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Saturday, November 1, 2014 • 1B

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Source: GasBuddy.com Consumers across The Leader area will likely enjoy the falling gas prices around the area as the holiday shopping season kicks oﬀ this month. According to GasBuddy.com, many area gas stations oﬀer lower prices for regular gas than many other parts of Houston, including $2.69 a gallon at the Phillips 66 on Ella Boulevard (pictured to the right, as of Tuesday afternoon). Even with the season’s healthy outlook for businesses, however, some are still treading lightly.

Lower gas prices boost confidence for consumers as holiday shopping begins By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com The Leader area consumers have much to be thankful for this holiday season – particularly the relatively low cost of gasoline that is predicted to contribute to a healthy shopping season across the nation. According to Gas Buddy, the average price of gas across the US is $3.02, while the average price of gas in Texas is $2.81.

Residents living in The Leader area are enjoying gas prices at or lower than the state average, with some of the lowest priced regular gas offered at stations like the Phillips 66 located at 1801 Ella Boulevard, offering regular gas for $2.69. Other prime spots for cheaper gas, as of Tuesday afternoon, includes the Citgo located at 3650 W. 11th St., offering regular gas at $2.75, the Citgo at 6000 Antoine Drive,

offering regular at $2.74, Fuel Express as 211 W. Crosstimbers St., offering regular gas at $2.77, and Fuel Expo at 857 W. Tidwell Road, offering gas at $2.79. Experts believe that low oil costs will allow consumers across the country to put their money towards gifts and other holiday expenses. The National Retail Federation’s latest survey shows that retail sales in November and December

are expected to increase 4.1 percent to $616.9 billion, higher than 2013’s actual 3.1 percent increase during the same time frame. According to the NRF, this year would mark the ﬁrst time since 2011 that holiday sales increased more than 4 percent. Local businesses are also readying for a holiday season and some, like Adolf Hoepﬂ & Son Garage auto repair shop on North Shepherd, are en-

joying some of their strongest seasons yet. Kathryn van der Pol, coowner of the repair shop, said they’re having the “best season ever.” “I really hope it’s because we’re doing a good job and

people keep coming back,” Van der Pol said with a laugh. With the price of oil so low, van der Pol said it certainly makes it easier for her customers to travel to and from work See Shopping, P. 2B

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Pinemont Pavilion attracts businesses with rich histories, plenty of diversity

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By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com After a bit of a lull, the Pinemont Pavilion ofﬁce and retail development is taking off. Pario Novo’s Andre Reed has three of the spaces in the 13,680 square foot building leased with more soon to follow. Pinemont Pavilion at 965 Pinemont Road is near Garden Oaks and Oak Forest and backs up to Shepherd Park Plaza. It’s also right by Shepherd Park Terrace which The Leader recently highlighted as a hot housing market. Reed said that he’s been conscious about who he’s leased to and has turned some parties down. “We don’t just want any business,” he said. “I’ve gotten e-mails from people in the community who have expressed what they want to see there.” Reed is waiting on some water permits and hopes to start building out some of the spaces soon for an early 2015 opening. He said there is space for three or four more tenants. Here’s a rundown on who is already coming.

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Everyone Needs a Place of Their Own...

Contributed Art While it may have taken some time, the Pinemont Pavilion is continuing to attract new businesses, including a restaurant, bakery and a childcare center.

Marchese’s Kitchen Susan Henn and her siblings own Marchese’s Sausage Company named after grandfather Ottavio Marchese who came to the United States from Palermo, Sicily, in 1907 with his sausage recipe. Marchese, who dropped the “e” to become Marches, had a café in the Heights for years with wife Netha, and sons Anthony and Joseph. For the last four years, the family has sold their sausage at farmers markets as well as

