The Houston Chronicle Newspaper

[lockmat]

I think it was Charlie Rose takin about Starbucks the other night. He and his guest essentially came to your conclusion niche. Another part was that maybe they were losing their quality of ambiance in their stores. But I think they'll be fine as long as they stop putting them across the street from one another. Although I did see McDonalds do the same thing next to Milans train station.

45 traffic can support starbucks. not sure if lockwood could due to lack of steady traffic. i

Yeah, I think that's key.

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Something else to point out about competition.

When looking for a job a couple months ago, a company that makes a super duper coffee/cappucino machine was at a job fair. They gave me their schpeel (no idea how to spell that) about how they're putting them everywhere, from gas stations to wherever.

Edited January 23, 2008 by lockmat

[brerrabbit]

An interesting article in the Wallstreet Journal a couple of weeks ago noted that McDonalds was getting into the gourmet coffee business. Apparently Starbucks has done themselves a disservice by introducing the masses to gourmet coffee. The article said since Starbucks inception that the number of people drinking the upscale coffees have increased significantly pulling in a more middle to lower income class of consumer. These consumers like the Starbucks offering but also like their Egg McMuffins in the morning. Surveys showed they really did not want to stop one place for coffee and another place for food. So McDonalds decided to introduce cappacino and lattes to their customers. In test markets it has gone over extremly well and McDonalds is now gearing up for a much wider rollout of the offering. Unlike all their other offerings that are prepared in mass assembly kitchens away from the customers eyes they are hiring barristas and putting the machines up front for everone to see. In response many Starbucks are adding breakfast sandwiches to their menus but thus far its not going over to well. So the question may be instead of how long till a Starbucks shows up in the area, how long till the local McDonalds adds a cappacino machine and a barrista to the front counter?

[TheNiche]

45 traffic can support starbucks. not sure if lockwood could due to lack of steady traffic. i think wayside could if they offer something different than what is already there(dunkin donuts and numerous bakeries).

Harrisburg @ Lockwood has a chicken/egg problem. There's not much traffic, but there's also not a sizable retail presence that would generate such traffic. But it'd pretty easily capture a lot of Eastwood and Idylwood area demographics, and be the most convenient location to folks in the warehouse district.

Wayside has a demographic problem. A neighborhood-oriented Starbucks will need to be a little further west.

when i went to UH, very few students went past the northbound feeder of 45 cept for the occasional trip to ninfas (which they usually had to follow me).

Times haven't changed much. I only discovered Mandola's Deli, which is probably the most emphatic restaurant-promoter of UH sports teams in the city, after four years of going to UH.

Edited January 23, 2008 by TheNiche

[musicman]

^

concur

[ricco67]

amalgamate it shall be!

I don't know, I'm kinda' partial to "Associate", but I'm open to "Intermingle."

[scottf]

Thought I'd cut and paste the article from the Chronicle on real estate in Eastwood and the East End. Looks like Eastwood is a secret no more...not that it has been for many of us for some time now.

Reactions?

Housing buzz fuels move to East End

Area attracts those priced out of other locations inside the Loop

By NANCY SARNOFF

Copyright 2008 Houston Chronicle

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Comments (82) Recommend (6)

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Moving into the East End

See available properties More than five years ago, newlyweds Trace and Jessica Morrill moved into Eastwood — a scrappy neighborhood east of downtown where historic homes mingle with rundown fourplexes and the residents are used to the sounds of trains.

They paid $85,000 for the Tudor-style bungalow, which they sold last year to move into Glenbrook Valley — a community farther south near Hobby Airport.

The young couple, a lawyer and nurse practitioner, isn't near a Whole Foods, or a Signature Kroger, for that matter. One of the best restaurants around them is a taqueria.

[lockmat]

sorry man, but it's already been posted...join the conversation over at the other thread...

http://www.houstonarchitecture.info/haif/i...c=14616&hl=

[sevfiv]

Thanks, i'll close this thread and truncate the article for copyright reasons

[scottf]

Sorry I started this thread a day late and a dollar short elsewhere (see thread Chronicle Article/Eastwood) and promptly got shut down due to redundancy and copyright issues. I am pretty new to haif and won't cut and paste an article in the future.

Anyhow, good to see the near east end get props from the Chronicle. Nice to see home values go up (if you already own a home), not so much if you don't.

As far as Starbucks, I'd take one on this end of town in a heartbeat. But I had my first cup of coffee from Bohemeo's a couple of days ago and it was excellent! The place is pretty cool too. The lady that worked there (owner?) couldn't have been friendlier. I will visit again soon.

[TheNiche]

I had my first cup of coffee from Bohemeo's a couple of days ago and it was excellent! The place is pretty cool too. The lady that worked there (owner?) couldn't have been friendlier. I will visit again soon.

Yes. We all like Sid. She and her husband are an excellent team.

[scottf]

Yes. We all like Sid. She and her husband are an excellent team.

Yep. That was her name. Sid. Very nice.

[MovingSoon]

[sorry for off-topic remark] All these Starbucks talk reminded me of Peets coffee. If you guys are ever in CA or somewhere else they are having these - i highlye recommends stopping by. The coffees are so much better than SB and I think better priced. And their beens are roasted propertly not overburned as most of the ones in SB.

[Disastro]

It's a great paper if you like Pravda.

I've shifted towards getting my news on the internet. I find it much more substantial, relevent, and factual.

