This week’s edition of Business Leaders takes a look at how road construction is affecting local businesses, the closing of a 19th Street institution and who’s opening up shop in the area. Pinemont construction issues 1B · ‘Replay’ to close doors 2B • Google Trekker now in area 4B Saturday, May 7, 2016 • Page 1B
Pinemont construction causing more than just headaches for businesses By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When construction began on the Rebuild Houston project to widen Pinemont Drive from Ella Boulevard to Shepherd Drive from two lanes to four lanes, Naro Mak, who manages the Hartz Chicken Buffet in the Pinemont Shopping Center at 1215 Pinemont Drive, said it was manageable. “In February it wasn’t so bad,” he said. However, a month back, he lost another one of his entrances. A week ago construction cut off another. Now there’s a handmade sign, courtesy of Mak’s wife, at the closest remaining entrance which to most passerby looks like a service entrance for construction vehicles. The other access is though the parking lot of the nearby Houston Community College. Needless to say, Hartz’s drive through business has tanked.
“We’re down 40 to 50 percent and we had to let two workers go, but our main staff is holding on,” said Mak, whose family owns about a dozen Hartz restaurants around Houston. “Now it’s mostly regulars. People who used to come in once a week or once every two weeks are stepping it up. Some are coming twice a week. That’s really helped.” Mak said it’s a toss-up whether to classify his restaurant as fast food or dine in because food is not made until ordered. He said that the restaurant offers both baked and fried chicken and also has the hard to find livers and gizzards. “I didn’t realize those would be so popular,” said Mak. “There’s a nostalgia to it.” The $8.99 buffet, drink included, is what wins customers over, according to Mak. “We have 24 sides, with 15 rotated daily,” he said. “It’s quite a value.”
Recently Mak posted a message on the Oak Forest Homeowners Association Facebook page about the restaurant’s predicament and was gratified by the response. “The next day it was like a whirlwind,” he said. “I need to get back on there and thank people.” Pario Novo’s Andre Reed who leased the new Pinemont Pavilion said the merchants there haven’t been affected too much yet. “They’ve left two driveways open,” he said. “Traffic is down a bit but the city has done as good as job as they can considering.” Marchese’s Kitchen’s Susan Henn said that customers are still finding her, coming from nearby Candlelight Plaza and Shepherd Park Plaza. Just in case people need an extra incentive to visit though, Henn says she’ll have a snow cone machine by June. Roberto Medina, a senior staff analyst with the city’s
Public Works and Engineering Department, says that the road expansion includes placing new pavement, constructing a median and replacing open ditches on both sides with a storm sewer and curb and gutter system. He estimates the $12 million project to be complete in early 2018. “Construction is ongoing on the south side of the street, from Ella to Shepherd, and is expected to be complete by late fall,” Medina said. “Then See Pinemont P. 2B
Photo by Betsy Denson Naro Mak surveys the construction work along Pinemont Drive in front of his business. Mak says that sales at his establishment are down 40 to 50 percent since many of his access points are blocked.
Location
2521 n. Durham SW corner of 26th & Durham Houston Heights, tX
PHone
(713) 703-7544
HourS
thursday (4pm - 8pm) Friday (4pm - 8pm), Saturday (noon - 8pm), Sunday (noon - till sell out!)
Garden Oaks sister duo open new LA-style seafood shack
WebSite
www.MelsSeafood.com or find us on facebook
By Christina Martinez christina@theleadernews.com For sisters Melinda and Melissa Faust, a typical Friday in their youth consisted of a visit to the local seafood market with the family and buying seafood by the pound for a boil at the house. Those fond memories are what gave the sister duo the will to leave their corporate jobs and take a leap head first in opening their very own seafood spot – Mels’ Seafood Shack. The sister duo were raised in Slidell, Louisiana and grew up with a love of everything seafood. In 1998, Melinda found herself moving to Houston to tap into the oil industry, brokering oil and gas assets. All while attending to her day-to-day responsibilities, Melinda had ideas for something else. “In October of 2015, I decided to resign from my job,” Melinda Faust said. “The oil and gas industry, on my end, had been slow for a while. So it was a good time to step out and get into building out the seafood shack.” The idea for the seafood shack can probably date back a couple of decades, but Melinda recalls when she incorporated “Mels’ Seafood Shack” officially in 2005. When Melinda first moved to the neighborhood, she lived in Shady Acres and loved the property where the seafood shack sits now, formerly the Heights Plant Farm. One weekend that sister Melissa was in town, Melinda was eager to take her sister to take a look at this
Why locals love Mels’
Photo by Christina Martinez Melinda and Melissa Faust channeled their passion for local seafood into their LA-style restaurant, Mels’ Seafood Shack.
