LEADER LISTING The Leader • Saturday, June 22, 2019 • Page 1B
MANNA resale shop opens after long hiatus By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com It has been a long road for Ministry Assistance of the Near Northwest Alliance (MANNA) to reopen its resale shop after an arsonist destroyed it in September 2017. Now, after some detours, the shop has opened at a new location in the White Oak Bayou Village Shopping Center at 6760 Antoine Dr. MANNA executive director Nia Amuzie said the space in the plaza was formerly occupied by the nonprofit Love146, an organization that works toward the abolition of child trafficking and exploitation and funded its efforts with its own resale store called Reimagine. Because the group was looking to relocate back to Connecticut, MANNA acquired the rest of its lease and much of its inventory. The new space is 4,800 square feet and offers housewares, clothing, jewelry, shoes, toys, books and more. Amuzie said many people from the area stopped in during the last two weeks while MANNA volunteers were cleaning and preparing to open. And on the first day of business, people unfamiliar
Photo from Facebook
Nia Amuzie, the executive director for MANNA, showcases the organization’s new resale shop on Antoine Drive.
with MANNA and its mission were some of its first customers. “We had a lot of walk-ins,� Amuzie said.
Originally, MANNA had signed a five-year lease at 3425 Couch St., which used to house Paws Pet Resort. Amuzie said MANNA is using
that location for storage and hopes to use it as a furniture store at some point. Amuzie said the reason for the resale location change
was due to permitting issues. “The city requires 25 parking spaces for a retail shop, but the location only has 12,� Amuzie said.
This week marks one year since Bill Baldwin officially kicked off the Your Houston Political Action Committee (PAC). Many viewed the 2018 launch as Baldwin’s test of the waters for a 2019 run straight for City Hall, which he vehemently denied, claiming that the General Purpose PAC was not a campaign for public office. Instead, he asserted it was a vehicle for political education and advocacy that he could deploy on behalf of Houstonians while remaining focused on the growth of his real estate firm and portfolio of City causes as a full-time volunteer. Time would substantiate his claim, as when the candidacy announcements began to roll in this spring, he remained conspicuously absent, expressing his fullfledged support of Mayor Sylvester Turner’s bid for reelection and continued laser focus on Boulevard Realty, which has experienced record growth so far in 2019. “I am still asked on a daily basis, ‘When are you running for Mayor?’,� proclaims Baldwin, “The truth is that for right now the PAC has given me an incredible opportunity to make a difference for the widest number of Houstonians, focusing on quality of life, while continuing to make an impact in the private sector. Why would I give that up?� While it’s with the Turner Administration that he’s reached his highest official City position to date (as the Mayor’s very first appointment to the Planning Commission), Baldwin is no stranger to elected office. He ran for and won a seat on the Huntsville ISD School Board at 19 and remains among the youngest Texans to ever hold any elected office. When he took root in Houston in the 1990s, it wasn’t long be-
Submitted photo Boulevard Realty’s Bill Baldwin, left, poses with Texas State Rep. Jessica Farrar, center, and Your Houston PAC’s Mario Castillo.
fore he became known as the unofficial endorsement to seek for both the long influential Heights neighborhoods and a growing progressive segment of the real estate community. TREPAC, the PAC representing that community is among the most influential in the state and the Heights broker makes no secret that they’re often at odds. That, coupled with the fact that there were plenty of nonprofits and academic groups working to improve Houston’s quality of life, but with no political power behind them, is what motivated Baldwin to form Your Houston PAC. One year in, the PAC functions with a diverse, non-partisan Board of Directors (of which Baldwin is the Chair) consisting of local policy experts for direct advocacy and thought leadership in the areas of the arts, education, elections, health & wellness, housing, mobility & transportation, neighborhoods, parks & greenspace, and resilience, along with experienced Executive Director Mario Castillo.
