Clothing Store At 1806 Westheimer Rd.

[lkg]

There is a new clothing store at 1806 Westheimer but it doesn't seem to have a name. Anyone know anything about it?

[dbigtex56]

Is that across the street from the school, near Southland Hardware?

[lkg]

Is that across the street from the school, near Southland Hardware?

Yeah- right next to the new hair salon that opened up there not too long ago.

[sidegate]

Incongruous as they are, those two buildings look a lot better at night than they do during the day. There could be something more interesting to look at than empty chairs in a hair salon, but the clothing mannequins look kinda cool gazing out over Westheimer, and add immediate visual interest.

[capnmcbarnacle]

Yeah- right next to the new hair salon that opened up there not too long ago.

I like these buildings. No, they're not some kind of groundbreaking, significant work, but I like them. Let's start with the measuring stick of Houston retail architecture -- it's not a strip mall. That alone is a relief. Second, they were designed to house some local businesses -- Solution has been around for a long time -- it used to be on Brun -- and a lot of the people who work there live in the neighborhood. It's easy to forget that as much as people might like to commission an architectural fantasy, they have things called budgets. Third, they got a variance to come out to the sidewalk. Even if the store entrances don't front Westheimer, we have large storefront windows along the street. This fits in nicely with Paulies, the cupcake place, the other boutiques, etc. And as for the design, it's not Tuscan. Thank God. I don't find it to be bland, and it's not some bad mediterranean thing that looks out of place. It's a basic, clean, contemporary design. Montrose has an interesting blend of architecture and this is now part of it. I suppose someday we'll look back and say it looks like basic early 21st century architecture. I see nothing wrong with that. I certainly like these buildings better than the parking lot that was there and now that they are finished and landscaped I think they are a fine addition to the neighborhood.

Edited January 25, 2009 by capnmcbarnacle