DALLAS, Texas — Bonton Farms is taking a major step beyond its South Dallas roots, bringing its products and community-focused mission to one of the region’s busiest transportation hubs.
The Dallas nonprofit is preparing to open its first retail location outside South Dallas at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. The new store is expected to open this fall in Terminal A near Gate A17, giving travelers an opportunity to discover products created through the organization’s programs.
The location is being developed through a partnership with WHSmith North America, a major travel retailer that operates stores at airports, rail stations and resorts across North America.
For Bonton Farms, the new location represents more than simply another retail outlet. Organization leaders say it will give the nonprofit a chance to introduce its story and products to travelers from around the world.
What Travelers Can Buy at the New Store
The upcoming airport shop will offer a selection of products associated with Bonton Farms and its community programs.
Travelers are expected to find locally produced honey, handmade jams, goat milk soaps, grab-and-go food, apparel and gifts.
The store will also showcase products created by “Bontonpreneurs,” entrepreneurs who participate in Bonton Farms’ business development programs.
That means the airport location will serve as a platform not only for Bonton Farms products, but also for people connected to the organization’s broader economic development mission.
Bonton Farms President and CEO Mark Jones described the opening as an important milestone for both the organization and the community it serves.
“This opening represents an exciting milestone for Bonton Farms and the community we serve,” Jones said in a statement. “For the first time, our products and our story will reach travelers from around the world.”
Jones also said the partnership will provide additional support for Bonton Farms’ community programs.
From a Small Beekeeping Operation to a Growing Organization
Bonton Farms began with a relatively small beekeeping operation designed to create jobs and encourage community involvement in South Dallas.
Since then, the organization has expanded significantly. Its operations now include farms, markets, a coffeehouse, a preservatory and a farm-to-table cafe.
Beyond food and retail, Bonton Farms operates programs addressing a wide range of community needs.
Its initiatives include education, transportation, health and wellness, financial resources, economic stability and affordable housing.
The new airport store therefore represents another chapter in an organization that has grown from a neighborhood-focused operation into a broader community development effort.
WHSmith Partnership Brings Bonton Farms to DFW
The new store is being developed with WHSmith North America, which operates more than 350 stores at airports, rail stations and resorts throughout North America.
WHSmith North America CEO Huw Crwys-Williams said Bonton Farms has significance beyond being a local Dallas brand.
“Bonton Farms is more than a local brand. It is an organization creating lasting impact across Dallas and the wider Metroplex area,” Crwys-Williams said.
The partnership will allow Bonton Farms to reach an audience far beyond the South Dallas community where the organization began.
For travelers passing through DFW, the store could offer an opportunity to discover locally connected products while supporting a nonprofit focused on economic opportunity and community development.
New Airport Store Represents Bonton Farms’ Mission
Bonton Farms Operations Director Kendra Charisse Smith said the organization has been preparing its products for the demands of operating at an airport retail location.
The preparation has involved getting products ready for a larger-scale retail operation, while maintaining the connection to the organization’s mission.
“This store isn’t just retail space, it’s a front door to our mission,” Smith said.
That message reflects the significance Bonton Farms places on the new location. Rather than treating the airport store as simply another place to sell products, the organization sees it as an opportunity to introduce its work to people who may have never heard of Bonton Farms.
An exact opening date has not yet been announced. The organization and WHSmith North America currently expect the store to open sometime this fall.
For Bonton Farms, the new DFW Airport location marks a significant expansion—and a chance to take the story of its South Dallas community work to travelers from across the country and around the world.
Would you visit the new Bonton Farms store at DFW Airport? Tell us what product you’d want to try in the comments.
