TEMPLE, Texas — There's a new place to spend quality time with family and friends and it can be found on the corner of N. 7th and W. Barton street, just blocks from downtown Temple.
"FoxDog has been an idea for the last, oh gosh, six or seven years," said Ashley Vernon, who co-owns the new beer garden and coffee bar with her husband John. "We have been fortunate enough to live and work abroad and we've always loved the idea of community."
Ashley said the couples last abroad experience in Eastern Europe really helped propel the couple to follow their dream of opening something wherever they happened to settle down stateside.
"We found ourselves in Temple and it was the right place at the right time and it was kind of that realization of, 'we can actually do this, we can do it here, Temple is growing. We found this perfect property and it went from there," she said.
The work to get there, she said, began with renovating the house at 209 N. 7th street, a place they called home but knew would be perfect for the dream they both shared.
"When you open up an old house you think it's going to be a quick project until you realize, uh oh, I can see projects two, three and four behind these walls," John said.
The Vernon's said they got help from friends and were able to take advantage of the Tool Library for all of the work needed to transform their former home into a dream come true for Central Texans to gather.
John said the lumber used to build the tables and seating in the revamped backyard beer garden was donated by the Huffety's. Almost every table has a plaque adorned on it, a tip of the cap from the Vernon's to those who have helped make FoxDog a reality.
"The plaques were an idea that Ashley came up with and it's one of those fun things you can do to make your business a part of the community," John explained. "So, whenever they come, they can say that's our table right there at FoxDog."
FoxDog which is both veteran and woman-owned is a labor of love and a place that feels like home.
"We really want this space to be a place for everyone. So, whether that's family with children, a group of singles, if it's happy hour after work, if it's club meetings," she said. "We want this to always be a safe haven where people are comfortable and just be themselves."
FoxDog is open every Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. with a plan to expand those hours in March. For more information, you can visit them on Facebook.