A Pea in the Pod/Destination Maternity
Pea in the Pod in Rice Village, 2367 Rice Blvd., and Destination Maternity in the Galleria, 5135 W. Alabama St., closed after their parent company, Destination Maternity, filed for bankruptcy Oct. 21, 2019, and announced it would close stores as part of a restructuring. www.apeainthepod.com
Pier 1 Imports
Local Pier 1 Imports stores in Meyerland, at 110 Meyerland Plaza, Houston, and Rice Village, at 2501 Rice Blvd., Houston, closed their doors in 2020. The closures came amid a 450-store nationwide reduction for Pier 1, out of 942 total, the company announced in a third-quarter fiscal year 2020 business update Jan. 6. www.pier1.com
A&O Lamp Co.
A&O Lamp Co., a family-run lamp, chandelier, fan and furniture company with a decadeslong presence around the West University Place business community, at 3936 Bellaire Blvd., closed in 2020. The lamp reseller closed its doors in January after holding inventory viewings Jan. 9 and 10 with an auction on Jan. 11.
Express
Amid nationwide closures, the Express fashion store in Rice Village, at 2414 University Blvd., Houston, closed down Jan. 26. The fashion chain reduced storefronts nationwide to reduce costs by $80 million over the next three years. www.express.com
Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Bellaire
Cornerstone Specialty Hospitals Bellaire, at 5314 Dashwood Drive, Ste. 100, Houston, shut down in 2020, laying off 126 employees. The hospital made the announcement in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter to the Texas Workforce Commission on Feb. 25. www.chghospitals.com
Half Price Books
Citing rising rents, Half Price Books announced it would close its location March 8 at Rice Village, at 2537 University Blvd. The 11,300-square-foot store had been open since 1982. The store had cleared much of its inventory before its last day, as between March 2-6, the store offered a 75% off sale storewide. www.hpb.com
Snap Kitchen
The Bellaire location of prepared-meal business Snap Kitchen at 6700 S. Rice Ave., Bellaire, closed in 2020. The storefront had a lockout notice for unpaid rent dated April 16. The Austin-based company has seven other Houston-area locations, and meal pickup is also available at Whole Foods grocery stores. www.snapkitchen.com
Tropicales
The cafe Tropicales, at 2132 Bissonnet St., Ste. 100, Houston, did not reopen since closing indefinitely in March. “These are unprecedented times and we are grateful for our Houston community,” read the cafe’s latest Instagram post, dated March 17. https://tropicalestx.com
Union Kitchen
Established by Paul Miller of Gr8 Plate Hospitality in 2010, The Union Kitchen, which blends global cuisine with Southern hospitality, closed its location at 4057 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, in March. www.theunionkitchen.com
Urban Outfitters
Lifestyle retailer Urban Outfitters closed down its location in Rice Village on Sept. 13 at 2501 University Blvd., Houston. www.urbanoutfitters.com
