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The Plant At Harrisburg: 3401 Harrisburg Blvd.

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thedistrict84

thedistrict84

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Drove by today. They are making progress on the buildout of the last storefront along Sampson, nearest to Harrisburg. They've also added a sliding window to the wall facing the front patio of How to Survive.

I assume this particular suite will be the permanent location of Giant Leap? 

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linearmovement

linearmovement

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46 minutes ago, thedistrict84 said:

Drove by today. They are making progress on the buildout of the last storefront along Sampson, nearest to Harrisburg. They've also added a sliding window to the wall facing the front patio of How to Survive.

I assume this particular suite will be the permanent location of Giant Leap? 

A while ago (probably >1 year), there was a little Giant Leap placard on the door farthest from Harrisburg, closest to the back parking lot along Sampson. I also vaguely recall seeing something (maybe an Instagram story) suggesting the storefront closest to Harrisburg might be Popston

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thedistrict84

thedistrict84

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12 minutes ago, linearmovement said:

A while ago (probably >1 year), there was a little Giant Leap placard on the door farthest from Harrisburg, closest to the back parking lot along Sampson. I also vaguely recall seeing something (maybe an Instagram story) suggesting the storefront closest to Harrisburg might be Popston

I've noticed that the Giant Leap placard has been variably placed in different locations along Sampson. I assume it was initially put there just to remind passersby that they would be moving there shortly. I did not give much thought to where exactly it might have been placed, but your observation is consistent with that. 

Of course, for the last several months it has been in front of How to Survive, since they have been operating out of that suite. It seems to be an arrangement that is working for both entities for now, so I'm not sure Giant Leap is in any rush to move out. The ongoing buildout being the suite for Popston would make sense in that context. 

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ljchou

ljchou

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Posted (edited)

Was taking a virtual walk down Harrisburg and noticed "Fly Fly Pizza" is listed as a tenant. Looks like there's also a Fly Fly Pizza in Dallas? Either way, excited for some food in the area.

Was hoping this was going to be the location of Angie's brick and mortar they've been alluding to.. Still holding out hope.

Also confusing.. Popston is set to occupy Ste B so this could be logged in error.


image.png.5b58bb3a066b8417f12582620125f79d.png

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wilcal

wilcal

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Was just googling Fly Fly Pizza and it appears to be open right now and would let me submit an order on Uber Eats if anyone wants to try.

Looks like 8" pizzas start at $5 and it is all vegan. 

Also, their yelp page lists hours of 9am-midnight and they were listed as being updated a few hours ago.

Kind of tempted to order one for pickup and see what is up. 

 

Edit: going to try placing an order. We'll see what happens. It said if I need help to call the restaurant at 832-263-1738

Edit2: Found an incomplete site of their captured by archive.org https://web.archive.org/web/20210225124706/https://flyflypizza.com/

Edit3: still no order confirmation and it's been like 6 or 7 minutes, so I'm guessing no one is home lol

Edit4: They cancelled it and they are showing as unavailable now. Clearly not ready yet, but that is kind of what I expected. 

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ljchou

ljchou

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Finally a permit for a 3k sqft coffee shop/retail buildout that will be Giant Leap. I heard through the grapevine that it will likely manifest as something other than "Giant Leap", still coffee shop but perhaps more upscale like a cafe.

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linearmovement

linearmovement

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3 hours ago, ljchou said:

Finally a permit for a 3k sqft coffee shop/retail buildout that will be Giant Leap. I heard through the grapevine that it will likely manifest as something other than "Giant Leap", still coffee shop but perhaps more upscale like a cafe.

I remember hearing way back when that Giant Leap was planning for the new space to include a draft beer program; I hope it also includes a kitchen with café-type food (sandwiches, salads, etc). The neighborhood could desperately use it.

