Category: Randalls

When this store opened, it had a gable front facade. Safeway gave the front of this store a more traditional look in the early 2000s.

North Houston’s Remarkable Handy Randalls in Champions

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos being taken by Mike For close to 50 years, the supermarket featured in this blog post has been one of, if not the, most upscale supermarkets in all of the northern half of Houston. With that in mind, it’s fair to say that this supermarket is truly remarkable! This remarkable store, the Randall’s Flagship store at 5219 …

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One more look at the outside before we set off

Why did Safeway close the Fuqua and Sabo Randall’s?

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! Today we’re checking out a 1980s Randall’s that has had quite an interesting second life. This former Randall’s at 11021 Fuqua St, Houston, TX 77089, opened store opened in 1984. Taking part in a triple grand opening stunt, which is just as it sounds. Two newly built Randall’s stores and one old Weingarten that had been acquired about a month before all held a grand opening …

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Unlike almost every other Randall's this store only feature one set of doors

Randall’s Weslayan Remodel brings up traces of a Weingartens past

Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR. Over these past few weeks, we’ve discussed the slow dissolution of Randalls throughout the Houston area. As of this post, we’re down to 15 Houston area stores and only a couple more over in Austin. As sad as this is, there was a point where Randalls was king of Houston, and as could pretty much do whatever they wanted. By the early 80s, Randalls was becoming a dominant …

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Final Days at Randall’s as Sugar Land location closes this Saturday

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re finally bringing the Randall’s Sugar Land saga to a close, as the store prepares to shut down permanently this Saturday, June 4th, 2022. For those who have been keeping track so far, HHR broke the news back in Mid-April that the Sugar Land store was slated to close by the summer (Thanks to an anonymous tip!). By May the going out of business sale …

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Randall’s Going Out of Business Sale in Sugar Land and Why This Time It’s a Little Bit Different

Howdy folks, and welcome to Houston Historic Retail. Let me offer you a short introduction, as many people will likely find this via Google or Facebook (normal readers just play along). The following is a “Photo Essay”. It’s not meant to answer exactly why the Randall’s in Sugar Land is closing. However, it should offer some insight into how Randall’s got into the shape it is today. If you have an interest in this type …

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Retail News: Randall’s in Sugar Land prepares to close as Sam’s Club in West Houston prepares to reopen

Edit: 5/3 Interested in following the status of the remaining Randall’s in Houston, then consider following Houston Historic Retail on Facebook or subscribe via email for updates! Welcome back to Houston Historic Retail, for another Retail News brief! This week we have some bad news for Randall’s fans and some good news for bulk shoppers on the West Side. Randall’s in Sugar Land prepares to close The headline this week is the announcement that Albertsons …

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From far away this doesn't look much like a Randall's anymore, but the closer you get...

A Spec’s in a former Randall’s? Robert Onstead must be rolling in his grave!

Howdy, and welcome back to HHR! Today we’re taking a look at one of the most scandalous grocery store conversions to take place. This former Randall’s has been divided into thirds, with Aldi, Planet Fitness, and Spec’s splitting up the building. The store at 3126 FM 528 Rd, Friendswood, TX 77546, opened as part of Randall’s 80s push. Which brought stores from the Westside back down to South Houston, where Robert Onstead had been introduced …

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Handy Randalls, the store that killed an HEB still here 50 years later

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! Today we’re taking an in-depth look at one of Houston’s former Handy Andy stores. If you’re not in the know about Handy Andy, let me give you a little background. They were a grocer based out of San Antonio who expanded to Houston in the 1970s. During the initial phases of their expansion, things went quite well with the Becker family, who owned the stores, building …

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The arched entrance Randalls is the version I'm most familiar with, using it at their Rosenberg store.

Randallsarama still the nicest grocery store in Inwood

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. If you’re one of our more recent fans and have yet to check out a Randallsarama, consider giving my 2021 visit to one a look. I’ll be making some references to it in this post, and it’s also the birth of the HHR Dictionary, with other entries like Krogerstons popping up more recently. Foodarama is no stranger to former Randall’s locations, they seem to flock to …

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It’s your town Boris! A visit to and the history behind the former Iron Curtain Smashing Randall’s

Howdy folks, today we’re taking a look at what is arguably the most significant grocery store in all of Houston. A humble Lewis Food Town located at 570 El Dorado Blvd, Webster, TX 77598. Starting out as a Randall’s in 1984, this grocery store served an important role only a few years later as an impromptu stop by Soviet politician Boris Yeltsin. Aiming to see how “average Americans” lived, many have drawn a direct line …

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