Tag: Strip Centers

06/16/17 2:00pm

Nothing Really Happens with This Bed Bug Shutdown Notice and Implosion Threat Posted to a Westheimer Strip Center Mattress Store

by Swamplot

Movies, West Oaks

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“The movie finally makes a reasonable amount of sense now” after 4Â years of work on it, writes producer Joseph Graham on the Indiegogo fundraising page for Nothing Really Happens, a new independentÂ feature filmÂ from local production companyÂ The Monster Closet.Â What is this filmed-in-Houston movie about? It’s not entirely clearÂ from theÂ trailer.Â If you blink a couple times in the middle of it though, you’ll miss a couple of images from a scene filmed at the Wind Chimes Shopping Center on Westheimer at Eldridge, where a vacant storefront was apparently dressed up as a locked-up mattress store for filming. A notice posted to the front of the shuttered shopÂ from aÂ Houston “Department of Health” flashes by too fast, but if you freeze-frameÂ it the words on the official-looking document may — or may not —Â help a little bitÂ to explain the movie’s plot (emphasis in the original):

Great Moments in Houston Cinema

77077, Hazards, Mattress Stores, Movies, Retail, Strip Centers, West Oaks

Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Strip Centers

06/15/17 2:30pm

Fast Indian Comes to the Strip Center End of 19th St.

by Swamplot

7 Comments

Just opened this week in Re:Vive Development’s new add-on strip center at 721 W. 19th St., just west of Shepherd Dr.: the first Houston outpost of Austin’s Tarka Indian Kitchen chain, a Chipotle-style “fast casual” restaurant serving curries, kabobs, and — yes — naaninis. Next door to diners in the 4,295-sq.-ft. steel-frame building, the new Benjamin Moore Paints store (seen here under constructionÂ last year) is also open, a reader reports.

In lieu of a parking-space-and-a-half on the side of the building facing past more parking ontoÂ the more sugary part of the center closer to Shepherd (home to Fat Cat Creamery, Hugs and Donuts, Smoothie King, and KA Sushi) is this dusty square, designated for a future patio:

Tarka Indian Kitchen in the Heights

77008, Franchises and Chain Stores, Houston Heights, New Construction, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Retail, Strip Centers

05/10/17 11:30am

The Rice Village Plans To Remake Amherst St., Lure Shoppers Into an Alley

Redevelopment, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail, Rice Village

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Remodeling along the lines of what’s depicted here is now underwayÂ on Amherst St. between Kelvin St. and Kirby Dr., according to aÂ Rice Village District rep. A couple of newly released drawings shown here fill inÂ details to some of the previously mentioned changes planned forÂ the south side of Amherst, including the conversion of part of the roadway itself intoÂ more walking and sitting room behind some protective planters. And that narrow passageway in the building, running between Amherst and University Blvd., appears to be gettingÂ its own signage labeling it as The AlleyÂ (complete with light-up arrow directing shoppers inside).

The plans also call for some rooftop greeneryÂ and the chopping off of some pointy brick pediments —Â a swap which the District says will make all that 2-hours-free rooftop parking more visible, in the wake of theÂ recent parking scheme changes:

Retail Redistricting

77005, Construction, Proposed Developments, Renovations, Restaurants, Retail, Rice-University, Rice-Village, Shopping Centers, Strip Centers

Avondale

05/01/17 11:30am

New Cantilevered Retail Strip Shown Hanging Out in Michaelangelo’s Westheimer Spot

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A double-decker strip center appears to be planned for 307 Westheimer Rd., which for just shy of 5 decades has been home to Avondale Italian restaurant and house-with-a-tree-in-itÂ Michaelangelo’s. Michaelangelo’s, Inc., sold the property in March to an entity tied to the CEO of Habitat Construction,Â and a 2,000-sq.-ft. space in the proposed replacement building is currently for lease. Renderings for the strip label the over-the-edge top floor as set aside for a fitness business, and call for a restaurant to take over most of the street level (noting that another tenant has already staked out a small section of the ground floor floorplan):

