Category: News

Retail News: The Coney Cruiser prepares to bring JCI back inside The Loop this Wednesday!

The Coney Cruiser

Good news for James Coney Island Fans! Houston’s oldest purveyors of hot dogs will be back inside the loop for at least a few hours this week. The location Coney Cruiser Food Truck will be parked outside of the former James Coney Island location at S. Shepherd and Richmond Ave on Wednesday, November 16th. The food truck will be open for lunch from 11:00 AM-2:00 PM. The truck will serve a pared-down version of the original restaurant’s menu.

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Retail News: Big Grand Opening Weekend nets Houston two new Sporting Goods Stores

On Friday, Houston saw the grand opening of two new sporting goods outlets from well-established chains. Academy opened a location in Meyerland in a space left behind by a recently closed Hobby Lobby. This new Academy seems to have opened in response to competitor Dick’s Sporting Goods, who opened up shop across The Loop in the former Meyerland Plaza Bed Bath and Beyond. The new Academy is a bit of a compromise, as they are used to building their own locations. As such, this store feels a bit cramped, dropping the familiar loop layout for only a single major walkway …

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Retail News: Ollie’s Bargain Outlet opens in Katy on October 26th

The newest Ollie’s Bargain Outlet in the Houston area is scheduled to open this Wednesday, October 26th. The new store, located at 1747 N Fry Rd, Katy, TX 77449, takes the place of a former Stein Mart and will be the second Ollie’s on Houston’s westside and the third overall in the area. The replacement of Stein Mart with Ollie’s sees a return to full tenancy for The Crossing at Fry, which has suffered with vacancies, such as Kroger in 2016. Another vacant spot in the same shopping center, a former Dry Cleaning Shop, will soon play host to Voodoo …

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The Kroger-Albertsons Merger, and what it could mean for Houston

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’ll be discussing the Kroger and Albertsons merger/buyout announced last week and what it could mean for Houston. So I’m not accused of burying the lead here, the short answer is we don’t know the exact impact yet. The long answer, however, is we know enough that we can make some predictions. For those out of the loop, Kroger has officially agreed to acquire Albertsons for $24.6 Billion. In Houston, Albertsons is represented by Randall’s, which was acquired along with the rest of Safeway back in 2015. Kroger, on the …

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Retail News: James Coney Island continues to shrink as Westheimer location closes

James Coney Island closed another location earlier this month, this time, it was their Galleria outpost at 5745 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77057. This leaves Houston’s oldest restaurant chain with a paltry 10 locations. The chain had about 20 locations as of 2020. So far, most locations that have closed have been redeveloped. The Westheimer location is no exception, with permits filed by Artisan’s Restaurant to demolish the building. The structure is actually original to Steak ‘n Shake, which operated from 1976-1978 before selling most of its locations to Grandy’s. JCI would move in here in 1983 and become a …

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Retail News: Half Price Books Kirkwood sets moving date

Half Price Book’s latest Houston development, a move from their Kirkwood location up Westheimer into the former Westchase Mall, now has a timeline. According to signs posted in the store, the move is to be completed by early November, with the old store closing on the 3rd and the new location presumably opening the next day or shortly thereafter. When HHR first reported this back in May, HPB staff was unable to confirm the move. The new store’s address is 10915 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77042. Located in between Target and Whole Foods. The discount bookstore has six locations in …

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Rice looks good in Red, how Spec’s is coming along

Howdy, everyone, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! Today we have our second installment of Rice Epicurean’s Post Mortum inSpec’stion. After Rice Epicurean closed in July (you don’t think I’d have to mention that again, but the number of confused Rice Customers that stopped in the minutes it took to capture these photos speaks otherwise), the building and pretty much everything remaining inside. In our first check-in about two weeks ago, the building still mostly resembled Rice inside and out. However, as of this week, the interior is beginning to look pretty “Specsy”! As HHR contributor Anonymous in Houston …

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Retail News: Krispy Kreme Closes two Houston locations

This past week, Krispy Kreme suddenly and unexpectedly closed its two Houston-based locations, 5603 Hwy 6 N, Houston, TX 77084 & 8611 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77063. These closures come after years of spotty operation, with multiple changes between franchisees. Long-time Houstonians may remember that Krispy Kreme’s first go in the Houston market ended in 2006 after litigation with their franchisee. Krispy Kreme vowed to come back, and by 2013 were shooting for 10 Houston stores over the next 5 years. The first two stores would not end up opening until late 2015 and would end up being the only …

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