On Tuesday we added a couple more categories to this year’s Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate. That means 4 categories are now open for your nominations: Favorite Houston Design Cliché, Best Teardown, Parking Lot of the Year, and Drive-Thru of the Year. Keep those great entries coming for all of them!
The next award category speaks for itself. Well, almost: Walmart of the Year. The big-box retailer was in the news — and featured in many commercial breaks as well — for much of this past year in Houston, planning and opening new locations, managing PR campaigns, and stirring up . . . uh, interest. So. What important qualities does a Walmart have? And what thing or place or idea or concept — or heck, even actual Houston-area Walmart location — deserves the honor of being declared Walmart of the Year?
Yes, this is another brand-new award category for the Swampies, and we’ll obviously need your smart nominations to make it work. Tell us who or what deserves the Walmart of the Year award — in a comment below or in a private message. Consult the official nominating rules if you like. What’s your choice?
- Now Taking Your Orders for Drive-Thru of the Year [Swamplot]
- Your Nominations, Please, for Houston Parking Lot of the Year [Swamplot]
- Best Teardown of 2010: Who Are the Contenders? [Swamplot]
- What Are Your Nominations for Favorite Houston Design Cliché? [Swamplot]
- The Swamplot Awards for Houston Real Estate 2010: How To Make a Nomination [Swamplot]
- Swamplot Award Nominations 2010 [Swamplot]
HEB, Houston’s 2010 Walmart of the Year.
Obviously, the Washington Heights Walmart is the Walmart of the year for cluelessly thinking that a big fat suburban Walmart would be a fine addition to the Heights. Some examples of the Ainbungling with this Walmart:
-Telling people it isn’t in the Heights and then naming the development Washington Heights District
-Telling the media that the rest of the pads are looking to lease to “chef driven restaurants” and “boutiques”. Sure, Monica Pope is all about shopping at Walmart.
-Lance Gilliam having to resort to trolling the Stop Heights Walmart Facebook page for help leasing the Walmart poisoned development
-The idea that a 152 sq ft Walmart supercenter is an “urban design” because it is brown and has some extra frufrus on the facade.
-Giving up on a mixed use development because of the economy while the new City Centre which opened in the middle of the market crash is a crazy success
-Getting 6 mil in tax dollars for infrastructure improvements without even having to fill out the required application
wal-mart on 45N and crosstimbers, for giving all the thugs and baby-mamas somewhere to congregate (since the demo of Northline Mall, they were all wondering around lost in a daze)
Is it just me, or have the nominations for “best…” ended up with people nominating things they think suck.
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The “drive through” being the exception…
Cody – “Best” and “Walmart” are a contradiction in terms. Well, unless you want to rate best employee @ss-raping.
The hate Walmart bunch really shouldn’t be allowed to vote on this one as none of them has EVER been inside one of the Walton’s stores. So what would they know?
The Supercenter Walmart in Pearland on 35 should be in the running because they actually did some good in the neighborhood. They vacated their small original store on one side of Hwy 35 and moved into the larger ALREADY VACATED KMART storefront on the opposite side of the road. In turn, the Pearland Independent School District moved into the smaller empty Walmart site. Win/win. No haters out there.
The Heights Walmart is the obvious answer, but since it hasn’t been built yet I’ll belay the nomination for a later time. I vote I45/Crosstimbers as it makes the Sawyer Heights Target a little less crazy.
the upgraded wal-mart in crosby from a few years back was a good addition too. helped anchor a whole new strip center next door in a small town bringing in some good tax revenue and it looks like they were finally able to get someone to anchor the old strip center which is alwasy the difficult part of a wal-mart upgrade.
can’t wait to use the heights one and actually spend my money in the city instead of the burbs.
Angleton Wal-Mart, for the sheer grotesque joy to be had people-watching.
I’m not a big fan of Wal-Mart myself, but when you’re a broke college student it’s great. For all those people talking about the “charm” and “beauty” of the part of the Heights that the new Wal-Mart will be built in obviously haven’t driven through that area. Sure, the Heights does have some beautiful and charming areas, but that’s not one of them. A big empty lot is real charming, and so is a road that’s full of potholes. I vote for the Wal-Mart on Dunvale, the lines are ridiculous.
I’m not always right but I think it’s a pretty safe bet if the Washington Heights Walmart wasn’t causing a kerfuffle, this topic wouldn’t exist. I really doubt that this is meant to actually solicit a “best Walmart.” If so, a “Best Walgreen’s” and “Best McDonald’s” will surely be next.
So, as a general Walmart hater and as a non-Heights Walmart supporter, I nominate THE HEIGHTS WALMART! It’s clearly the best Walmart because there mere thought of it opening has exposed all kinds of issues with how our City works, where our City is headed, what our elected officials say versus what they do(and how they talk about us in emails to each other). It has exposed some pretty ugly truths about Houston and made me regret my vote for the 1st time in 20 years of voting.
Even if this WM gets built as planned, which it won’t, it will still be the best for the way it opened a lot of people’s eyes.
@Dario-Yes, usually long lines at the Dunvale Walmart, but I thought that was all Walmarts. They’re trying to emulate K-Mart.
But I do have to give kudos to the Dunvale Walmart for really cleaning up their act. It used to be truly ghetto, but it’s actually quite decent now. I no longer fear going there after dark.
Viula and Cody- let me introduce you to a new (to you) phrase, “Tongue in cheek.” Google it.
mary-mary, reread my comment.
I nominate The Ainbinder Company as Walmart of the Year. Like Walmart, Ainbinder is all about cash above common decency, disposable junk over handcrafted goods, and a legacy of greed over responsible development. As a bonus, The Ainbinder Company is actually trying to build a Walmart!
The Ainbinder Company, 2010’s Walmart of the Year.
I too nominate the “Heights Walmart†because an un-built Walmart is the best Walmart of all. And for those who continue to maintain that Ainbinder’s lousy, worst-use proposed development will not lower property values and the quality of life for surrounding residents, I suggest a new voting category: “Best Parachute Deploying Customer.†Because, clearly, these winners will be dropping in from the sky rather than creating havoc on charming Heights streets to get there.