Rising Above Parking Requirements

77006, Avondale, Building Setbacks, Commercial Buildings for Lease, Montrose, New Construction, Parking, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Strip Centers

04/11/17 1:15pm

The Viking Restaurant That Took Over Byzantio’s Is Getting Some Strip Mall Neighbors

North Montrose, Restaurants, Retail, Strip Malls

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Planned Retail Strip at 403 W. Gray St., Fourth Ward, Houston, 77019

Ship & Shield at 403 W. Gray St., Fourth Ward, Houston, 77019 The yet-unbuilt retail strip planned for the empty landÂ next to Ship & Shield (the Viking-themed restaurant and bar that replaced Byzantio’s last fall) is now fully leased out, Katherine Feser notes. The planned 4,316Â sq. ft. are set to be occupied by a second location of Houston restaurant Viet’s Express and a second location of Hawaiian animal hospital Feather and Fur. The project isÂ anotherÂ show of new construction from serial adaptive reuser Braun Enterprises, which bought both the restaurant space and the adjacent lots from Byzantio’s previous owners over the summer.

If the retail strip turns out to look much like those leasing fliersÂ that’ve been floating around this spring,Â the layout will be mostly business in the front, parking in the back —Â plus a strip or 2 of pervious paving off to the sides:

2 Tenants for North Montrose

77019, Commercial Leases, Fourth Ward, Leasing, New Construction, North Montrose, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail Strips, Strip Centers

03/08/17 12:30pm

Aging L-Shaped Office on Yale St. Scraped Away for Shiny New Retail Strip Installation

Houston Heights, Restaurants

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As heralded by last Wednesday’s daily demolition report, the low-slung insurance and marketing office buildingÂ at 2723 Yale St. is now in tatters. The post-smashing shot above was taken in a drive-by by a reader yesterday (who notes this morning that most of the debris has since beenÂ hauled off).

Planned for the lot is a newÂ strip centerÂ being marketed byÂ East Village developer Ancorian as a retail-office-restaurant mashup,Â “anchored” by the mini Whole Foods in the works across 610. The property is loosely sandwiched between the combination KFC-Taco Bell to the south and the side-by-side Burger King and new El Rey sitting along the North Loop feeder road (visible to the right).

Renderings of the proposed stripÂ show a mix of brick, wood, metal grating, glass, and patches of other skinÂ materials; a Newquest Properties leasing flier shows the building turning away from Yale St. to face W. 28th St., behind a thick protective later of parking:

Cleaning Up in the Heights

77008, Demolitions, Houston Heights, Proposed Developments, Restaurants, Retail, Strip Centers

01/11/17 5:15pm

Scoping Out 4721 N. Main St. Following Sudden Flight of Foreign Correspondents

Norhill

Leasing Materials for former Foreign Correspondents site, Norhill, Houston

The split space occupied until late December by Northern Thai restaurant Foreign Correspondents and its also-freshly-shut-down cocktail bar companionÂ CanardÂ may beÂ up for lease now, a reader notes. Treadsack suffix provider and co-owner Chris Cusack told CultureMapÂ after the restaurant’s closure (spurred in the moment by the resignationÂ of the head chefs, and trailing a few months afterÂ the previous departure of the company’s head beverage person)Â that the company would likely be trying out another concept in the space; that claim, however, was made before the details of years of behind-the-scenes financial turmoilÂ hit the Internet.

