Swamplot Archives by Tag: Retail

Monday, February 1, 2010

Desolate Feeder Road Car Lot Landscapes

February 1, 2010 – 5:19 pm
   

What’s become of the 20-some Houston-area car lots dealers have shut down over the last year or two? Here’s a sampling: “‘My mother lived here 27 years, and we never had any trouble with Landmark Chevrolet,’ said Rhys Everett, who was cleaning out his mother’s former residence in the Hidden Valley neighborhood behind the defunct dealership. ‘But now it is filled with vagrants who have taken everything that wasn’t nailed down, and it’s a jumping-off point for crime in our neighborhood.’ The dealership, one of 13 outlets nationwide that Bill Heard Enterprises closed in September 2008, sprawls for blocks near the intersection of Gulf Bank and the North Freeway. It looks as if it had been hit by a cyclone. The main showroom’s exterior and interior windows are shattered. Ceiling tiles are torn away, exposing duct work that dangles like limp straws. Awnings hang in tatters. . . . The ravaged Chevrolet dealership’s antithesis can be found on Interstate 10 in Baytown, where the defunct Baytown Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge dealership is preserved in near-pristine condition.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]

5:19 pm | 5 Comments | Read more about Baytown, Crime, Neighborhoods: Hidden Valley, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail
Read more about: , , , , , , , , ,
Thursday, January 28, 2010

Comment of the Day: The Great University of Houston Structured Parking Boom

January 28, 2010 – 4:40 pm
   

“Many more garages are in the works. The newest bid just went out for the Athletic garage which will be build between Robertson Stadium and Hofheinz Pavilion. Will provide parking for up to 2,200 cars and will have a retail component. Rumored tenants are Raising Cane’s, Starbucks, and Chipotle…” [doofus, commenting on That East Garage Spirit: Pride of Parking at the University of Houston]

4:40 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: University of Houston, Parking, Proposed Developments, Quicklink, Retail
Read more about: , , , , ,
Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Neighborhood Walmart and Sam’s Club Made

January 26, 2010 – 11:43 am

Walmart shut down its Sam’s Club Business Center pilot program late last week — and closed the program’s only store — the Sam’s Club at Dunvale and Westheimer. The HBJ’s Casey Wooten surveys the wreckage:

[Walmart spokesperson Susan] Koehler attributes the poor performance of the Dunvale Sam’s Club to its location. In April 2008 when the concept was unveiled, however, the company touted its proximity to major commercial centers on Houston’s west side as a reason it was selected to be the test store for the business center concept. . . .

Lance Gilliam, managing director at Moody Rambin Interests, who has worked with real estate clients in that area, says the Dunvale/Westheimer intersection is one of the busiest areas of the city, boasting heavy traffic and a dense daytime population, largely thanks to the Walmart, Sam’s Club and AMC Theatres that were built around the same time.

“It used to be considered a no man’s land, but once they located there, there were a lot of developments,” says Gilliam.

Now, development in the area may make it difficult for Wal-Mart to find a use for the building, says Gilliam.

Photo: Walmart

11:43 am | 1 Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: Dunvale, Retail, Shopping Centers
Read more about: , , , ,
Thursday, January 21, 2010

Otto’s Bar B Que Really Closing for Good This Time, Except of Course for the Hamburgers

January 21, 2010 – 3:11 pm

A little more than 2 years after announcing they’d be closing down, demolishing the restaurant and selling the land underneath it, and 9 months after reopening the almost-60-year-old institution with great fanfare, the owners of Otto’s Bar B Que are now saying the restaurant at 5502 Memorial Dr. will be closing for good. Sort of:

Otto’s has a long list of customers, including former President George H. W. Bush. He came by yesterday to get a final plate of food before the business closed. The building will be demolished and replaced with a bank. The owner told us it was hard to say goodbye.

“We have some wonderful people here in the City of Houston that have supported us for hundreds of years. It’s a little, a little emotional,” said owner June [Sofka].

You will still be able to order a hamburger from Otto’s at that location for a few more months.

