Small Business

Brewery Incubator Wants to Bring Nano-Brewing to Downtown With Your Help

While American craft beer has often been called a small business renaissance, that doesn't mean that entry into the business is a cheap initial investment. Brewing space and equipment can push start-up costs well north of six figures and beyond. This prohibitive figure often means that some of the v ... More >>

Google Discontinues Free Version of Google Apps for Business

Most people could care less about Gmail outside of the free e-mail accounts so many of us use on a daily basis, but one of the best kept secrets of Gmail was the fact that Google provided a free version of its Google Apps for business that allowed small businesses to create up to seven users under a ... More >>

Heights Walmart Opened Over the Weekend; Redefines "Local"

Jeff Randall, the store manager for the new Walmart that just opened on Yale Street over the weekend, is incredibly eager and affable as he leads me around the giant Supercenter that covers 150,000 square feet of retail space -- and roughly triple that in a parking lot outside that the Walmart share ... More >>

Sorry Houston, No Farm-Fresh Milk for You

Here's a riddle: why would a dairy choose to stop selling milk to Houston resellers for $5 a gallon and instead sell it all to a giant co-op for a mere $1.62 a gallon? The answer? Unbearable pressure. Local milk producer Way Back When Dairy, run by the Ganskey family, has become a valued resourc ... More >>

Where Are We Eating? Clue: Wax On

This sushi joint epitomizes the phrase "mom-and-pop restaurant." Don't expect to rush through your meal here, either, as it's only staffed by the mom and pop themselves -- and no one else. Know where we're eating this week? Leave your best guess below.

James Dinkins: Justice of the Peace Charged With Hurricane Ike Fraud

A former longtime Justice of the Peace in Montgomery County has been charged with fraud in connection to receiving Hurrican ike relief funds, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. James W. Dinkins, 64, got $120,000 in relief funds by falsely claiming his primary residence was in Galveston County, p ... More >>

Loans on Tap: Sam Adams Launches Lending Program

Sam Adams has recently launched "Brewing the Dream," a campaign aimed at providing loans to aspiring food, beverage and hospitality small business start-ups and entrepreneurs. With a goal to both create and save jobs in a tough industry, Sam Adams is looking to provide opportunity for small-time ... More >>

Restaurant and Bar Owners Crowd City Council Chambers In Advance of Proposed Parking Ordinance

Photo by Troy FieldsThe 82 stops right in front of El Real. Do you ever take it?​"I don't see anyone riding the bus to El Real," remarked James Jard, one of the 26 members of the City of Houston's Planning Commission that was gathered in City Council chambers yesterday afternoon for a public h ... More >>

The Cake Boss: Buddy Valastro on Experience Over Education and the Importance of Small Businesses in America

​Buddy Valastro is better known as The Cake Boss, and his eponymous show on TLC -- Cake Boss -- has become one of the network's biggest hits. The show, which averaged 2.3 million viewers during its first season, follows Valastro and his family as they run Carlo's Bakery, the family business in ... More >>

City To Implement Plan Favoring Local Vendors And Businesses

Keeping it local​Mayor Annise Parker announced today an initiative called Hire Houston First, which gives preference to local businesses in awarding contracts. The big change: For contracts under $100,000, the legislative changes allow the City to award contracts for the purchase of goods to ... More >>

Crawfish Festival in the Heights

Beaumont Chuck E. Cheese's Brawl Adds to City's Sterling Reputation

We noted earlier today that Beaumont is gaining an Internet rep for the quantity, if not the quality, of its catfight videos of teenaged girls duking it out. Not to be outdone, the adults are getting into the action. The latest from the Golden Triangle city is this family outing at a Chuck E. Chee ... More >>

Battle in the Heights

Walmart brings out the passion.

