but that won’t stop the shop from joining in the fun as the chain — the high-end sibling to H-E-B — celebrates its 30th birthday. 

“Central Market likes a party,” said Austin Jourde, who joined the company just before the opening of the Fort Worth store and is now its general manager for the second time. 

The first Central Market opened in 1994 in Austin. To mark the occasion, each location across the state is hosting a two-week celebration, which began Sept. 11. 

The big party at the Fort Worth location is Sept. 19 and will include contributions from local restaurants Grace, Bonnell’s and Ellerbe’s. 

Among those joining in the celebration will be some of the store’s earliest fans, said Stephen Butt, president of Central Market/H-E-B. 

“Before we even opened here, we knew we had fans in Fort Worth because they wrote us letters begging us to open,” he said. “Many of those people would take coolers and drive down to the Central Market in Austin, load up on beef and poultry and seasonings and other things and drive back to Fort Worth and Dallas.” 

Many of what Butts terms the “cooler crowd” wrote letters requesting a store in Fort Worth.

“We received probably 300 signatures from people asking us to bring Central Market to Fort Worth., That’s the kind of support we knew we had,” Butts said. 

That was in the late 1990s, and at the time there weren’t many specialty grocery stores in Fort Worth, said Butts. 

The company had its eye on the property at Hulen Street and Interstate 30 for some time, but another grocery store had an option to purchase it, he said. 

But that competitor pulled out of the deal. 

“When they did, we swooped right in, and we knew that would be a great corner,” said Butts. “There just weren’t and aren’t many corners like that in west Fort Worth.” 

Once the company secured the land, staff began work immediately. The store opened in October 2001. 

Opening day, there were lines out the door stretching along the side of the building. 

“To say we were well-received would be an understatement,” said Jourde. 

Originally, company officials planned a drive-in-style food pick-up area — kind of like a Sonic but for groceries. Instead, they opted for an expansive outdoor patio, which includes a performance area instead. The patio has become a staple of the Fort Worth location. 

“We had built one in Houston, and it was a miserable failure, so we changed plans, and I’m glad we did,” said Butts. 

Jourde said he also welcomed the change, as the stage and outdoor patio have been a high point of many events during the store’s 23-year history. 

“On a nice Texas evening with a cold drink and music from the stage, I just think it’s the best, and that’s what a lot of our customers say as well,” he said.

Central Market has upgraded the sound system and made other improvements, which has proven popular even in the heat of summer, Jourde said.

“This is my favorite time of the year, from now until the end of the year is best. It’s cool enough, and you can really sit out there and enjoy the weather and the music,” he said. “It’s great.” 

As for curbside delivery, Fort Worth began to offer it several years ago, and that proved popular, particularly during the pandemic. 

“It’s a growing part of our business now,” Butts said. 

Jourde said the Fort Worth store, which employs about 475 workers, tries to be innovators for the company as a whole. 

That sort of vision can extend to something as basic as avocados. 

“Avocados are a big waste for any grocery because once they go soft, you can’t sell them,” Jourde said. Someone in the company asked about just making fresh guacamole out of the ones that were getting too ripe, and they did. 

“Our executive chef at the time, Jeff Bekavac, not sure if he was here or in Dallas at the time, but he came up with the recipe we use today,” he said. 

The idea spread to H-E-B stores, which today turn plenty of avocados that would have been wasted into a consumable product, he said. 

“I’m very proud that we pushed that here, and it’s been great for us and saved a lot of waste,” Jourde said. 

The Fort Worth store has also been a leader in composting for the company. 

“For a long time we were the leader and not just by a little,” he said. “We’ve really embraced that, and it’s worked.”

Jourde, who has a background in the restaurant industry, said Central Market has changed the way Fort Worth eats — take cheese, for example. 

“If we’ve really done our job, people who come in here and buy the standard yellow cheddar cheese, well, eventually they’ll try the white cheddar, which is really the original color from England, I think,” he said. “Then they’ll try blue cheese, then other cheeses, the list goes on and on. And I’ve seen that happen.” 

Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@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.