Tasha Monticure, owner of Bodega South Main
In the bustling north side of South Main, where everything is becoming a stone’s throw away, residents and visitors alike can now add grocery store to their ever-growing list of amenities.
Across from the new Nickel City bar, in what was long ago the Sawyer Grocery Store, the new Bodega South Main opened its doors a couple weeks ago on Dec. 21.
Owner Tasha Monticure feels the new bodega, which is a deli/grocery store hybrid that cooks up delicious paninis and sells all your essential grocery items, fills a large void that was present in the area.
“There was nowhere to just pick up a Coke or buy items like bread, condiments, or vegetables,” Monticure says.
It’s been a soft opening — no ribbon cutting ceremonies or inflatable tube men in the time of COVID — that saw a crowd of people spurred on by nothing more than an Instagram post. But that didn’t stop locals, especially those who were already following Bodega on Instagram, to show in masses.
“We were inundated with people,” Monticure says. “People are beelining here saying, ‘I saw your sandwich on Instagram, and I gotta have that turkey panini.’”
The paninis are quickly becoming a Near Southside favorite. While customers are completely unaware of any special ingredients, the sandwich shop in the back serves up some shockingly delicious fare.
What she sells in the grocery store is largely based on what people would need, with Monticure imagining which small items South Mainers would want. Of course, as she’s just getting her feet off the ground, the items are also largely dependent on what she likes.
She carries both natural and organic foods. You will find such items as Hellmann’s mustard and Heinz ketchup next to free-trade coffee beans from Austin. So, if one is expecting a normal, urban grocery where you’d find exclusively organic and locally grown produce or items — though there’s still plenty of that — look elsewhere. But Monticure avoids being exclusive in her stock of items on purpose, allowing the store to be more inclusive.
“Sometimes, you just want a Coke, ya know?” Monticure says.
Monticure was previously the director of catering at Lockheed Martin and has been in the catering business for 18 years. Yet, oddly enough, it was in her blood to open a grocery store.
Monticure comes from a family of grocery store owners. Her mother owned health food stores on Main Street outside of Madison, Wisconsin, and her grandfather owned a grocery store on Main Street in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. So, in her words, Monticure’s grocery store is very serendipitous.
Still at Lockheed Martin, Monticure signed the lease in early March before we were fully aware of the soon-to-be pandemic wreaking havoc on local businesses. Eddie Vanston, the owner of the old Sawyer Grocery Store Building, liked her concept and the idea of having a bodega serving the area.
After getting furloughed at Lockheed Martin thanks to the pandemic, Monticure was able to focus solely on her dream of opening the bodega. As is customary in Fort Worth, she had to navigate red tape and jump through hoops to see the doors of her shop open, but she quietly did so just before the holidays.
The fact the bodega is sitting on property that was once a bustling grocery store is not lost on Monticure, and she again used the word “serendipitous” to describe how the space has come full circle. She even pays homage to the Sawyer Grocery Store with newspaper clippings from its heyday on display.
Bodega South Main is open Monday – Thursday from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Friday from 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; and Saturday from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m.
203 South Main, Fort Worth 76104
