Houston Historic Retail

09/16/2026

Here’s a small preview of the photos I took at the new Fiesta in Bear Creek. The store really does seem well done. Want to see more photos? Check out the link in the comments!

09/16/2026

Fiesta’s new Bear Creek store really is El Super!

Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR. This week we're taking a quick look at the "new" Fiesta in Bear Creek. If you're not aware, this store isn't exactly a "new" grocery store. Rather, it opened in 1978 as a Gerlands. For years, it was the only supermarket in the area, outlasting many competitors like Safeway, AppleTree…...

Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR. This week we’re taking a quick look at the “new” Fiesta in Bear Creek. If you’re not aware, this store isn’t exactly a “new…

09/15/2026

Let’s dive into some more historic photos; this time it’s Randalls!

Depending on how old you are, you might already know this story, but I’ll start with some background anyway. Before HEB was king, or anyone ever thought about buying groceries from Walmart; Randalls was king in Houston.

The homegrown grocery store has been around since the 1940s and started under the ownership of the Randall family. The original Randalls was over on the East side of town, and by the 1960s the Onsteads were in charge and had moved the stores to the West side of town.

From the 60s into the 90s, Randalls was Houston's fastest-growing supermarket chain. Unlike most of the competition at the time, Randalls was home-owned and powerful. The chain was known for being a grocery store for everyone. Whether you were Joe Six Pack looking to do your weekend shopping, or a Soviet official who requested an unexpected stop during a tour, you never knew who you’d see at Randalls.

By the 90s, Randalls had developed its Flagship concept and was looking to expand statewide. Buying AppleTree’s stores in Austin and merging with Tom Thumb would bring this vision closer to reality, but it would also set the chain spiraling out of control. As the store count grew, Randalls' homegrown style of management would fail to keep up.

With new competition from HEB, and Kroger using Signature stores to take on Flagship locations, Randalls was starting to suffer by 2000. Around that time, Safeway decided it wanted to return to Texas, and buying the combined Randalls-Tom Thumb would give it access to the area it wanted.

From this point forward, most of you likely know the story, but the gist is that Safeway dramatically changed Randalls to try to increase profits, and that move scared away many customers. Even many loyal Randalls shoppers began jumping ship around 2005.

Since then, stores have kept closing. Only about 8 locations remain in the Houston area, continuing to limp along using the name, locations, and image of a company that no longer truly exists.

Did you ever shop at Randalls? Where do you shop now? What made you leave Randalls?

09/14/2026

The lights in the new Papa Yu Express are now on! This is at Barker Cypress and Morton, in the former Scooters. Papa Yu currently operates a location on Blalock that serves Hawaiian and Japanese cuisine. This new location will apparently have a pared-down menu, offering mostly sushi and boba via the drive-thru.

Thanks to everyone who helped me figure out Papa Yu in the last post. What new restaurants would y'all like to see on the West Side?

09/13/2026

Check out this vintage Big Lots cart an HHR reader spotted. It was found outside a former
Big Lots location that closed during bankruptcy and is currently undergoing renovation. Makes you wonder how long this thing had been hiding away in the back!

Have y'all seen any good retail remnants lately?

09/12/2026

Check out what I found at Home Depot today. I think this packaging is a pretty cool idea! Now that so many things have internal rechargeable batteries, I don’t find myself needing many disposable batteries. However, when I do need them, it’s usually one of these three types.

What do y’all think? Would you buy this?

09/11/2026

How much do you know about the history of Fiesta?

Sure, you know it’s from Houston, and it was our first true international grocer. You might even know it was founded by Donald Bonham, but did you know he came up with the location idea while working for another chain?

Did you know the giant Fiesta locations we’ve come to know and love were developed only after another grocer failed and sold one of its stores? Or, for years, a 17th-century painting of The Last Supper was displayed at one location?

I think Fiesta is one of the most interesting grocery stories we have to tell in Houston. From Bonhams' attempts to open grocery stores for the government of Chile to trying to give Randalls a run for their money in the suburban segment, it’s a neat story that’s still going on today.

09/11/2026

Retail News: Rivian to replace Ho***rs in Greenway Plaza

The former Ho***rs in the Greenway/Upper Kirby area will finally have a new tenant after sitting vacant for more than two years. The location was one of four in the Houston area that closed in 2024. While breastaurants overall have seen sagging numbers over the years, Ho***rs seems to be leading the charge in closings in our area. After the location at…...

The former Ho***rs in the Greenway/Upper Kirby area will finally have a new tenant after sitting vacant for more than two years. The location was one of four in the Houston area that closed in 2024…

09/10/2026

Ulta is out, and the Beauty Studio is in at Target.

The design is pretty nice and fits Target’s modern look. A beauty employee was still working there. Honestly, it didn’t seem much different than the Ulta it replaced. In fact, with sharp eyes, you might notice some of the fixtures were stripped and reused.

While this isn’t a bad development for Target, it certainly feels like a “good enough” choice to me. In a conversation about retail the other day, Target was brought up. We mused on how they’re the one company that really seems to upset everybody. While I don’t get political on this page, I don’t think it’s unfair to point out that Target seems to have a knack for boycotts from both sides of the aisle.

While I don’t think Target is going to be the next Kmart and drop off the face of the Earth, I do worry about this “good enough” attitude. Walmart has stepped up their game a great deal, and honestly is more appealing than Target for most of my shopping. I think the only things Bullseye still has going for them are tile/carpet floors and popcorn, although that’s getting harder to find as time goes on.

What do you think of Target's new updates? Are you in or out on Tar-jay?

09/09/2026

This was once the Randall’s that helped bring down the USSR; today it’s an AutoZone.

If you haven’t heard the story, in September 1984, Boris Yeltsin was on a goodwill mission to the US in the late 80s, which brought him to NASA. After touring the Johnson Space Center, he asked if he could visit a typical American grocery store.

They picked the Randalls at El Dorado Blvd and Highway 3. Yeltsin and the other Soviets on the trip took in the store with great wonder and amazement. Initially, they believed the wide selection, free samples, and fresh food were staged for him. However, after speaking with customers, Yeltsin soon changed his mind and remarked that even Mikhail Gorbachev didn’t have these options when shopping.

Supposedly, during the plane ride out of Houston, Yeltsin wouldn’t stop talking about Randalls and how it demonstrated that the Soviet system was flawed while Yeltsin was not. As the only person involved in dissolving the USSR, his time in Houston likely influenced him.

Randall’s operated here until the major 2005 cuts that signaled the beginning of the end for the Remarkable store. Gerland’s purchased the store, reopened it, and continued operating here until 2015, when Food Town bought the chain. Food Town eventually closed in 2025, unable to secure a new lease.

Since closing, the building has been partially redeveloped as an AutoZone. While it doesn't take up the entire grocery store, it is a large location with a parts department on the right side of the building. The rest of the shopping center has remained mostly untouched since that day in 1984.

Have you heard this story before? Did any of y’all ever visit this location? What did you think?