Load Off Fanny's owner finds a home in Lockhart
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Hayley Fort moved from Austin to Lockhart to help open Load Off Fanny's. Photo: Courtesy of Hayley Fort
Load Off Fanny's owner Hayley Fort was born and raised in Austin, and after she had a brief stint in Las Vegas, Central Texas was calling.
But this time, it was Lockhart that pulled her back to the area.
The big picture: Fort's best friends from Austin had already moved to the tiny town when she and her wife, Barb, received a call to help open a bar and restaurant, Load Off Fanny's.
- The close-knit community she's made there is what's kept them around for nearly seven years.
Details: Load Off Fanny's, just off Lockhart's main square, is a regular spot for locals in search of a cold beer and wings.
- Metal beer signs adorn the fence in the backyard, where musicians often perform on a small stage to customers seated at picnic tables.
- Hats are available for purchase at the bar that read "Don't Austin My Lockhart," made by Fort's friend and Lockhart resident Jessica Wimpy.
And perhaps surprisingly for a bar in small-town Texas, a Pride flag hangs from the window and rainbow stickers and hats decorate the building. Fanny's became a hub for Pride events this month.
- Fort was first asked in 2018 to start Lockhart Pride, but she said that "even then, I was a little apprehensive about it. I didn't think it was quite time. I didn't think we were quite ready," she told Axios.
- Lockhart Pride was held for the first time last year.
- "Of course, we've run into negativity, but overall it's been very well received," Fort said. "There are so many people who have moved here realizing (Lockhart) is a safer space, and we are becoming a safe space."
Between the lines: Lockhart's acceptance of Fort and her wife and the community's support of Load Off Fanny's have given them the sense of belonging they no longer felt in Austin.
- "It doesn't feel like home to me anymore," Fort said. "Leaving Austin was one of the most difficult decisions that I made. I lived there for 30 years when I finally decided that it was time for me to start moving on."
What's next: Fort said the community isn't naive about the eventual growth that will come to Lockhart as Central Texas continues to expand. On a recent weekend evening at Fanny's, Fort didn't recognize a single person who walked into the building.