Tom and Lori Dickey, (who met in Japan while both working at Intel!) have lived in Austin for more than 20 years. Six years ago they bought Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard in Bastrop, and then the surrounding property they've coined “Harmony Ridge on the River.” We caught up with them to learn more about the historic property and plans for the future.
How big is Harmony Ridge? It’s just over 2.5 acres of Colorado Riverfront property, located at the eastern end of the iconic Old Iron Bridge, serving as a welcoming gateway into downtown Bastrop.
Historic houses from miles away populate the property, how did that come to be? The credit for the neighborhood of buildings goes to the previous owners Tommy & Judi Hoover who began developing the property in the early ‘90’s. The Hoovers developed many rescue/restoration projects in the Bastrop area and we have photo collages for the 9 buildings they relocated here. Each of the buildings has their own story, a personal residence, a one-room schoolhouse, a bordello…and even the old City Market from Winchester, about 20 miles East of Bastrop.
Which businesses at Harmony Ridge do you own and operate? Neighbor’s Kitchen and our brewpub, Iron Bridge Icehouse. We currently produce 17 different beers at IBIH which are sold exclusively on tap at Neighbor's Kitchen & Yard.
How did you source the businesses that would take residence in the other buildings? When we originally acquired the property from the Hoovers in 2021, Lori & I explored several different themes for the property. The post-pandemic world was filled with uncertainty, so we agreed to focus on the restaurant and brewery (Iron Bridge Icehouse est. 2019). The remaining buildings were leased to a variety of local entrepreneurs in the hospitality, service & retail industries.
What’s your vision of the neighborhood? At a high level, we want Harmony Ridge on the River to be a destination for the local community & our growing flow of visitors. It’s one of the most beautiful properties on the Colorado River between Austin and the Bay and we want to create a destination for our guests which highlights Mother Nature’s amazing work.
Is there a business you’d like to add to your portfolio? I can’t speak for Lori, but I would like to see a recording studio on the property. We’ve met some amazing artists over the years and many of them come back every season to play in our Yard. We are one of the host venues for the annual Bastrop Music Festival and we even renamed the property Harmony Ridge in recognition of the vibe that music brings to the property. This is way out of our lane but finding the right partner to create this venue on the property would be special.
What brings you the most joy from what you’ve built? One can get pizza & beer in many different places, but it’s our community that makes Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard the “Cheers” of Bastrop and that is worth toasting.
Address: 601 Chestnut St Building C, Bastrop, TX 78602
Phone: (512) 988-7036 Website: neighborstx.com
Instagram: @neigbors_tx
"It’s our community that makes Neighbor’s Kitchen & Yard the “Cheers” of Bastrop, and that's worth toasting."