Walmart Vs. The Heights: About What You'd Expect (Plus Annise Parker Weighs In)

Trouble in Quirkytown​The Heights may soon be dealing with an unwanted resident, and they're going to have to put up a strong fight to keep them out. The possibility that Houston's seventh Super Walmart could land in the historic area has residents squirming, and a strong reaction for and against ... More >>

Houston LGBT Pride Parade

Everyone loves a parade

Minutemen Get Their Wish: Tomorrow Will Be A "Day Without Mexicans" In The Valley

The Valley gets ready for a reprise of this​We're guessing this isn't going to work out as hoped: The chambers of commerce of several Mexican border towns are calling on residents to stay out of the U.S. tomorrow.That'll teach Arizona to pass a restrictive illegal-alien law, is the thinking. On th ... More >>

Metro Board Meeting: Near Heart Attacks, And No One Cares What Frank Wilson Thinks Anymore

​The newish Metro board got a wild introduction to the Metro-loving public at its first meeting this afternoon, where one Houstonian got so worked up that he nearly collapsed and later was taken to the hospital. DeWayne Lark, the man that almost collapsed, was talking about the light rail construc ... More >>

Bigfooted by Nike: Local small businesses getting squeezed

Local small business getting squeezed

Local High School Sports Outfitter Getting Bigfooted by Nike

​For 17 years B-Bad Sportswear of Houston has been providing uniforms for teams in the Houston school district, employing 22 workers, hustling to replace torn or missing jerseys before games, proud to have made the shirts and shorts worn by state champions.At one time, boss Gerald Taylor tells Hai ... More >>

Great Place For A Water Main Break

You know what's a great place to have a water main break on Black Friday?The corner of Westheimer and Hillcroft.That's what happened early this morning; the water has stopped gushing out, but local businesses are without services and one southbound lane of Hillcroft has buckled and is closed to traf ... More >>

Taste of the Town

Sample Pasadena's finest food, from upscale restaurants to neighborhood eateries

Journalism, As It Used To Be Practiced In Houston

​We've written before of the Houston Chronicle's cozy way of doing pro-bidness journalism in years gone by.Today's Chron offers another charming piece of evidence.The Bayou City History blog, which is always interesting, posts some photos of the development of the North Loop.One of the pictures in ... More >>

How To Save Galveston, Part 2: Throw the Bums Out

This week, Hair Balls is examining the many and varied roads Galveston could take to recover from Hurricane Ike. This week's cover story explores the possibility of casino gambling, while an earlier post here discusses Galveston relying on its existing, tried-and-true economic drivers.But those are ... More >>

ActOUT at Mrs. Warren’s Profession

Web exclusive!

$7 at Southwell's Burger Grill

Where: Southwell's Burger Grill, 5860 San Felipe St Ste. F, 713-789-4972 What $7 gets you: A better-than-decent burger and fries, or a couple of chili dogs. No drink, though. All I really wanted to do was sip some chicken broth, take some ibuprofen, and then crawl under my covers and quietly die. ... More >>

FIRKIN & PHOENIX'S GIN GIMLET

Saavedra Is Safe For Now, Spokesman Says

Texas Continues To Shine At Being Uninsured

1st Annual Pre-Kwanzaa Ujamaa Festival

Enjoy Afrocentric fun on the Almeda Street Corridor

Reliantly Unhelpful

The abyss of customer service gets deeper

Bragging Rights

The Port praises itself, with omissions

Best Ceviche

Best Mom-and-Pop Restaurant

Tex Chick

Rockets My-Nority Tryouts

Potential partners face a steep ante

Sunny Delight

Developers battle over Florida, and John Sayles gets the last laugh

Tribal Warfare

Carroll Cocchia says she's one-third Indian, and is trying to bring local Native Americans together. Detractors say she's white, and is helping to tear them apart.

Great Expectations

Joe's Sandwich Shop is just one of the businesses along Main Street struggling to survive until Metro gets its light rail line up and operating.

Best Wash-and-Fold

Fairview Cleaners

Best Boot Repair

Herman Shoe Repair

Best Local Television Commercial

Fiesta Mart

The Chips Are Down

Unable to secure a new location, Leo's Mexican Restaurant says adios -- for now

Paying the Price

Major gas companies are driving away independent station operators, all in the name of greed

Bar Fight

Margaret Lindsey has battled bad debt, bad luck and a bunch of men in suits to keep Blondie's open - right in the middle of downtown La Porte

Playing the Games

Waste Not, Want Not

Local residents unite to fight the mountain of landfill trash headed their way

Dish

Minimal Theories

Despite the rhetoric, evidence on the minimum wage initiative isn't conclusive either way

Crashing the Grand Old Party

Dolly McKenna is the GOP candidate for the 25th District. But will Republicans vote for her?

Incubating Problems

The Palm Center was supposed to give small businesses a helping hand. But some businessowners say it's only given them grief.