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In this month’s edition, we take a look at what’s happening over at the Near Northwest District, highlight another outdoor market and look at some of the changes at Pinemont Plaza and Ella Plaza.
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NNMD welcomes new sales director 1B · Yuppie Heights Market 1B · Local consultant receives top honor 2B Saturday, April 2, 2016 • Page 1B
Sales director has big plans for WOCC By Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com When Giang Tran was looking for places to have her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary, she liked what she saw at the White Oak Conference Center, 7603 Antoine Drive. Although she didn’t end up using the venue because the caterer did not work out, Tran had another plan for the spot – she wanted to market it. “It was a solid structure,” said Tran of the former Inwood Forest Country Club. “It was pretty empty, but I just saw the potential.” An event decorator with a warehouse full of supplies just up the street, Tran was ready to branch into sales and approached Near Northwest Management District president Wayne Norden back in the summer of 2015. “She came in with a plan and sold us on it,” said Norden of Tran. “She’s a marketing driven person and that’s great.” As some may remember, the Inwood Forest Country Club closed in 2007 and was later purchased by Inwood Forest Partners LP. As The Leader previously reported, the surrounding community took legal action to prevent development of the land by the partnership. In 2011, the more than 200 acres was purchased by the City of Houston. And the country club building – which sat vacant for 10 years – was reborn as the White Oak Conference Center. Once Tran officially became the director of sales of the center in February, she had an open house with music, a variety of food op-
tions and a mock set up of an outdoor wedding. The event was well attended and has resulted in new business. “We’re already getting people signed up from that one event,” said Norden. Last weekend, Tran put on a crawfish boil and egg hunt for the surrounding neighborhoods. More than 400 people attended and ate most of the 1,000 pounds of crawfish. Next up is a neighborhood garage sale and spring cleaning event in late April. And a tequila tasting event is in the works too. Tran said that her team is steadily booking birthday parties, engagement parties and reunions as well as some weddings. She thinks that it’s the wedding business that has the most potential for growth. “Right now, we’re starting in our backyard,” she said, “but I think we can really compete in the city’s wedding venue arena.” Working as a decorator at other weddings in Houston, Tran has seen similarly sized venues charging double what White Oak does. In addition, she has all the linens and decorations readily available. She said clients are welcome to bring in their own decorators and decorations as well as a caterer, but that if they do want one stop shopping, there are five onsite caterers from which to choose. Clients can also bring in their own liquor and bartender although he or she has to be licensed. See Center P. 3B
Photo by Betsy Denson When Giang Tran first visited the White Oak Conference Center, she had a vision of what it could be to the community. As the new director of sales for the facility, she aims to make that vision a reality.
Imported fun at the outdoor Yuppie Heights Market
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By Kim Hogstrom For The Leader Americans love outdoor markets. Throughout the Midwest and east coast, outdoor markets flourish in the summer months. Here in Houston, and in the Heights in particular, local residents continue to put their own hip spin on many of these markets like the area’s own Yuppie Heights Market. Last Sunday, more than 300 men, women, children (and a handful of pets) visited the free, Yuppie Heights Market at 2203 Durham St. Situated on a parking lot under white canopied booths, 25 vendors shared their wares with interested visitors: artwork, handmade soaps, fair trade, imported clothing, accessories, foods and beverages, handcrafted jewelry, and more. It was a remarkable collection of the one-of-a-kind and hard-to-find all displayed on a beautiful day. While Sunday was breezy, the event was still entertain-
Woodside Village ApArtment Homes
Located off of East T.C. Jester
2400 Hackett Houston, TX 77008 713-861-6172
Photo by Kim Hogstrom Kisha Turner is a professor of history at Prairie View A&M during the week, but enjoys selling her imported, fair trade fashion and housewares for her company, Musae, on the weekends.
See Outdoor Market P. 2B
Near Northwest 2016 Spring Plant Sale to kick off April 2 By Jonathan Garris jgarris@theleadernews.com The Near Northwest Management District is inviting residents from all over The Leader area and beyond April 2 for their fifth annual Plant Sale. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the White Oak Conference Center, located at 7603 Antoine Dr., and will feature a broad variety of plants for sale with proceeds benefitting the White Oak Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden and Japanese Serenity Garden. This year’s sale also features a presentation by horticul-
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ture expert Heidi Sheesley of Treesearch Farms, which begins at 9 a.m. Admission to the entire event is free. “We’ve been getting a much broader spread of customers coming in in terms of where they’re coming from,” Administrative assistant Jan Whittington said. “We’ve been seeing folks that will come and buy one or two plants only to come back and buy another truckload.” Having Heidi Sheesley is also a big draw for the event, business development director Eileen Egan said. “[Sheesley] will be inside of the Conference Center to host
her presentation and she’s a bit of a celebrity,” Egan said. “You can’t get in to see her do a presentation without paying, normally.” The event is also important as it promotes sustainability beyond caring for NNMD’s gardens. “It’s definitely a way for people to not only have more beautiful surroundings where they live but also a great way for people to get engaged in the community,” Egan said. For more information about the event, visit www.nnmd. org or call 713-895-8021.
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Crawfish Boil April 2, 2016 Noon Until Sold Out!
3720 Alba Rd. • Houston, TX 77018 $30 For Large pLaTe (Over 5 pounds, and yes you can share!) plates come with w/2 potatoes and 1 corn
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