THE WASHINGTON HEIGHTS WALMART RETAIL BUDDY LIST 
The list of stores is out. Who’ll be moving in to Ainbinder’s Washington Heights shopping strips at Yale and Koehler, across from the new Walmart in Houston’s West End? Yes, they’re all chains. And there’s a bank, a phone store, a Starbucks, and a nail salon in there, for street- er, parking-lot cred. The lineup: JP Morgan Chase, Taco Cabana, Visionworks, Sport Clips, Jersey Mike’s, Nailtime, GNC, GameStop, Corner Bakery (pictured), Starbucks, Verizon, Which Wich, and Chipotle. [Prime Property; previously on Swamplot] Rendering: The Ainbinder Company
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And the ban begins! Looks like I’ll still be heading down Shepherd for my Chipotle…it’s worth the drive.
“Chef-driven restaurants” — I had almost forgotten about that!
“Chef-driven restaurants. . .” LOL JK u mad bro?
Luv, Ainbinder
and I’ll keep going to my Starbucks on West Gray, my Taco Cabana on Shepherd @ 610, and any other stores to avoid this development. If they had put the Central Market in here, I would have gladly shopped all of the stores, but not with Walmart as the anchor.
So there will be a Jimmy John’s, Jersey Mikes, and Which Which all right next to each other on the same block?
GOOD IDEA.
but come on guys, Jersey Mike’s!!!!
“I don’t like Walmart, so I won’t shop at stores that are near a Walmart.” Because that makes sense!
Finally a GameStop in the heights area. Hipsters play games too!
For all of you complainers, be thankful that your picture is not showing up here because most of you will be first in line at these establishments. What we REALLY need to be upset about is the new Kroger on Studemont. THAT property should have been an HEB.
Let the bitching begin …
What? No Potbelly???
It amazes me the number of people who can’t figure out how to make their own burrito. Chipotle never gets my business because I can make myself one in my sleep.
Bringing the Katy chain-store experience to the Heights!
From August 2010
The project’s leasing broker tells Bivins he wants “chef-driven restaurants, local boutiques and non-chain outlets†to occupy the new retail spaces on Yale and Heights Blvd., which he views as an extension to recent developments along Washington Ave.
All chains and essentially fast food.
Lies and more lies.
Seriously did anyone really expect boutique retailers and chef driven eateries in a Wal-mart anchored strip center? Not a Wal-mart fan but what real difference does it make
on this tract adjacent to a somewhat sketchy neighborhood (West End) and as far as “Oh my God, they are ruining The Heights”, that is equivalent to someone in Afton Oaks whining about the Home Depot at 610/59. Ya can’t see it from your bungalow, so shutup!
john ……so true………
Reap what you sow. While I hate the fact that such a great tract of land is being wasted to try to establish New Pearland just south of the Heights, I am glad that the national chains/franchises are drawn to this development like flies to shit. Keep them south of I-10 and out of the Heights.
Add Smashburger to the list, it’s next door to Jimmy John’s.
I will probably go to some or many of these retailers. But I will never ever step foot in Walmart. Never.
@#14 Payam,
Well, after all the resistance and negative brouhaha that went on, what incentive does the leasing broker have to shop chef driven restaurants, local boutiques and non-chain outlets?
No one is gonna shop that center anyway, right?
what a lot of whiney wanna be hipsters you guys are… if you don’t want to shop at walmart, then don’t. beyond that, GET A LIFE!
that wal mart property site and adjacent areas has sat there vacant for growing grass, collecting trash for years. all the snobby haters didn’t do squat. there are bigger concerns for the residential areas in the Heights. Target is ok, geez its not like Saks. all this boo hoo hoo, a new wal mart was built on vacant ground near new condos, trashed apts, old houses, car washes, storage, new bars, old bars, homeless people, and a place to buy neat rocks and gravel. The new Kroger on Studemont is a seems to be the bigger impending log jam.
Looks like the Yale Street Bridge is in worse shape than in the spring. Check out this neighborhood article from yesterday’s Leader: http://www.theleadernews.com/a_community/community013.html
It will have to close for a year, and soon!
“Reap what you sow.” Indeed. After all of the whining, bellyaching and threats not to ever set foot in any establishment in an Ainbinder development next to a Walmart, you are now surprised that no small businessman risked opening there? Really?
Can you say “self fulfilling prophecy”? I realize that none of you will ever admit that you contributed mightily to the unremarkable tenant list…but you did.
