The anticipated departure of Hyde Park gift shop Corazon from its perch at the corner of Fairview and Waugh has been delayed by 3 months at least. Although the property it sits on has been sold to a new owner interested in building a trio of townhouses, demolition of the former smithy, antique store, and glass-blowing studio won’t take place this year: Corazon now has a new short-term lease that runs until December 31st and will convert to a month-to-month status after that.
If the lease does get extended for a few months into 2018, it’ll mark the store’s 20th anniversary at 2318 Waugh Dr. In either case, it’ll probably be an awkward extended goodbye: A clearance sale begun in August on the store’s current inventory of Lucha Libre masks, guyaberas, and other items from South and Central American artisan cooperatives is ongoing, but popular items will probably be restocked for the holiday season. The store’s owner is searching for a new location.
- Previously on Swamplot:Â Corazon Now Being Removed from Its Big Red Dot Spot at Waugh and Fairview
Photo: Corazon
Uh oh. Month to month lease means Mr.Developer realized building in this market may not be such a wise move. Dr.Guptha aka Carneige Homes is sitting on 2 large tracts ( W.Alabama @ the 527 Spur -east of the Executive House-the land that has the 300 + year old tree aka the Westmoreland Oak on it -he’s only built 3 or 4 spec houses there , has sold only one & has dropped prices of two current listings ; And his Kensington @ River Oaks development on Peden @ Waugh- is planned to build 14-17 Townhouses and only has 4 built and NONE sold.His carrying costs must be crazy: the property taxes alone are killer -on vacant lots/ non-income producing lots,no less. I think someone in those neighborhoods put a juju spell on his developments.
@HGL Or perhaps people with a million to spend on a house don’t want a ticky tacky tract home that’s 6 feet away from an identical one and across the street from a homeless encampment under the Spur? Dude should have put one, maybe two houses on that entire property, and incorporated the oak into the development. Then put a concrete wall and some thick vegetation along the Spur and W Alabama to improve the view from the back windows.