B&W Meat Market and Nundini Chef’s Table. Their sausage company warehouse is just down the street from the Pinemont Pavilion. Henn said that they are still working on the concept for Marchese’s Kitchen but that it will be a takeout place, similar to Tres Market Foods in Memorial and My Fit Foods. While the menu is still being ﬁnalized, it will offer lasagna, meatballs and Eggplant Parmesan, owing to their Italian heritage. Their sausage will

definitely play a part in their dishes too. Henn was hoping to be open before the holidays but acknowledges that it will most likely be next year. “We looked elsewhere but thought this was a good fit,” said Henn. “We have a lot of ideas.” Artisana Bread Rosemarie Abbouchi said she looked for more than a year to find a spot for her com-

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Heights resident offers new way to shop for clothing By Christina Martinez christina@theleadernews.com It’s always been a dream for Sarah Platt to have her own store and she’s always wondered how she was going to make that happen. One day the idea of having a mobile fashion truck just came to her and after some research, Platt found how she was going to make that dream into a reality in the form of Urban Izzy, a mobile boutique on wheels. “One day this idea just came about to go mobile,” Platt said. “I looked it up and they were already out there all over the

place. Thats when I kind of thought I’m going to do it and just go for it. The overhead costs are something I can deal with and that are in my budget.” Platt bought the truck in October of 2011 and immediately wanted to get the business up and running. The name for the truck came ﬁrst and was something Platt had planned out. “I wanted a name that meant something to me and Izzy is my grandfather, Isadore, and everyone called him Izzy,” See Clothing, P. 2B

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Page 2B • Saturday, November 1, 2014

From the Chamber: The importance of shopping local By Jacob Millwee For The Leader I love autumn. Anyone who lives in Houston can appreciate cooler weather, but for me the changing of the leaves heralds so much more. It is the season of nostalgia; as I watch my kids pick out their Halloween costumes and speculate on what Kris Kringle might bring, my thoughts automatically peer back at my own childhood - not with the clarity of facts but through the rose tint of remembered emotion and excitement. It is also the season of community. Parents like myself take their kids trick or treating, family comes into town for turkey, carols are sung, jolly parties are had, and in general our time is more devoted to others. There is a danger of losing that community though, if we’re not careful. If you want you can Google “Best Places to Trick or Treat in Houston”, and you’ll get about 208,000 results. But allow me to save you the trouble. The best place to trick-or-treat? It’s next door. It’s across the

Pinemont from P. 1B mercial bakery. She quit her job as an accountant more than three years ago to bake full time and has been renting commercial kitchens to make her product. She said that she’s grateful to Sinfull Bakery for hosting her while she builds out her new space on Pinemont. “I’m so excited to get started and to get to know the neighborhood,” said Abbouchi, who lives in Shady Acres. “My goal is to have a bakery that feels like it’s been in the neighborhood for generations.” A self-taught baker, Abbouchi networked with the ex pat parents of her child at Awty International School who became fans of her wares and also inﬂuenced the kinds of

Clothing from P. 1B Platt said. “I’m falling into his footsteps. In the 30s he had a clothing store in town. It’s always been an inspiration talking to him, he really loved it.” After establishing her truck name, Platt gave herself a timeline goal. In May of 2012, Platt planned to attend the Houston Food Truck Fest. Platt said she had been struggling with city road blocks, but she had to make it to the festival. “You should have seen us at the beginning,” Platt said. “The night before our ﬁrst event and we’re hanging up jewelry with tacks. It’s pouring down rain. We had no lights in the truck. Thank god for my family and friends, they helped out so much.” Everyday Platt says she learns something new or a better way to do something. Setting up the truck for events has been part of the learning process. From broken accessories and other items in the truck, Platt has learned to organize and pack to accommodate for the traveling. “A lot of people think you just pull up and you’re ready to go,” Platt said. “It’s been getting easier as I go because I’m learning shortcuts. So many things have broken. I’ve driven and the mannequin has come ﬂying up with me in