I will chuckle at how well your brilliant plan worked out as I eat my burrito at Chipotle.
Except for the bank and Starbucks, all of those are LOCAL SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.
Yes, the names are a national brand, but the owners are local businesses that pay into a franchise.
Boycotting these places is hurting small local business owners, but when mob mentality does all your thinking for you, you don’t consider this.
Kjb434: bullshit. Franchise owners are rarely your next door neighbor. Maybe the cleaners or nail salon, but a lot of the big restaurant chains are owned by big money investors who never set foot in Houston.
Will not be tempted to stop for any of the listed stores. Nothing Heights about it.
I really can’t see why anyone was upset with the development of this tract. It has sat empty for years and is probably saturated with toxic waste from the steel industry that was there for years before. I don’t personally like Walmart, but I’m not going to tell others where to shop. What did you want there? More faux lofts? The massive apartment developments near there are much more worrisome as sociology principles teach us that density is a serious problem generating higher crime rates. If only they were single family with a patch of ground to absorb the runoff water. Up in the Heights there are more serious problems. Giant faux queen anne facaded houses that cover the whole lot is a serious problem. Cheap row houses that squeeze out all the green space are a serious problem. The Heights needs to focus on preservation of existing structures and keeping as much green covered ground as they can. Time is running out. Houston really loves a bulldozer.
urban22 – wow. The Yale Street Bridge will be closed for a year. I wonder how this will affect the development? I wonder if the tenants knew before they signed their leases?
You people are insane. I live in Oak Forest and would be glad to see a development like this. We have no where to eat in Garden Oaks except food that is nasty and disgusting I seriously have like 5 good places to eat. You are getting a corner bakery and complaining about it. Most likely those complainers don’t even own a home and have bad credit.
Boring. Bland. Not surprised.
All these prissy pants talking about how this Walmart development isn’t up to their “Heights Standards” might as well stop shutting the barn doors after the horses have left. They left a loooooooong time ago. The Heights was FUBARred when somebody decided to cram a fake Vicky $700k house on a lot that was meant for a 2-1 bungalow.
I applaud peeps who plan to avoid. Dare I say boycott? The Heights deserves better! You really don’t have to go far at all to find same anyway.
the tract of land is a very cool location; instead of something interesting, urban, we are getting misplaced katy; china-mart, liquor stores, i’m sure at least 1 pawn shop,fast food, and the like; the land was better used left empty; at least then, yale would not get stuck with alot of extra traffic.
Once again, the argument is “something is better than nothing and you should be thankful for it.” There is nothing wrong with desiring to see better.
Welcome to the Houston Heights, a Peaceable Kingdom.Just think it was only a few years ago that Heights residents were so distraught that the Heights did not have any support services, ie: restaurants, phone stores, cleaners, etc… I guess you get what you ask for.
SNOBS – that is what I call all the people who think the Heights is somehow more special than any other area. I specifically refer to those who think there is anything at all historic about the Heights. The Heights was a suburb of Houston, exactly like Katy is now…the “Historic Bungalows” are Sears track homes from that time period…Some are beautiful, some are hideous, either way they are nothing special. Perhaps we should begin protecting Katy and Pearland now!
Marksmu,
I’ve been trying to tell these knuckleheads that for a long time.
The Heights is nothing more than a boring clear cut track home development.
Every tree where the heights is right now was planted after the developer clear cut the pine forest.
Also, many Woodlands Heights residents don’t know that there precious neighborhood was built on the destruction of a natural stream. A 48″ concrete storm sewer now runs in the place of this old stream (and runs under several homes). The valley was filled in so the grid of streets could keep going.
Welcome to the Heights…Where nature was destroyed so we can one day be a “historic” neighborhood.
Where are the dry cleaner, Family Dollar, and payday loan stores?
I live in the Heights area (north of I-10) and don’t mind at all going to: Wal-mart, Chipotle, Taco Cabana, Which Wich, Corner Bakery, Starbucks, GNC, and GameStop. I don’t care at all about what the whiners think. Are you all also complaining about all the new “chain” bars on 6th? Do you know your precious Onion Creek is now part of a chain of creeks? I bet that upsets you too… I don’t get why everything has to be unique for you to like it.
@urban22
just imagine if Walmart hadn’t gone in, people using that bridge might have continued to believe it was a safe and sound quaint looking bridge!
By 6th, I meant White Oak of course… but you all know that…
@ Caneco, post #8 – I agree – my son will be thrilled to have a GameStop nearby. The Verizon store is a useful addition too – nearest one to the Heights is currently at Shepherd and Westheimer.
