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Hyde Park Supermarket At 214 Fairview St.


trymahjong

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wondering if anyone knew what restaurant will move into the market's space-- I'm told this is their last full week of business-

Live around the corner and never understood their business model - too small of a selection for so much bigger space. It would be nice to get another good everyday restaurant in the hood..

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i thought the market didn't use it's space very well either--and REALLY wondered why they didn't try to "niche" themselves

and do something like maccains in the heights or at the least-- the NY thing where you lure customers in with green produce/flowers out front-- and since there is a weekly green market down at Taft street coffee--how hard would it have been--

i wonder if this place wouldn't have closed sooner but ziggy's lack of a liquor license last year kept folks walking over to buy wine and beer for the BYOB at ziggy's--still i'm wondering in this economic time-- who can open a restaurant and have a chance of keeping it open?

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Can anyone provide the details - was not aware of it

CENTRAL CITY CO-OP brings organic produce and other organic "stuff" to taft street coffee house 2115 taft

on wednesdays (9am-6pm) on saturdays try the green market in the back parking lot of La strada--

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CENTRAL CITY CO-OP brings organic produce and other organic "stuff" to taft street coffee house 2115 taft

on Wednesdays (9am-6pm) on Saturdays try the green market in the back parking lot of La strada--

I was at La strada's place a few times - very limited selection, not too much of the vegetables I eat. I'd rather go to Airlines market. I'll look-up the coop - but is it only on wednesday?

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I moved last week from my apartment on Taft, so this place went under at just the right time. I'm pretty sure I was keeping them in business single-handedly with my beer and cigarette habits. The place was always shabby and I could NOT figure out what they were doing with the place. Their "groceries" collected dust on the shelves for a loooooong time, their freezers sat empty, the "restaurant" area in the back sat empty, the ATM was constantly broken, etc. Very poorly run, and the guy who worked there every day and night was surly to me all the time even though I was probably his most reliable customer. I guess it's possible to limp along for some time on beer, tobacco, lottery, MoneyGram, and poker machines alone. In any case, I hope someone who knows what they're doing takes this space over. It's a pretty busy corner and as bad as the place was, there were a lot of people who relied on the place for quick stops. With Ziggy's and Boheme already on the corner a well-run business could draw even more people to the old Fairview strip.

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That guy was always pretty nice to me. I noticed it going downhill this last time several years ago or so, with less stuff in the freezers and fresh vegetables disappearing first. I got really concerned when they quit keeping the cold wine section stocked even though they had it on the shelf.

I've lived around the corner from them long enough to remember the former owners and the selection they carried was a lot larger but oriented toward a Hispanic demographic. When they closed I thought that a small market with a broader range and a coffee shop atmosphere would work in there.

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That guy was always pretty nice to me. I noticed it going downhill this last time several years ago or so, with less stuff in the freezers and fresh vegetables disappearing first. I got really concerned when they quit keeping the cold wine section stocked even though they had it on the shelf.

That's what was so puzzling. I saw him be friendly to all kinds of people in there, chatting, seemed like a good guy. But I never got so much as a smile. Really baffling. Guess he just didn't like my looks.

The sign says "Coming Soon" Bakery, Deli, etc. That may not be new, as there is now a For Lease sign on the front door.

That sign is quite old.

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With all due respect to those who love the original Barnaby's on Fairview (and I'm one of them), I'd like to see the entire operation (regular Barnaby's as well as Baby) move into that space. They've just outgrown the original building and parking is hard to find. A little remodeling of the supermarket and it would be a great, still-funky Barnaby's with those big picture windows.

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  • 4 months later...

They've stripped off all the awnings and other materials to reveal the original brick structure. I hope they restore it to look as it did when it was built. The building reminds me of a small-town Main Street storefront.

The for lease sign is still up.

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With all due respect to those who love the original Barnaby's on Fairview (and I'm one of them), I'd like to see the entire operation (regular Barnaby's as well as Baby) move into that space. They've just outgrown the original building and parking is hard to find. A little remodeling of the supermarket and it would be a great, still-funky Barnaby's with those big picture windows.