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linearmovement

linearmovement

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On 6/18/2021 at 9:13 PM, ljchou said:

Confirmed that Giant Leap location will be Cafe Louie, a mix of giant leap and Angie’s. So excited for this

 

Now that's what I'm talkin' about! I saw the Cafe Louie post and that was pretty exciting on its own, but putting it in Giant Leap is absolutely perfect.

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linearmovement

linearmovement

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5 hours ago, Andrew Ewert said:

Eh, it may be a little silly but these are definitely the going rates for this type of barber shop these days. I've been to several in the city - Cutthroat, East End, Bison, Argyle - and these prices are pretty standard. It's definitely a luxury.

I've been going to Argyle League for years for the simple reason (besides good haircuts) that they know how to keep a schedule. I know that my appointment will start on time and 45 mins later I'll be on my way.

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Montrose1100

Montrose1100

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On 9/22/2021 at 11:10 AM, mkultra25 said:

I have yet to be convinced that the haircut one gets at a "craft" barbershop justifies the price premium over the haircut one gets at any number of old-school, no-frills barbershops. To each his own.

I work in Greenspoint and go to a barber where only one guy speaks English (not complaining, just pointing it out). They did a really nice high fade and beard trim. I thought I was going to have to shell out +$60.00. Freaking $20.00! I was shocked, but then remembered they had bars on the window, loud Spanish disco music, and not an IPA or cold brew in sight. Kind of miss living closer to Harwin in that respect. Westheimer is littered with good barbers that don't charge gentrification prices.

Anyway, Ambrose Barber on Milby is decent, but prepare to spend 2-3 hours there.

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mkultra25

mkultra25

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3 hours ago, Montrose1100 said:

I work in Greenspoint and go to a barber where only one guy speaks English (not complaining, just pointing it out). They did a really nice high fade and beard trim. I thought I was going to have to shell out +$60.00. Freaking $20.00! I was shocked, but then remembered they had bars on the window, loud Spanish disco music, and not an IPA or cold brew in sight. Kind of miss living closer to Harwin in that respect. Westheimer is littered with good barbers that don't charge gentrification prices.

Anyway, Ambrose Barber on Milby is decent, but prepare to spend 2-3 hours there.

That sounds like the place I took my dad to earlier this year for the first visit he'd had to a barbershop since the pandemic started (not the first haircut, as my wife had cut his hair a couple of times in the interim). On Greens Road in the same strip center as Brown Sugar's BBQ, and the barber on duty there only spoke Spanish. Don't recall if they had bars on the window but they did have loud music and a pool table in the front of the shop. I think for a basic haircut it was around $15 including tip. 

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Montrose1100

Montrose1100

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1 hour ago, mkultra25 said:

That sounds like the place I took my dad to earlier this year for the first visit he'd had to a barbershop since the pandemic started (not the first haircut, as my wife had cut his hair a couple of times in the interim). On Greens Road in the same strip center as Brown Sugar's BBQ, and the barber on duty there only spoke Spanish. Don't recall if they had bars on the window but they did have loud music and a pool table in the front of the shop. I think for a basic haircut it was around $15 including tip. 

I may have to check that place out. I go to 45 Barber Shop next to... not sure, just a bit further down 45. They always play country music after I walk in, and I want to tell them to keep it on the Spanish club music. 

Anyway, I'm surprised we don't have more of these in our hood. 

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JBTX

JBTX

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On 4/14/2020 at 11:20 AM, ljchou said:

Micro-grocer going in at The Plant. "Little Red Box". If you live in the neighborhood or frequent the area, Jeff Kaplan posted a survey he's asking those that would patron the store to fill out.



