After about a year and a half of operation, the ghost kitchen inside the N Shepherd & 11th Kroger has called it quits. Kitchen United Mix first announced a partnership with Kroger in 2021, with a location opening in a Los Angeles Ralph’s in early 2022. The Houston location was the first of two in Texas and the first specifically in a Kroger; the second in the state would be in Dallas. Upon opening in February 2022, Kitchen United Mix offered 15 restaurants out of this one location. The options were a mix of local selections (Burn’s BBQ, The Rustic), …
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With the Hedwig Village OfficeMax Closing Soon, We Remember OfficeMax’s Glory Days In Houston
Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike Sometimes retail blog posts just don’t go as planned. This is the case with this post. Only a few weeks ago, Mike and I discussed the possibility of us doing a blog post about OfficeMax and Staples’ small presence in the Houston area in current times. Both names are so rare in Houston these days that many of our readers might have forgotten that they both still exist in the Houston area. So, with that, Mike traveled to Hedwig …
Keep readingRetail News: Whole Foods to close Midtown location
Houston Historic Retail has been informed that the Midtown Whole Foods Market will close by the end of next week. The store, which opened in late 2019, occupies the ground floor of the Pearl Marketplace Apartment tower. The rumor of closure was first spread online and brought to the attention of HHR by a reader. The closing was confirmed by visiting the store and speaking to an employee who confirmed they would close by the end of next week. Supposedly, the store is set to start a deep clearance sale, as it was fully stocked during my visit. The Midtown …
Keep readingRetail News: IKEA planning new small-format location for Cinco Ranch
Based on permits filed with the state, and realty details mentioned in Ralph Bivin’s latest RNR Bulletin, Swedish Furniture Retailer, IKEA is working on opening a second location in the Houston area. The new store is to be located in the La Centerra Shopping Center in Katy. Rather than being a full-size showroom and warehouse 200k+ Sqft store, this new location will only clock in at about 5,000 Sqft. While IKEA has yet to publish details about this new store, it’s not a stretch to think that it will turn out much like their planned small format store in South …
Keep readingRetail 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 Layne’s Outlets with existing Halal Guys locations. The existing locations are Cinco Ranch and the “Ella Fast Food Boulevard.” Layne’s has yet to make an …
Keep readingRetail News: Houston’s first Shoppers World opens June 8th
Shoppers World will open its first Houston location on June 8th, according to the Houston Business Journal. The store at 10701 Jones Rd, Houston, TX 77065, will complete the reconfiguration of the former Target in Steeplechase Plaza. The building was vacated in 2006 when Target, which built the structure, moved to a larger location along FM 1960. The first portion to be redeveloped was the right third of the building, which was renovated as a Planet Fitness in 2012. The gym would move out, relocating further down Jones Road in 2018, leaving the space completely vacant again. Until Ollie’s Bargain …
Keep readingRetail News: Target proposed for Heights area residential tower
A block in the Heights at W. 26th between Durham and N. Shepherd is currently undergoing the planning stages of redevelopment. At the end of 2022, WGS Retail Investments announced plans to redevelop the existing business on this land. Their plan involves demolishing the industrial sheds and former homes that had all turned to retail use by the 21st century. The plan as it stands now is to construct a low-rise 8-story residential tower, with retail making up the ground floor. While Target has yet to make an official statement, all proposals from the developer include Target in their plans. …
Keep readingRetail News: Trill Burgers work shows on former James Coney Island
The former James Coney Island, located at 3607 S Sheperd Dr. Houston, TX 77098, has been slated to reopen as local rapper Bun B’s Smash Burger concept Trill Burger since closing last year. Work started on the interior earlier this year, as reported here on HHR. However, this last week the first stages of exterior change began. A new black and gold paint job, in addition to updated signage, has all been applied. Photos from inside the building show that structurally much remains the same. However, red, white, and blue have similarly been swapped for black and gold throughout. Booths …
Keep readingRetail News: Stafford gains a Target location, and P Terry’s makes Houston promises… again
Target has filed permits for a new store in the Stafford mixed-use development, The Grid. Likely to be located next to the present Costco Business Center, the new store will come in around 125,000 Square Feet. This will be an average-size store for Target, about 20k Sq ft less than their new Katy store. For comparison, the Walmart across West Airport Blvd from The Grid is almost 100,000 Square Feet larger, representing one of the competing discount retailer’s largest stores in the Houston area. Target’s signing on to this project seems to validate the initial goal of redeveloping the former …
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 …
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