I’m OK with chains coming in if they’re useful, and am even OK with Wal Mart in general – but the form and layout of this development – strip centers with a huge sea of parking lots – is pretty lame and outdated. There has to be a better way to do this to make it better to look at, and a more pleasant place to shop. As such, I will shop there when I have to, but leave as soon as I can and avoid it as much as possible. I won’t be lingering around and making any unplanned purchases, and I think retailers deserve better too.
Chain stores are simply small businesses that did a really good job and grew. Supporting their continued success is not selling out to corporate America, it’s supporting the American dream! And along the way it’s also important to support start-ups.
Yeah, the Heights is full of snobs. Everyone went ballistic when they put in a new Goodwill store right in the middle of the Heights. Wait. No one had any complaints about the new Goodwill store? But it will bring in all kinds of low income people and is not a new Trader Joes full of snobby organic food. Could it be that people who do not like the Walmart development actually have a solid and intelligent critique of short sighted development that provides negligible long term benefit to development in the area? And those who do not like the idea that someone other than some rich guy should have a say in how there neighborhood should be developed have nothing other than insults to respond to a well informed critique?
A Timmy Chan Restaurant would add some “urban” flavour.
I went to corner bakery downtown one day and they were out of bread.
TRUE STORY and a good warning
The Anti-Walmart Snobs are the same snobs, who think they should have the right to legislate how their neighbors property should look and what type and style of home can be built on it…They always know better what to do with someone elses property than the person who is willing to risk their own capital to do something.
Marksmu,
People controlling what other people can do with their property and how it looks… You mean like an extremely restrictive HOA deed restriction which, as far as I know, exists in around 100% of suburban communities?…. Unless you are considering most suburbanites as the “Anti-Walmart Snobs”, you don’t make any sense.
there aren’t that many snobs in the Heights… it is just the snobs are the ones that won’t shut up. They complain about everything that isn’t EXACTLY what they want. (They wanted mixed use here, but not at 11th and Studewood, Target is okay, walmart isn’t. Trader joes okay, fiesta isn’t)
btw, Goodwill gets a pass because is a good store for the hipster to source vintage tees…
@Alan –
The difference in the Heights being that people bought UNRESTRICTED property with no deed restrictions only to have the vocal, minority use a very dishonest legislative process to steal those rights and force their snotty I know better than you attitude.
The people in the suburbs bought knowing darn well what they were getting into….its a huge disclosure at closing.
Mel Wood,
We need to send rest of the developing world your concern about a sea of parking lots. It seems that any city in the world that is modernizing follows this old way of thinking with large parking lots. All of those suburban big box stores in Paris and London are just plain wrong.
People need to realize that strip centers, big box stores, and general suburban development is not only a U.S. phenomenon and that everywhere around the world suburban style development is mainstream. in cities. Whether you are in Santiago, Chile; Madrid, Spain; or Dublin, Ireland; suburban style development with strip centers, gas stations, drive through fast food joints all exist.
I didn’t know developing like European cities was lame. I thought all the intellectuals wanted us to be more like Europe. I guess they haven’t really looked at the rest of the world and realize they are just like us.
kjb434:
American-style suburbanization does occur in Europe but it’s more the exception than the rule. Even where big box stores exist in a suburb, parking areas tend to be limited in size, they are often garages (not sprawling lots) and they sometimes charge money to use them. I’ve lived in three different countries over there and in two of them I lived in their equivalent of a suburb and I owned a car. I’m not saying that we need to mimic this. I’m just saying you are overstating Europe’s trend of American suburbanization.
Really J?
I actually don’t think I am.
If they are throwing a parking garage next to a Tesco, it is an exception and not the rule in GB.
Areas with limited suburban style parking in the suburbs are in cities where car ownership is low. If I’m going to keep using GB as an example, car ownership has been on the rise (dramatically to some). The larger cities that are cheaper to live like Liverpool and Birmingham have high car ownership and more typical American style suburban commercial development. London style suburban development is more like New York City or Boston where everything is still fairly dense in the suburbs. When you get to the exurbs of London, the suburban style development shows up more.
Ultimately, it is dependent on car ownership rates. The rest of Europe just like GB is seeing a rise in car ownership even with the ridiculously high taxes.
China is the newest entry into this market with drive-thrus popping up to accommodate the large growth in car ownership.
I’m waiting for India with its burgeoning middle class to be next.