Category: News
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 …
Keep readingRetail 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 …
Keep readingRetail News: GFS makes progress on former Belden’s
Gordon Food Supply continues to make inroads on its stores in the Houston area. While an expected grand opening date has not yet been set, it seems likely that these stores will open either before the end of the year or slightly after. Most locations are at the same level of progress, with new foundation level power and drainage lines being installed, prior to interior work. It seems, however, that this former Belden’s in Braeswood Square is lagging a bit behind the other stores in the Houston area, with the permits for this location being filed a few months after …
Keep readingRetail News: Edwards 14 at West Oaks Mall slated to close as part of bankruptcy
Retail News: Sears at Willowbrook Mall’s last gasp!
Sears Hometown Store at Willowbrook Mall is having its last gasp this upcoming week. While store employees could not provide a final date, they said this week would likely be it for them, as the store slowly runs out of stock. What little remained in the store largely consisted of fixtures and merchandise that had been purchased but yet to be picked up. Many of the items in the store had been shipped in from other locations, including stock labeled for Kmart. The gate to the mall sits shut now, no longer providing the best parking spot to entrance ratio. …
Keep readingRetail News: Ollie’s Friendswood to open Wednesday
Nearly one year after its debut, Ollie’s Bargain Outlet is opening a second Houston area location Wednesday, September 9th. This store located at 18182 Gulf Fwy, Friendswood, TX 77546, has been a long time coming and was part of the reason Houston lost its only Dick’s Warehouse store. As of now, Ollie’s third and only other publically planned Houston store is on the Westside at 1747 Fry Road Katy, TX 77449.
Keep readingRetail News: Let the Tim Bits flow, Tim Horton’s in Katy finally holds soft-opening
Howdy folks, and welcome to Houston Historic Retail. Thanks to readers in Katy for keeping HHR abreast of the Katy Coffee Wars and its latest chapter as Tim Hortons has finally opened its first Texas location. The soft-opening took place yesterday, Monday, August 29th, and according to Google Reviews, a full grand opening is planned for September 9th. Canucks may notice two oddities about our Tim Horton’s location. First, our store features the ‘United States Menu,’ which has very limited food options. Featuring only three breakfast sandwiches, omelet bites, and a focus on baked goods, in addition to a slightly …
Keep readingRetail News: Gordon Food Stores starts making some real progress!
Gordon Food Service, a wholesale distributor and operator of GFS Retail Outlets, have yet to make any official announcement on their entry into Houston. Although it is quite apparent that their intent is open as quickly as possible. The story behind GFS, first broke here on HHR back in April when initial permits were initially filed by the company. Progress, however, was slow, with construction sites sitting mostly dormant, as behind the scenes, Gordon worked on lining up more sites. As of this article, there are six prospective locations, throughout the Houston area, in various states of completion. 215 W …
Keep readingReal Estate News: Apartments to take over 19 story hotel at I-10 and 6
In what would be a scoop for Swamplot if they were still publishing, it seems that Hotel-to-Apartment conversions are back in style again in Houston. Most famously in Houston, the former Holiday Inn at 2100 Memorial Drive, which was demolished just over a year ago, was converted into rent-controlled apartments for seniors, mostly by the City of Houston. Unlike the previous concept, these new hotels to apartments are being developed using private funds. As of this post, there are currently four conversions permitted or partially underway, backed by two different companies. MCRE (originally Mountain Country Real Estate) is a …
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