"Baby Dolls Reborn, PharmChem Acquired, and Bubble Planet Coming to Grapevine Mills - Fort Worth Local Pulse"

Good morning, this is Fort Worth Local Pulse for Thursday, August 28, 2025. Our top story today is the big news out of City Hall. Fort Worth’s City Council has made a major decision for the east side, giving the green light for Baby Dolls to officially rebuild after last year’s fire. The vote was unanimous, allowing the decades-old club on South Highway 157 to return to business, though not without some concern from neighbors about the changing landscape near Euless and Arlington. City leaders said the new zoning follows legal guidelines, keeping the business more than a thousand feet from homes, churches, and schools. As Baby Dolls prepares to reopen, the conversation about future development in that part of Fort Worth isn’t going away anytime soon. Looking to business news, homegrown company PharmChem just saw its shareholders approve an acquisition by Alcohol Monitoring Systems. This means local investors will receive a cash payout of three dollars and seventy-five cents a share. The deal is set to wrap up by the end of today. PharmChem is best known for those drug detection sweat patches used nationwide, so this acquisition marks a significant step for one of Fort Worth’s niche tech employers. On to real estate, recent numbers from the Tarrant Appraisal District show the Baby Dolls property was valued at just over one hundred eighty thousand dollars last year. Around Fort Worth, the market remains active, with new listings moving especially fast in neighborhoods close to TCU and along Camp Bowie, where we see average prices just under four hundred thousand. Apartment demand is still high, especially for units within easy reach of downtown or The Stockyards. Weather-wise, we can expect temperatures to climb again today, with highs in the upper nineties and mostly sunny skies. There are no major storms in sight, but outdoor plans should include hats and sunscreen as the UV index peaks this afternoon. We can expect continued dry, warm weather through the weekend — great news for those making Labor Day plans. Speaking of plans, Labor Day prep is underway and Rex’s Bar and Grill on West 7th is making headlines with an all-day TCU watch party this coming Monday. The festivities start with brunch at nine thirty, with live music from local band Smoked Honey taking the stage at two. Families will find plenty of kid-friendly fun with balloons and face painting, while everyone can enjoy the game on what’s billed as Fort Worth’s biggest TV screen. In arts and entertainment, anticipation is building for the arrival of Bubble Planet at Grapevine Mills this fall. This new immersive exhibit promises twelve interactive rooms with everything from infinity mirrors to virtual reality undersea adventures. It’s expected to be a major draw for families across North Texas. On the education front, high school football returns this week with Paschal facing off against Arlington Heights at Farrington Field, and Fort Worth ISD is celebrating a surge in student te