Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/946707
88 H ouston realtor Dabney Pierce, an authority on apiaries and all matters of beekeeping (and the women behind Round Top Honey Company), synchronistically has a daughter who's a Bumble exec, Miller Pierce. So it seemed like a natural alliance to take the Austin- headquartered networking and dating site to Round Top and craft a bee-centric event. Save the date, Tuesday, March 27, 5 to 8 pm, for Honey Hap-bee Hour with Bumble at Dabney's working bee preserve, River Oaks Farms. Southern comfort bites, music, Texas beer, honey cocktails, photo booth, games, and a Bumble gift bag are some of the night's buzzy deets. Gratis. riveroaksfarms.com. DISCOVERIES BUMBLE BUZZES IN T alk about timing — The Frenchie, one of the most anticipated new lodging arrivals in the area, unveils days before the shows. Katy Bader (as in Bader Ranch) and Kristin Light, pals since high school, have fearlessly tackled a historic house reno, remaking it into a boutique inn. The porch- w r a p p e d 1 9 t h - c e n t u r y main house comes with six guest rooms, while two farm buildings add more accommodations (Art Studio Suites offer three private rooms, while The Cottage has two bedrooms and two baths). A potting shed turned wine bar pouring vintages from boutique family-owned vineyards from around the world. The Frenchie represents the pair's first collaborative venture. At press time, the anticipated opening date is March 15. The Frenchie, 311 Live Oak. Round Top; booking Sandy Reed 979.966.3052; rooms $200 – $650, depending on season. THE FRENCHIE TAKES ROUND TOP M ark Massey will be orchestrating Round Top's biggest culinary endeavor ever. Stay tuned for details about the inaugural Round Top Food & Wine Fair, Friday, June 1, through Sunday, June 3, at The Compound and locations in Round Top. More updates breaking soon at papercitymag.com. MORE DISH I n the fall, Round Top Area Chamber of Commerce director Mark Massey (The Compound, Henkel Square, Rummel Square) and president Cinda Palacios (Manditos, Lulus, Bad Hombres shop) brought a farmer's market to Round Top. Throughout the year on the second and fourth Saturdays, 10 am to 1 pm, the town square showcases local food merchants and growers. Michelle Strasner, who recently relocated from New York City to nearby Brenham with her young family for her husband's newspaper job, ventured out to the new farmer's market she had seen advertised on Instagram. Strasner had an epiphany: She could sell flowers, her passion, at the market. Strasner announces the flowers she will have that week on Instagram (@houseofstrasner); favorites include garden roses, hydrangeas, peonies when available, and preserved lavender, roses, and hydrangeas. houseofstrasner.com. Anne Lee Phillips HOUSE OF STRASNER BLOOMS U pdate: Last fall, Texas native Holly Kuhn, who has operated Old Glory Antiques in Denver for decades and showed in Round Top during the fairs, announced she was buying a prime property in the center of town. Contractor Lewis Tindall worked day and night, building a beautiful 4,000-square- foot modern farmhouse- style store, which was unveiled to great fanfare at the fall antiques fair, and now open year round. oldglorystyle.com. Anne Lee Phillips OLD GLORY FLIES AGAIN JUNK GYPSY RIDES AGAIN T hose Junk Gypsies have done it again: After selling The Prairie bed and breakfast, Jolie and Amie Sikes snapped up a wonderful old farmhouse next door to their Junk Gypsy World Headquarters in Round Top and are opening Junk Gypsy Wander Inn, with eight suites, each with spa tub, fireplace, and balcony. There's no restaurant, so, as Amie says, "It's not your typical B&B … it's the B without the other B." Opening this month; gypsyville.com/wander-inn. River Oaks Farms' is home to Round Top Honey Company. Kristin Light and Katy Bader at The Frenchie House of Strasner's Michelle Strasner Old Glory Antiques