WHY THE AISLES WERE EMPTY AT RICE EPICUREAN 
Would warehouse facilities have worked as well? Katherine Shilcutt explains: “A long-running joke with many Houstonians is that no one quite knew how Rice Epicurean Markets stayed in business. . . . While all kinds of wild rumors flew about how Rice Epicurean stores stayed open despite a lack of traffic, the truth is that most of its customers — which tend to be both older and wealthier — opted for grocery delivery service at home. And while this sustained Rice Epicurean for many years, it appears that this model wasn’t quite enough to keep its stores in business.” The chain’s lone surviving store, at 2020 Fountain View between San Felipe and Inwood, will continue home deliveries. [Eating Our Words; previously on Swamplot] Photo of Rice Epicurean, 3745 Westheimer at Weslayan: Wikimedia Commons
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- Houston First Selling Key Downtown Parcel Next to Convention Center Hotel Site [Prime Property]
- Apartments, Strip Centers Not What Dickinson Had in Mind for 45 Acres Off I-45, Hughes Rd. [Galveston County Daily News]
- Alabama Company Acquires Waterstone Apartments, Saying Nearby Exxon Campus Will Strengthen Market [Houston Business Journal]
- 4 League City Property Owners Given Preliminary Approval To Secede from Historic District [Galveston County Daily News]
- Blairs Selling ‘Legendary’ $5.4M Estate in Grogan’s Point [Woodlands Villager]
- $5M Bill Coats Bike Bridge Opens Up Hard-To-Reach Areas of Hermann Park Near Brays Bayou [Houston Chronicle]
- $12M Expansion of Fairmont Pkwy. Completed [abc13]
- Adult Novelty Store in Front of Tomball Walmart Has Agreement Not To Sell Items That Would ‘Offend Walmart Customers’ [abc13]
- Antiques Show Coming to GRB This Weekend [Culturemap]
Photo of Blair House, 205 Grogan’s Point Rd.: Woodlands Villager
COMMENT OF THE DAY: LOOKING AT OUR SPREAD “It’s interesting when friends from back east visit, because they almost universally observe that Houston is ’empty’ (to quote directly). Given the amount of space in this city, the idea that we need to build things far from everything (and then build more roads to get people to them) is really kind of bizarre.” [John (another one), commenting on Comment of the Day: Heading for Points Greener]
- 6219 Piping Rock Ln. [HAR]
Rice Epicurean Markets is finally giving up on 4 of its 5 remaining locations, the company announced today. The lone holdout is the company’s store on Fountain View at Inwood, which will remain open for the foreseeable future. Its Holcombe, Weslayan, Tanglewood, and Memorial locations will be leased to The Fresh Market, a chain based in North Carolina.
- Downtown Redevelopment Authority Approves First Tax Incentives, for SkyHouse Apartments — Located Outside Incentive Program Boundaries [Houston Business Journal]
- Ben Milam Hotel Near Minute Maid Park To Be Dynamited on December 9th [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]
- TopGolf Opening 3-Story West Houston Indoor Range Next Month near I-10, Hwy. 6 [Houston Business Journal]
- Katy Whole Foods on Fry Rd. at Grand Pkwy. Scheduled for January 30th Opening [Houston Business Journal]
- Building Industry Will Have Biggest Growth in Houston in 2012, Predicts Economist [Houston Chronicle]
- The Woodlands Township Seeks Permanent Home for Giant Outdoor Ice Rink [Houston Chronicle]
- Clear Lake Subdivision Setting Up Traps To Catch ‘Fearless’ Feral Hogs [abc13]
- Life-Size Statue of Boxer Jack Johnson Unveiled at New Park on Former Central HS Building Grounds [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center: elnina999 via Swamplot Flickr Pool