“In all of my time working in politics and government, I have never met someone with such a high command of the issues and perspective as Bill,� explains Castillo. “His ability to balance priorities in what seems like a really no-nonsense way is what I believe has drawn in so many supporters and engaged members so far.� It has already been a busy year for the PAC. That includes the marathon 11 hours that Baldwin and Castillo spent at the State Capitol in April waiting to testify on a proposed bill to disclose a history of flooding to tenants, which ultimately failed to gain enough traction. “It doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a very worthy cause,� expresses Baldwin without defeat. “Which is why I’ll keep working until something like it passes.� Candidate screenings and education are well underway too, with Baldwin presenting weekly classes to educate Houstonians, candidates, and even current elected officials on flooding and flood resil-
ience and the city’s vast code of ordinances, many of which the PAC Board believes are out of date for a world-class 21st century city. Meanwhile, Castillo tackles other PAC priorities behind the scenes such as affordable housing through the Houston Land Bank. The rest of the Board is organized into work groups focusing on one or a small number of the organization’s key issues and is diligently working on white papers to educate all Houstonians and the current class of political hopefuls either for new office or reelection. The first papers to come out this summer will be on electric vehicle charging stations and other mobility causes like Vision Zero aiming for the elimination of all traffic fatalities and serious injuries. As with all things in Baldwin’s life, the work of the PAC revolves around his full-time calling as Broker-Owner of Boulevard Realty. In fact, Castillo offices right in Boulevard’s new office at 927 Studewood, where the Board and workgroups also meet. Baldwin relishes the opportunity to be so involved in the day-to-day operations of both Boulevard and the PAC. “We just moved into a brand new, state-of-the-art building and are on pace for our biggest year of sales ever here at Boulevard. This is something I couldn’t have even imagined when I acquired the firm 11 years ago,� Baldwin muses. “To be able to remain fully invested in Boulevard, all while having the increased impact that we are with the PAC, I’m very grateful. I’m right where I want to be.� This article is part of the Leader Experts series, where companies pay for editorial space on topics important to the community. If you’d like to be a Leader Expert, contact us at (713) 686-8494.
Real Estate Roundup.
Demolition permit denied for Yale houses By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com At a June 13 hearing, the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission denied the Certificate of Appropriateness application for the demolition of three homes at 1235, 1239 and 1243 Yale St. The application was brought to the board by Rainey Richardson, who wanted to build singlefamily homes on the site on behalf of owner Virginia An-
germiller. A site visit by the city inspector to the homes was completed June 3, according to a report on the Houston Preservation Tracker website. A report about the homes said “based on the appraisals, inspection report, and condition photos, as well as the estimate for repairs, the (homes) had not deteriorated to an unstable state and were not beyond reSee Roundup P. 3B
Photo from Facebook The proposed demolition of this home on Yale Street was denied.
Local business is our business. Send your story of interest news@theleadernews.com
CASTILLIAN Upholstery, LLC
Baldwin celebrates one year of education and advocacy through PAC By Boulevard Realty
Amuzie said there were other structural changes that would have been required by the city. She said the rules were less strict for a furniture store, although MANNA is still in negotiation with the city about requirements for a sidewalk addition. An added benefit of the While Oak location is its proximity to the MANNA food pantry, which opened across the street in January. “We are serving 800 to 900 people a month,� said Amuzie, whose organization gets food from the Houston Food Bank and Kroger. “People are excited that it’s not just canned food. It’s fresh vegetables, too.� Those wanting to donate goods to the resale shop can drop off at the Antoine location. For furniture or pick-up requests, donors should email houstonmanna@gmail. com. “We’re continuing to get the word out,� Amuzie said. Typical store hours will be Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Since 1945
Summer Special $150 OFF Sofa Upholstery Labor In-stock Fabric $5 Per Yard • Free Fabric Seal ANY CHAIR 20% OFF LABOR
Slip Covers • Reupholstery • Repairs• Cushion Replacement
CUSTOM UPHOLSTERY AT COMPETITIVE PRICES
904 W. 34th St. • 713-688-1323 • castilianupholstery.com Estimates via email at: Info@castilianupholstery.com Monday - Friday 9 AM - 5:30 PM • Saturdays 9 AM - 2 PM Major Credit Cards Accepted
THE BOOK SCENE
Your neighborhood Bookstore
THE LEADER
Best Book Store
• New, Used and Collectibles • 713-869-6117 1820 W. 43rd St Houston TX, 77018 like us on Facebook
In Memoriam Earl Philip Bruce, Jr. was born March 17, 1925 in Weatherford, Texas. He proudly served in the Navy during World War II in the Pacific. Earl Bruce was a Shepherd Forest resident since 1962 and worked at the Kroger Company in refrigeration for 38 years. He loved to fish, bowl, was an ace on the dance floor, a green thumb in the garden, always had a joke to share and an invitation to “the party�. “Daddy�, “Dad�, “Popo� was loved by his 3 children, 10 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. He passed away peacefully in his home on May 17, 2019. A celebration of his life will be hosted by the family on July 6, 2019.