The Leader • Saturday, November 24, 2018 • Page 1B
Two new tenants for Revive properties Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Oak Forest resident Lauri Stufflebeme worked 30 years in learning & development at the Bechtel Corporation before she decided to make a big change. She recently signed a lease for the final 1,250 square foot space in Revive’s Ella Oaks Phase I center to open skoah, a facials only concept with a proprietary skin and hair care product line. The business will be between Brush & Bobby and Local Poke. “Bechtel is moving the corporate headquarters to Reston, Virginia, but I love living here,” Stufflebeme said. “It was the impetus to do something different. I’m a product junkie and always enjoyed getting treatments. I’m surprised how many people haven’t had facials.” After doing some research and learning that Canadabased skoah was named one of the top 100 emerging franchises, Stufflebeme decided to take the plunge in the U.S. Houston will be the third U.S. location after Boston and Seattle. “I went to one of the Discovery Days for franchise owners and was really impressed,” Stufflebeme said. “It’s not intimidating or pretentious. We just do facials and it’s customized to the client. We call it a ‘skin gym.’ It’s personal fitness for your skin.” The ease of setting up the business was also a draw. “It’s not a business in a box but they make it very easy,” said Stufflebeme, who noted that she’ll start out with about eight to 10 employees. As for the choice of Ella Oaks, Stufflebeme said that the sense of community was a draw. “There’s a sense that we’re in it together,” Stufflebeme said. “It was a gut feeling. I also liked that there were other women-owned businesses
in the center. Customers can get on the list for a free facial once skoah opens. Those who sign up will also be kept informed of pre-openings specials and other announcements. Visit www.skoah.com/Houston and follow them on Facebook and Insta @Skoah Oakforest. That’s not the only tenant news for Revive. Oak Forest’s Koryn Wright and her mother, Janet Thuot, have signed a lease for Revive’s Stomping Grounds across the street from the Harriet and Joe Foster Family YMCA. Threadfare, which already sells clothing online, will sell unique children’s apparel for newborn girls through age 14 and baby boys through age 8 in their brick and mortar store. Wright and her mother used to own The Pinkies Up Spot in Memorial City where they sold children’s clothing and also put on birthday parSee Revive P. 3B
Contributed photo Home sales in the Heights, Garden Oaks, Oak Forest and surrounding neighborhoods saw a distinct uptick this past October.
Sales up, pricing trends mixed in October market By Landan Kuhlmann landan@theleadernews.com
Photo supplied skoah is a facials only concept that will be moving into Revive’s Ella Oaks at 34th Street and Ella Boulevard.
Contributed Photo Koryn Wright, second from left, and her mother, Janet Thuot, are bringing unique children’s clothing to the area with Threadfare.
’Tis the season…for holiday markets land Market was started by the Love Elementary PTO in 2017 as a way to spread the cheer of the season and to continue to build ties to the neighborhood community. “Love is a dual-language HISD school in the heart of the Heights, but many families inside the zone aren’t familiar with this gem of a school,” PTO president Diana Vining said. “The PTO works to bring in a variety of local vendors for the market and will be selling beautiful, fresh poinsettias as a fundraiser at the event.” In addition to the shopping you can see Love’s choir perform and also get a visit into Santa. Benefits go to support
By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com Without further ado, here’s a rundown of places for you to score the perfect Christmas gift for a loved one – or for yourself! Holiday Artisan Market benefiting Animal Justice League Saturday, Nov. 24, 9 a.m.4 p.m. at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church of Houston. This is the perfect way to celebrate Small Business Saturday. More than 50 local artists and vendors with St. Stephen’s will be offering a blessing of the animals at their booth and they’ll also have the Kilted DJs with their “fun bus” - plus Vietnamese street food with Summer Rain Food Truck. https://www.facebook.com/ events/209539423057096/. “We do our best to focus primarily on artists, vendors and small businesses with homemade and/or handmade products,” organizer Kim Antley said. “And many are local to our neighborhoods and The Leader’s readership area.” First Saturday Arts Market Saturday, Dec. 1, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at 530 W. 19th St.
See Holiday P. 2B
While the Greater Houston market showed yearover-year increases in both sales numbers and home prices according to the latest report from the Houston Association of Realtors, the local markets showed near uniformity in sales trends and mixed results when evaluating closing prices last month. “With August and September home sales figures skewed by the effects of Hurricane Harvey, October seemed to mark a return to normalcy in terms of overall market activity,” said HAR chair Kenya BurrellVanWormer with JPMorgan Chase. “However, we are prepared for slower sales as we wrap up 2018, between the tight supply of homes and the fact that we typically see less activity around the holidays.” For the lion’s share of the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest and Heights-area neighborhoods, home sales shot up this past October, while average price increased nearly uniformly and median pricing experienced a sharp dip in nearly all neighborhoods. 77018 For Garden Oaks and Oak Forest buyers and their neighbors, it was quite the bustling month. Fifty-four homes flew off the market last month, after just 40 were sold during the same month in 2017 following Harvey. The 35 percent uptick represented the local area’s largest increase of sales. To date in 2018, 569 sales have closed in the area compared to 489 through the same period in 2017 –
an increase of slightly more than 16 percent. This area was the only one to experience a dip in both means of evaluating market pricing movement. Median pricing on homes here dropped 3.3 percent down to $395,000 at month’s end, while average price on a home in these areas dipped slightly to $476,105 – a 2.9 percent drop-off. 77092 The western edge of the Garden Oaks/Oak Forest neighborhoods and those just west of Highway 290 experienced a 31.8 percent drop-off in home sales last month compared to October 2017 – only 15 sales were finalized, compared to 22 the year before. Year-to-date, the area is only marginally behind last year’s pace, with 199 sold thus far in 2018 compared to 203 through the same time frame in 2017. Pricing trends showcased mixed results here, with average price jumping 6.6 percent to $296,033 by month’s end, and median home prices dipping down 5.1 percent to $268,000. 77008 In the greater Heights section of The Leader’s coverage area, there was a slight uptick in sales, with 80 homes closing compared to 72 the previous October. Year-to-date, the Heights has seen a rising trend in sales, with 860 properties sold thus far, compared to 829 through the same point last year. Average home prices were also fairly steady in the area, with a slight rise to $527,949. Meanwhile, median pricing trends showed See Market P. 3B
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Contributed photo The Market at Sawyer Yards is a great place for a unique find.
Founded in 2004, First Saturday Arts Market is a curated monthly outdoor fine arts event featuring the works of dozens of visual artists. Located in the Historic Houston Heights, the market showcases paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and handcrafted items. The entire family is welcome to come enjoy the great outdoors,
live music and delicious fare from some of the area’s best gourmet food trucks. http:// www.firstsaturdayartsmarket. com. Winter Wonderland Market Saturday Dec. 1, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Love Elementary, 1120 W 13th St. The annual Winter Wonder-
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