Shopping
HEB at FM 2920 and Spring Cypress now OPEN!!
November 11th, 2009 categories: Shopping
As I pulled into the parking lot to attend the opening of HEB’s Spring Market, I suddenly realized I was not alone. Apparently my Spring Texas neighbors were just as anxious as I was to shop at HEB’s newest store. For a brief moment, I thought about turning around and going back home. But the moment quickly passed because after 7+ months of watching the construction I needed to satisfy my curiosity.
As soon as I entered the grocery store I grabbed a shopping cart. I knew I was going to need the shopping cart to help me create a path through the sea of people and the shopping cart did just that. I did run into numerous shopping cart traffic jams but what can you expect, it was opening day.
The store was a delicious sample smorgasbord. There were samples of sushi, pineapple, bread, cookies, lump crab meat ceviche, chili, King ranch chicken, cheese, shrimp salad, chocolate, and wine. Some samples, such as the sushi, were more popular than others and had people standing in line waiting for a sample. Since I came around lunch time I was hungry and did my fair share of sampling. I didn’t sample the wine because it was the middle of the day and I passed on the cookies and chocolate because I am not that fond of sweets.
With the sampling out of the way, my husband and I went in search of the $20 in free items listed on the coupon we had received in the mail from HEB. I don’t know how many of these coupons HEB mailed to households in Spring Texas but it must have been a lot because about everyone in the store had a coupon with them. The coupon was for FREE Ritz crackers, goldfish crackers, ice cream sandwiches, cooked chicken strips, package of cheese, and a six pack of Pellegrino water. In addition to picking up the free items, we picked up two wonderful looking Rib eye steaks. At a price of $5.99 lb for a USDA Prime cut, the steaks were too good to pass up.
The HEB Spring Market has a lot of the same offerings as the other newer HEB stores including a
Cooking Connection, in-house bakery, extensive cheese shop, over 900 fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh seafood, and quality cuts of meat.
The only offering lacking from the HEB Spring Market is their Central Market prepared foods on the go. The HEB at Louetta and Stuebner Airline and HEB Vintage Marketboth have the Central Market prepared foods on the go with a brick pizza oven but not the HEB Spring Market. I will just have to visit one of HEB’s other stores when I get a craving for their Love Dip that needs to be satisfied.
Since HEB’s Spring Market is located closer to my house than their other stores, the time it takes me to do my weekly grocery shopping will be reduced by 20 minutes. Yea!!
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The Inside Scoop
October 29th, 2009 categories: Shopping
Have you been wondering when the new HEB at FM 2920 and Spring Cypress is going to open just like Rick and I have been? Well the suspense but not the wait is over.
On our way home from Chuy’s last night, we cruised the HEB parking lot and asked an HEB employee with the first name of Michael when the store was scheduled to open. The answer … drum roll, please …. November 11th, 2009.
You may be saying what’s the big deal about the opening of a new HEB store? Its only a grocery store. You are right it is only a grocery store but it is a grocery store I shop at frequently because it has excellent produce, meat, and prepared foods and it is also about the additional convenience it will bring.
Currently the closest HEB to my house in Spring Texas is 15 minutes away. The HEB at FM2920 and Spring Cypress will be 5 minutes away. Ten minutes each way means I will be able to get my weekly grocery shopping, which I don’t like doing , done 20 minutes sooner. Yea!!
November 11th can not arrive soon enough for me because I am not very good at waiting. I have already had to wait during the 5+ months of construction while the HEB store was being built and that is long enough for someone who hates waiting. Hopefully the days will go by quickly between now and November 11th.
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Who has the lowest prices on groceries?
June 25th, 2009 categories: Shopping
One of the things I like about living in Spring Texas is the convenience. In this case, it is the convenience of having numerous grocery stores nearby. Located within 15 minutes of my home are a Walmart Supercenter, Kroger, HEB, Randalls, and a Super Target. A great selection of stores to choose from to do my grocery shopping.
But with so many choices which grocery store has the lowest prices on groceries? To answer this question, I decided to do a cost comparison of grocery items that on a regular basis wind up in my cart. Below are the five items I decided to compare prices from the three grocery stores I frequently shop at.
