When I first wrote this page on Carbon-izer, I mentioned that back in May 2013 this was when construction REALLY started and when things start getting rough in terms of traffic. This later became different as traffic was pushed back to Mason Road and eventually construction starting at Buc-ee's (in Waller). I'm not one to post construction updates but for a time (2015-2017) was straight up miserable as the once-wide freeway in the "Outer Parkway" went from a basic semi-rural freeway with a concrete barrier between two lanes with inner and outer shoulders to a dizzying nightmare with four lanes crunched into what was once two lanes and two shoulders just to add another lane (which you can't even drive on--you drive on the old shoulder). West Houston Archives stopped covering construction partially because it got worse and worse--nothing like trying to keep yourself from going into another lane in a narrow, squiggly highway going at 70 mph (especially around FM 1960). Due to this, I don't have a whole lot of newer information on newer strip centers around here, like the one(s) before the picture.
There's a lot to take in to begin with, and so much in-fill. In-bound it starts with an IHOP and two strip centers (the newer one I don't have pictures of). The strip center above (from a video I took, June 2014) has most of the tenants that are still there. Not seen is a vacant space (formerly a Goodwill donation center) and on the west end, a Shipley Do-Nuts. Beyond that is a large shopping center, the Cypress Town Center, which opened around 2005. The PDF is permanently linked here. The changes that I know of follows (this is not all-inclusive but it's what I have):
- Jack's Carpet: The Super Floor Store became Massage Heights in 2013.
- In previous versions of this I had mentioned Bright Now! Dental (originally opened in December 2007) became Castle Dental. Turns out they were the same company--Street View from late 2007 shows Castle Dental, and the companies merged in 2004. The only reason I bring it up is the lease plan mentions it as Bright Now! Dental when in reality that was never the case. The stores to the northern end (closer to Hempstead) almost certainly have changed in 2005 but I unfortunately have no information on them.
- Kolache Factory was originally Quiznos Sub.
- A Boot Barn (25855 Northwest Freeway) opened between Target and T.J. Maxx sometime around 2014 (by that time, Boot Barn had bought Baskin's, a similar store back home).
- The Dress Barn took off for Fairfield Town Center. The new store opened March 17, 2017 at the Fairfield Town Center (28802 Hwy. 290) meaning this one closed sooner. Google shows Texas Floors at this address now.
I only have a few memories of this shopping center. I had unconfirmed information that the Target was originally supposed to be a Mervyn's when it was planned out in 2003 and later became Target after Mervyn's spun off (and eventually left the area before going out of business three years later). The Target got a "P-Fresh" update (with a graphic of fresh produce over the doors) around 2011. I visited the Chick-fil-a in December 2011. It wasn't even a particularly special day (not Sunday, obviously) but it was crowded. We only used the restrooms here, but I'm sure my dad could've gotten a coffee it wasn't packed to the gills. At one time, Spring Creek Barbecue represented just one of the many things that made Houston a more unique place with unusual restaurants (heck, even the Chick-fil-a near it was semi-exotic, as at the time it was built, only one stand-alone CFA existed in town, and that was nine miles away from my house). Anyway, I did finally eat in spring 2013 with my family and cousin. It's okay, and is a hybrid buffet-type place (unlimited rolls, limited meat). Here's a shot from the front of the restaurant looking out, taken April 2013 (it is very blurry).
DSC01501.JPG (looking out toward Spring-Cypress Road and the west end of the shopping center, taken December 2015) and
DSC01502.JPG(trying to catch a glimpse of Best Buy from the freeway, taken December 2015). Otherwise, the list below follows.
Eastbound (South)
14128 Cypress Rosehill Road - The Lowe's opened around 2006 and difficult to catch in one shot. Here's a screen-grab from June '14.
26003 - Panera Bread opened in the Lowe's parking lot no earlier than fall 2012. Check out the screen grab from June '14 here.
25957 - One of the few Arby's left in the Houston area, as they've closed a lot in the last few years, to the point where they are completely extinct in the Inner Loop and down to three inside the Belt (though a fourth is opening just outside the Loop, AND in the west part of Houston too).
25901 - Target opened as a charter tenant for the shopping center, though I heard (unconfirmed) that it was supposed to be a Mervyn's that was to open here originally, presumably when it was planned around 2003. I'm guessing it was changed after Mervyn's spun off from Target (smart move, seeing how Mervyn's pulled out of the area in January 2006 and is now totally dead). Anyway, the Target got a "P-Fresh" update (with a graphic of fresh produce over the doors) around 2011.
