The Leader • Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020 • Page 1B
Transformation continues at Houston Farmers Market By Adam Zuvanich azuvanich@theleadernews.com
Three-and-a-half years ago, revamping the Houston Farmers Market was an idea. Last year, the transformation started to take shape. Now the vision of Fred Baca, Jeff Lindenberger and Todd Mason – who comprise MLB Capital Partners and purchased the 18-acre property in May 2017 – is coming to life. Mason recently provided a tour of the under-construction farmers market, which has operated since 1942 at 2025 Airline Dr. on the northeast side of the Heights, and said the bulk of the work is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Interior buildouts for a group of new tenants will follow, with the new-and-improved market slated to be fully operational in 2021. “It’s nice to be able to go out there and be able to actually see it,” Mason said. “I guess in our minds, we’ve always been able to see it, but it was hard to get everybody else to see what it was going to be. To actually see structures in the air is exciting.” The ongoing project, which Mason said figures to cost in excess of $35 million, will add parking spaces, sidewalks, landscaping and a dedicated green space to the longtime community gathering place. There also
Contributed photo MLB Capital Partners’ Todd Mason, background, leads a recent tour of the under-construction Houston Farmers Market at 2025 Airline Dr.
will be about 10 restaurants, including two concepts from Underbelly Hospitality and James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Shepherd, who has served as a consultant for the market transformation.
One Underbelly restaurant will be full-service and the other fast-casual. Also recently announced is the addition of R-C Ranch Texas Craft Meats, a Brazoria County-based butcher shop that will feature glass walls
so market visitors can see meat being cut. Mason said a series of counter-service, street foodtype vendors will operate under a 40-foot tall, open-air pavilion that will feature fans and serve as the centerpiece
of the market. “That’s going to be a really cool space,” he said. Mason said another one of his favorite features of the new-look market will be its multiple access points, which gives the impression
that there is not a front or back of the property. The side facing Airline Drive to the west could be considered the front, like it always has, but the largest parking area will be in the southeast corner of the market near the green space, which is accessible from Service Street. Other entry points will be from Angeline Street to the east and Sylvester Road to the north. A building with refrigeration that houses wholesale vendors, which runs along the north side of the property, is among a few buildings that are remaining intact during construction. Mason said some of those wholesalers have continued to operate, as have many of the produce vendors and retailers that have become synonymous with the market over the years. Mason said there are 3035 existing vendors at the market, and the goal is to have a total of 60-65. Their products and services will run the gamut in terms of quality and affordability, so higher-end and lower-end vendors will operate at the same market. “That’s been the goal and the challenge from Day 1 is to make sure we make this a place for all of Houston – culturally and economically,” Mason said. Follow Adam Zuvanich on Twitter @AZuvanich
Business Briefs: ‘Calm Crusaders’ helps kids with anxiety By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com
Catalyst Counseling’s owner and practitioner, Barbie Atkinson, said the anxiety prevention and anxiety management program for children offered by her and her clinicians is now being offered online. The six-week program named Calm Crusaders is for children ages 8-12, no more than eight at a time, to meet with counselors for a group session. The sessions are part Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and part hands-on, fun activities. “This work was born out of my work with adults and working with their inner children,” Atkinson said. “I created this group to work with children in order to demystify and normalize anxiety and arm them with tools. Most importantly, teaching that emotions are not to be avoided and can be worked through.” Catalyst previously offered the program after school at public and private schools. After COVID-19 prevented meeting in person, Catalyst counselor Sandra Wilson helped conceptualize delivery of the program through
Zoom. “We have delineated the week’s themes and (Wilson) mails out supplies to the children that will be participating,” Atkinson said. “Being able to continue to serve and tend to our children’s social emotional learning (SEL) has been paramount, specifically since this has been a rough patch for children and their caregivers. We have even excitedly been in all time zones due to the ease of virtual setups.” Garden Oaks resident Dr. Valerie Morgan of University of Houston-Clear Lake has partnered with Catalyst to study the effectiveness of the program and its utility as a school-based mental health intervention for kids. Catalyst has also piloted a “Teen Calm” group for ages 13-16. For more information, visit www.catalyst-counseling. com. GeekLife closes brickand-mortar location Angel Smith, the owner of GeekLife at 728 W. 20th St., announced on social media the business would not be renewing its lease. Standing pre-orders were honored and a pickup will be coordinated
existing location on Highway 249. It will replace Signature Smiles, which closed abruptly in January after practice founder Dr. Terry Lee filed for bankruptcy in December 2019. Heights Retail Center leasing on Shepherd Streetwise Retail Investors
Fitness with a
Home entertainment sparks area business By Betsy Denson When COVID-19 closed schools and museums in the spring, Oak Forest’s Erin Clayton had a 3-year-old at home to educate and entertain. Her solution for keeping her son engaged has turned into a growing business called PEACE Play Kits. “We were working on the pre-school (curriculum) but home is his ‘play zone’ so I knew I had to get creative,” Clayton said. “I was struggling to find activities and games to keep my child engaged, which is why I decided to create a better sensory bin, one that was engaging but also educational.” When the first bin kept Parker’s attention for over an hour Clayton knew she was on to something. Because she had bought materials in bulk, Clayton asked if anyone on the Oak Forest Parents Facebook page wanted the extras. “That night I had 30 messages,” she said. “I knew I had to keep this going.” When Clayton was trying to decide what to call the kits, she started writing down words that described what they had to offer.
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future. This is not the end of GeekLife. It is merely the beginning of a metamorphosis.” Everything left in the store is on sale. All items are first come, first served. Smile Squad to replace Signature Smiles on Shepherd Smile Squad, a full-service, family owned dental office, will open at 3800 N. Shepherd Dr. The business also has an
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Get Your Kids Offline and Out of the House!
Contributed photo Sandra Wilson, center in background, poses with a group of students from Garden Oaks Montessori Magnet.
with anyone who purchased products arriving after Nov. 30. “While we plan to be able to honor gift cards when we are on the other side of this, we cannot guarantee when that will be, so be sure to use your gift cards in person or online before Nov. 30,” Smith said. “I am reevaluating our business model and hope to make some exciting announcements in the near
released marketing information for a new construction building they call Heights Retail Center fronting 2222 N. Shepherd Dr., adjacent to the H-E-B. The 6,137 square foot building is marketed to retail and medical clients. For information and leasing rates, contact Ed Page at epage@streetwiseretail.com.
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Contributed photo Oak Forest resident Erin Clayton launched a business called PEACE Play Kits, which provide education and entertainment to children.
“I landed on the name PEACE Play Kits, which stands for Pretend. Explore. Achieve. Create. Engage,” she said. “My kits are sensory-based but always include educational elements that tie into the theme of the kit.” Clayton has several options for sale, including a Fall Play Kit Collection, a Birthday Play Kit Collection and Sensory Bases and Fillers. She is pre-
miering her Christmas box at a pop-up event with the children’s boutique Threadfare on Nov. 14. Threadfare also sells PEACE Play Kits. Kits include a sensory bin container and a sensory base, which varies depending on the kit but could include colored rice, colored chickpeas and moon sand. There are also See PEACE Play, P. 4B