The Bartonville Store's Battle of the Bands Is Down to Its Final Rounds, and the Sunday Market Is About to Go Monthly
October 15, 2026
October 15, 2026
The Bartonville Store at 96 McMakin Road has been running a contest on Wednesday nights since August. Local acts play, a four-judge panel scores them, and anyone in the room can fill out a paper ballot. The contest has three Wednesdays left. On Sundays, the farmers market on the same property has two weekly dates left before it drops to once a month.
Both events let the people who show up shape what happens, and both start winding down in the same few weeks. By the Friday after Thanksgiving, the Wednesday contest will be over and the Sunday market will be on its winter schedule. For anyone who uses the Store as a weeknight or Sunday habit, these weeks are the last of the regular schedule this year.
The Store's events page lays out the rest of the bracket:
The Store takes reservations for the contest nights through its Tock page.
The ballot counts, but it doesn't decide the winner on its own. The Store's rules give the judging panel most of the weight.
| Contest detail | Solo/Duo | Full Band |
|---|---|---|
| Semifinal date | Wed., Nov. 4 | Wed., Nov. 11 |
| Acts in the semifinal | Final 5 | Final 3 |
| Prize | $250 paid Friday night gig | $500 paid Friday night gig |
| Prize gig slot, Nov. 27 | 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. | 9 to 11 p.m. |
| Scoring | 4-judge panel 80%, paper ballots 20% | 4-judge panel 80%, paper ballots 20% |
The paper ballots make up a fifth of the score. In a close round, that's enough for a full room to change the result. The prize is a Friday night on the Store's main stage, the same slot it usually fills with ticketed acts. Bands that want to compete can still register for a time slot through a link on the events page.
The contest nights fall between some of the Store's bigger bookings of the season. Here is the ticketed lineup from the Wednesday round through early December, all sold through StubWire:
Montgomery's listing says Guitar Player Magazine named him one of its "Top 50 All-Time Greatest Guitar Players." It also mentions his performance on Austin City Limits. That's the stage the contest winners will play on Nov. 27, a week after his solo show.
The other weekly event on the property also has a short countdown. The Bartonville Farmer's Market is organized by MTC Merchant Fairs. Its Marketspread listing shows these 2026 dates:
| Date | Schedule |
|---|---|
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Weekly |
| Sunday, Oct. 25 | Last weekly date listed |
| Sunday, Nov. 8 | Monthly |
| Sunday, Dec. 13 | Monthly |
Oct. 25 is the last weekly Sunday on the calendar before the listings move to one Sunday a month. The Store lists market hours as 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Cross Timbers Gazette community calendar lists 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and says the market runs March through October. If you're coming late in the morning, it's worth checking with the Store first.
The organizer's vendor roster includes Tuesday's Farmstead, Wildcat Creek Wagyu, Anna Bea's Blessed Breads, Beignet Bag Co, Lela Scratch Bakery and Roots and Roasts Coffee Co. That's the market's full list, so not every vendor comes every week. Tuesday's Farmstead describes a pantry built around baked goods like sourdough, cinnamon rolls, muffins and pies, with occasional gluten-free items. Wildcat Creek Wagyu raises F1 and fullblood Wagyu. It sells beef by the whole or half, as individual cuts or in custom boxes, along with tallow soaps, balms and candles.
The market sits in the middle of a longer Sunday at the Store. The restaurant opens at 9 a.m. on Sundays and serves brunch until 3 p.m. The October calendar also has Open Mic with Justin Collins on market Sundays. Once November arrives, a Sunday visit has a market only on Nov. 8 and Dec. 13.
The building has had a lot of jobs. The Store's own site says the property has served as a grocery, feed store, church, school and gas station over 140 years. According to the Cross Timbers Gazette's 2019 history of the site, the original store was built in 1882. It burned around 1944, was rebuilt, and stayed open until February 2013. The paper reported that owner Tim House and partner and chef Michael Scott were preparing the new Store near the original site for an opening in the first quarter of 2019.
The same article described the plans for Jeter's, which is still part of the Store's name, as a butcher counter. It was set to carry grass-fed, grain-finished Prime meat and Rosewood Ranches Texas Wagyu, plus pork and chicken from other local ranches. That description is from 2019. Ask at the counter what's in the case today.
Through the 20th century, the store was where people bought groceries and feed. Today a building on the same corner hosts a contest where people in the room help score the music, and a Sunday market selling sourdough and Wagyu out back.
The Saturday version of this routine is a couple of miles away at Bartonville Town Center, 2652 FM 407. The Cross Timbers Gazette calendar lists a Saturday farmers market there that starts at 8 a.m. and runs until vendors sell out. The Town Center's market page sends shoppers to Doug's Country Market. If you can't make it on Saturday, you can order online by Wednesday and pick up at the Center that Friday.
For something sweet nearby, Smallcakes Cupcakery and Creamery moved to 2660 FM 407 E. #300 this summer, as reported in the Cross Timbers Gazette's June 23 Biz Buzz.
If you've been at the Store's Wednesday rounds this fall and voted for a favorite act, the finale on Nov. 27 is your chance to see whether they made it. The Monarch Team follows the local calendar in towns like Bartonville as closely as the market. If you have questions about life on this side of Denton County, contact us for a free consultation.
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