By Rachael Lindley
Photography by Crystal Wise
Fort Worth entrepreneur Jonathan Morris turned an early passion for business into a career building community-focused spaces. After marrying his high school sweetheart, Katherine, owner of Cherry Coffee, in 2012, the couple settled in Fort Worth and launched their own local businesses.
Morris first caught the entrepreneurial bug in elementary school selling NBA bookmarks during Michael Jordan’s peak Bulls era, adjusting prices depending on demand.
While working in digital marketing in Dallas, he helped brands navigate the early days of social media but opened Fort Worth Barbershop in 2014 after noticing a lack of the elevated, community-driven barbershops in Fort Worth. The shop has since expanded into a larger Near Southside location featuring a mini record store, plant shop, and vintage goods.
In 2021, Morris opened Hotel Dryce, a boutique hotel in a converted dry ice warehouse across from Dickies Arena. He finds inspiration in frequent travels with his wife. The couple especially enjoy Japan, for it’s intentional atmosphere, something he aims to bring to his Fort Worth businesses.
1.
Espresso/Cortado cup by Erica Williams
Morris drinks an espresso or cortado every day, either at home or at a coffee shop, and describes it as a grounding ritual. He especially loves this custom ceramic cortado cup made by Erica Williams of Thro Ceramics. Williams has made a few pieces for Cherry Coffee’s retail space.
“I love ceramics made by someone whom I either know or have met. I just feel more connected to the piece.”
Morris has also partnered with Savor Ceramics on Montgomery Street to create hand-thrown pour-over coffee sets designed exclusively for The Dryce Hotel.
2.
Cactus in a chunky pot
A small cactus Morris got at PlantCon last year, housed in an unusual pot made by a Dallas-based potter he discovered recently. The pot has a weird, one-of-a-kind quality that reminds him of the 90s show “Aaah!!! Real Monsters.”
“I love a weird cactus. It feels unique.”
He ties this into his broader philosophy of plants throughout every space he inhabits — the barbershop, home, and hotel all have plant life, including a partnership with local vendor Melissa of Yaya’s Garden for the new shop.
3.
Records
Morris brought four of his favorite records: Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, Alice Coltrane and Quincy Jones. In keeping with Morris’ rituals, putting a needle on a record is a deliberate, grounding act for him — not just background music. He discovered listening rooms (jazz kissa culture) in Japan and later in LA at a spot called In Sheep’s Clothing, which took inspiration from a Denver venue, ESP Hi-Fi, conveniently run by a friend of his.
The connection led him to install a Hi-Fi sound system and turntables at Fort Worth Barbershop’s new location. His philosophy: intentional sound design — like intentional scent — speaks to the value of everything else in the space, including a haircut.
4.
Kapital Bandana
A bandana from Kapital, a Japanese brand that’s been around for some 30 to 40 years. Jonathan carries one with him at all times and has started a collection. He prizes the material’s softness, preferring it to the reliable stiffness of a new bandana, freshly plucked from its packaging and starched to oblivion.
“I typically won’t buy a bandana if it feels like that,” Morris says, wincing. “These just get better with time.”
He finds Kapital Bandanas in the US at specialty retailers like Fine Print in Oak Cliff. However, they are easier to find in Japan, for around $6 at convenience stores vs. $35–$50, stateside.
5.
Popeye & Brutus Magazines
Lifestyle magazines published in Japan are a huge source of inspiration for Morris. Popeye is subtitled “a magazine for city boys,” covering fashion and lifestyle, while Brutus leans toward design, home, and culture. He brought an issue of Brutus, called “Well Made,” that he picked up at a 7-Eleven on a recent vacation to Japan.
Morris argues that print feels more alive, not dead — it hits differently than digital. He follows both brands on Instagram but values the physical object separately.
6.
Cookout by Rashad Frazier
A cookbook by Rashad Frazier, who runs Camp Yoshi, a company that takes city professionals on camping excursions, sometimes with chefs in tow. The book has recipes that work both at a campsite and in a home kitchen. Morris cooks a lot at home, drawn to the photography and instructions’ approachability.
“He just makes camping look so much cooler than I’ve ever seen before.”
He has made the Yoshi Joes (a Sloppy Joe riff) from the book and had his eye on a pickled red onion recipe. He appreciates cookbooks that don’t require specialty ingredients he can’t find at Central Market.
7.
Fort Worth Barbershop Merchandise
New merchandise from the barbershop’s recently updated branding features a Road Runner graphic designed by Luis Ornales that matches one of Morris’ existing tattoos. His favorite animal from childhood, Morris would watch the small birds as they quickly darted across the dirt road near his home in San Antonio.
“I want people to associate the roadrunner with travel and adventure,” he says. “I feel like a Road Runner kind of embodies that.”
Morris is deliberate when it comes to his merch, bringing products with him on his last trip to Japan as gifts for the barbers he met. He carries a branded tote bag for everyday use — with screenprinting by Chance Morgan at Market Town.
8.
Dickies 874 Work Pants
Morris’ go-to pants are the Dickies style 874 in chocolate brown. He wears them everywhere, from the barbershop to meetings in Japan. He was an early adopter of the chocolate brown colorway and has an existing relationship with the Dickies brand (based in Fort Worth). He visited the Dickies standalone store in Shibuya on his last trip to Japan and picked up regionally exclusive pieces. “They just go with everything. I’ll wear them to landscape, to meetings, everything.” Morris describes his style as “just minimalist enough,” and Dickies provide a great base. He appreciates the brand’s Fort Worth roots and its unpretentious, utilitarian quality — the same ethos he tried to bring to Fort Worth Barbershop and Hotel Dryce.
9.
Incense – Bonsai GARDEN & Copal
Morris burns incense everywhere he spends time — at his home, at the barbershop and at Hotel Dryce, which has a custom signature scent called “Copal Cleanse,” developed with O’Douds. He produces a stick of Copal — a tree resin that burns smoky and earthy — and another, Bonsai Garden, from a California company called Oddly Specific.
“I connect spaces to smells,” he says. “Scent is an easy way to design a very memorable space.”
As he does with sound, Morris intentionally frames scent to build trust with his customers — his attention to detail signaling his trustworthiness in everything else.