I'm concerned the neighborhood may be reaching maximum Barnaby density. I don't want to lose that original.

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  • 6 months later...

They began gutting this building today. The For Lease sign is still out front. The windows are gone, but it looks as though they'll keep the original brick (General Store type) front facade.

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  • 2 weeks later...

a from from EMCA attended the HCID#6 crime & security committee meeting at the HPD storefront on Montrose--she found out that a new DELI will be built---of course parking is also a concern and there is talk to

buy and tear down that older house next door on Fairview but also she told me " Ziggy ' s, & Boheme, and possibly other businesses in that area, have been given a 90-day notice from the City, to get the city-required parking or they will be shut down.

As you know, they got royally screwed by a Property owner(I withheld the name) when she renigged on her signed agreement to let them use her vacant lot for parking. Now she is pulling more tricks, including trying to pit one business against another over the parking issue, according to what I heard Saturday.

I think these are good businesses and are beneficial for our neighborhoods, and I sure would like them to stay, rather than some bar or place with a wicked owner or some other unappropriate business to come take over the locations. I think it ' s an important neighborhood issue, to try to help them if possible, to get their parking, or to get a "stay of execution" until parking can be found.

There is talk of the new owner of the Hyde Park Grocery property putting up a two-level paking garage, and letting all the businesses use it. But this is REALLY expensive, and not likely to happen. They are also supposed to tear down the "flop house" next to the Hyde Park Grocery on Fairview and use the lot for parking. This will not happen within 90 days, however, and I dont ' know if it will be available for Ziggy ' s and others to use, or just the new Deli."

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I live in the neighborhood and just hate that my neighbors dislike bars and restaurants within walking distance. if they don't want those sort of establishments near them, they should move to the heights or outside the loop.

it would be a real shame to lose these places.

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the city shouldn't have issued the permits unless each business had the required parking which was not the case. anyone has the right to complain about their driveways being blocked, etc. from the various news reports over the last few yesrs, they have. i'd say it's more of a quality of life issue vs people disliking bars and restaurants.

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the civic assoc hear from one of the business owners----this may turn out really sad--

Yes, some show of support from the civic clubs would be fantastic. A letter to city council members would be very effective I think.

The mayor has already said that the city needs to work on the current ordinances which govern parking where it is problematic in the developing urban neighborhoods. She was referring to Washington Avenue but the same issues apply to Montrose.

We have a meeting with a city council member on Thursday but I do not know what we will be able to accomplish in the short term.

The issue with parking is solely the result of one property owner down the street from us, acting unilaterally.

It's a long story but we had a contract to purchase our parking lot before we even purchased the restaurant as we knew the amount of parking required. The owner of the parking lot refused to honor the contract. After 2 1/2 years of litigation (the owner was holding out to get more money), she then contacted the city to get us cited for insufficient parking.

The same owner is also responsible for Dean's losing their lease for parking in the Cotton Brothers lot which she also owns. She contacted the owner of Dean's building and told him to either buy her lot or Dean's would be closed.

The same owner also contacted the new owner of the former grocery store to demand that he tow cars parked on his lot (which he refused to do).

Why? With the goal of driving up the price of her property by creating a shortage of parking.

Certainly a property owner can sell their property for whatever they can get for it. But it's disgusting and abhorrent that a property owner can use the city's ordinance to drive up the price with the very real threat that we will be out of business. And in this recession, it is impossible to find banks which will loan to small businesses, particularly restaurants.

It will be sad to see a 105 year old house torn down but that will be the end result of this process. The building is not worth anything without parking, under the current parking ordinances.

Thanks very much for taking the time to follow up with me about this issue.

Eat. Drink. Love. Repeat.

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the city shouldn't have issued the permits unless each business had the required parking which was not the case. anyone has the right to complain about their driveways being blocked, etc. from the various news reports over the last few yesrs, they have. i'd say it's more of a quality of life issue vs people disliking bars and restaurants.

Not true. We did have the required parking which is why we had the necessary permits. But this is why the current parking ordinance is broken. It allows, perhaps encourages, the property owner to demand an exorbitant (and financially unviable) amount with the very real threat that you'll be out of business otherwise if you don't pay it.

