The green island in the middle of Bluebonnet Circle is older than most of the shops around it. The Kansas City landscape architecture firm Hare & Hare designed it, and it was finished in 1951. According to the City of Fort Worth's urban village page, it "still retains much of its integrity." The circle around that park was laid out to keep traffic moving, and for most of its history that has been its main job.
This fall, one storefront at 3464 Bluebonnet Circle and two City projects are starting to change that.
A street plan that only half happened
Bluebonnet Circle went in around 1929. The City calls it "the only enduring result" of the emphasis on traffic circles in the Bartholomew & Associates street plan, which went to the City Plan Commission in 1927. Then it sat for about two decades. The City's account says the land around it wasn't developed until after 1950, "which accounts for its post-war, strip-retail character."
That history explains why the circle feels the way it does. It started as a way to move traffic. Shops came later and lined up along its edge facing the road. For years, the businesses there have mostly been places to eat or drink:
- Mellow Mushroom, 3455 Bluebonnet Circle, pizza
- Purple Frog Bar & Grill, 3468 Blue Bonnet Circle, with a menu of grill plates, Tex-Mex and seafood
- Poop Deck Bar and Grill, 3505 Bluebonnet Circle, with karaoke and a Sunday music jam
- Circle Donuts, 3506 Bluebonnet Circle, a neighborhood doughnut shop
- Belenty's Love, 3516 Bluebonnet Circle, vegan Mexican with dine-in, takeout and catering
Each of these is a good reason to stop by. Of the five, only Poop Deck lists a standing weekly event, its Sunday music jam. Until September, the circle had a lot of places to eat and almost nothing else on a regular schedule.
What changed at 3464
Bluebonnet Books and Wine opened in early September. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that the owners are Dana St. Germain and her husband, Robert Costas. The shop sells used books of every genre for $5 to $20. The paper also reported plans to serve wine and beer on tap once St. Germain gets an alcohol license. Until then, Costas, the store's informal "sommelier," pours free glasses of wine.
What sets the shop apart from its neighbors is its schedule. The Star-Telegram laid out a regular week:
| Day | What happens at 3464 Bluebonnet Circle |
|---|---|
| Thursday, 10 a.m. | Toddler story time and crafts with Ms. Sue |
| Friday evening | A book club for middle school girls |
| Saturday | Pickup for sourdough ordered ahead from Small Kitchen Sourdough |
| Monthly | "This book made me think of you," a package of 12 handpicked books chosen for a gift recipient after a meeting with St. Germain |
Add Poop Deck's Sunday jam across the circle, and the district now has something set on four days of the week. The next story time falls on Thursday, October 29, at 10 a.m. The shop posts its details on its Instagram page, and that's the place to check before you go.
The book club has turned into something like an apprenticeship. According to the Star-Telegram, the girls in it help St. Germain with storekeeping and chores. St. Germain told the paper that since opening she has met more neighbors from the Bluebonnet and TCU area than ever before. She said she hopes the shop becomes a place where people hang out, make new friends and find books they didn't expect. She also plans more community events and will post them on the shop's social media.
Weekly routines bring the same people back on the same days, and until now no tenant on the circle has been built around that kind of schedule.
The City is working on the ground around it
The bookshop's arrival lines up with two City projects that affect how people move around the circle on foot.
The first is the park in the center. The City's Park & Recreation Department lists Bluebonnet Circle Improvements as a $155,000 construction project, paid for with PayGo funds, project number 105412, with a 2026 completion date. The project page describes the scope only as "improvements to Bluebonnet Circle Park" and doesn't say which features are changing. The page also has an email sign-up for updates, which is the easiest way to find out when the work is finished.
The second is bigger. The Bluebonnet & Carter Park Street Improvements is a $15.1 million street and utility project in Council District 9. On the circle's side of the project, Park Ridge Boulevard from Bluebonnet Circle to Benbrook Boulevard is set for rehabilitation, along with Benbrook Boulevard from Rogers Avenue to Granbury Road and Cockrell Avenue from Park Ridge Boulevard to Benbrook Boulevard. The City's October 2026 update says sidewalks and driveways are to be installed on Park Ridge Boulevard between the circle and Benbrook Boulevard, and that pavement removal on Benbrook Boulevard from Cockrell Avenue to Lubbock Avenue is coming up.
That schedules a new sidewalk on one of the streets leading out of the circle while the park in the middle is set for its own upgrade. For a district whose shape was set by car traffic in 1929, both projects make it easier to get around on foot.
Who is looking after the circle
The City's urban village page names the groups that promote investment around the circle: Bluebonnet Circle, Inc., the Berry Street Initiative, and the Bluebonnet Place and Bluebonnet Hills neighborhood associations. The same page links to the Bluebonnet Circle Urban Village Master Plan, the City's planning document for the area.
The circle sits in southwest Fort Worth, just south of TCU where University Drive meets Bluebonnet Circle. It isn't part of Tanglewood's own commercial edge, and it's looked after by other neighborhoods' organizations. Those groups, a new shop owner and the City are all investing in it at the same time.
Planning a visit this season
A few practical points for the next few weeks:
- Expect construction on Park Ridge Boulevard. The City's October update lists sidewalks and driveways to be installed between the circle and Benbrook Boulevard, and Benbrook Boulevard pavement removal is coming up. The full street project is scheduled to finish in December 2027.
- Order sourdough ahead. Small Kitchen Sourdough takes orders in advance for Saturday pickup at the bookshop.
- Wine and beer on tap are still to come. They depend on the shop's alcohol license. Until then, the pours are complimentary glasses.
- Check the bookshop's social media before you go. St. Germain posts new events there as she adds them.
The green space Hare & Hare designed has been in the middle of the circle since 1951. This fall, the circle has a bookshop with a weekly schedule, a park project slated for 2026 and new sidewalks scheduled along Park Ridge Boulevard.
Small districts like Bluebonnet Circle shape how the surrounding streets feel day to day, and we follow them closely. If you'd like to talk about how the places around Tanglewood fit into your plans, the team at Raleigh Green is glad to help. Request a private consultation.