AÂ listing flier from Braun Enterprise, showing the center’s updates since the original marketing materials for 4721 N. Main were released, now advertises the restaurant’s spaceÂ as up for grabs; the recent photo above is included,Â alongside the accompanying site plans of the 4,742-sq.-ft. space. A plan view of the rest of the shopping center is included as well, showing the currently solidifying new location of Austin-based gelato chain Dolce Neve:

Iced in Norhill

77009, Commercial Buildings for Lease, Norhill, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Strip Centers

08/11/16 10:30am

On The Kirb Now Settling In Behind Its Kirby-Fronting Parking Lot

Strip Centers, Upper Kirby

On The Kirb, 5004 Kirby, Upper Kirby, Houston, 77098 The former Kirby Dr. site of Chinese fast food outpostÂ O’Yeah Cafe (which ousted General Joe’s Chopstix) appears to be getting ready to open again, this time as restaurant-sportsbar On The Kirb.Â Temporary signage beneath the venue’s more permanent marker (still framed withinÂ General Joe’s octagonal medallion) indicates that would-be recruits should apply inside. The restaurant will sit at theÂ northernmost extremeÂ of the 5000 Kirby strip center (located in the thick of Goode Company’s Inner Loop territory, just south of the North St. McDonald’s). The new spot will share theÂ stripÂ with long-time residents Upper Kirby Nails Salon and Joe Omar Hair & Makeup, as well as bisyllabic sister clubsÂ Lumen and CrimsonÂ (protected by aÂ few segments of low wall and hedgeÂ from the prying eyes of nextdoor neighborÂ Mr. Carwash).

Photos: Swamplot inbox

Off the Curb

77098, Openings and Closings, Restaurants, Strip Centers, Upper Kirby

07/22/16 5:15pm

Former Montrose Berryhill Baja Grill Space To Reopen with New Peninsular Allegiances

Montrose, Restaurants

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Yucatan Taco Stand, 3407 Montrose Blvd, Houston, TX 77006

The strip-center position formerly held by Berryhill Baja Grill at the corner of Montrose Blvd. and Hawthorne St. is getting new signage this afternoon, a reader notes. The spot appears to be shifting from West Coast to Gulf Coast culinary traditions under the impending occupation of Yucatan Taco Stand. The chain, whose name (almost) maintains all the rhythm and rhyme of the last taco-wielding tenant, was started in Fort Worth by the late founder of Fuzzy’s Tacos, and already has a spot open in the Woodlands.

Here’sÂ a wider view of the scene, showing the restaurant in place next to Nails by TM and back-to-back with the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China:

Going Yucateca

77006, Montrose, Restaurants, Strip Centers

06/14/16 11:00am

The Asian Kitchen Coverup at PoscÃ³l’s Former Montrose Strip Center Home

Lower Westheimer, Restaurants, Retail, Strip Centers

Jimmy Chew Asian Kitchen, 1609 Westheimer Rd., Lower Westheimer, Houston, 77006

Windows and wood are now covering much of theÂ front of Vinoteca PoscÃ³l’s previous strip center location at 1609 Westheimer Rd. The spot is being preppedÂ to open as Jimmy Chew Asian Kitchen, which touts a laundry list of east- and southeast-Asian countries as contributors toÂ its particular fusion mix. About Online reports that the business is connected toÂ Irwin PalchickÂ of F Bar Nightclub, and will cater to the post-last-call crowdÂ as well as toÂ lemonade enthusiasts.Â

The wooden addition, which appears to be establishing the restaurant’s patio territory, engulfs the space previously fenced off as such by PoscÃ³l, along with some former sidewalk acreage.Â Â Here’s what the space used to look like, before the wine bar’s midsummerÂ departure:

Montrose Makeover

77006, Lower Westheimer, Restaurants, Strip Centers

05/06/16 10:30am

Gipsy Girls Prepares To Migrate Into Strip Center on W. 19th St.

Houston Heights, Retail

Future site of Gipsy Girls, 726 W. 19th St., Houston Heights, Houston, 77008

Signs of the impending turnover at 726 W 19th St. west of N. Shepherd Dr.: a banner bearing the curly pink logo of Gipsy Girls teen-and-tween gift shop. The spotÂ formerly hosted Pink Studio cosmetics, which hasÂ headed north toÂ a spaceÂ in the Northwest Gessner Center along the 290 feeder; following the departure of a business geared towardÂ holding on to the things of youth, the W. 19th St.Â space is being remodeled to host children’s karaoke and birthday celebrations.Â Â

