Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1284206
WHEN A HOTEL IS NOT ENOUGH J onathan Morris moved from the outskirts of Denton to Fort Worth just eight years ago but quickly put down roots and carved out new territory, creating businesses and opportunities the city didn't know it needed, such as transforming a vintage garage into the old-school Fort Worth Barber Shop, serving up classic cuts and hot-towel shaves. "We support each other. We look to each other for inspiration," Morris says of Fort Worth. That drive and passion will manifest in two very different ways next year: Hotel Dryce, a homegrown project he hopes will connect travelers and locals to Fort Worth in an authentic way, and the TV show Self Employed, hosted by Morris on the new Magnolia Network, a joint venture between Waco visionaries Chip B Y C A I T L I N C L A R K JONATHAN MORRIS' LOVE FOR THE CITY WILL MAKE ITS WAY TO THE SMALL SCREEN AND A NEW BOUTIQUE HOTEL MADE FOR — AND WITH — LOCALS. and Joanna Gaines and Discovery Inc. Morris opens Hotel Dryce in Fort Worth's Cultural District early 2021 — with lobby bar, courtyard, and furniture and artwork crafted by local makers and small businesses — along with architects Bennett Benner Partners. "We want to create this space where locals want to be, and visitors can come and catch the vibe of Fort Worth," Morris says. "It's a really, really exciting time to be a part of creating a vision for what the city can become." The three-story, 21-room hotel is carved out of an old dry-ice warehouse — thus the name Dryce — developed by MeMo Hospitality Group partners Morris and Allen Mederos (thus the name MeMo). For the television series, Morris travels across the country to host laid- back conversations with fellow self- starters about their entrepreneurial projects, inspiration, heartaches, successes and goals. While Self Employed was planned long before COVID-19, current events add their own spin. "A lot of small business owners have borne the brunt of the pandemic's economic impact, whether it be loss of sales or laying off employees," Morris says. As a result, the pandemic could add an interesting layer to the first episodes, slated to film this fall and air spring 2021. Fort Worth's Hotel Dryce, opening early 2021 Jonathan Morris