Bellaire

Bellaire is a small community in the heart of Houston. It is known for feeling like a suburb, but being in the middle of the city. Callie and I both have friends and family in the area. It was our first thought for location. There is a well known gift shop in Bellaire called Magpie's. There are 3 stores, but the original store is the Bellaire location. It is a home decor and gift shop. You can buy anything from a gorgeous wreaths, to customizable John Hart bags, to baby headbands and gifts. It definitely attracts a specific type of customer that we would love to share!

Across from Magpies is a strip center. The corner slot is a restaurant called Auntie Pasto's. It is open daily from 11-10. On Saturdays it is open from 4-11. Sundays it is open 4-9.

Next to Auntie Pasto's is the Christian Science Reading Room. It is closed on Sundays.

Next comes the Asian fusion restaurant Lemongrass Cafe. We went by on a Sunday, and there were plenty of families and couples enjoying lunch. Lemongrass was one of the few businesses open on Sunday, and still it was busy.

Next, are two open spaces. One appears to be a former retail space. The other was a bistro that was called Chanterelle Bistro.

After the 2 empty spaces is walkway to the huge back parking lot! The lot has easy access to the main road South Rice blvd. All stores have entrances to the front lot and the back lot.


After the walkway is a family favorite, Marble Slab.

The last 2 spots are ideal neighbors for a boutique. One is a nail salon, the other is a hair salon. Both are closed on Sundays. While we were there, a woman walked up and was disappointed that she forgot the nail salon was closed Sundays. Clearly, it is an area favorite. Kati has an appointment at the hair salon, Salon Stephan, to get a trim and to get some information about the area.




Another plus of the area is the huge Bellaire Town Square just walking distance from the strip center. It has 7.5 acres of outdoor activities. Several times a year, there are festivals held here that draw hundreds of people.