Photo: Flickr user tamtam.afropunx

3:11 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Cancellations and Delays, Commercial Real Estate, Neighborhoods: Memorial, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail
Read more about: , , , , , ,
Friday, January 15, 2010

Isabella Court’s Art Palace Makeover

January 15, 2010 – 3:33 pm
   

As of tonight’s grand opening opening, the ground-floor retail space of the Isabella Court Apartments will now be home to four functioning spaces for contemporary art: Inman Gallery, the new Inman Annex space, CTRL Gallery, and the just-moved-here-from-Austin Art Palace, run by the conveniently named Art Palacios. Art Palace has taken over the long-vacant space at 3913 Main St. last occupied by Finesilver Gallery. [Arts in Houston; previously on Swamplot] Photo: Art Palace

3:33 pm | 4 Comments | Read more about Art, Neighborhoods: Midtown, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail
Read more about: , , , , ,
Thursday, January 14, 2010

Gaslight Won’t Be Turned On Again

January 14, 2010 – 10:17 am
   

The operator of Gaslight News & Video at 3519 Bellaire has achieved the distinction of being the first person to receive a criminal conviction as a result of Houston’s sexually oriented business ordinance, which was passed in 1997 but cleared court challenges only more recently. Eugene Etheridge has been prohibited from reopening the store. “The arcade, which consisted of individual pornographic video viewing booths, was closed last summer after the city obtained an injunction against his operation. Etheridge voluntarily closed his adult retail shop at the same location. Defense attorney Phllip Slaughter said Etheridge has been released on bond pending appeal. Etheridge, 60, continues to face civil and criminal cases stemming from his operation of a second sexually oriented business, the Big City News & Video at 10105 Gulf Freeway.” [Houston Chronicle, via Hair Balls]

10:17 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: West University, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail
Read more about: , , , ,
Monday, January 11, 2010

New Rooms To Go on I-10, Just Minutes from Downtown Houston

January 11, 2010 – 3:11 pm

The city’s official new “Welcome to Houston” sign for travelers approaching from the east west was moved further west to Brookshire over the weekend, as the ginormous new Rooms To Go Super Center facing the Katy Freeway opened for business. The distribution center and store stretch a mere 1,600 ft. along the I-10 frontage road, directly across from the Igloo plant and almost 6 miles west of the Katy Mills Mall. The entire facility takes up more than 1,000,000 sq. ft. A quick partial drive-by view:

Photos: Pankaj (top) and JimmyxBoi (bottom)

3:11 pm | 12 Comments | Read more about Brookshire, Furniture, Katy, Openings and Closings, Retail
Read more about: , , , , , ,
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The West Oaks Mall $87 Million Backward Flip

December 23, 2009 – 3:27 pm

Who was it again that bought the West Oaks Mall out of bankruptcy earlier this month, for the bargain price of $15 million? Just an L.A. investment group called Pacific Retail Capital Partners. That firm’s principals, then with a company called Somera Capital, are the same people who sold the 1.1-million-sq.-ft. mall at Westheimer and Hwy. 6 in 2005 to Investment Partners of America, the “investment” vehicle of high-rolling 1031 Exchange king Edward H. Okun, after a quick 2-year spiff-up.

Okun paid Somera $102 million. Yes, that Edward H. Okun.

This time, the mall’s a whole lot cheaper, but it’s not in such good shape, either. Mervyn’s and J.C. Penney are gone. The rest of the mall is at 60 percent occupancy. “Over the past couple of years, several tenants tried to renew,” Somera Capital’s (and now Pacific Retail’s) Stephen Plenge tells Globe St., “and no one would return their phone calls.” The new owners say the Mervyn’s wing is likely to be redeveloped.

Photo of West Oaks Mall visitors: Joel Barhamand

3:27 pm | 5 Comments | Read more about Buying and Selling, Commercial Real Estate, Malls, Neighborhoods: Alief, Retail
Read more about: , , , , , , ,
Monday, December 21, 2009

Light Rail Construction and the Gorillas’ Last Stand

December 21, 2009 – 11:17 am
   

The latest idea from Metro: Create official signs, flags, and banners for businesses along light-rail construction routes, to show they’re still in business, and to guide cars into open parking areas. Only problem? “Some of the proposed flags would flutter afoul of the city’s newly tightened sign ordinance, which bans certain types of ‘attention-getting devices.’ City Council may have to approve a small change in the city’s sign law to allow temporary banners to stay up for longer than the allotted seven out of 30 days, according to city public works official Andy Icken. . . . The city’s new sign ordinance kicks in on Jan. 1. It bans the giant inflatable balloon animals and other eye-catching gizmos that you often see on Houston’s highways and roads. So enjoy the giant ‘For Sale’ gorillas while you can. Also, the dancing wind socks along the side of the road, the silver and blue streamers at car dealerships, and the other pennants, pinwheels and puppets meant to pull your gaze from the road to the roadside.” [Houston Chronicle; previously on Swamplot]

