Here Everything's Better in Bellaire

One of the more exciting local news stories I caught this year was the coming of a new HEB in the city of Bellaire. For those who do not know, Bellaire is literally inside of Houston. Yes, I am a fan of the almighty HEB. The prices are reasonable, its always a positive shopping experience, and depending on the location, there's free samples on Sundays.

Anywho, I work in Bellaire, so I shop there from time to time. And it's a nice enough stuff, but it's under an old model, and some key parts of the newer model are not present, like a pharmacy. I guess that's why they decided to start from scratch and build a brand-new HEB with two floors, probably set to open in 2018. It will be the second store of its kind in the state, and given the surrounding area, Bellaire deserves a shiny new store, in my opinion.

In order to bring this double-decker monster to town, however, the current store and the adjacent businesses would have to be moved somehow so that the entire small shopping building can be demolished. But where would the businesses go, I wondered a few months back. Most of the businesses are small neighborhood places frequented by residents pretty often. Then, one by one one, I started noticing the businesses moving to nearby spaces in the area. First was Jimmy Johns, then the cleaners. Before I knew it, the liquor store not moved but was able to expand and sell wine. Win!

Today, I was happy to discover that the two remaining businesses, Thai Cottage and a nail salon, had found new homes and will be there in the new year. I was legitimately concerned about these businesses getting kicked out of their spaces, spaces that had been occupied for years and years. The newest HEB was built at the expense of demolishing an entire apartment complex. Where did those families go? I now would imagine they were given ample to find new homes, just as these Bellaire gems did.

I also got word today that the demolition was pushed back some six or seven months. The reason as to why doesn't matter at this point I guess. What matters is the fact the city of Bellaire will be able to keep the peace and harmony going....until all of the noise starts.