Let’s face it, for just about as long as we can remember, 500 Texas has been a little on the dingy side. The ground floor of the corner building has most recently housed a Metro PCS and Up In Smoke on the Texas street side, and on Marshall, a shoe shop, notary, and various restaurants. Businesses did not always come and go here. For years, the ground floor of the building was home to National Shirt Shop, the business that likely was responsible for covering most of the building’s existing windows with cream-colored porcelain tiles.
The space was recently purchased by Dickie Grieder, owner of 421 Texas performance and event center (the former Jordan and Booth men’s store). Most of the building at 500 Texas Street is currently vacant, something Grieder plans to change. First up comes a new look and upgrades for Up in Smoke, to make it into a real Downtown convenience store. The prime retail space adjacent to it and the restaurant space that used to house Theo’s/Sevendipity/Barbara’s Eatery (depending on your era) are already turning into hot commodities. The real exciting transformations will be happening on the spacious and window-filled second floor, which Grieder intends to open up and allow light to once again shine through. Not going to spill the beans on this just yet, but get ready for something pretty cool.