His post:

"Hi all! Will y’all please consider taking a min to fill this survey out? https://forms.gle/ian1LWxUYwQQWdhv6 Little Red Box is a micro-grocer distribution retail concept that will launch in the 2nd Ward at the Plant (Harrisburg and Sampson), we are hoping in the next several weeks.. aiming to provide cleaner food to an under-served community that currently find themselves in “food desert” in the middle of the Covid crisis. By providing grocery delivery and/or nearby grocery pick-up to low-access areas, Little Red Box intends to offer a limited yet highly relevant product assortment, layering in a nudge toward healthfulness (meal planning & recipes), and engaging/empowering individual communities around physical access points. Please take a few minutes to fill out the following survey in order to help us to effectively cultivate your overall future experience and fulfill our community’s specific grocery needs during the Covid crisis and for the future vitality of our neighborhood. Please share with others in our community as well! Stay healthy"

It's only been about 18 months, but guess what? Little Red Box appears to be "opening soon." I took the survey ages ago and just got an e-mail with a link to this today:
https://littleredboxgrocery.com/pages/houston-launch

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mkultra25

mkultra25

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3 hours ago, samagon said:

my wife's cousin came in for Thanksgiving and he wanted to get a haircut on Friday. he didn't tell us where he went, but he did mention it was only $12. if I weren't bald, that'd probably be my jam.

When I was young, I used to get my hair cut by a "stylist" who worked out of several salons over a period of years before ultimately opening his own shop. Even back then, he wasn't cheap. 

When I hit middle age, I started going to an old-school barber shop that charged less than a third of what the previous guy did.

Since the pandemic started, tonsorial care has transitioned to "slap a #2 guard on the clippers and have my wife run them over my head a few times". At first this was a matter of necessity, but over time I've come to prefer it. Your mileage may vary if short hair isn't your preference.

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samagon

samagon

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32 minutes ago, mkultra25 said:

When I was young, I used to get my hair cut by a "stylist" who worked out of several salons over a period of years before ultimately opening his own shop. Even back then, he wasn't cheap. 

When I hit middle age, I started going to an old-school barber shop that charged less than a third of what the previous guy did.

Since the pandemic started, tonsorial care has transitioned to "slap a #2 guard on the clippers and have my wife run them over my head a few times". At first this was a matter of necessity, but over time I've come to prefer it. Your mileage may vary if short hair isn't your preference.

where I used to have a really nice mountain of hair on my head, I'm left with an atoll of hair around the perimeter. I found a set of clippers at walmart for $30 many years ago and run that over my head once a month without any guard at all. I haven't seen the inside of a barber shop in well over a decade.

time and money saved for sure. if I did grow hair I would probably see a barber and not do the bald thing, even if only for the benefit of keeping the sun off my head.

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wilcal

wilcal

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Little bit of construction movement inside. This complex is looking nice!

I emailed with Sam a few weeks ago and he said that their working goal was to try to have the reno done this month and start selling groceries in March.

Gmtorza.png

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wilcal

wilcal

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Article from the Chronicle about Little Red Box Grocery:

 

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/food-culture/article/Little-Red-Box-Grocery-fills-fresh-food-need-in-17225532.php

Excerpt:

Quote

Passionate about providing healthy food options in an area where transportation might be a barrier and about supporting hyper-local brands that aren’t big enough for a traditional retail setting, founder Samuel Newman brings years of experience at H-E-B. There, he worked on research and customer insights in the chain’s value stores, which serve shoppers who utilize SNAP and WIC.

Little Red Box Grocery offers the same buying assistance, along with modern-day conveniences such as app purchasing and no-fee curbside delivery that Newman says allow shoppers at every income level to make healthy food decisions.

“The demand for good food is there,” he said, in an area that “has been and continues to be a thriving, historic community, yet it also faces lack-of-access issues.”

Local brands on offer include chips, salsas and snacks from Cochinita & Co., Kickin’ Kombucha, Chocolate Wasted Ice Cream, Xela Coffee and Finca Tres Robles produce — “a great way to exhibit the creativity happening in the Second Ward,” Newman said — along with proteins from Brenham’s Whitehurst Farm, produce from Village Farm in Richmond and farm shares from Houston’s Plant It Forward. After browsing, shoppers can use a pass-through to access Cafe Louie, a hip new all-day coffee house and bakery.

