Richmond Texas is Full of Community Spirit
Blockhouse is the jumping-off point to explore historic town
Aimee Frederick hears it all the time: “They say, ‘I wish I’d known this was here.’”
Specifically, “this” is Blockhouse Coffee & Kitchen, and generally, “here” is downtown Richmond, Texas, and “they” are new visitors to both. Frederick, who owns Blockhouse with her husband, Cody Frederick, isn’t surprised at all to hear how people are charmed by the community that’s forming around “Jax & 7th,” the building at the intersection of Jackson Street and 7th Street, which also houses The Kombucha Co.; The Guild, an event venue that brings together local makers and residents; and Studio Vibes, a photography and video studio with a variety of offerings for creatives.
Downtown Richmond, with its old oak trees and rich history anchored by an easy-to-navigate street grid accented with white picket fences, has all the ingredients to support a vibrant community of makers and entrepreneurs. Aimee Frederick has embraced the area completely, seeing herself as Richmond’s “unofficial ambassador … supporting what’s here and growing it more.”
From the start, Frederick intended Blockhouse to be more than just a local coffee shop. It’s also a vehicle for building community. “I think a coffee shop is primed to serve this purpose because of how people naturally interact with cafés—as a next-best place to gather outside of someone’s home,” says Frederick.
For example, on the day I visit Blockhouse, I see beautiful floral art made by Cynthia Jackson, available in stationery, prints and other items for sale. Jackson’s business, Dash Blossoms, grew from her experiences as a mother to a child with special needs.
Jackson’s art is displayed on shelves made by Zach Lambert, as was almost all the furniture in the coffee shop. It was his first job in the area, and it helped him launch his own endeavor in Richmond, Mercy Goods. At Mercy Goods, Lambert provides not only unique, hand-crafted home goods, but does so while providing work and mentoring opportunities to local at-risk youth. And these are just two intersections that connect at Jax & 7th with talent around Richmond.
The community spirit that Frederick has cultivated especially shines on Sunday Market Days, when local vendors spread out their wares in the backyard behind Jax & 7th. It’s kind of like a farmers market, only even more intimate. Frederick’s vision for the bi-monthly market is to connect local makers, running small food and craft business under cottage law, with Blockhouse’s patrons. On any given Market Day, you might find bagels and pie-by-the-slice, candles and seedlings, or clothing and jewelry.
Jax & 7th is like a portal to the creative energy surging in Richmond.
Richmond’s energy isn’t limited to what’s new around Jax & 7th. It’s also rooted in the area’s past. If you head outside to the backyard behind Blockhouse, you’ll spot a whimsical map of downtown Richmond— with black and white copies available inside, perfect for letting the kids color! Frederick made the map with families in mind, to invite Blockhouse’s customers to explore more of downtown Richmond. The map features illustrations by local illustrator Charles Beyl to display the types of things “you read about in a history book,” says Frederick.
The easy walk covers about 20 blocks, guiding visitors to historic homes, parks perfect for a picnic, and an old hotel that may or may not be haunted.
The tour brings history close enough to touch as it follows a path featuring several enduring historic buildings. Just around the corner from Blockhouse is the Fort Bend Museum comprising two historic homes open for touring and a gallery that explores early Texas and Fort Bend County history. This summer, the museum reopens with all-new exhibits and event space. Site Manager Ana Alicia Acosta says the new expansion will tell more diverse stories around the area’s history, as well as add interactive exhibits that will likely be just as fun for adults as their kids. The museum will host its final Sunset Music Concert in June, and July brings back Summer History Fridays, where “young historians get to explore a different historical theme,” says Acosta.
The Old 1908 Courthouse, the first building in Fort Bend County to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, still presides over downtown and houses some of the county’s offices and courts. It has undergone restoration to make it look as much as possible like it did in 1908. Entry along Liberty Street can offer glimpse of the threestory rotunda and its colorful green walls. Across the street, on Jackson Street between 4th and 5th street, tour stops eight and nine showcase not only beautiful period architecture, but also two historical markers: a home where a Texas Ranger used to live, and a church once attended by some of Stephen F. Austin’s “Old 300.”
The first and last stop on the map is, naturally, Blockhouse Coffee & Kitchen. With a delicious breakfast and lunch menu (the potato tacos are scrumptious) and cool shade under the oak trees in the yard, Blockhouse is a perfect spot to rest on an outing to Richmond. Other than the Sunday Markets, the backyard also hosts weekly yoga classes, monthly story time, as well as a fun playground and large picnic tables. The facilitation of new friendships is part of what they love about going to Blockhouse, says Rachel Dickerson of Sugar Land, as her family joins the others enjoying the playground and treats purchased at the Sunday Market.
Aimee Frederick says it best herself: “Coffee and community go hand in hand.”
Richmond isn’t like other suburbs. Historic buildings anchor the city in its past through literal brick and mortar, while a contemporary artisan community is poised to bring the city into an even more vibrant future. It has exciting potential yet is small enough to maintain relaxed and open connections among people with a vision for what could be. Richmond may be off the beaten path, but that’s what makes it worth the trip.
Find out more about the Blockhouse community. Keep up with news on Instagram @blockhouse_coffee.
