Small retailers play to strengths off the beaten path
The Mosaic’s Lisa Theut wanted to be near her son’s school. That’s why she opened her store in Fulshear. She says half her customers live in Fulshear and the rest come from Katy and Houston.
On some of the more frenzied days of the holiday season, shoppers have been known to fight over parking spots.
Parking is no problem at Mosaic Boutique, an upscale women’s apparel and accessories store in tiny Fulshear. About seven miles from Katy, Mosaic carries designer brands including Brighton, Vera Bradley and Joseph Ribkoff.
Parking is also no issue at Write Now, a brand-new card and gift shop on White Oak in the Heights area. It’s in a small strip center that has three other retail spaces, all of them vacant. Unlike the Heights’ crowded 19th Street, there are relatively few retail shops along White Oak.
And Mossrock Gallery, which features ceramics, paintings and sculpture, is in a converted house near The Woodlands. You can park in owner Andy Sankowski’s driveway.
Not all Houston-area shops selling gift items this season are in the center of the retail action. For cheaper rent or a variety of other reasons, these mom-and-pops choose to locate outside traditional retail areas.
The Mosaic’s Lisa Theut wanted to be near her son’s school. Shanna Barnstone of Write Now picked her space because it had plenty of parking, and she loves the building’s exterior.
Mossrock’s Sankowski, a potter, chose his location for a quirkier reason. The chimney on the house has a catenary arch that reminded him of a kiln.