COMMENT OF THE DAY: HEADING FOR POINTS GREENER “Unless I’m missing something, the whole thing seems like an egregious example of waste. You build Greenspoint 30 years ago and then for various reasons it’s no longer ideal, so do you improve it? Revamp it? No, you abandon it all and clear a new forest ten miles north for your new office park. And all the smaller companies that clustered around you there do likewise. And Greenspoint with its hundreds of acres of concrete just sits there like damaged goods. So what happens in thirty years when Springwoods Village is no longer ideal, when the new wears off? Do you improve it and make it work, or do you jump another ten miles north where there’s another waiting forest and build your new campus there? The irony is that I’m sure these buildings will be LEED-whatever certified and Exxon will tout itself as a great steward, but any environmentalist will tell you that the real way to conserve is to adapt & reuse, not just wantonly abandon & throw away.” [Mike, commenting on The Next Springwoods Village Rumor]
SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY DEFINITELY MOVING INTO EXXONMOBIL’S ORBIT 
A report today confirms what a reader told Swamplot yesterday — that Southwestern Energy plans to build a 10-story office building in Springwoods Village, the new eco-themed community being carved out of a forested area just south of the new ExxonMobil corporate campus at the intersection of I-45 North and the future Grand Parkway. An additional lot for expansion is being preserved on an adjacent site. Reporter Emily Wilkinson guesses that Southwestern could be the mystery company that bought up 22 acres of Springwoods Village last year. [Houston Business Journal] Map: Springwoods Village
Since its listing 3 weeks ago, a re-remodeled home in Briargrove Park has taken a couple of breaks (for a day or less) from the market. The status is now on again, however, for the overhauled gated-courtyard property, which is capped by an almost dainty topknot of a chimney cap. Windows in the front rooms face a gated courtyard instead of the street, and a pair of smaller windows lie behind brick columns on the recessed porch. Interior revisions moved, removed, or expanded archways, doors, and parts of walls to reposition how rooms function. A massive brick fireplace now covered in stone tiles (above) provides the main living space a punchy A-side hearth, B-side backdrop to the front entry hall. The home was built in 1974, remodeled in 2006. Other going-for-a-flip tweaks to the home since its purchase in late August for $275,000 freshened the finishes and replaced the deck, windows, and roof. Despite its on-and-off market behavior, the new asking price has stayed at $449,500.
- 2703 Droxford Dr. [HAR]
For Houston’s battle-tested veteran buildings, yesterday was a well-deserved day off.
- 2 New Hotels Planned for Galveston [Galveston County Daily News]
- Texas Southern University Planning $41M, 7-Story, 800-Student Dorm [Click2Houston]
- More Property Owners Looking To Secede from League City’s Historic District [Galveston County Daily News]
- Preview of October Houston Home Data Shows Big Increase in Sales, Up for 17th Straight Month [Tom Plant’s Houston Real Estate Blog]
- Houston Home Prices Up 6.6 Percent in September Over Last Year, Finds CoreLogic Study [Houston Business Journal]
- Texas’ Fastest Tollway Now Charging About 15 Cents Per Mile [Houston Business Journal]
- First Death Reported on 85 MPH Toll Road [Click2Houston]
- Houston Civil Engineers Highlight Significant Infrastructure Deficiencies in City Report Card [Cypress Creek Mirror]
- Oak Forest Residents Complain About ‘Endless’ Pile of Trash on Rosslyn Near 43rd St. [abc13]
- Closed Pedestrian Bridge on Grogan’s Mill Nature Trail Too Isolated, ‘Problematic’ To Repair [Courier of Montgomery County]
- Another Bill Filed To Ban Texting While Driving in Texas [Houston Chronicle]
- More Than 65,000 Sign Petition on White House Website Calling for Texas Secession — How Many from Texas? [Houston Chronicle]
Photo of Harris County Courthouse: James Ray via Swamplot Flickr Pool
THE NEXT SPRINGWOODS VILLAGE RUMOR “Just got off the phone with a Southwestern Energy employee and they announced they are building a new building. The building will be located on 45 near the Exxon Mobil campus. I remember a previous article stating something about there being more office buildings built in the Springwoods development. This is where I surmise it will be. It will be 10-stories high with room for expansion on an adjacent site. Completion date is set for 2014.” [Swamplot inbox] Map: Springwoods Village
