Editor's note: The Downtown Evening Market begins Thursday, Nov. 19. This article previously stated the launch as Nov. 18.
After growing up in rural Texas, Hayley Summers said she moved to the Greater Houston area two years ago. Summers, the owner of Houston Morning Market Company—which runs the Heights Morning Market—said she fell in love with the Tomball and Conroe communities shortly thereafter.
“I couldn’t help but feel like Houston had too much and surrounding areas didn’t have enough,” she said. “I just really really fell in love with the towns and the culture but also couldn’t kick that feeling that there’s got to be more. It can’t just be [that] you’re in the city with tons to do or you’re in the country with nothing to do. ... There has to be a way to bring the city to the country, or at least bring more to do to the suburbs.”
This spring, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Summers—who has run vendor markets for the last seven years—took ownership of the Heights Morning Market, a farmers and artisan market held in the Heights every Sunday.
“I just started praying really, really hard that God would lead me in the right direction, as far as opening new markets, and that He would put me in communities and with business owners that would really see the blessing that a market like what I run has to offer and has the opportunity to bless the community, the business owners that are vending and the business owner that owns the venue,” Summers said.
The Houston Morning Market Company is now poised to launch three additional markets throughout the region by Nov. 19, Summers said. Vendor spaces are still available for the new markets.
The Conroe Morning Market—the company’s first venture into the suburbs—debuts Oct. 31 at Open Arms Boutique, located at 3501 N. Frazier St., Conroe. Opening day also includes a fall festival with candy and baked goods, on top of market vendors, live music and children’s activities, Summers said.
The Conroe market will be hosted with I Am Whole, a nonprofit dedicated to helping youth diagnosed with ADHD, Summers said, with part of the proceeds from face painting Oct. 31 going to the nonprofit.
Summers said the Conroe market will feature 20 vendors, food trucks, and space for small businesses and nonprofits to give back to the community each week. The market will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays.
The Tomball Morning Market launches Nov. 8 at Shiloh’s Food Court, located at 32127 Hwy. 249, Pinehurst. With four acres to spread out, Summers said initial plans include live music, activities, space for 20 artisan and shopping vendors and three food trucks—in addition to the food trucks already on-site at Shiloh’s Food Court.
“At Shiloh’s, we’re really just wanting to focus on everybody in the family has something to do here all day long every Sunday,” she said. “We want to be able to expand as much as possible at Shiloh’s and really just give the community what they want.”
The Tomball Morning Market will be open Sundays from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
“The possibilities are so endless. I would love to see bounce houses and water gun fights, and I would love to see charities or nonprofits come in and utilize the land to entertain our guests but also benefit their business,” Summers said. “We do eventually want to transition into our Tomball market being all day Saturday and Sunday.”
Summers said a third market—a Downtown Evening Market—will launch Nov. 19 and be located at Hot Box Hemp Goods at 803 Quitman St., Houston. The market will be held 6-10 p.m. on Thursdays and will feature local artists, live music and/or a DJ, unique artisan vendors, food and drinks.
Summers said she hopes to bring an artistic feel to the business district with this launch. She described the Downtown Evening Market as “where punk rock meets hip-hop with a twist of rock n‘ roll.”
“We’re really trying to steer away from the ordinary at our downtown market and just get a whole lot more culture and diversity involved,” Summers said.
The markets are all free to attend.
“The goal is really just bringing communities together, bringing diversity to these rural communities,” she said.
Houston Morning Market Company
www.houstonmorningmarkets.square.site
Conroe Morning Market
Open Arms Boutique
3501 N. Frazier St., Conroe
Sat. 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
Debuts Oct. 31 with a fall festival (open Oct. 31 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.)
Tomball Morning Market
Shiloh’s Food Court
32127 Hwy. 249, Pinehurst
Sun. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Debuts Nov. 8
Downtown Evening Market
Hot Box Hemp Goods
803 Quitman St., Houston
Thu. 6-10 p.m.
Debuts Nov. 19
Heights Morning Market
Onion Creek Cafe
3106 White Oak Drive, Houston
Sun. 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Open now