The children’s party venue will move in between Mark’s Hair Studio and adult party venue Painting with a Twist, down the row from Insomnia Video Game Culture and Vinyl Toys, TxDryClean, and Replay Games. Across the street is the mid-Phase-2 Re:Vive development; here’s theÂ rising frame of the apparent Benjamin Moore paint store, which shouldÂ help strengthenÂ the center’sÂ nascent dessert-and-real-estate theme:

Pink in, Pink Out

77008, Houston Heights, Openings and Closings, Retail, Strip Centers

04/12/16 11:15am

Waves Now Undulating Above Hot Bagel Shop’s Future Nextdoor Home on S. Shepherd

River Oaks

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Shepherd Commons, 2015 Shepherd Dr., River Oaks, Houston, 77019

Shepherd Commons, 2015 Shepherd Dr., River Oaks, Houston, 77019 The first 2Â waves of decorative railing are now stretching north off the edge of the new building at 2015 S. Shepherd Dr., the first half of the Shepherd CommonsÂ shopping centerÂ planned for the site. PerÂ the renderings released back in 2013 , the 3rd and 4thÂ waves should follow after the Hot Bagel ShopÂ and River Oaks NailsÂ jump ship from the original single-story strip center immediatelyÂ to the north at 2009 S. Shepherd;Â after that,Â the old structure is slated forÂ demolition to make way for part 2 of the new one.

Back in 2014,Â both businesses had plans to move into the space at 2015 S. Shepherd when it’s ready. (We Buy Gold, which wasn’t going to join in on the trip, has already been replaced in the old center by Cell Phone reStore). Â HotÂ Bagel saysÂ it’s still planning to move in next door as soon as it can; aÂ reader also spotted notice of an application submitted late last fall to sell food and drinks, including beer and wine, behind one of the site’s still-tape-dotted windows. The name on that applicationÂ belongs to a corporate entity sharing an addressÂ withÂ Fu Fu RestaurantÂ in Dun Huang Plaza along Bellaire Blvd. at Beltway 8.

Visible in the backgroundÂ just south ofÂ the new building is kickboxing studio 9Round, followed by theÂ Chipotle facing the corner of Shepherd with Indiana St. Here’s another look at what the center could look like after round 2 of construction gets knocked out:

Bagels Rolling South

77019, Alcohol Licenses, New Construction, Restaurants, Retail, River Oaks, Shepherd Commons, Strip Centers

03/29/16 2:45pm

Garden Oaks West End Cleaners Makes a Sudden Break Across 290 for Westview

Oak Forest

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West End Cleaners, 3406 N. Shepherd Dr., Garden Oaks, Houston, 77018

No,Â says a representative of West End Cleaners who’s been fielding calls this afternoon,Â the businessÂ isn’tÂ shutting down. It’s just departing hastily from its branch locationÂ of a few more hours at the remodeled N. Shepherd strip center on 34th St. (inÂ the spot between Pink’s Pizza and the Garden Oaks Veterinary Clinic) due to a rent hike. Plans have already been laidÂ to landÂ nearÂ the intersection of Westview Dr. and Silber Rd.; the business is also scouting for a new location in the old neighborhood, near 34th and Ella.

Furthermore, the rep emphasizes strongly that theÂ clothing currently in-houseÂ will notÂ be donated inÂ 24 hours, as has been suggested on Facebook;Â all clothesÂ will be movedÂ overÂ to the new location, and the business’sÂ pickup and delivery service will continueÂ as normal. The original actually-in-West-End location at 4918Â Washington Ave is ~~still in service, too~~ out of service as well; the business’s phone system lists it along with additional spots in the Energy Corridor and Cinco Ranch.

Previously on Swamplot:Â Shock of the Redo: The Garden Oaks Strip Center Miracle on 34th St.

Photo:Â â€ŽIsela Lopez Venecia

N. Shepherd Cleanout

77018, Garden Oaks, Leasing, Openings and Closings, Retail, Strip Centers, Westview

03/22/16 10:45am

Mattress Firm Now Wants To Shut Down Redundant Storefronts