What Has Hurley House Meant To You?

In celebration of Hurley House’s tenth birthday, I reached out to our community and asked them to respond to a single question: What has Hurley House meant to you?

I was hoping for a handful of responses. I received close to one hundred heart-felt replies. As they began to pour in, I felt so emotionally overwhelmed by what I read that I had to stop reading them at work because I was a blubbering mess.

For our Birthday Week, I printed out every reply and created a giant green heart on one of the open walls and layered the replies on top. It was a huge declaration of what Hurley House has accomplished in ten years, and each reply moved me. If you were someone who submitted an answer to my question, thank you. Your words are a gift.

Today I want to share a few of the answers that particularly touched me, including the replies from my family and my own personal response. I hope this collection of thoughts and feelings shines a spotlight on the power of hospitality more than anything else. When I started Hurley House, my goal was to create space for change, and to wrap the concept of hospitality in a bakery. While some of the comments were complimentary of our food, the predominant tone of the answers had to do with much more than the food. Most of the replies had to do with connection and belonging and home and safety and all the things I always dreamed Hurley House would mean.

I have selected a handful to share with you, editing for length where needed. The first batch is from the Hurley House community, the second from my family, and the last one from me.

I hope you enjoy…

FROM THE HURLEY HOUSE COMMUNITY:

“Hurley House has been a giver of joy for my family and me. When my girls were little, coming to get a cookie or Rice Krispie Treat gave them a yummy treat and me a fun way to get out of the house….The girls are getting older and surprisingly the season of life we have been in has been harder than I expected. Some days cooking dinner has felt nearly impossible, but to still be able to offer my family a “home cooked” meal has been a way to cultivate togetherness in our home. Hurley House has offered my family a safe place to land and experience joy in all different seasons of life.” ~Kathy

“Hurley House has meant another home, joy, love, an after-school job, a way to make memories…Hurley House has been a part of my upbringing, from being at the Sasser’s house before Hurley House had a brick and mortar store to watching the store open and thrive. I will always remember when Mrs. Sasser made me the most beautiful cake for my birthday in fourth or fifth grade. Hurley House is special, giving, and holds a major place in my heart.” ~Keely

“It’s the joy of picking out a birthday cake…It’s the joy of watching my daughter talk baking with Katherine. It’s extra joy when Katherine shares a recipe with her! It’s a stitching club I never knew I needed. It’s a space full of friends. It’s our late afternoon snack stop. It’s Christmas morning Cinnamon Rolls, but mostly, it’s our place. Every meal, every baked good, every treat on the shelf, every thought-out detail of hospitality feels like it was done just for us.” ~Sara

“Since my son was diagnoses with leukemia, and we are driving back and forth to Cook Children’s on a weekly basis, I swing through the drive through to grab the amazing salad and dinners on the regular. Sparkle Sandwich Cookies have definitely been used to bribe him to take him medicine a few times! Hurley House has been a little oasis on the hard back-and-forth trips and has made thinking about food simple and delicious.” ~Bethany

“Hurley House makes it easy for me to be hospitable and love on others well.” ~McKenzie

“Hurley House has meant delicious happiness to my family and me! I always leave feeling better about the day! It’s a retreat for a quiet spot and a tasty lunch with friends, a special Friday treat for my family, and something for those nights where all we have time for is to pop something in the oven. Thank you, Hurley House, for not only the delicious food, but for blessing our family.” ~Mary Catherine

“Accessibility. A place where busy moms can swing by and have dinner on the table for our family…We want to gather around the table and Hurley House makes this possible.” ~Lacy

“Our family’s go-to for a sweet treat after school. An easy, delicious, grab and go lunch for me. The place I run to when I need a home-cooked meal for a friend. The place I run to when my week is falling apart and I need a good dinner for my family. Our go-to for birthday cakes. My annual Christmas gifts for my husband’s co-workers. I guess you could say it’s the place I can count on when I need to show my people some love and care.” ~Summer

“Hurley House is a few minutes of comfort and ease to this busy mom. Whether it’s a cup of coffee and a scone to take off the edge of a hurried morning or the peace of knowing dinner is already done…I feel comforted knowing Hurley House is my partner is raising my family.” ~Helen

“Hurley House has always felt like a place of peace. Perhaps partly due to the nostalgic treats, but also in the way people can show up and be whatever they need to be that day. That can gather together. They can come alone. They can stay and eat or take it away and dash. No judgement, no wrong way! I love the freedom it offers, and I think that’s what makes it a special place.” ~Lindsey

“Community. I moved to northwest Arkansas a couple of years ago, but I still get the weekly dinner texts. I know. I don’t need them, and I can’t order food several states away, but Hurley House is the definition of community. It’s the essence of Fort Worth and sums up so much of what I miss about Fort Worth in one spot.” ~Stephanie

“Hurley House holds many sweet memories of my first time baking in a true bakery. I was at culinary school when I worked there, and ti gave me so much excitement to join the baking/cooking profession. I’ll always treasure the memories made around the island in the HH kitchen.” ~Anne

“From the beginning, Hurley House was always more than just a quick iced coffee or an easy family meal. Over the years, Hurley House has become a second home to me in many ways….It has been a safe place for me to use my gifts, to grow in my business skills, and to mature as a person. I have had a front row seat to see how one woman’s passions and ideas have unfolded into a beautiful store, a blog, and relationships that have ripple effects and will continue to throughout the years.” ~Jess

