Sincerely, Vicki Nivens

Local entrepreneur Vicki Nivens was born in Dallas. Shortly after, her family decided to make the move to Granbury to be closer to family. Vicki grew up in Granbury and lived her most of her life. She and her siblings are third generation GISD students and third generation Granbury Pirate cheerleaders!

Always close to her heart is her family. As well, the people on her team at Hotel Lucy, the Hard Eight Restaurants, and The Pearl Home and Gift Boutique are so important to Vicki. She explains, ” I have an amazing team! They are the absolute best!! I love them all…without them, I could not be.”

Vicki’s first job was in high school. She worked at a clothing boutique called The Casual Shop owned by June Thomas. It was located in the shopping center where Brookshire’s is now. However, customer service was instilled in her at an early age by her mother, who owned the Granbury Flower and Gift Shop in 1967. Vicki spent most days at the flower shop with her mom. This experience also taught her the value of owning and operating a family business.

As an adult, Vicki and her husband, Phillip, built Hard Eight Restaurants together as a family brand. Vicki adds, “This brought an additional dimension to the value my career brings to my life. After the loss of Phil, I am very proud of how we picked up the pieces and continued building and growing Hard Eight. The restaurants are so special to me because they are something we created with him, and altogether.”

Since the success and growth of Hard Eight, Vicki set her eyes on a new dream. Together with her team, she designed and completed Hotel Lucy and The Pearl in Granbury. Hotel Lucy offers modern luxury on the lake and just adjacent to the Historic Square. Each suite was carefully curated by Vicki herself and has its own theme. Complete with lavish furnishings, premium bedding, and stunning amenities, Hotel Lucy offers a unique and beautiful experience for guests. “I love seeing visitors come in and enjoy Granbury. Granbury is truly a gem!”

I asked Vicki what the word, “family,” meant to her. She paused and smiled, “Oh gosh..” she takes a sip of her champagne.

“I don’t want to be cheesy here but my family really is everything to me. My kids and grandkids are my life. I love creating new projects that I pray they will continue to be a part of and grow them even after I am gone.”

It’s no surprise that Vicki isn’t a traditional Grandma. Her grandkids know her as, “Bippie.” Instead of baking cookies, Bippie loads them up with a big bucket of quarters to play on the house slot machine. They also join Bippie at her poker table where she teaches them the value of being a good card player and people reader, Vicki adds, “You know… important life lessons grandparents should teach!”

Vicki works hard and also values her personal time. Outside of spending time with family, Vicki loves to travel and experience new places. Her and her husband Phil once cruised the inside passage from Seattle to Alaska on their own boat. She loved this once in a lifetime experience so much she did it twice!

Of all her professional accomplishments, Vicki is most proud of Hotel Lucy. She’s had this vision for many years and she knows that watching it come to fruition has been such a privilege and a really cool moment for her and her dedicated team. She is very proud to bring this to her hometown.

When I asked her for any important life lessons she could offer our reader, she initially chuckled and said, “Oh! Most of those I can’t print!” In all seriousness, Vicki explained that she feels like she still learns valuable life lessons daily. But, one that came to mind and that she lives by every day is to not judge people. She explains, “You never know what someone else has gone through or may be going through.”

For years I have admired Vicki Nivens as a business woman. I had the pleasure of interviewing her mother and writing about her life years ago and this time, I got to sit down with Vicki. All I can say is she is one of the most genuine women I have ever met. She is caring and warm and she is lighthearted and confident. She is everything you’d want in a pillar of our community and I’m so glad I get to know her.

My kids and grandkids are my life. I love creating new projects and I pray they will continue to be a part of them and grow them, even after I am gone.”

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