On some of the items such as the Vinaigrette salad dressing there was not a significant difference in price. But look at the price difference in the Lipton Green Tea. Kroger’s price was 43% higher and HEB’s price was 31% higher than Walmart’s price.
Who has the lowest prices on groceries in Spring Texas? For my shopping items, the answer is Walmart. These days grocery shopping requires a strategy and this is mine for everyday items I shop at Walmart because on a consistent basis their grocery prices are lower. I still grocery shop at HEB and Kroger but for different things and different reasons.
If I have to get in and out of the grocery store quickly I go to HEB and not Walmart. Walmart has some of the longest lines especially on Saturdays and Sundays. For fresh produce I shop at HEB and Krogers. If neither store has the produce I want as an advertised weekly special, I shop at HEB because I have found their produce to be the freshest. I also shop at HEB and Krogers for their weekly special items because these items are usually cheaper than at Walmart.
If you want to know the locations of the Spring Texas grocery stores, you can access the Google Map I made.
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Where to get fresh locally grown produce
June 17th, 2009 categories: Discover Spring Texas, Shopping
One of the things I like best about Summer is eating home-grown fresh from the farm tomatoes. The tomatoes are nice and juicy, full of flavor, and taste just the way tomatoes should taste.
But since my parents live in Illinois and not Spring Texas, I can’t quickly stop by and swipe a few tomatoes from their garden for my BLT sandwich. Instead I have to get my home-grown produce from local farm stands. Luckily there are several farm stands within a few miles of my Spring Texas home where I can purchase not only tomatoes but lots of other great produce including squash, new potatoes, greens, okra, cucumbers, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, 1015 onions, watermelons, honey dew melons, cantaloupe, beets, cabbage, mustard greens, peaches, and blackberries.
If you like farm fresh produce as much as I do then stop by one of the farm stands below and enjoy the difference in taste provided by fresh from the farm produce.
Atkinson Farms is located at 3217 Spring Cypress Spring TX 77388. Their operating hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am – 2 pm. To find out what’s in season give them a call at 832.381.8202 or better yet send them an email at atkinsonfarming@aol.com and they will send you periodic picking reports. The Atkinson’s may be new to running a farm stand since they are only in their fifth year but they are not new to farming as they are third generation farmers.
Theiss Farms Market is located at 17045 Stuebner Airline Spring TX 77379. Their hours of operation are Monday – Friday 9 am – 6:30 pm; Saturday 9 am – 6 pm and Sunday 10 am – 5 pm. They can be reached at 281.370. FARM (3276). For over 158 years the Theiss family has been producing vegetables in Harris County and selling its produce to the people of the community. During the summer, the sweet corn is picked and delivered daily to the Theiss Farms Market providing their customers with the freshest sweet corn possible.
Mittelstaedt’s is located at 19403 Stuebner Airline Spring TX 77379. The farm stand is open Monday – Saturday 9 am – 6 pm and on Sunday 10 am – 4 pm. They can be reached at 281.370.5529.
Kieschnick Farms is located at 5702 Spring Cypress Spring TX 77379. Their hours of operation are Monday – Friday 9:30 am – 6 pm; Saturday 9:30 am – 5 pm and Sunday 10 am – 3 pm.
Neal’s Berry Farm and Farmer’s Market is located at 24527 Gosling Road Spring TX 77389. Their hours of operation are Monday – Saturday 10 am – 7 pm and Sunday 10 am - 2 pm. They can be reached at 281.255.3699. Not to be missed is Neal’s Berry Farm where you can pick your own blackberries from their 3 acre patch. Blackberry season is Mid-May through July.
Some of these farm stands are a little hard to find so I created a map of Spring Texas Farm Stands to make it easy for you to find them. Photo taken of cherry tomatoes at Atkinson Farms.
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Under Construction
May 13th, 2009 categories: Shopping
Recently when my husband, Rick Ratchford and I were at Cheddars for dinner we ran into Chuck and Elizabeth Lalonde, past clients and avid readers of our Spring Texas real estate blog. Chuck asked if I knew what was under construction at Spring Cypress and FM 2920 and I said yes a HEB grocery store is going in at that location. Chuck then inquired as to why I had not written about it on our blog. So Chuck this post is for you.