Shopping from P. 1B and to travel to and from her business. “The low oil prices ought to be good for travel as people will always travel more when the price at the pump goes down,” Van der Pol said. “But here in Houston, you don’t want the price of oil to go too low, as, from what we’ve seen, it could be a sign the Houston economy will slow down.” Falling crude oil prices led to a major “oil bust” that devastated Houston in the 1980s. While retail establishments and restaurants in the Heights, particularly those belonging to the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce, are looking forward to a strong holiday, other industries are approaching the holidays with continued trepidation. “It really all depends on the market,” Chamber President Jacob Millwee said. “A signiﬁcant portion of our membership specializes in business-tobusiness models. Because of all the disruptions for business

street, and around the corner, and along your regular dog walk. It’s where you can wave and chat with your neighbors and meet the new folks who moved in down the street. It’s in your community, and if you don’t participate in it then it’s not your community but simply where you live. It’s also what makes the Houston Heights so great. The Heights is one of the most close-knit areas of town, because our residents and our shopkeepers care about and want to be involved with each other. What other area of town has so many community events? What other area has so many organizations devoted to preserving the past and shepherding the future, such as the Houston Heights Association, the 19th Street Merchants Association, and of course your own Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce (www. heightschamber.com) to name but a few? As much as they do however, these organizations cannot maintain the greatness of the Heights alone. They need your help. How can you help? Trick or things she bakes. “The difference between my bread and what one might find at a good supermarket is the time I invest in letting the dough rise,” said Abbouchi. “No preservatives, and no chemicals to speed up the process or to increase shelf life.” Some of her specialties include Casatiello which is a traditional Italian Easter bread that she makes year-round. It’s a butter, egg and milk bread that has sopressata salami and Asiago cheese in the dough. “I often replace the meat and cheese with fruit and dark Belgian chocolate or fruit and nuts,” she said. “It’s really great for breakfast or with a cup of tea or coffee later in the day.” There’s also Focaccia – among her most popular the front. There’s been times when people are looking in the truck strangely wondering what’s going on in there?” Seeing those different reactions is something Platt enjoys. The boutique truck has been confused with a food truck several times, but once the realization has been made that there is a store inside, Platt says their reaction is always priceless and they immediately want to come in. When it comes to the business side, Urban Izzy has been doing well, Platt said. Running the boutique on wheels was a part-time job for Platt before joining forces with Fashion Truck Collection, which includes three other boutiques: Shoe Bar Mobile, Heights Vintage and Park Boutique. The four mobile boutiques can be found in one store, five days a week where they each offer their own boutique pieces. “We carry different local artists and I love that,” Platt said. “I’ve been trying to rotate so we can get new faces in. Jessica Dolan has a lot of hand made and hand dyed clothes. I’m all about something eclectic and different.” However, business in the summer has been tough for Urban Izzy and other mobile boutiques in the community. Having central air conditioning within the truck can be expensive, but having a genowners and their employees around the holiday seasons, it comes with a little bit of anxiety.” Those disruptions can mean uncertainty for businesses that provide services for other local organizations. “If you’re providing a service like printing, the holiday season could be a good thing as it means your clients will have more things to print for the holidays,” Millwee said. “Or it could mean the business owners might be stressed from preparing for the holidays themselves, making time for their families or other aspects of the season.” However, retail and restaurant members of the Chamber seem to be excited, much like in other parts of Houston and the rest of the nation. “Once October passes, a lot of businesses kind of get a feeling that’s a lot like a first date,” Millwee said with a laugh. “Things are looking looking pretty cool, but last time we did this it didn’t turn out well, so how is it going to go this year?”

