Seven years ago, a video titled "Westbury Community Garden – Master Plan Implementation Phase 1" was posted to YouTube.The actual master plan mentioned in the video was developed years before that. Debbie Gordon, Westbury Community Garden President (Photos by Dorothy Puch Lillig) "We developed our master plan in 2015 with Asakura Robinson Landscape Architects, but [...]
On a recent trip to New York City, I wandered into a random corner store in Harlem and ordered a pastrami sandwich that instantly reset my standards for what a sandwich could be. It became the sandwich by which all future sandwiches would be judged. When I bit into the Cuban sandwich at Bakery Inka [...]
Gen X'ers rejoiced last month when that big national chain whose name starts with “pizza” and ends with a word that rhymes with “nut” announced it was bringing back its long-running reading incentive program, which rewards reading goals with free pizza. It’s supposed to be for pre-K to sixth graders. “I’m gonna read those kids [...]
Mikki’s Soul Food Café in the Brays Oaks District is often referred to as a place “where you can taste the love.” If you’ve got the Too Good To Go app on your mobile device, you can taste that love for about a third of the usual price. Many Houston-area food businesses have joined this [...]
At 713 Shirts in the Brays Oaks District, every day is July 13, or 713 Day — Houston's unofficial holiday celebrating the city's original area code. Simultaneously, every day is also June 27 at the locally owned shop. That's yet another unofficial holiday in Houston celebrating the life and legacy of DJ Screw Day, the [...]
Photos by Fiona Murphy Brays Oaks' hottest club is a distillery recently opened in the former location of a tire shop. That's what “Stefan,” the character from Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update, might say about the newly opened local business. In reality, Drop of the Creator Spirits Company isn't a club. Also, it's [...]
“In the quiet corners of nature, flowers bloom not just as color, but as stories. They stand as gentle reminders of growth, resilience, and the healing we can find when we stop to listen. Along the Keegans Bayou Trail, flowers are not simply a sight to behold—they are messages to our ancestors, whispers of forgotten [...]
At its board meeting on February 18, 2025, the Brays Oaks Management District (BOMD) approved a $100,000 budget for the newly established Business Improvement Grant (BIG) program for Fiscal Year 2025. This exciting new initiative represents a significant investment in the district’s commercial landscape, providing business owners with financial support to enhance their properties and [...]
After nearly two decades of passionate advocacy, the Brays Oaks Management District proudly welcomes a brand-new Starbucks at West Bellfort and Beltway 8—an exciting milestone that underscores the District’s commitment to fostering quality economic development in Southwest Houston. This long-awaited ribbon cutting is more than a simple store opening; it is a powerful reminder of [...]
In honor of Women’s History Month, we shine a spotlight on Sheri Cortez—an inspiring community leader and dedicated advocate for positive change. As a longtime resident and board member of the Brays Oaks Management District, Sheri has devoted much of her life to ensuring that Southwest Houston remains a safe, vibrant, and thriving place for [...]