Dirt’s a moving and dusts a flying between Spring Cypress and FM 2920 in Spring Texas as the ground is being readied for a HEB grocery store. Currently the closest HEB to I45 and Louetta is about a 15 minute drive west down Louetta to the corner of Stuebner Airline and Louetta.
Fifteen minutes is not a long drive but I, like a lot of other people, love convenience. This HEB will be located a mere 5 minutes from my Spring Texas home.
I don’t have any details on the projected opening day of the HEB but I can tell you whenever opening day is I will be there. I like going to a store’s or restaurant’s opening day. I know I could wait for the crowds to die down before going but what fun is that. Besides after watching the many months of construction my curiosity has been peeked and it needs to be satisfied.
Oh by the way, the Cheddars I mentioned it was opening night when we went. The Cheddars is located on the access road at the Northwest corner of I45 and Louetta. I had the Texas cheese fries which I am sure must have a gazillion calories. Even with the calorie count I would order them again because they were delicious!
If you have a topic you would like me to write a post about send me an email or leave your suggestion in the comments section of this post. Thanks for reading and the post suggestion, Chuck and Elizabeth.
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Vintage Park adds another tenant
March 8th, 2008 categories: Shopping
Imagination Toys & Shoes is now open at Vintage Park, an upscale outdoor shopping plaza at 249 and Louetta in Northwest Houston. They offer educational toys for children of all ages. If you are looking for the latest Crocs or Webkinz, look no further. My nine year old nephew has just discovered Webkinz and has started a growing collection of these plush pets.
Imagination Toys & Shoes carry one of the largest selections of shoes including the popular Stride Rite brand. Who would have thought that toys and shoes together under one roof would make business sense? Well, apparently they do because Imagination Toys & Shoes have been serving the Spring Texas area for over 15 years.
It moved from its previous location at Louetta and Champion Forest to be closer to what is sure to the mecca of activity at the new upscale shopping plaza of Vintage Park.
Imagination Toys & Shoes join Vintage Park’s other tenants of Potbelly Sandwich Works, Starbucks, and Alan Murphy Salon. The list of future tenants include Brix Cellars, Mia Bella, Coco’s, Peli Peli, and Shogun.
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Two more stores OPEN at Vintage Park
January 20th, 2008 categories: Shopping
Vintage Park, an upscale lifestyle shopping destination, located at 249 and Louetta in Northwest Houston has two new stores now open. The ever familiar and ever popular Starbucks coffee has opened its doors and drive through window for business. Its location at the front of Vintage Park and drive through window is sure to make it an instant hit with the many on the go commuters traveling down Louetta.
Also jumping at the opportunity to move into space at the 84 acre mixed use development of Vintage Park is Alan Murphy Salons. They have been ranked among the top 200 Salons in America by Salon Today for the third consecutive year. You will feel like royalty when you visit Alan Murphy Salons. They have created a warm and inviting space that has you enjoying the entire salon experience.
As the construction of Vintage Park comes to a completion, we are anxiously waiting to see who the next tenant will be.
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HEB at Vintage Market Opens
November 14th, 2007 categories: Shopping
The Northwest Houston community turned out in droves today for the opening of the HEB grocery store at Vintage Market. I decided I too could not wait until HEB’s second day of operation, I had to go and check out the store TODAY.
As I stood in line to get into the grocery story at the intersection of 249 and Louetta, I was thinking how weird is this to have to wait in line to get into a grocery store. I can understand waiting in line to check out but not just to get in.
As I entered, the new 112,000 square foot hybrid HEB store I was given a red rose and a store guide. The store guide definitely came in handy as I wandered up and down the aisles.
My first stop was at the Cafe on the Run. The Cafe on the Run has prepared foods such as pistachio crusted tilapia, dips, pastas, chicken, homemade soups, and Dinner for Two. My favorite dip that is available at the Cafe on the Run is the Love Dip. The Love Dip was created by the Chefs at Central Market on Valentine’s Day and hence its name. It is a creamy combination of garlic, tomato, cream cheese, and mayonnaise. Dinner for Two is a prepared dinner for two for $13.99. Each day the Chefs at Central Market come up with a new meal so if you are running late and you want a special dinner pick up the Dinner for Two.