 

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wilcal

wilcal

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32 minutes ago, ljchou said:

Can one of y’all provide the text from this?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Exclusive-Axelrad-developers-East-End-17291259.php

Quote

An ambitious group of entrepreneurs aims to transform a four-acre warehouse complex in Houston’s East End into a walkable, mixed-use district that could become an example of socially conscious real estate development in one of the most rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods in Texas.

Houston real estate firm Concept Neighborhood plans to convert more than four blocks of mostly historic properties into a destination filled with hyperlocal businesses, boutique retail, restaurants and small office spaces. Construction is set to begin in late 2022 on the redevelopment of the roughly 80-year-old buildings that once housed the oil and gas equipment manufacturer W-K-M.

The proposed redevelopment, which encompasses nearly 145,000 square feet spread across several sites around 201 Roberts Street, is a few blocks away from another Concept Neighborhood project, The Plant, a 20,000 square-foot mixed-use development on Harrisburg Boulevard, about 1.5 miles east of downtown. Together the projects could bring more change to the 16-square mile East End district, where urban professionals are flocking, property values are rising, and new cafes, condos and storefronts are popping up in the once predominantly industrial area.

Concept Neighborhood’s goal is to create a collection of small businesses reminiscent of the pedestrian-friendly Midtown Houston or the Bishop Arts District in Dallas. The properties are a few blocks from MetroRail’s Green Line, unlocking the potential for a walkable district that urban planners typically only dream of in Houston.

“It will be like Brooklyn in the South,” said Jeff Kaplan, 43, a principal of Concept Neighborhood, who previously helped to develop the popular Midtown beer garden Axelrad with a handful of others.

Kaplan, who lives in the East End, has long had a passion for the concept that residents should be able to access most daily needs within walking or rail-transit distance. His co-principals in Concept Neighborhood - Dave Seeberger, a former private equity professional, David Kelley, a co-housing developer and founder of a community bank, and commercial real estate attorney Jeremy Roberts and former real estate broker Zachary Samet — share his vision. Urban designer and another Axelrad co-founder Monte Large and broker Andrea Daniel are also involved.

To get a sense of what Concept Neighborhood wants to create in the East End, take a look at The Plant, the adaptive reuse project that opened in 2020. Colorful murals advertise businesses inside, where splashes of pastel paint and hanging orb lanterns light up the hallways between boutiques and small offices.

In the mornings hip hop music emanates from the HAM Barber Studio as a barber cleans his tools for the day. Bicycle-riding baristas arrive at Café Louie, where they’ll craft oat-milk lattes alongside bakers painting pastries with melted butter. Next door at a bodega-style grocery shop, called Little Red Box Grocery, hipsters peruse locally-sourced tortilla chips alongside residents of a nearby affordable housing complex shopping with food stamps.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Popston, known for Houston-themed frozen pops, opens in The Plant

In 2016, when Kaplan first hatched the idea for The Plant, he said in an interview that his goal was to create a project that wasn’t “just for the yuppies moving into the neighborhood.” So far it seems that dream is coming to fruition. Overall 83 percent of the businesses in The Plant are owned by women, minorities or people who live in the neighborhood.

“What we have here is a really sustainable example of community wealth,” Kaplan said. “When a merchant is an entrepreneur tied to community, odds of success go up. It’s not just about the money, our neighbors are meaningfully invested in these businesses.”

Concept Neighborhood isn’t just leasing spaces, it’s aiming to help small businesses who might not otherwise have the resources to set up a storefront in a standard retail development. For example, in The Plant, Concept Neighborhood paid for a kitchen for one of its tenants, the frozen treat shop Popston opening soon, and is paying for a soon-to-be-built patio outside. Working with the investment firm Next Seed, Kaplan also assisted Cafe Louie’s owners in raising capital for their new restaurant in The Plant. For some tenants, Concept Neighborhood struck sliding-scale leasing agreements with rents rising as businesses prospered. The developer also provided pre-permitted, move-in ready spaces for tenants such as vintage store The Second Shop to minimize tenants’ set-up expenses and timeline.

