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 custom-made pieces, the store will be painted, and new graphics applied to the walls. El Ahorro, La Michoacana, Sellers Bros (and a few other brands) …
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Posts Relating to Grocery Stores
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 most recently held an Arlan’s location, was originally built as a Clayton’s Supermarket. As some readers may remember, Clayton’s was a mostly Northside independent grocer. …
Keep reading4000 Polk, Houston’s 90+ year old Henke & Pillot Kroger location
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike Welcome to the latest installment of The Year of Kroger here at Houston Historic Retail! After three consecutive months of looking at early examples of Kroger Signature stores, this month’s The Year of Kroger post will take us to a Kroger that is the opposite of a Signature store. Those who have read the previous installments of The Year of Kroger, especially the one about the Texas City Kroger last month, will surely be aware of Kroger’s long history …
Keep readingWhy is Pearland’s newest HEB already getting a remodel?
Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today we’re checking out something we haven’t seen in a while, a grocery store expansion. Specifically, the remodel going on at the East Pearland HEB at 2710 Pearland Pkwy, Pearland, TX 77581. Before we answer the question as to why this HEB is getting an expansion, let’s dig into why this has become somewhat unusual. For years, HEB’s focus in Houston was on Pantry Foods stores, which on the whole, don’t have stellar memories attached to them. These cramped and often older buildings allowed HEB to enter a difficult grocery market. As soon …
Keep readingRetail News: Foodarama holds official Texas City grand opening this week
Grand opening sales and festivities at Foodarama’s newest location at 915 6th St N, Texas City, TX 77590, will commence this week. Foodarama, which is turning 50 this year, took over this location in late December 2022 from the previous operator Food King. Personnel from Foodarama disclosed to Houston Historic Retail that they had planned on removing some of the remaining Grand Union-era decor features, such as the overhead mural above the checkout, but had changed their minds after installing brighter lighting in the over 70-year-old store, which was built by Weingarten’s in 1952. Grand opening sales will last until …
Keep readingThe Texas City Kroger’s Golden Anniversary
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike This month’s installment of The Year of Kroger will be an anniversary celebration. 2023 is the 140th anniversary of the formation of Kroger, but that isn’t the Kroger anniversary we will be celebrating in this post. Instead, we will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Texas City Kroger located at 3541 Palmer Hwy, Texas City, TX 77590. Those who have been following HHR recently will know that Texas City retail, and Galveston County retail as a whole, has …
Keep readingRetail News: Gordon Food Service Stores Open Tomorrow
Tuesday, March 14th, will mark the first new entry of a national grocer into Houston in over ten years. The announcement from GFS confirms some of what HHR had already reported, specifically that six new Gordon Food Service Stores will open in the Houston area. The stores will open in two waves, with the North Oaks, Westheimer, Katy, and League City stores opening tomorrow. Both Antoine at Pinemont and the Braeswood Square store will open at a later yet unknown date. Gordon Food Service stores aim to attract business clients and families, serving as a meet-in-the-middle between a standard grocer …
Keep readingRetail News: Houston to lose multiple Sprouts locations as part of larger cuts
Sprouts Farmers Market has announced plans to close 11 stores in the coming month in multiple states. Thanks to a tip submitted by an anonymous source to Houston Historic Retail, our market can expect to lose three locations by the start of April. Sprout’s official reasoning behind the cuts is under performance, with a focus on closing larger stores in favor of smaller locations. The three locations supposedly on the chopping block include Westheimer at Kirkwood, OST and Kirby, and Sugar Land. Based on Google reviews of the OST location, it seems that this information has recently become public knowledge. …
Keep readingFiesta #18 The Last of the Neon Kings
Howdy folks, and welcome to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re taking a look at the last of the neon Fiestas at 8130 Kirby Dr, Houston, TX 77054. This Fiesta Mart location opened in the 1980s, during a high of our local international store. First, let’s start with a quick history of Fiesta. The concept behind Fiesta Mart was developed by a group of American-businessmen who had experienced shopping at modern Latin American supermarkets and realized the idea would work well in Houston. While international stores have a long history in Houston, Fiesta was the first attempt at taking this sales …
Keep readingPowerful Kroger Signature Stores Gain A Power Alley
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike In last month’s The Year of Kroger entry, we explored a very early Kroger Signature store built in 1993, the Cypress Station store. In this month’s The Year of Kroger post, we will explore another early Kroger Signature store, Kroger HO-311, the Jersey Village/Steeplechase store located at the intersection of Jones Road & West Road in the northwest suburbs of Houston. While the 1993 and 1994 Kroger Signature stores have more in common than they are different, we will …
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