“Hurley House means a dream coming to life…I remember talking about this so many years ago in your home. Before Hurley House was officially a thing, your food and hospitality meant love and safety to me as you and Timm walked with me through one of the toughest seasons of my life.” ~Paige

“I grew up in a very small town, one where it was unusual to go places and not see people you knew or be greeted by name when you walked in the door of most businesses. I love living in Fort Worth, but that’s not part of the experience of living here. Unless I go to Hurley House. I love walking through the door or going through the drive through and being seen and known.” ~Marci

“To me, Hurley House means comfort. The lunch trio is the comfort food of comfort foods for me. I’ve had my mom bring it to Dallas more times than I can count! My daughter is also a huge fan of the egg salad, so I can safely say Hurley House is a favorite of three generations of women in my family!” ~Lindsay

“Hurley House means an excuse to leave the house during quarantine…lunch with my mom…needlepoint with friends. Hurley House means I always have a meal or treat to bring for a celebration or crisis. Hurley House means a lot, and that’s why I love it so!” ~Amy

“Hurley House is where I can get the best Chocolate Chip Cookies on the planet…and always from a kind and friendly person who takes a minute to ask how I am and seems to really want to hear the answer. It’s not just an awesome cookie, it’s also a kind word, a smile, and feeling like I’m welcomed and valued as a person, not just a paying customer.” ~Ruth Ann

FROM MY FAMILY:

“A place to meet and be, serve and connect, warm smiles and tasty treats, an extended family full of coworkers and families. A place to watch my Lovely Wife grow and blossom.” ~Timm Sasser

“The original Hurley House was the first house I really remember growing up in. 2234 Hurley Avenue was where a lot of my early childhood memories come from, and what I remember most about those years was the house always being full. Whether it was just a couple of my mom’s Bible study girls or the entirety of the Fort Worth Young Life staff, people were always being invited into our home. As a little kid I loved it. It was so fun! I think a lot of that feeling has translated into Hurley House the business for me as well. I love walking in and seeing new faces experience the joy I had as a child that I now know was a result of my parent’s heart for hospitality. Getting to see people enjoy the meals I’ve grown up eating is really cool, but I think the thing that has impacted me the most is watching how those meals have brought people together the same ways they did in my childhood home. I am so grateful for the ways that my mom has brought 2234 Hurley Avenue to so many people and that they all get to experience what I felt growing up. It has been so fun to be a part of all of it.” ~Annie Sasser

“Hurley House has been every bit of an extension of home. I know I can walk in and on some level feel loved by everyone there.” ~Jake Sasser

“Hurley House has meant a place to go to see all the effort my mom put into her business and her vision for hospitality brought to life.” ~Norah Sasser

“What Hurley House means to me is that it is such a fun and positive environment. I always love going up there and going to the kitchen and hearing fun stories from the kitchen staff. I also love seeing how well the retail team works with people”. ~Lillian Sasser

“Hurley House to me means hospitality, healing, growth, celebrations, love, and always family. From the original house on Hurley Avenue, where I experienced healing hospitality and gained a new family, fell in love with my husband and got married; to watching and supporting Katherine as Hurley House slowly but steadily lifted off and grew alongside the Sasser kids; to the current store that is a safe place and source of weekly joy and delight for me and my young family. I truly cannot imagine my life without Hurley House and am forever grateful.” ~Rachel Webb

FROM ME:

Hurley House has meant a lot of things for me personally. It has provided opportunity to think creatively, follow my heart, learn by doing, work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life, bond deeply with coworkers, develop new relationships, grow as a person, endure heartbreaking trials, celebrate victorious wins, and watch a seed of an idea slowly grow and come to life over time.

When I started Hurley House I set out to create space for others, to offer a safe place for connection and transformation. I worked tirelessly on the details, poured my heart into every aspect of what Hurley House offers, planned and charted and made spreadsheets and learned how to do a million things I didn’t know how to do ten years ago. All of this with the goal to build a place for others to come in and feel at home. And yet, ten years later, I realize that along the way, while creating space for others, I also created a space for myself.

Hurley House, to me, feels like belonging. It feels like home. It feels like family, warmth, safety, excitement, and comfort. Inside the walls of Hurley House I am surrounded by community, friendship, and love. In my interactions with our clients, I feel accepted, appreciated, and seen. In the eyes of my husband and children, I see their love for me and what I have created, their sacrifice, their endurance, their appreciation. In the eyes of my friends, I see delight and support in watching a dream become a reality. In the eyes of old friends and past acquaintances who experienced the original house on Hurley Avenue, I see a knowing when they walk in the doors because they recognize what they see from our actual home and my personal life. There is no greater joy than watching others come in to Hurley House and experience a taste of something beyond the cookie or cake. Hurley House is a reflection of all of these things, wrapped up in a bakery on the corner of an ordinary shopping center.

As it turns out, while doing the work and starting a business, while laboring and creating and offering hospitality to others, I have found it for myself as well. I have found belonging in the place where I hoped others would feel at home, and I guess that’s how it works. We pour ourselves out in service to others, bringing our whole self to the process, holding nothing back, and we discover that in the sacrifice and giving of our talents there is abundant, extravagant, beautiful grace waiting to pour back into us. I am grateful every day for this grace and how it has encapsulated a tangible sense of home over the past ten years.