Was Pasadena's Mi Tienda Ever A Randalls

[IronTiger]

OK, I know that the Mi Tienda, the Hispanic-oriented store at 1630 Spencer Highway that opened in 2006 was an H-E-B. Newspaper articles indicate that it closed in 2002 as an Albertsons and that H-E-B picked it up the same year. But what I'm asking is if it was ever a Randalls store. There's a Bizjournals article that talks about how Randalls sold three stores to Albertsons in 1997, those being the College Station store (closed 2011), a Round Rock store (presumably closed around 2006/2007), and a Pasadena store. The abandoned Albertsons at 7430 Spencer Highway down the road (appears to be closed for years) looks physically (from the top) the same style of other Albertsons in the 1990s, while the Mi Tienda site kinda looks like a Randalls facade (with the arch and curved window above) and from above too.

 

However, HCAD says that the Mi Tienda store was built in 1997, the same year it was sold (ownership history not available). So if the Mi Tienda store was in fact the Randalls store (and evidence seems to point to it), that only leaves three conclusions.

 

1. Randalls opened here but only lasted less than a year, which is entirely plausible.

2. Randalls built here but never opened, selling the site to Albertsons.

3. HCAD is wrong on the date, as it sometimes is, and Randalls operated for more than a year (the least likely choice)

 

I'm really leaning toward #1, but does anyone have confirmation?

[IronTiger]

Wait, I have in my records that it was 1838 E. Sam Houston Pkwy. S. was the store Randalls had sold to Albertsons, which looks far closer to a Randalls then the Albertsons did.

[sootycat]

Mi Tienda has never been a Randall's. That has been the only grocery store to occupy that building. It sits on or near the location of the old Pasadena Plaza shopping mall, which was torn down.

[IronTiger]

Mi Tienda has never been a Randall's. That has been the only grocery store to occupy that building. It sits on or near the location of the old Pasadena Plaza shopping mall, which was torn down.

Mi Tienda has far and long been the longest grocery store to survive there, but records indicate that it was built as an Albertsons, and one of a handful of Albertsons stores in Houston sold to H-E-B (Chron says it opened in summer 2002). Mi Tienda opened in 2006 after a year of construction, though it's unclear if H-E-B remained open during that time or not.

[SpaceGhost]

Mi Tienda has far and long been the longest grocery store to survive there, but records indicate that it was built as an Albertsons, and one of a handful of Albertsons stores in Houston sold to H-E-B (Chron says it opened in summer 2002). Mi Tienda opened in 2006 after a year of construction, though it's unclear if H-E-B remained open during that time or not.

 

IIRC H-E-B closed the store prior to construction.

[IronTiger]

IIRC H-E-B closed the store prior to construction.

Wow, so that must make it perhaps the shortest lived H-E-B ever at just maybe 3 years.

[towerjunkie]

Actually, HEB sort of never left, Mi Tienda is actually an HEB only it caters to the hispanic population surrounding the area hence the "rebranding" as Mi Tienda. 

[GEM]

Pasadena Plaza.....

[SpaceGhost]

Wow, so that must make it perhaps the shortest lived H-E-B ever at just maybe 3 years.

 

Yeah if you check out the historical imagery, the parking lot was completely empty from 2005-2006. It looks like the gas station may have stayed open but other than that it's empty. Also the renovations were obviously slowed down by Hurricane Rita. Outside of that though the renovations obviously took a while because the store was completely gutted. If you ever get a chance to visit that Mi Tienda give it a go. It's really interesting as they try to make it have a street market feel with fake building fronts, lights hanging between the buildings, benches, etc..

[sootycat]

Pasadena Plaza.....

I know!! Takes me back.

[SpaceGhost]

Yeah if you check out the historical imagery, the parking lot was completely empty from 2005-2006. It looks like the gas station may have stayed open but other than that it's empty. Also the renovations were obviously slowed down by Hurricane Rita. Outside of that though the renovations obviously took a while because the store was completely gutted. If you ever get a chance to visit that Mi Tienda give it a go. It's really interesting as they try to make it have a street market feel with fake building fronts, lights hanging between the buildings, benches, etc..

 

I take this back, after looking a bit further into it the store was not totally gutted. The GM section still maintains its original drop ceiling.

[Michelle C]

Speaking of Pasadena Plaza, here is a picture I made there in the late 70's to early 80's. We had met there for a parade that morning. The white Eldorado in the foreground was my car. Note the Montgomery Wards store across the street to the far right of the picture.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/Chelle_L_C/Pasadena%20Plaza%20Shaver%20at%20Spencer%20hwy..jpg

[sootycat]

Speaking of Pasadena Plaza, here is a picture I made there in the late 70's to early 80's. We had met there for a parade that morning. The white Eldorado in the foreground was my car. Note the Montgomery Wards store across the street to the far right of the picture.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh167/Chelle_L_C/Pasadena%20Plaza%20Shaver%20at%20Spencer%20hwy..jpg

[sootycat]

I forgot all about that red sign that said Pasadena Plaza. I wonder where it went to. Probably a trash heap. Anyway, I'm having trouble orienting myself to that picture. Are the cars parked on the Plaza parking lot which would now be the Mi Tienda parking lot?

[SpaceGhost]

I forgot all about that red sign that said Pasadena Plaza. I wonder where it went to. Probably a trash heap. Anyway, I'm having trouble orienting myself to that picture. Are the cars parked on the Plaza parking lot which would now be the Mi Tienda parking lot?

 

Yeah the photographer was standing Southeast-ish in what's now the middle of Mi Tienda's parking lot. The white building all the way to the right was Montgomery Wards and still stands today. The street between Wards and the parking lot is Shaver St. The buildings to the left of Wards and everything underneath the sign are all gone. The building all the way to the left of the picture (with the steepled roof) is still there. The one to the right of it was torn down early 2008 but can still be seen on historical imagery for streetview. Those buildings are on Spencer Hwy.

[sootycat]

Yeah the photographer was standing Southeast-ish in what's now the middle of Mi Tienda's parking lot. The white building all the way to the right was Montgomery Wards and still stands today. The street between Wards and the parking lot is Shaver St. The buildings to the left of Wards and everything underneath the sign are all gone. The building all the way to the left of the picture (with the steepled roof) is still there. The one to the right of it was torn down early 2008 but can still be seen on historical imagery for streetview. Those buildings are on Spencer Hwy.

[sootycat]

Thanks. I understand it now. It takes me back to the Pasadena of my youth.