Downtown’s C. Baldwin Hotel makeover draws new retail tenants
Two local brands have signed up for retail space in the upcoming C. Baldwin Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton. Sloan/ Hall, a lifestyle boutique and gift shop founded by Marcus Sloan and Shannon Hall with locations in River Oaks and San Antonio’s Alamo Heights neighborhood, will occupy 600 square feet. It will offer a rotating mix of small gifts, jewelry, fashion and design. Paloma ,a nail salon with locations in BLVD Place and Heights Mercantile, will occupy just under 1,300 square feet. Paloma, founded by Maryam Naderi to use non-toxic products, will be available for private parties as well as specialty programming tailored to the neighborhood. The 354-room hotel, at 400 Dallas St. in Allen Center, is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation to launch this summer. It had been the DoubleTree by Hilton Houston Downtown. The new stores, which will flank the hotel’s Rottet Studio-designed lobby, are expected to open in September.
Humana has leased 5,885 square feet for an outpatient medical clinic in Gulfgate Center. Located at the northwest corner of Interstate 45 South and Loop 610, Gulfgate Center was redeveloped by Wulfe & Co. and contains 584,000 square feet with 50 tenants. Humana will occupy a spot near Ross Dress for Less on the south side of the center. Katherine Wildman of Wulfe & Co. represented the landlord. Bill Wong of Orange Commercial represented the tenant.
Magnol French Baking has opened at 1500 North Post Oak, Suite 160, in Spring Branch East. The bakery, co-owned by Otto Sanchez, Matt Cabon and Tina Blanco, offers classic loaves such as baguette, boule and pain de mie prepared with organic flours. Magnol will primarily focus on wholesale bread deliveries to Houston restaurants twice daily Monday through Saturday. Bread will be offered take-out to retail customers on those days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The partners have more than 50 years of baking and pastry expertise, gained at Michelinstarred restaurants across the U.S. and abroad.
Marble Slab Creamery has leased 1,573 square feet in the Market Center at Aliana Shopping Center near the northwest corner of the Grand Parkway and West Belfort in Richmond. Kristen Barker of Wulfe & Co. represented the tenant. Clay Trozzo with Property Commerce represented the landlord.
Panem Bakery & Bistro has leased 3,550 square feet in Tanglewood Shopping Center, at San Felipe Street and Post Oak Lane, from RPI Management. Josh Friedlander of NewQuest Properties represented the landlord. David Littwitz and Adriana Shaw of Littwitz Investments represented the tenant
Brightway, The Villafana Agency, has opened at 4790 W. Bellfort in southwest Houston. Co-owned by sisters-in-law Ana and Maria Villafana, the agency offers property, casualty and life insurance policies from numerous insurance brands including Anchor, Cypress, Foremost, GeoVera and State Auto. Brightway Insurance has 285 offices nationwide.
Katy ABA Center of Texas has leased 4,500 square feet at Kingsland Plaza, 23222 Kingsland Blvd., Katy. Benny Nguyen and Jim Thompson of Retail Solutions represented the landlord. Douglas Pack of Avison Young represented the tenant.
Fidelis Realty Partners’ 336 Marketplace, a development at the southwest corner of Interstate 45 and South Loop 336 in Conroe’s Grand Central Park community, has signed new tenants. Burlington, a clothing, shoes, accessories and home furnishings retailer, will occupy 35,000 square feet in 2020. Ulta Beauty will occupy 10,000 square feet, and Five Below, a discounter for children and tweens, will occupy 8,200 square feet, with both openings expected before Christmas. Additionally, Chick-fil-A will hold a grand opening June 6.
Lumin Lash has leased 1,593 square feet in Brazos Town Center, at U.S. 59 and F.M. 762, Rosenberg. Austen Baldridge and Bob Conwell of NewQuest Properties represented the landlord.
Tech repair brand uBreakiFix has opened a Memorial location at 9323 Katy Freeway. Is is the second location for Fernando Villarreal and Mark Wallis, who also own the store in Katy. With 350 stores, uBreakiFix services anything with a power button, including smartphones, game consoles, tablets, computers, drones and hoverboards.