As the year comes to an end, Community Impact is taking a look back at the 12 locally owned businesses and restaurants featured in the Katy and Fulshear areas this year.
PopStroke
PopStroke, an entertainment venue with features that include a smaller-scale golf course designed by Tiger Woods; four bars, including one on the course; an extensive ice cream parlor; and restaurant and VIP space opened in Katy on December 2022.
Founder Greg Bartoli said the diverse market in Katy also makes it ideal for the first PopStroke outside of Florida.
Limited Edition Art & Antiques
Having been in business for nearly 30 years now, Limited Edition Art & Antiques has served as a one-stop shop for a host of vintage antiques, vinyl records and posters.
What started as a small, single-room business that displayed artworks and antiques now includes a middle section for vendors, and a large back room that contains an array of posters, vinyl and even more antique relics.
Uncle Chin’s Kitchen
Husband and wife Franco and Jovia Chin own and run Uncle Chin’s Kitchen, a reference to the Malaysian custom of referring to an elder as “uncle.” Building on a family legacy of cooking talent, Franco serves Malaysian food with some Singaporean options.
Katy Vibes
Katy Vibes co-owner Adam Syed did not initially see himself going into the restaurant industry.
“I have a background in music and marketing; I quickly had to learn all the hats and keep this place going,” Syed said.
Home Run Dugout
The 12 hitting bays at Home Run Dugout:
- Have adjustable settings for an easier or more challenging experience
- Have 30 baseball stadiums to choose as a backdrop
- Simulate the velocity of each hit to telegraph how the swing would fare in a stadium
Read more about how the co-owners got their start.
Texas Republic Veterinary Hospital
Mark and Jessica Buvinghausen said they don’t need to promote their veterinary business to find patients to serve; they said their local community in the Katy area found them first.
“It was all word of mouth. It was all social media, friends and family,” Jessica said. “It just took off.”
Southern Dough Baking Co.
The restaurant is marketed as a “country cafe” with Southern-style dishes and decor that fit the theme of “Old Katy,” General Manager Tony Grassau said.
“We bake our own bread in-house. We are making pies, cookies, muffins, all of it from scratch,” Grassau said. "We are going to have daily specials that are just down-home food—pot roast, chicken and dumplings, meatloaf.”
Copenhagen European Kitchen & Bakery
The restaurant serves food from different countries from around Europe, such as traditional Danish open-faced sandwiches and fried pork belly, Spanish-style dates in a blanket, and Hungarian goulash.
Dogwood Lane Goods
Jennifer Hagemann said she was intentional about choosing downtown Fulshear as the location of her home decor and gifts shop, Dogwood Lane Goods.
“I wanted it to be a show that I’m putting a dog in the fight,” Hagemann said. “I’m supporting [Fulshear’s] vision for the future.”
Fork It
“Katy is multicultural, but I think [Fork It] actually [highlights] it,” owner Tasha Mabry said. “You get to have soul food and Asian food, you get to have Spanish food and Asian food. I think that these cultures blend really well.”
Delices de Maurice
Six-decade-old multigenerational recipes are the hallmark of French bakery Delices de Maurice, owner and pastry chef Dany Srour said.
Srour said he wanted to celebrate his father, who opened a bakery in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1963, by continuing the craft.
Dulcedo Coffee
The name comes from the way he prays, said Oscar Gushiken, the owner of Dulcedo Coffee.
“It means sweetness [in] medieval Latin. I’m one of those people that sometimes prays in Latin,” Gushiken said. “If you look around [the shop], there's certain Christian elements here and there. ... That's just part of who I am.”
