Here’s what the former Wabash Feed & Garden Store on Washington looks like with a second level stacked on top of its original storefront. Workers are now climbing around the outdoor portions of the new upstairs, setting the scene for what’s coming next.
What exactly they’re planning hasn’t shown up in the form of any physical signage yet, but some digital breadcrumbs dug up by a HAIF poster hint at what they’ve got in mind. Two active Facebook pages — one for something called Warsaw Houston, the other for “Axis & Alibi” currently sport similar branding and claim Wabash’s address as their own. Late last year, another page with the title Van Nuys made its internet debut with a 5701 Washington address, too — but it’s since been taken offline.
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The dead page’s name however, still shows up on paperwork the venue’s operators filed for permission to sell alcohol (not yet approved) and to collect sales tax at the site. Traced back to its source, that paperwork reveals the name of one guy involved in the venture: Edward Hua, now a co-owner of AURA, the nearby nightclub off Shepherd.
- Previously on Swamplot: Wabash Feed Store Back Up for Sale Again After All; The 6-Story Ex-Uncle Bob’s Now Standing by the Ex-Wabash Feed Store on Washington Ave; Previously Spoken For Wabash Feed & Garden Spot Now Seeking New Relationship; Like Wabash Feed & Garden on Washington Ave? Now You Can Buy the Land It’s Sitting On; What’s Eating Los Dos Amigos and Premo’s Grocery on Washington Ave
Photos:Â Swamplox inbox (renovations); CBREÂ (Wabash)
The name is Axis & Alibi.
So the people who bought giant townhouses overlooking Wabash then complained about the “nuisance” of crowing roosters, now will get to complain about the worse nuisance from the bar their own purchases ultimately brought to the neighborhood. Cock-a-doodle-doo.
Glad to see they’re keeping the historic chain tree (I think it was called) intact! Have to give credit for that sort of preservation in Houston, the rare times it happens.
Opening an Axis-themed bar is a pretty brave move, but apparently there’s a big demand for that kind of nostalgia these days.
Are we talking ‘Pact of Steel’ type Axis, or ‘Evil Axis’?