Jacob Milwee

Treat next door. Go holiday shopping on 19th Street. Take that out-of-town family to eat on 11th or White Oak. Or shop and eat at any of the other dozens of wonderful places which are right here, and not an hour drive away. Patronize the businesses that live next door and affect your community, the businesses that pour money and support into local schools and local programs. Pay 50 cents more to buy a greeting card from the store where the owner keeps an eye on your kids through his window, because he wants them to be safe. Buy your lunch from the lady who knows half the people in her restaurant, and takes the time to greet are the asparagus and tomato and rosemary and Fleur de Sel sea salt – as well as Cornetti, which are Italian-style croissants that she fills with organic jam or fig butter, along with baguettes, sourdoughs, Danishes and scones. “I’m happy to say that I have a fairly large scone following,” said Abbouchi. Abbouchi said that once she opens, her first priority will be developing and serving her wholesale accounts, but will then do a soft opening on the retail part which will be takeout. “It won’t be dine in but maybe we’ll put some tables out front and we’ll have coffee.” As for the future, she said a full serve café is a possibility.

erator has helped. “Starting in September it starts picking up and it has for the last couple months and it’s just going to keep getting busier and busier for the holidays,” Platt said. “I try to be out every weekend until the holidays and book as many events as possible, especially with the cool weather. We’ll even put christmas lights on the truck. So business has been good.” During the warmer weather and through the holiday season, Platt says the business is only successful with the support of the community. Every other month, Urban Izzy and the other fashion truck boutiques get together to put on a Fashion Truck Festival. The festival is hosted at Liberty Station and Platt says without the support from Liberty Station and other community businesses like the Creeks, Boom Boom Room and Good Dog, she wouldn’t be able to do it without them. In the future, Platt hopes to have more man power to continue growing her mobile boutique and booking large events. An additional truck is also a future thought, along with her own boutique on the

them all. If we’re honest though, businesses come and go and it can be hard to know which ones are invested in your community, even when they’re around the corner. That’s why the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce has a program called Buy Local First. Anyone can go on our Chamber website and search the Membership Directory. Every business you find there, through their participation in the Heights Chamber, has supported the local schools. They have given scholarships. They’ve planted trees. By being a Chamber member they have made a statement of investment in the Heights. But if the only thing you take away from this article is the phrase Buy Local, then I will have done my job and your community will prosper. It’s not all about mom and pop shops, although I sincerely hope you will give them your patronage. You’re going to shop at Walgreens, HEB, and Walmart. There’s nothing wrong with that at all, but shop at your Walmart, your WalLittle Learning Place Spring Branch’s Elena Gutierrez has worked in the day care field for 10 years and was searching for the right spot to open up a day care of her own. She’ll be the director at The Little Learning Place which will serve infants up through school age, and also offer after school care. Gutierrez thinks that the capacity will be around 50 but needs to wait for licensing to determine the exact number. “Some teachers that I know are coming with me,” she said. “It’s important to us that it’s not just a day care. We want to make it a learning place.” Like Gutierrez, they will have the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential which is part of a national credentialing program. beach someday. For now, Platt will continue learning and providing the Heights with something new and unique. For more information and to see what’s new at Urban Izzy visit www.urbanizzy.com and find daily posts on their social media. Ad # 36774

greens. Shop at the Walgreens where you will run into your neighbors. If you do that, if you Buy Local, then you will be a part of something wonderful and something great. You will be a part of the Heights. You won’t just live there.

Jacob Millwee is president of the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information about the chamber, visit www.heightschamber.com

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Saturday, November 1, 2014 • Page 3B

Adolf Hoepfl & Son auto repair owners celebrate 10th anniversary By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com Sybren and Kathryn van der Pol are looking to make this coming weekend one to remember as the pair celebrates the 10th anniversary of their purchase of the Adolf Hoepfl & Son Garage back in 2004. The full-service auto repair shop will be serving barbecue 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and will also offer maintenance, including an oil change, an 18-point maintenance inspection and a tire pressure check for the price of $19.46. The price corresponds to the original founding date of the garage by Adolf Hoepfl on Jan. 1, 1946. Kathryn van der Pol said running the shop for the last ten years has been a learning experience, and over the years the services offered at the shop have been expanded and the group continues to do quite a bit of engine and transmission work. When she first started with her husband, van der Pol admitted she didn’t know too much about cars.

