1. Butler Park Pitch & Putt reopened to the public April 9 after being closed for renovations since August at 201 Lee Barton Drive, Austin. Austin locals Douglas and Winston Kinser opened the golf course in 1950. The new operator for the city-owned course is Pecan Grove Golf Partners, a partnership of national golf course management firm Touchstone Golf and local hospitality management company New Waterloo. Renovations include new turf, a beer garden and a new menu of biscuits from Olamaie chef Michael Fojtasek. www.butlerpitchandputt.com
2. Aha At Briarcliff, an apartment complex built with housing for disabled residents, had its official ribbon cutting March 4 at 1915 Briarcliff Blvd., Austin. Built by local housing nonprofit Accessible Housing Austin, which celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, the complex includes 27 accessible and affordable units. 512-640-7781. www.ahaustin.org
3. Fitness Studio chain Barry’s opened a pop-up location in downtown Austin on March 20. Located at 524 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 300, Barry’s offers a cardio and strength interval workout experience under red light intended to heighten focus. The pop-up will remain downtown until sometime in the spring or summer. www.barrys.com
4. Comedy club The Creek and the Cave opened April 1 at 611 E. Seventh St., Austin, in the space that formerly housed Red River Street-area music venue the Barracuda. The club was originally located in New York City. www.creekandcaveatx.com
5. KibRoh Construction opened at 6916 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin, in April. Owners Rob Higgs and Kim Brown are both born-and-raised Austinites who have been building and remodeling homes for more than 25 years. They formed the company in 2019 and had been operating out of a home office, but Higgs said the physical space was needed due to the addition of new employees. 512-784-8184. www.kibroh.com
6. Markaaz, a company that connects small businesses with other verified service providers and business partners, relocated its headquarters from Los Angeles to East Austin at 310 Comal St., Ste. 201, in April. 323-638-9797. www.markaaz.com
7. Optily, a technology company based in Dublin, Ireland, opened its first U.S. location March 30 at 515 Congress Ave., Ste. 1750, Austin. The company focuses on helping small to midsize ecommerce companies grow their business by making the best use of their advertising budgets. According to a news release, Optily plans to hire at least 10 new employees over the next year in Austin. 737-263-2732. www.optily.com
8. Sunset Strip Comedy Room held its grand opening comedy showcase April 2 at 310 E. Third St., Austin. The new comedy club also hosts live music acts and features a private VIP area for events. www.sunsetstripcomedy.com
9. Waterloo Swimming opened its second location at 3200 W. Anderson Lane, Austin, on April 16. Toddler through adult swim lesson classes are offered at the new location, which owner Mike Varozza said includes two indoor heated pools. 512-401-3404. www.waterlooswimming.org
