Category: Random Retail

Anything related to retail that doesn’t fit anywhere else.

Retail News: TGI Fridays quietly exits Houston after over 50 years

TGI Fridays quietly closed its remaining two Houston locations last week without any fanfare. The closures were not unexpected, and HHR postulated that they would eventually occur at the start of this year when TGI Fridays cut its operations from four stores to only two in Houston. The chain, which first entered Houston in 1973, at one point held the majority of the “fern bar” segment, but a lack of updates over the years left …

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Costume Conversions for Halloween 2024

Happy Halloween, ghouls and goblins! Today, we’re making a return to the longest-standing tradition at HHR. Visiting some “costume conversions.” These are empty storefronts temporarily leased by seasonal stores and “dressed up” for Halloween. In the past, we’ve visited Spirit locations, Halloween City (part of Party City), and even a local retailer, Spookers. This year, however, we only have the big dog Spirit operating in Houston. Without further to do, let us start with… The …

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The Deerbrook store that Fiesta and Randalls couldn’t handle

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today, we’re looking at 9805 Farm to Market 1960 Bypass Rd W, Humble, TX 77338, a location with a storied history. To start with a bit of context, this store sits inside the Deerbrook development, which is a part of Humble, TX. While Humble had an early history as an oil boomtown, also being the namesake for Humble Oil, now known as Exxon, its status as a growth …

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Retail News: Trader Joe’s to open in Sugar Land on Thursday

For the past few months, many have waited with bated breath for Sugar Land to finally have its own Trader Joe’s, and come Thursday, October 24th, it will be a reality. The Aldi-owned natural foods store has been planning the location at Univeristy Blvd and Highway 59, in a former Sprouts, for the better part of a year, and after pushing back the date, the store seems ready to open. Trader Joe’s began applying for …

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Retail News: Dirt Cheap bites the dust as last two Texas stores set to close

Salvage merchandiser Dirt Cheap prepares to bite the dust while closing down operations. Channel Control Merchants, the parent company of Dirt Cheap, and sister companies Dirt Cheap Building Supplies and Treasure Hunt filed for bankruptcy on October 10th. They announced their plans to close all remaining locations by the end of the year as part of their proceedings. Dirt Cheap, which is mainly focused in the Southern United States, has been featured twice before on …

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Retail News: Big Lots to close two more Houston are locations

The Big Lots bankruptcy continues to add new locations to the closing list, and in the past two weeks, two Houston stores have joined the lineup. The first is 6138 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77084, and the second is at 425 Sawdust Rd Ste A, Spring, TX 77380. With these two new closures, the greater Houston area is now losing 10 Big Lots stores overall, with a possibility of more closings still looming on …

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50 Years of Brookshire Brothers in Harris County

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR! Today, we’re looking at the last standing and oldest Brookshire Brothers store in Harris County. Located at 5249 Franz Rd, Katy, TX 77493, this store is not only the final one in the county but also a descendant of the first. Although Brookshire Brothers is a chain, Houstonians tend to consider it a “local grocer,” it has danced in and around the Houston area for years. Most notably, …

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Retail News: Fry’s being demolished for new Joe V’s

Work has begun on preparing the site for Houston’s newest Joe V’s Smart Shop. Earlier this year, HEB filed permits to tear down the former Fry’s Electronics at 10241 North Fwy, Houston, TX 77037, and start building their newest store. According to filings the new store is slated to be about half the size of the former Fry’s location. It’s possible that HEB will build additional shopping center space on at least one side of …

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Retail News: Burlington opens new Galleria area location

Burlington, formerly Coat Factory, has opened the first of two new stores planned for the Westside of town. This first store, located at 5125 Richmond Ave., Houston, TX 77056, takes the place of a former Cost Plus World Market, which closed in 2020. For the past four years, the building has usually sat vacant, occasionally used as a pop-up shop by the Salvation Army. This new location represents a smaller concept Burlington has been rolling …

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Retail News: Four more Big Lots store closings announced for Houston area

Big Lots, as part of its bankruptcy, has eyed four more Houston area locations for closure since the previous round, bringing the total number of stores closing in our area to eight. The newly announced stores are in Pearland, Tomball, and Katy, along with one in Houston at Westheimer and Gessner. These closures represent not only a restructuring but also an attempt to shift the company’s focus back to Closeouts from the dumpy Kmart-like facade …

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