by Bob Francis, Fort Worth Report
June 28, 2026
Where the sounds of “Going once, going twice … sold!” had echoed throughout a livestock auction facility since the early part of the 20th century, there will soon be a new sound: “Lights! Camera! Action!”
RFD Studios has converted the livestock auction facility at 409 East Exchange Ave. in the Fort Worth Stockyards into an entertainment and production venue known as the Auction Barn Studio.
The public launch marks a major milestone in RFD Network’s growing investment in live entertainment, original productions, and storytelling, according to the company.
RFD Studios operates from physical production centers in Nashville and Fort Worth. These facilities will support an expanded slate of lifestyle, food, music and unscripted series, including the recently premiered cooking show, “Twisted Skillet.”
Despite the modern amenities, such as multi-camera production, live switching capabilities, LED stage lighting and a full control room, the Auction Barn facility maintains its connection to the past, said Raquel Gottsch Koehler, co-owner of the network.
“We never wanted to erase the history of the building,” she said. “We wanted to honor it and build something new around it. Today, you can still see the original wooden bleachers, the old scale room, and much of the character that made this place special. We simply updated it for a new generation.”
Auction Barn Studio will immediately begin hosting live music performances and special events, with additional artist announcements expected in the coming weeks.
The venue seats approximately 375 guests and will also be available for private rentals, corporate events, productions, premieres and special engagements.
The first public event will be Stockyards Gospel Night at 6 p.m. July 11.
The studio recently served as a production hub for nationally televised programming during the PBR World Finals and also hosted a Rural Town Hall event with the Congressional Western Caucus and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins.
“This is much bigger than a venue,” said Gatsby Gottsch Solheim, co-owner of the network. “Auction Barn Studio represents an exciting new chapter for RFD Network. We are creating a place where entertainment, storytelling and community come together in one of the most iconic destinations in the American West.”
More Stockyards-area news
There is more prime Fort Worth Stockyards-area real estate up for development.
Campana Realty listed a 3.25-acre site just south of the historic Fort Worth Stockyards at 319 NE 23rd St. The property sits just between two of the most iconic Stockyards attractions: Joe T. Garcia’s and Hotel Drover.
The space provides a rare development opportunity because the property is technically outside the historical district of the Stockyards, according to Wes Mugarian of Campana Realty.
“Development opportunities of this scale rarely come to market in and around the Fort Worth Stockyards,” he said in a news release. “Sites that offer this combination of location, flexibility and development potential are becoming increasingly difficult to find in established destination districts like the Stockyards.”
The flexible zoning of the area – heavy industrial – makes it suited for high-density restaurant, retail, hospitality, office or mixed-use development, said Mugarian.
The land is currently owned by Airgas, an Air Liquide company, a supplier of industrial, medical and specialty gases.
Fort Worth CEO honored
Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, founder and CEO of Eosera, a Texas-based ear care company, has been named a 2026 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow.
The fellowship connects women entrepreneurs with tools to scale, lead, and shape the economy. Each year, the foundation selects 120 fellows from across the United States, giving them access to a peer network, collaborative coaching and educational opportunities. The foundation’s goal is to generate more than $1 billion in economic impact by 2030.
Dickerson founded eosera in 2015 in Fort Worth. The company developed Ear Wax MD ear wax dissolving drops and other related products along with ear health supplements and swabs.
The Tory Burch Foundation was founded in 2009, the namesake of the executive chairman and chief creative officer for the luxury lifestyle brand that also bears her name.
In addition to leading Eosera, Dickerson launched the Eosera Foundation to help women entrepreneurs access the resources they need to grow their businesses. She also serves on the board of TechFW, a startup accelerator and technology incubator.
Pop shop
Fort Worth-based pawn retailer FirstCash Holdings has reached an agreement to purchase United Kingdom-based Ramsdens Holding, a leading operator of pawn stores there. The deal is valued at $273 million. FirstCash operates more than 3,300 pawn shops around the world. The acquisition will add 174 Ramsdens locations across England, Scotland and Wales to FirstCash’s international footprint. Combined with H&T, the U.K. pawnbroker acquired by FirstCash in 2024, the transaction will create a U.K. network of nearly 470 stores with limited overlap between the two businesses.
Acquisition
Fort Worth-based insurance giant Higginbotham now has a presence in South Carolina, adding the Tuberville Insurance Agency to its lineup. Tuberville has four locations around the Palmetto state.
Turbeville Insurance Agency was established in 1991. The company has more than 60 employees and provides personal, commercial, health and employee benefits with specialties in coastal property, construction, contractors, developers, restaurants and other industries.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis, business editor for the Fort Worth Report, at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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