25835 - I visited this Chick-fil-A in December 2011. It wasn't even a particularly special day (not Sunday, obviously) but it was crowded. We only used the restrooms here, but I'm sure my dad could've gotten a coffee it wasn't packed to the gills.
25955 - This Taco Cabana (here since 2005-2006) was originally 24 hours (as the chain famously was) but is now open only 6 am to 1 am.
25831 - At one time, Spring Creek Barbecue represented just one of the many things that made Houston a more unique place with unusual restaurants (heck, even the Chick-fil-a near it was semi-exotic, as at the time it was built, only one stand-alone CFA existed in town, and that was nine miles away from my house). Anyway, I did finally eat in spring 2013 with my family and cousin. It's okay, and is a hybrid buffet-type place (unlimited rolls, limited meat). Here's a shot from the front of the restaurant looking out, taken April 2013 (it is very blurry).
25425 - Located just beyond the shopping center, Angel's Auto Center dates back to at least 2001 but not back to 1995. It is just beyond the Best Buy on the east end.
Westbound (North)
26326 - Alicia's Mexican Grille opened sometime around 2008 and is often seen emitting smoke from cooking. It certainly looks like it smells good, and I do think I caught a whiff of it once.
26302 - Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers says that this store opened in November 2011. If only more businesses had pages like that!
26270 - Originally badged as Wal-Mart Supercenter and opened in May 2004, this has since been rebranded just to "Walmart" (around 2011) and received interior updates since then. It has a McDonald's inside.
26230 - Panda Express opened May 2012 in Walmart's parking lot.
26044 - Sonic Drive-In opened sometime around December 2003 or January 2004, based on aerial images.
26040 - Whataburger probably originally opened in late 2003. It kept its original blue accents until the early 2010s.
26060 - Hobby Lobby sits behind Whataburger and opened around the time Sonic and Whataburger did.
17928 Spring Cypress Road - The Home Depot opened (probably) in 2003.
17525 Spring Cypress Road - Taco Bell opened first sometime in late 2005. In 2017 it was renovated to a new prototype featuring the new purple-and-white logo.
17455 Spring Cypress Road - The anchor tenant of Cy-Fair Town Center (PDF perma-copied here) is a Kroger Signature grocery store. It was built around 2005 but between 2011 and 2012 received a physical expansion that made the store about 25% bigger. I should also make mention here that one of my favorite strip center store-names ever, "The Great Frame Up", located at 17515 Spring Cypress Ste. F, is now closed (spotted 2012-2013). Too bad. One more thing to note--one of my memories I have of this strip back IN 2005 was noticing the "Fry Road" and being reminded of Futurama which I had seen only some episodes of at the time.
25686 - Originally opened around 2006 as an On the Border this was closed by August 2014 and soon torn down and replaced by a new build PDQ fried chicken restaurant (more along the lines of Chick-fil-a than Church's) which opened in July 2015. The restaurant closed in 2019, ultimately being one of the shorter-lived restaurants in the corridor.
25666 - This McDonald's featured a Playplace and a silver mansard roof when it was built in 2006. In January 2018 work began to remodel the exterior (and likely the interior too) to McDonald's current prototype.
25660 - This might be the last Luby's (that wasn't attached to a Fuddruckers) ever opened. Many of the older locations have closed and have not been replaced.
25618 - Originally TGI Friday's, which closed late summer 2013 after opening with the rest of them around 2006. From January 2014 to December 2017 it was Baker Street Pub & Grill. In September 2019, this became the second Corky's Ribs & BBQ restaurant in the Houston area, serving Memphis-style pork barbecue rather than the brisket we all associate barbecue with.
25646 - Besides a movie theater, the other major tenant in this shopping center is a JCPenney department store.
25632 - Located on the south end of the shopping center, the only thing noteworthy I remember about this 24 Hour Fitness was seeing some construction next to it some years ago and wondered if it was to become a 24 Hour Fitness "Super Sport", the largest facilities with a pool. It was just other strip center-type stores, and it remains a 24 Hour Fitness "Active", the smallest of the formats (just free weights and cardio equipment).
25310 - Pluckers Wing Bar opened here in May 2018. I ate here not long after it opened and rather average.
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