1. The Backspace, which has a location at 1745 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, celebrated its tenth anniversary in January. The downtown pizza spot opened downtown in the back space of Shawn Cirkiel's flagship restaurant, Parkside, in 2010. The restaurant expanded to North Central Austin with its second location in July 2020. 512-474-9899. www.backspacepizza.com

2. Austin-based dating app Bumble filed paperwork Jan. 15 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange commission to go public. Headquartered at 1105 W. 41st St., Austin, Bumble had around 42 million users as of the third quarter of 2020. www.bumble.com

3. Charoen Express opened Jan. 11 in the Cloud Kitchens space at 5610 N. I-35, Austin. The Thai restaurant operates in a ghost kitchen, which means it is open for online delivery, takeout and catering orders with no dine-in service. Co-owner Char Chongchitmate was formerly a chef at Thai Lada on Parmer Lane. www.charoenatx.com

4. South Austin Mexican restaurant Curra’s Grill plans to open a new location in the Hyde Park space that previously housed vegetarian restaurant Mother’s Cafe at 4215 Duval St., Austin. According to Curra’s Grill co-owner Julieta Rodriguez, an opening is tentatively planned for the spring—no later than April—after some remodeling work is completed. 512-444-0012. www.currasgrill.com

5. Video game lounge Forge Gaming Center, located at 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Bldg. 3-132, Austin, announced in December it is permanently closing, along with the adjacent boba tea cafe Tea Amo, due to financial hardships incurred due to the coronavirus pandemic. www.forgegamingcenter.com


6. Hempton’s Retro Threads permanently closed Dec. 31 after over four years in business, according to a representative from the store. The vintage-inspired boutique has its remaining clothing stock for sale on its website while supplies last. 3511 Hyridge Drive, Austin. 512-368-5005. www.hemptonsretro.com

7. Humpty’s Wall of Breakfast, a fast-casual breakfast and lunch concept, will hold its grand opening Feb. 25 at 8820 Burnet Road, Ste. 502, Austin. Owned by husband-wife team Sergio Martinez and Cara Silverman, Humpty’s Wall will specialize in customizable sandwiches, wraps and bowls as well as coffee. 512-394-5221. www.humptyswall.com

8. Pet Specialists of Austin, a “specialty, emergency hospital for pets” opened Jan. 11 at 3901 Guadalupe St., Austin. A member of Austin-based Pathway Vet Alliance, a national veterinary management group, Pet Specialists of Austin is open 24 hours a day and offers surgery, cardiology and oncology services. The pet hospital is set to offer internal medicine services beginning in the fall. www.pathwayvets.com

9. Local specialty care group Texas Orthopedics, with a location at 911 W. 38th St., Ste, 100, Austin, announced Jan. 4 it has merged with five other orthopedic practices from Dallas, Houston and Tyler to form OrthoLoneStar. The new OrthoLoneStar is now the largest independent orthopedic group in Texas, according to a company news release, with more than 150 physicians and 1,000 employees. Locally, Texas Orthopedics will retain its name as a division of the new group and will remain physician-owned and -operated. 512-439-1002. www.txortho.com