property that she so desired. During that visit, the property had just gone on the market as the Heights Plant Farm was closing. After visiting the property and talking with the real estate agent that day, both sisters can agree that they saw the stars aligning and it was time to start serious consideration for Mels’ Seafood Shack. See Crawfish P. 3B
It’s all about time at Herbert’s While “time standing still” might be a popular phrase for some older stores in our area, having time stand still is the last thing Herbert and Maria Armendaiz want for their customers. Their store, Herbert’s Watch Repair, is celebrating over 45 years of fixing watches, clocks and all manner of time-telling machines in the Houston area. “Honesty is number one for us,” Herbert Armendaiz says. His success is reflected by the pull his business has with customers from all over the Houston area, with people from as far as Sugarland making the trek into the Oak Forest area for watch repair services. Although the business might be at a new location at 965 Pinemont Dr., customers have remained loyal – something that might be best reflected in the near-perfect ratings on Google and Yelp.
C
ome get some great tasting Crawfish To Go or sit and enjoy at our picnic area with your favorite beer....BYOB! 5 and 10 pound SPECIALS! New Orleans style Roast Beef PoBoys, Mac & Cheese “Debris”, and more! Fried and boiled Shrimp coming soon!
Please call 713-703-7544 for your boiled crawfish bulk pre-orders, reserve live crawfish sacks, book a catering event or host a party at our place.
Business Spotlight
By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com
Whether you want your crawfish boiled to perfection or simply available by the sack, Mels’ Seafood offers the options that has the locals talking.
“I do everything by hand and we’re very old-fashioned by nature,” Herbert Armendaiz said. “We keep it very simple, as having a big heart and integrity is something that is hard to find among many watch repair stores.” Herbert Armendaiz still remembers what first sparked his interest in fixing watches and clocks. He was around 8 years old, and a friend in school had a relative who was a watch maker. Since the first time Herbert saw the craftsperson at work in 1947, he has consistently worked with fine watches. “Now I work on any kind of watches, whether they’re complicated, simple or highgrade watches and clocks,” Herbert said. “The only thing I need is time.” He and his wife said they have continued attracting their loyal customers and others who have heard of Herbert’s work. Because of the old-fashioned nature of so
many repairs, some may take more time to complete but they’re done with precision and an attention to detail that Maria Armendaiz said has kept people coming back for generations. “I wish he would retire but so many older people wonder who is going to fix their old watches,” Maria Armendaiz says with a laugh. “Besides good service, we also give love.” Herbert’s Watch Repair is located at 965 Pinemont Dr. For more information, call 713-686-4655.
Check out the reviews on our Facebook page and on Yelp!
$6.50/lb.
5lbs or more gets free corn and potato.
Reviews Powered by YELP “Crawfish are all about the technique, and the two ladies behind Mels’ certainly know the right way to do it. They have excellent select sized crawfish, that are seasoned perfectly. The atmosphere could not be better, and Bringing Your Own Beer is a fantastic way to spend a beautiful afternoon day.” - Ed F. “Crawfish were juicy and well seasoned no need to add any seasoning. Plus, it’s BYOB....so you’ll save a few $$ there.” - Melissa S.
$6.25/lb. 10lbs or more
Mention this ad to receive a 10% discount for the month of May.
Your Neighborhood Bankers
L-R: Amy Ritter – Bank Officer/Lender, Margaret Vandever – SVP/Lender, Scott Lester – Bank Office President, Cecilia Rodriguez – AVP/Office Manager, Justin Vickrey – VP/Lender
Experienced community bankers providing value to Houston business owners. Please stop by - we want to visit with you and find out how we can help your business. 2222 North Durham Houston, TX 77008 Photo by Jonathan Garris Herbert Armendaiz takes his time (no pun intended) with his customer’s clocks, whether in the form of mechanical antique watches or modern pocket watches.
281-517-8760
MA K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E, TO G E T H E R .
www.allegiancebanktexas.com