Remember Eckerd? Sure you do, it was the second largest pharmacy chain in the United States at one point! And its blue and white color scheme with purple, red, and gold accents are peak “90s aesthetic”. Even if you’re not familiar with the store, you’e likely to agree they looked awesome! Eckerd stores looked nice, had locations nearly from coast to coast and were all unfortunately doomed. This was largely due to the 1996 merger …
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Walgreens and Village Medical a match made in Houston
Did you know over the past year, Walgreens has been using Houston as a test market for a new store type? The announcements for the new stores were quiet, but the concept has made a huge impact. Growing up in and around Houston, most folks were very familiar with their neighborhood drug stores. In some neighborhoods it’s one of the closest options to a grocery store, and sometimes the only option. Even out in the …
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Goodbye Fry’s!
Think back to your formative years on computers. If you’re anywhere close in age to me, then these years span a wide timeline of operating systems from early memories of basic commands in Windows 3.1, ending during the time of Windows XP. I have lots of early computing memories which beyond screeching dial up noises involves going to stores like CompUSA, Best Buy, Microcenter, and on one occasion a trip to Incredible Universe. Unfortunately, these …
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This Week in Demolition: Flames lit under Candelari’s 1940s house
This week in demolition, things slow down a bit. Some interesting houses include 2532 Reba which is objectively the best-looking house of the week. The location in Avalon Place really ties the place together, although the house is a bit small by modern standards (those fish-eye lenses aren’t fooling anyone!). Next on the list is 12507 Woodthorpe which is a relatively unremarkable 60s Ranch with a primo location in the middle of Memorial Meadows. Finally, …
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This Week In Demolition: A Housing Identity Crisis
Welcome back to This Week in Demolition! This week, we see a dip in residential demolitions, and an increase in commercial tear downs. Let’s start off this week by taking a look at a house that seems to have trouble deciding on what it wants to be. On the outside 11850 Durrette has a very subdued appearance. You’d be forgiven for thinking that the simple white paint, and tasteful modern look of the lawn are …
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Retail News: Krispy Kreme Closes, My Fit Foods Returns, and the Montrose shakeup continues
Have a retail tip you want to share? Houston Historic Retail now has a Twitter Account! @RetailHouston Krispy Kreme Closes in Pasadena Krispy Kreme in Pasadena has turned from temporarily to permanently closed. Signs have been removed from the store and broken up. Outside of large chunks of plastic signage behind the store everything else was intact. It’s possible Krispy Kreme may try to find a new franchisee for this location. However, given the fact …
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This Week in Demolition: Marching orders given for a 1930s bungalow in Rice Military
Welcome back to This Week in Demolition! This week we have an almost completely residential mix with some real gems that should have been saved and a few that needed to go. Let’s start by taking a look at some of the demolitions of note from the week. The cover story is similar to last week, 4617 Gibson is another 1930s home that has been kept tastefully up to date. A house that was less …
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Why the newest Target in Houston was actually an early Christmas Present
With all the craziness this year I haven’t had much time to tend to my blog. I was hoping to have this post out much earlier, but today we’ll be talking about why the newest Target in Houston is so special. With the holiday season wrapping up, there’s a good chance you’ve been to a Target lately, or at least in their parking lot. Target has an old history in Houston, they were the second …
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This Week in Demolition: The Most Dangerous Gas Station in the World
Welcome back to another Demolition Report. I’m trying a new format in which I compile the entire week into one post. Let me know what you think in the comments! This week we see more commercial properties, and some expensive new houses. Maybe some demo permits were issued as Christmas presents. Anyways, one building that caught my eye was the former Valero off of Highway 6. This gas station is about halfway between Westheimer and …
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The Ghost of Sears Past | Willowbrook Sears dresses up for Halloween
As of 2020 Sears has nearly left the Houston area. They have shutdown all but the Pasadena store, sold their outlet chain, and shutdown all area Hometown stores. It’s really a shame for a chain that once had a major influence over the Greater Houston area. Their presence in this town was built as the city grew starting downtown and expanding to the suburbs as our sprawl progressed. In 1978 Sears announced plans for three …
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