11:17 am | 21 Comments | Read more about Development Regulations, New Construction, Quicklink, Retail, Signage, Transportation
Read more about: , , , , , , ,
Thursday, December 10, 2009

Ashby Highrise Developers: We Were Only Kidding!

December 10, 2009 – 12:08 pm

Hey, good one! Remember all those revisions Buckhead Investment Partners finally made to the Ashby High Rise plans — cutting out a bunch of the ground-floor retail space, enlarging the restaurant, and putting that big driveway loop on Bissonnet — so that the city might finally approve the Southampton-side tower? Yesterday the developers told the Chronicle’s Mike Snyder they were really just part of an elaborate fake-out maneuver:

Between July 2007 and August of this year, city officials rejected applications for the project 11 times on grounds that traffic it generated would increase congestion on nearby streets to unacceptable levels.

In August, the city approved a 12th application after [Buckhead's Matthew] Morgan and [Kevin] Kirton removed all the commercial uses except the restaurant and reduced the number of residential units. The developers said Wednesday that they changed their plans to test whether the city would approve their project under any circumstances, but never intended to build anything other than the project they designed in 2007.

Aw, c’mon: If you actually did go ahead and build the approved plans, that would be a great stunt too! But how did these fun-loving developers happen upon such a wacky strategy? Snyder provides some insight into their inspiration:

Continue Reading This Story >

12:08 pm | 15 Comments | Read more about Development Regulations, Development Strategies, Highrises, Neighborhood Disputes, Neighborhoods: Boulevard Oaks, Neighborhoods: Southampton, Proposed Developments
Read more about: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Monday, December 7, 2009

Closing the Borders at Westheimer and Gessner

December 7, 2009 – 1:13 pm

When Borders announced back in November that it would be closing 200 Waldenbooks, Borders Outlet, and Borders Express bookstores nationwide, only 3 Houston stores were on that list: the Waldenbooks in Willowbrook Mall, Houston Center, and the Northwest Mall. Not included: the Borders Books & Music in the former Houston Jewelry building at 9633 Westheimer, at the corner of Gessner. But employees have apparently been telling customers for months that that store would be closing in January. And now a reader reports that “Store Closing” sale signs are up in the windows. The shopping center, says an employee, is being redeveloped. Last day of business: January 16th.

Photo: Hennie Schaper

1:13 pm | 9 Comments | Read more about Neighborhoods: Woodlake, Openings and Closings, Redevelopment, Retail, Shopping Centers
Read more about: , , , , ,

Openings and Closings: Lost Outpost of the Space Cowboys

December 7, 2009 – 9:05 am

A quick roundup:

  • Closing in January: NASA hangout the Outpost Tavern, an army barracks building turned spacesuit-and-bikini-festooned party site, down NASA Rd. 1 from the Johnson Space Center at 18113 Kings Lynn St. Memorialized in the appropriately named Clint Eastwood “one last time for the has-been astronauts” flick Space Cowboys, the bar and burger joint had to be partially rebuilt in early 2005 after a short in a neon sign caused a small fire. Second-generation owner Stephanie Foster reports the property has been sold to new owners who “plan to build something new on the site, perhaps a service station or shopping center.” Fans of the Outpost Tavern’s many good ol’ days will drown their sorrows on-site in a 3-day-long goodbye-party bash, January 8-10.
  • Closed, Just a Month After Opening: The new 7,000-sq.-ft. prototype Bailey Banks & Biddle store in CityCentre. The new owners of the former Zales mall mainstay declared bankruptcy in August, but went ahead with the store’s planned move from its old location across the street at Town & Country Village anyway. Other local Triple Bs didn’t get the grand-opening treatment before going dark: “The Galleria and Willowbrook Mall locations are in liquidation, while The Woodlands Mall store and the new CityCentre location are expected to go dark on Dec. 24 following liquidation sales, according to store employees.”
  • Open Only for One Last Big Sale: Brian Stringer Antiques, strung along West Alabama just east of Shepherd in a few separate buildings for the last 40 or so years. Stringer and his wife will retire to their turreted 14th century chateau — a former fortified hospital built by monks for victims of a mysterious skin disease — in the French countryside between Bordeaux and Gers. But lucky us, they’ll stick around Houston long enough to sell the majority of their stock of European antiques, reproductions, and fabrics at 40 percent off, Joni Webb reports: “The French house is so charming – you really feel like you’re in the South of France, except for Houston’s traffic out the front window!” When you’re done shopping there, Webb commands:

    be sure to also stop in at Ginger Barber’s Sitting Room which is next door. Further up the street is Tara Shaw and Heather Bowen Antiques. Continue up W. Alabama to Antiques and Interiors on Dunlavy, Boxwood and The Country Gentleman, then hit up Foxglove and Alcon Lighting.

    If you haven’t passed out from exhaustion yet, turn around and head back to Brian Stringer’s and go the other way on W. Alabama. Stop at Jane Moore’s, then at Ferndale, go to Brown, Bill Gardner, Made in France, and Objects Lost and Found. Back on W. Alabama, continue on to Thompson and Hansen, The Gray Door, Chateau Domingue, Indulge on Saint Street, and 2620 on Joanel.

More openings and closings:

Continue Reading This Story >

9:05 am | Add a Comment | Read more about Neighborhoods: Briargrove, Neighborhoods: CityCentre, Neighborhoods: Dearborn Place, Neighborhoods: Deer Park, Neighborhoods: Johnson Space Center, Neighborhoods: Lower Westheimer, Neighborhoods: Montrose, Neighborhoods: Sugar Land, Neighborhoods: Town and Country Village, Neighborhoods: Webster, Neighborhoods: West University, Nightlife, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail
Read more about: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Friday, December 4, 2009

Spec’s Drive Thru

December 4, 2009 – 1:35 pm
   

What lurks beneath the new 24,000-sq.-ft. Spec’s Liquor going into the former Linens ’N Things in the Weslayan Plaza Shopping Center, at the corner of Weslayan and Bissonnet? “Sources on site said build-out of the space held a few surprises. For example, work on plumbing led to the discovery of an entire street running beneath the original building, complete with curbs.” [West University Examiner]

1:35 pm | 2 Comments | Read more about Houston History, Neighborhoods: West University, Openings and Closings, Quicklink, Retail, Shopping Centers, Streets
Read more about: , , , , , ,
Wednesday, December 2, 2009

When Freeway Window Shopping Gets Out of Hand

December 2, 2009 – 2:50 pm

2:50 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Freeways and Toll Roads, Neighborhoods: Downtown, Neighborhoods: Midtown, Retail, Transportation
Read more about: , , , , , , ,
Tuesday, December 1, 2009

A Brief but Incomplete Guide to Houston’s Frozen Yogurt Landscape

December 1, 2009 – 3:34 pm

Attack of the more-or-less Pinkberry-like “is it really yogurt?” shops:

  • Berripop: Planning new locations “along Washington Ave.,” in Sugar Land, and in the Rice Village. Owner David Lee “plans to open at least 20 franchised and company-owned stores throughout Houston, Austin, Dallas and College Station over the next two years.” Already in Uptown Park, across from the Richmond Costco near Greenway Plaza, on Waterway Court in The Woodlands Town Center, in Meyerland Plaza, and in the Town & Country Village Shopping Center.
  • Fruituzy: The owners, who also own Fadi’s Mediterranean Grill, are “currently scouting sites for additional locations.” Already 2 locations on Westheimer, each in strip centers near a Fadi’s: one at the corner of Shadowbriar, just west of Kirkwood, and another at Dunvale.
  • Tasti D-Lite: New location under construction underground at Milam and Walker Downtown. Local owner Webster Foods “plans to open four to seven Houston locations in the next 12 to 18 months as part of a pilot program.” Already in Highland Village and at the corner of Post Oak and San Felipe.

There’s more!

Continue Reading This Story >

3:34 pm | 6 Comments | Read more about Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail, Shopping Centers
Read more about: , , ,