The goal is to amplify that approach at the W-K-M redevelopment. The property’s historic designation will allow developers to tap into potentially $8 million worth in tax credits over several years, according to Concept Neighborhood. The location within an Opportunity Zone will also allow the developer to defer taxes on capital gains tied to their investment.

Concept Neighborhood purchased 16 buildings in the former W-K-M campus in December from the Grenader family, known for helping to convert a former textile mill into a mixed-use project, The Heights Clock Tower, among other projects in the Houston area.

The W-K-M properties have been in the family for more than 45 years, said Jonathan Grenader, 71. A few years ago he and his wife, Nonya, a retired architecture professor from Rice University, got the properties listed on the National Register of Historic places, enabling them to access tax credits to restore parts of the buildings into office and retail suites. But as they transitioned to semi-retirement, the two did not have the time or resources to redevelop the entire campus, they said. Instead, they sought to sell to a like-minded developers.

“We really admired (Concept Neighborhood’s) energy and their commitment to continue a certain legacy of the neighborhood, infusing new things and existing things together,” said Nonya Grenader, 68.

Concept Neighborhood plans to redevelop the W-K-M campus over the next four years. The handful of manufacturing tenants in the site will eventually exit the project as it transitions from heavy industrial uses, Kaplan said.

Construction is expected to begin in the fourth quarter on the first phase, which includes 50,000 square feet of retail and 23,000 square feet of office space, according to the developer. The redevelopment is expected to wrap up in 2026.

Like the rest of the East End, the neighborhood around the W-K-M campus is a mismatch of modernity and industrial relics of a bygone era when the district mostly served as manufacturing and shipping hub near the Houston Ship Channel. Less than a mile from the W-K-M site, the former Maxwell House coffee roasting plant looms over mid-rise warehouses, derelict properties with overgrown grass, chipped paint and semi-rusted structures.

In between, restored craftsman-style bungalows, art studios, trendy cafes and modern townhomes are signs of change in a neighborhood where the median household income has more than doubled in the past decade, according to Census data for the 77003 zip code.

The East End and adjacent East Downtown neighborhoods are peppered with projects converting, industrial sites into residential lofts, retail shops, cafes, restaurants, small offices and coworking spaces. North of the bayou, Midway’s 150-acre mixed-use development, East River, will dramatically reshape the northside of the East End while the nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership has launched a 20-year, $200 million master plan to reimagine of the eastern side of the bayou

Many of these changes build off the expansion of light rail to the East End. Between 2017 and 2019, property values jumped 30 percent on land adjacent to the light rail line along Harrisburg Boulevard, said Veronica Chapa Gorczynski, president of the East End District, the economic development group.

What’s different about Concept Neighborhood’s approach is its efforts to create a transit-oriented neighborhood of hyperlocal businesses “where everyone's from the community and they can get around without being car dependent.”

“And,” she added, “that's the part where they really are breaking new ground and not just for the neighborhood, but I think they're breaking new ground for Houston.”

 

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phillip_white

phillip_white

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On 7/8/2022 at 7:57 AM, ljchou said:

Can one of y’all provide the text from this?

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Exclusive-Axelrad-developers-East-End-17291259.php 

Relevant bits:

Houston real estate firm Concept Neighborhood plans to convert more
than four blocks of mostly historic properties into a destination
filled with hyperlocal businesses, boutique retail, restaurants and
small office spaces. Construction is set to begin in late 2022 on the
redevelopment of the roughly 80-year-old buildings that once housed
the oil and gas equipment manufacturer W-K-M.
Edited by editor
Edited due to copyright. Remember to summarize and link. Don't copy and paste.
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