The city has already changed the building code to allow for more dense housing. The long term vision for the city is mixed use, walkable neighborhoods. Montrose is suppose to be one of the top 10 neighborhoods in the city JUST for this reason. But the current parking ordinance directly conflicts with that goal.

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Not true. We did have the required parking which is why we had the necessary permits. But this is why the current parking ordinance is broken. It allows, perhaps encourages, the property owner to demand an exorbitant (and financially unviable) amount with the very real threat that you'll be out of business otherwise if you don't pay it.

The city has already changed the building code to allow for more dense housing. The long term vision for the city is mixed use, walkable neighborhoods. Montrose is suppose to be one of the top 10 neighborhoods in the city JUST for this reason. But the current parking ordinance directly conflicts with that goal.

I think that recent survey put Montrose as one of the top 10 neighborhoods in the country.

I wish I had an answer to the parking problem, but at least the possibilities/restrictions are being reviewed.

Stay out of my parking spot! :angry:

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Not true. We did have the required parking which is why we had the necessary permits. But this is why the current parking ordinance is broken. It allows, perhaps encourages, the property owner to demand an exorbitant (and financially unviable) amount with the very real threat that you'll be out of business otherwise if you don't pay it.

so a decision that you made to locate there knowing that you didn't have enough parking on the premises and gambled your required parking on another property owner and you want to blame the parking ordinance? do you have a problem with the city adding the no parking signs in the area?

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why shut down businesses if people are parking legally? and if someone's in your driveway or parked illegally, get them towed. it's that simple. and if you live an apartment and can never find parking, then ask for a reduction in rent or move. the businesses in the area have just as much a right to use their property as they see fit as your landlord. i don't like that the duplexes near me bring extra people into the area and that someone from those units is almost always parked in front of my house, but i accept it and don't try to have the duplexes condemned.

frankly, ziggy's, et al. should have never had to worry about the stupid parking ordinance in the first place.

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so a decision that you made to locate there knowing that you didn't have enough parking on the premises and gambled your required parking on another property owner and you want to blame the parking ordinance? do you have a problem with the city adding the no parking signs in the area?

Again, not correct. We had a contract to lease AND purchase our parking lot before we even purchased the restaurant. It would not be prudent to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a restaurant if we were not compliant with parking. The parking lot property owner then refused to honor the contract to lease and purchase and we litigated for 2.5 years, simply so she could get more money. The parking lot owner is the same (and only) person who then complained to the city about our lack of parking! Again to drive up the price. This is why the parking ordinance is broken.

There are dozens of restaurants and bars in the area which have either zero parking or off premises parking only. If all of them were closed there would be a lot fewer places to go, not even counting the lost sales tax and jobs.

I support the use of the no parking signs in a rational manor. Some intersections can't support street parking - too dangerous - like right in front of Ziggy's on Fairview. But the no parking signs are added on a block by block basis as people complain so it's an ineffective hodgepodge.

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Again, not correct. We had a contract to lease AND purchase our parking lot before we even purchased the restaurant. It would not be prudent to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a restaurant if we were not compliant with parking. The parking lot property owner then refused to honor the contract to lease and purchase and we litigated for 2.5 years, simply so she could get more money.

and you lost the gamble?

The parking lot owner is the same (and only) person who then complained to the city about our lack of parking! Again to drive up the price. This is why the parking ordinance is broken.

so you put the responsibility in the hands of one person? from the stories on the news, the neighborhood residents were also complaining. the church appeared to be the big problem but you'll blame it on one person?

There are dozens of restaurants and bars in the area which have either zero parking or off premises parking only. If all of them were closed there would be a lot fewer places to go, not even counting the lost sales tax and jobs.

from the houstonpress article about a proposed beer garden downtown, it seems lost sales tax for the city isn't a concern.

I support the use of the no parking signs in a rational manor. Some intersections can't support street parking - too dangerous - like right in front of Ziggy's on Fairview. But the no parking signs are added on a block by block basis as people complain so it's an ineffective hodgepodge.

so if your business is in the area where you think parking is dangerous, why would you locate there and risk customer safety?

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