[hbcu]

don't know if it's a kiss-up thing on the sports side but they seem to live their lives though these "Houston" pro athletes.....before the steroids....Roger, Andy, whomever would get so much bogus coverage it was pitiful...prior to that, they continually dedicate bunches of space to pro sports which is boring and the love fest between them with A&M and UT is overly abundant while neglecting the locals....

but no competition breeds mediocrity...

[houstonmacbro]

no competition breeds mediocrity...

Agreed.

[lockmat]

Although it's a niche paper, HBJ seems to have a nice relevant presence.

[houstonmacbro]

Yeah, I get their online daily. I like their polls.

[wernicke]

I really dislike chron.com. I think the layout is hideous, the colors are terrible, and the journalism is amateurish. The actual paper isn't as bad in terms of layout/design. I have sent them emails letting them know their website is totally outdated and ugly, but I don't think they are listening to me.

It seems to me that as the fourth-largest city in the country we should have a decent daily newspaper. I personally rely on NYTimes.com and Washingtonpost.com for news, and the Chronicle for sports-related information only (although the sports writers don't seem to be the brightest tools in the shed based on their blogs).

[houstonmacbro]

I really dislike chron.com. I think the layout is hideous, the colors are terrible, and the journalism is amateurish. The actual paper isn't as bad in terms of layout/design. I have sent them emails letting them know their website is totally outdated and ugly, but I don't think they are listening to me.

It seems to me that as the fourth-largest city in the country we should have a decent daily newspaper. I personally rely on NYTimes.com and Washingtonpost.com for news, and the Chronicle for sports-related information only (although the sports writers don't seem to be the brightest tools in the shed based on their blogs).

As a current web professional involved in a site redesign, it is not as easy as just flipping a coin and going with a new design. There are a LOT of variables involved including benchmarking other sites, developing user path trends, navigational design, site design, perhaps even a review of a new content management system to manage the content, etc.

They may have a new web site in the works, but the process could be taking a bit of time to get implemented.

[wernicke]

But they re-did the website less than 2 years ago to make it uglier than ever... So this argument doesn't quite make sense.

I want clean lines, less terrible orange color, subheads on major stories, less obtrusive advertising, etc. But to be honest I don't really trust the Chronicle editorial board to bring about these changes.

[H-Town Man]

But they re-did the website less than 2 years ago to make it uglier than ever... So this argument doesn't quite make sense.

I want clean lines, less terrible orange color, subheads on major stories, less obtrusive advertising, etc. But to be honest I don't really trust the Chronicle editorial board to bring about these changes.

I agree... five years ago the Chronicle website was much easier to read and navigate than it is today. The blue on white print almost hurts your eyes to look at.

I think the impetus is to go with what's sexy and different rather than what's readable. Compare a copy of the Chronicle today with one from 20 or 30 years ago... it's clear that reading has dropped down the list of what they think is important in a newspaper.

[lockmat]

Eh, it's a little crazy, but I feel like it's an organized mess. The gray headline bars really separate things out. I have no problem reading and navigating my way through it.

I usually find what I need, although sometimes Nancy's articles are in different sections.

[Jax]

It looks like this building is almost complete, and I noticed there is something going on in the lot next to it (to the west after the gas station). Any ideas what it could be?

[sidegate]

There's a parallel thread here

[Jax]

Thanks for the link.

Here's the latest photo I have of the construction.

[Dub]

I had originally subscribed to the Chronicle back in the 70's because it was an afternoon paper. As my work schedule has always had me out of the house around 5 a.m. i did not have time for a morning paper (The Post) and was furious when the Chronicle's business group decided they had a captive audience and could publish as they chose.

At least they had the good sense to hire Leon Hale.........

Edited April 27, 2008 by Dub

[Hunter]

Not to go into to much detail but we dumped our subscription some time ago after the Cron started publishing articles that were very missleading, not accurate, only talking about one side of the story and so many other things that my lady and I dissagreed with. Now we read all of our news online.

[albertnurick]

IMO the Chronicle is a perfect example of why newspapers in America are failing.

Any bozo with a web site can republish AP stories these days. If the Chron doesn't do original reporting, it's worthless. We're in the fourth largest city in the country, and the heart of the world petrochemical industry. Why can't we have a first-class newsroom?

The "neighborhood" sections are pretty good, and allow someone to get truly local news. That's a plus.

The reader blogs make me cringe. They range from fair to dreadful. If you find a journalist with a Houston bent in the blogosphere, hire him and put him on staff. Without a good editor, what's the advantage over a generic web site?

(I base my comments on the chron.com web site. Does anyone actually read the dead tree edition?)

P.S. I am really tired of the weekly litter that appears in my driveway, tossed from their van. I don't ask for it, and I don't want it.

Edited April 28, 2008 by albertnurick

[sarahiki]

(I base my comments on the chron.com web site. Does anyone actually read the dead tree edition?)

P.S. I am really tired of the weekly litter that appears in my driveway, tossed from their van. I don't ask for it, and I don't want it.

I concur re. the weekly litter... my mailbox gets stuffed with those stupid trashy fliers. I complained to our mailman who told me it was from the Chronicle.

I miss the dead tree edition. I read it online now, but it means I have to see all the stupid blogs, videos, etc. and it's harder to get to the editorials and commentary, which is the part I like best.

IMO the Chron has gotten noticeably worse in the past 2 years.

[Trae]

The DMN has a much better website than the Chron I think. Nice colors, too: http://www.dallasnews.com/