Editor’s Note: This post was inspired by a request for information on the history of AppleTree’s “cousin” from Oklahoma, Homeland. The requester, Sing Oil Blog, has provided a companion post reporting on a Homeland-owned store in Georgia. Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today we’re looking at the history of a much more successful cousin of AppleTree, Homeland. Their history begins way back in 1929 when Safeway entered Oklahoma by acquiring a Tulsa-based chain, …
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My name is Mike and I am the founder of the Houston Historic Retail! I have been running this site since 2015. For more information check out the About page!
Retail News: What’s in the plans for West Oaks after nearly 40 years?
Update: West Oaks Mall Management contacted HHR with the following statement: Anchors, including Dillards, The Outlet, Fortis College, and Crazy Boss, remain open. In addition, there are inline retailers and restaurants that remain open. These stores have active leases and customers, and access to these stores and restaurants is not restricted. Any questions regarding this mall should be directed to [email protected] Earlier this week, West Oaks Mall shut down interior access to their few remaining …
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Houston’s own Joe V’s prepares to head to Dallas
Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! Today we’re talking about Joe V’s Smart Shop, a Houston-developed discount grocery store headed for DFW. The first Joe V locations opened in the summer of 2010. HEB pitched the stores as Aldi-Fighters, just as the discount German grocer gained a foothold in the Houston market. Despite this comparison, the first stores were reminiscent of the old HEB Pantry Foods concept. You could still find the …
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Welcome to Shoppers World Houston’s newest “department store”
Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today we’re heading to Shoppers World for the first time! For those not in the know, this will likely include some new readers since the now viral Shipley post (thank y’all for that, by the way!). Shoppers World is Houston’s newest “department store,” and I use that term loosely, as you’ll see in the photos today. Shoppers World originates out of New York and has a difficult-to-follow history. …
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Visiting the 99 Cent Only Store all these years later
Howdy folks, and welcome to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re visiting a new place for the blog, but a spot with a special place in my heart, the 99 Cents Only Store. Today’s location is actually a new one for me. Located at 10787 Jones Rd, Houston, TX 77065, this store space in the Steeplechase Center was originally filled by Sav-On Drugs, opening in 1982, and later Walgreens, which took over the stores when Sav-On …
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Food Town vs. Albertsons: a Pearland grocery decor showdown
Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Hisotirc Retail. Today we’re looking at an independent conversion of a former major-owned grocery store. A concept that is not unfamiliar to any longtime HHR reader. Houston still has a decent number of independents in operation. Mostly split up between Food Town, Foodarama, and El Ahorro/La Michoacana/Sellers Bros, each chain taking a unique approach to decor. Foodarama has mastered a very standardized look of replacing department signage with …
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Retail News: River Oaks Ex-KFC to house another fried chicken joint
According to permits filed recently, Layne’s Chicken Fingers appears to be headed to River Oaks. The new restaurant will rehab a former KFC located at 2359 S Shepherd Dr, Houston, TX 77019. The KFC, which closed in 2016, long enough ago that Swamplot covered it, has sat continuously vacant for nearly seven years. College Station-based Layne’s Chicken Fingers (LFC) is being franchised locally by the Houston franchisee of Halal Guys and has collocated their two …
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Arlan’s attempt in The Woodlands, a history of “Food Basket”
Editor’s Note: The photos in this post were submitted by a reader who found them during a liquidation sale of the closing Arlan’s. The original listing has since been deleted. If anyone knows who took these photos, credit will be provided. Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re taking a look at a now-closed grocery store with an interesting history. The building at 26824 I-45, Oak Ridge North, TX 77386, which …
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Grocery Update: GFS Braeswood Square Opens
Gordon Food Stores, Houston’s newest grocery chain, opened another store this week—the new location at 5300 N Braeswood Blvd, Houston, TX 77096, is located in Braeswood Square. The company opened its first four area locations back in March. GFS is a mix between a traditional grocer and a food service distributor. While they may not carry every grocery item an individual wants, larger households and small businesses can shop GFS quite easily. I visited the …
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HEB Clear Lake, sitting closed and empty!
Editor’s Note: Today is this blog’s eighth birthday and the week of my own birthday! If you like HHR you can easily help keep me going in one of two ways. First, please consider following, liking, and sharing my content on Facebook. Social media is not something I use excessively, but it helps bring new readers, especially those interested in local history. Second, please consider donating to HHR. I don’t run ads, have a corporate …
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