My next stop was the artisan bread area. All of the breads are made fresh daily at the store and talk about variety. Not just white and wheat but whole grain, three seed, asiago cheese, cranberry and pistachio, and kalamata olive to name a few. Next to the bread area, they were preparing fresh sushi and sushi rolls. I tried a piece of a spicy sushi roll. I drooled at the many other freshly made sushi rolls and contemplated for a moment purchasing one. But I quickly decided that I had more free sampling to do and off I went.
Next stop on my tour was the fish market. The fish mongers were not throwing fish like they do at Pike’s Public Market in Seattle WA but they sure did have a lot of fresh fish for sale. The meaty King Crab Legs that were on sale for $9.99 a pound definitely caught my eye. While I was there, I sampled some very fresh crab meat that was utterly delicious.
Next stop on my culinary tour was the speciality cheese area that boasts over 400 different kinds of cheeses. Now I wasn’t ready to take on the task of sampling all 400 cheeses, but I knew I could handle sampling at least eight or so. And sample I did the fontina, the brie and artichoke, blue, cheddar, parma reggiano, and provolone.
By this time I was getting rather full but I felt it was my duty to continue to explore the newest grocery store in Northwest Houston. So I continued onward to the delicatessen area where I sampled black forest ham and salami. Both were delicious and I made a mental note to my self to return in a couple of weeks and pick up some cold meats for a holiday party.
There was still more to explore at the HEB in Vintage Market such as the Cooking Connection, the Coffee Roasting area, the Produce area with over 17 varieties of apples, and the healthy living area. But I will have to explore these areas another day because I had to go show a house to a client.
All I can say is Welcome HEB to Vintage Market. The residents of Spring TX and Northwest Houston are excited to have you in our community. As for me I will be back to shop and explore your store another day because today I am too full on your free samples.
The store is open daily from 6 am to 12 am and the store phone is 281.257.4600.
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Home for the Holidays celebration in Old Town Spring
November 3rd, 2007 categories: Events and Activities, Shopping
It seems hard to believe but it is that time of year again (The Holidays!). To kick off the Holiday Season, Old Town Spring in Spring TX is hosting its 27th annual Christmas celebration on November 10th. The streets of Old Town Spring will be decked out with festive bows, ribbons, ornaments, and twinkling lights aglow. 
You will enjoy discovering the unique items available at the over 150 quaint shops in Old Town Spring. Barbershop quartets and strolling musicians will be singing their hearts out during the Christmas Celebration. Bring the kids for they are sure to enjoy the train rides, a visit with my favorite guy – Santa Claus, and the town’s ice skating rink. Don’t worry if you don’t have skates, because skates are available to rent.
To top off what is sure to a delightful day, attend the annual lighting of the town’s Christmas tree at 6:30 pm. The outdoor Christmas events have always been my favorites. I am not sure exactly why that is. But maybe its the smell of hot chocolate, or the slight nip in the air, or the sounds of children laughter as they ice skate, or maybe its the twinkle of Christmas lights against the dark sky. Enjoy the celebration. I know I will.
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Dickens Christmas Market in Spring TX
November 1st, 2007 categories: Events and Activities, Shopping
Get out your calendar and reserve the date of either November 16 or 17th, because you won’t want to miss the 5th annual Dickens Christmas Market. You are sure to enjoy browsing the wares of over 65 vendors in a Victorian setting.
But wait the fun does not stop there. Victorian musicians are scheduled to entertain both days. On Friday morning, enjoy the Klein Forest Show Choir. On Saturday morning at 10 am enjoy the young voices of the Krahn Elementary Choir. At 1 pm on Saturday, you are sure to be dazzled by the twirls and turns of the Nutcracker dancers from the Houston Dance Theatre.
The Dickens Christmas Market will be held at the Cypress Creek Christian Church located at 6823 Cypresswood in Spring TX from 9 am to 5 pm on November 16th and 17th. Did I mention that admission is FREE! One last worthwhile thing to mention is that proceeds from the Dickens Market enable the Cypress Creek Community Chorale to present concerts each year with FREE admission to the public.
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