A bike ride with a friend has led a TCU student on an entrepreneurial journey. 

Hayes MacGregor, a junior political science major, is among a group of investors who bought out the Craftwork Coffee shop at 4731 Camp Bowie Blvd. and are planning to reopen it under the Fort Worth Coffee Co. brand. 

The idea to open up this shop came along when MacGregor was on a bike ride with long-time friend Collin Sansom, who is a co-founder of Craftwork Coffee Co. Sansom introduced MacGregor to Josh and Mary Hanna Tyer, who had already started working on the idea of opening up Fort Worth Coffee Co. 

Fort Worth Coffee Co. is taking over the Craftwork Coffee location on Camp Bowie. Although they are completely separate businesses, they hope to maintain the same down-to-earth community that always existed.

Tyer asked MacGregor if he would be interested in helping out starting up the shop and MacGregor felt like it would be a great opportunity “to foster the community and act as intentional stewards.”

MacGregor explained that this journey came along very quickly. 

“We began meeting at the end of February and have been getting ready very quickly,” MacGregor said. “It has been incredible to be able to share just a part of this journey with them.”

MacGregor’s main focus was on branding and the media required to start up the shop. He explained it wasn’t necessarily the easiest journey and many obstacles popped up. 

“The biggest challenge is growing the community and the culture in an already existing space,” MacGregor said. “With any business, there are also many little barriers; from sign design, to city permits, to budget, it is a constant learning process that is made easier with such amazing friends.”

MacGregor and his business partners hope the coffee shop creates community collaboration within its co-working space.  

“The coffee culture here in Fort Worth may be small, but it sure is growing,” MacGregor said. 

The shop is set to open on April 12, 2021.