“I came from an education background and taught Latin at St. John’s School for 17 years,” van der Pol said. Not only has van der Pol received numerous certiﬁcations, the business has continued to stay healthy and has remained involved with the community, particularly through participation in the Greater Heights Area Chamber of Commerce and the establishment of the North Area Shepherd Business Association. Now that the business is entering a new chapter, van der Pol said she and her husband are excited about the future and want to share their success with members of the

community this weekend. She also said the garage is seeking to fill a service advisor position to extend its hours to Saturday. “When you’re in a business, you have to earn people’s trust and we’re very grateful people have supported us and believe in what we do,” van der Pol said. “We consider a lot of the people that have come through our doors not as customers, but as friends. It’s been a real blessing.” Adolf Hoepfl & Son Garage is located at 4601 N. Shepherd Dr. and is open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, visit www.adolfhoepfl.com.

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Contributed Photos The Adolf Hoepﬂ & Son Garage has changed little on the outside from its original opening in 1946 (top) and how it looks today.

BUSINESS BRIEFS Spotlight Blake Tartt, president of New Regional Planning, said the renovation of the shopping center at 43rd and Ella will begin in November and ﬁnish in February. Tartt told The Leader last April that he went to school in the area and that’s why he decided to purchase the shopping center from a New York-based company. As for tenant news? He said the Domino’s Pizza is expanding and a dental clinic is moving in. “We’re also working to sign a lease with a mattress store,” he said. • Zoes Kitchen and Kriser’s Natural Pet Food Store are now open at Braun Enterprises’ development at Rutland and 20th Street in the Heights. Snap Kitchen and TCBT will follow shortly. • Miguel Facundo has broken ground on two new developments in the Oak Grove area. Five patio homes called The Claire in Garden Oaks will be located on 35th and Alba. “These homes will be impressive,” said Facundo, who noted they will be priced in the $600 range. At 919 Judiway he will be doing 14 townhomes priced in the upper $500s. Facundo said he is building high quality homes “so they will be similar to Garden Oaks and Oak Forest.” He also notes they’ll be conveniently located to new restaurants and bars on Wakeﬁeld. People Shepherd Park Plaza resident Aurélien Bouchet recently started a photography business called Bouchet Images. “After years of taking pictures for my friends, my family and my day job, I realized that I wanted to share my passion with others, helping them celebrate and capture their special moments. I specialize in family portraits and events - candid family shots, engagement photos, baby showers,

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Contributed Photos (Top) A rendering of the renovated shopping center at 43rd and Ella, constructed by New Regional Planning, is looking for additional tenets to join its current businesses. Company President Blake Tartt said his organization is working to sign a lease with a mattress store and a dental clinic is also moving in. (Below) Local resident Aurélien Bouchet will be oﬀering photography services with his new business, Bouchet Images.

gender-reveal parties, birthday parties, and the like,” he said. For more information visit www.bouchetimages.com. Events • Garden Oaks resident Tina Sabuco founded ARTS ALIVE! 20 years ago to provide a re-

search-based, creative integrated-arts curriculum. To celebrate, ARTS ALIVE! will host the Ignite the Joy event November 8, from 2-4 p.m. at St. Paul’s Methodist Church, Fondren Hall (5501 Main St). All guests will participate in an integrated arts experience that incorporates dance, drama and music. The event is free and will help bring the program to students in need through community support of tax-deductible donations supporting the “Habitat of Happiness”. RSVP for the Ignite the Joy event at https://www.facebook.com/ artsaliveinc/events. • Gen’s Antiques co-owner, Greg Nolte will begin hosting a series of 1st Thursday Socials at Gen’s Antiques, 540 W. 19th St. on November 6.

From 5-7:30 p.m. The public is welcome. Gen’s Antiques is the host store for the monthly First Saturday Arts Market. • Yoga Athletex has a new schedule and new location where they host yoga classes. They will be at Bayou City Crossﬁt at the corner of Golf and Judiway across from Legion Park on Mondays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Packages available online at www. yogaathletex.com and Bayou City Crossﬁt members will receive a discount on packages. Have something for Business Briefs? Please e-mail betsy@theleadernews.com

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