Fort Bend County is not an area one generally associates with urban blight. Most folk’s exposure to the county is driving along the highways, which mostly pass through relatively affluent areas. While there are some pockets, of less valuable properties, it’s nothing compared with what you might see driving the highways of Houston. To most, it would seem that truly decrepit areas don’t exist within the boundaries of Fort Bend, but this is far from …
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A former Safeway with a split personality
When a grocery store closes, it’s not unusual for the space to be subdivided. Over the course of the 20th century, supermarkets became larger and larger, aiming for a broader range. Today’s example is a former Safeway located at 2028 N Main St in Pearland. Holding their grand opening November 11, 1979, the new Safeway was one of Houston’s earliest purpose built superstore locations. The breadth of items available was everything you’d find in a …
Read moreRetail News: Foodarama sells another former Safeway, and Village Medical comes closer to achieving goal
Foodarama Sells Another Former Safeway According to the Houston Chronicle, property developer Baker Katz has acquired the former Safeway at 1805 Ella Boulevard, which is currently occupied by Cox’s Foodarama. The building was originally constructed as two separate structures, with Safeway forming the right side, and Eckerd forming the left. (Shout out to Anonymous in Houston for figuring that one out!) As such, the two properties were under separate ownership and have remained as such …
Read moreWalgreens 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 …
Read moreWhen Fiesta failed to “Re-brand” Bravo Ranch
Fiesta Mart is one of the larger grocers in Houston with over 30 stores throughout the metropolitan area. They have been able to capture a niche market generally undeserved by more traditional retailers, specifically customers with foreign roots. This is far from accidental as the idea for Fiesta came from a Houston man who had experience managing grocery stores in South America. As the company grew and expanded the product mix shifted to cover multiple …
Read moreThis 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 …
Read moreWhy 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 …
Read moreSpring Break Demolition Report: It looks like a Cheap Mad Scientists Lair
Two bits of the continuing grentification of Montrose, and we’re back in Westway on the same street. This is a list of the buildings which received a City of Houston demolition permit the day before this post.
Read moreSpring Break Demolition Report: Included Marble Fixtures
4 Homes and the return of a commercial demolition today on, Houston Historic Retail This is a list of the buildings which received a City of Houston demolition permit the day before this post.
Read moreSpring Break Demolition Report: Surrounded on all Sides by Townhomes
We see a dip today in the number of permits files. This isn’t too surprising with the continuing Covid-19 pandemic. This is a list of the buildings which received a City of Houston demolition permit the day before this post.
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