Category: Random Retail

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

This photo was taken by opening GM Wayne Childers prior to public opening before any movies had been booked

A History of AMC Theaters in Houston: Part 1 60s-80s

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is Part One of a two-part guest submission from HHR’s local A/V geek, Jason McMillon Recently making news for several unusual business decisions, today we’re looking at the long history of AMC Theatres in Houston. While AMC has closed all of its smaller, older theatres, they continue to thrive as a major exhibitor in the Houston market. Their biggest competitor by screen count in Houston is Cinemark. AMC Theatres recently announced …

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Here’s another look at the power alley, but this time we see the Bakery as well. Note that even with the compact installation of Bountiful, the power alley does still have some of Bountiful’s ‘basket’ signs. Also note the checkerboard flooring tiles. Some of those bakery display carts would have been replaced with tables and chairs back when this store was new and still had the fast food food court.

Powerful Kroger Signature Stores Gain A Power Alley

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike In last month’s The Year of Kroger entry, we explored a very early Kroger Signature store built in 1993, the Cypress Station store. In this month’s The Year of Kroger post, we will explore another early Kroger Signature store, Kroger HO-311, the Jersey Village/Steeplechase store located at the intersection of Jones Road & West …

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Tuesday Morning closures include a significant Houston store

Tuesday Morning has recently announced a bankruptcy which of course includes a store closing that has multiple Houston area locations on the list. Today we’re looking at 5442 Weslayan, which has an interesting lineage beyond being Houston’s oldest operating Tuesday Morning. This Tuesday Morning originally opened in 1989, a bit late compared to the first Houston area locations, which opened in 1975, only a year after the chain was established in Dallas. Tuesday Morning’s earliest …

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Harvest Market Sienna another look at Houston’s own Grocerant

Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR! Today we’re taking a quick look at Houston’s own “Grocerant”, Harvest Market. The Sienna location is actually the second Harvest Market we’re taking a look at. For those who didn’t check out the original article, and are wondering what a Grocerant is, essentially, it’s a combination Food Court and Grocery Store. Something that Kroger toyed with in Houston and other places back in the early 90s but never …

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Walmart’s latest round of closures hits Katy

Howdy, folks, and welcome back to HHR. I’m here with unfortunate news for residents in the middle of Katy, as the Walmart Neighborhood Market at Westheimer Parkway and Falcons Landing Drive is preparing to close. The news was first leaked on Nextdoor and later confirmed by the store manager to Covering Katy. Walmart regularly eliminates underperforming stores and is closing seven other locations for this year. While Walmart’s claim of underperformance is substantiated by the …

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Big Chief lives on as Arlan’s in Santa Fe!

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today we’re heading back down Highway 6 to the small town of Santa Fe. You may remember our last stop focused on a former Minimax that HEB had purchased and continues to run essentially as a Pantry Foods store, lacking service departments. This Arlan’s nee Big Chief we’re looking at today is actually a larger store than HEB, and more importantly, features service departments (deli, bakery, …

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The facade at this store was updated, with the Babies 'R Us blocks removed

Faith in Ollie’s Bargain Outlet restored!

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail. Today, we’re visiting the Ollie’s in the former Babie’s ‘R Us at across from Baybrook Mall. The last time we saw the inside of this store, it was the short-lived Dick’s Warehouse Sale. Ollie’s Bargain Outlet has since remodeled the building, removing most remaining traces of BRU, except for the flooring. They have also embiggened the floor space, adding room for mattresses and box springs. This …

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Sprouts ‘R Us ten years with Houston’s newest natural grocer

Howdy folks, and welcome back to Houston Historic Retail! Today we’re taking a look at a grocer never before featured on HHR, Sprouts Farmers Market. For those not in the know, Sprouts is a natural grocer, a little bit different from Whole Foods. First entering Texas in 2005, Sprout’s stores are smaller than the competition and have almost no focus on non-grocery selection, with exception of a small assortment of HBA products. This “laser focus” …

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While the greenhouse, and lighting, etc.. will likely be reused somewhere I didn't know at the time the new HGC location was already built

What happens when a Houston Garden Center, packs up and moves?

Howdy, and welcome to HHR! Today, we’re looking at what happens when a Houston Garden Center location decides to move. If you’ve lived in Houston long enough, it’s probably something you’ve seen, but if you’re like me, you probably haven’t ever thought about how it all goes down. First off, though, let’s start off with a brief history. HGC is not a terribly old chain, only emerging around 1994, and reestablishing itself after merging the …

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By 1993’s standards, this would have seemed like a very large supermarket!

A Sign of the Future: Kroger’s Dominating Signature Format Turns 30

Editor’s Note: Today’s post is a guest submission from HHR’s good friend Anonymous in Houston with the photos taken by Mike In last month’s The Year of Kroger installment, we took a look at a north Houston suburban Kroger, the Kroger on Veterans Memorial. This month’s installment of The Year of Kroger will keep us in the north Houston suburbs and the general FM 1960 corridor. In this edition of The Year of Kroger, we …

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