Harlingen’s largely vacant Valle Vista Mall is getting an investment boost as a Los Angeles-based company announced it had acquired the retail space formerly occupied by Dillard’s. BH Properties said it is analyzing the best use for its new property, which since 1983 had been an anchor store at Valle Vista until its recent closure. The company said its Harlingen acquisition is a good fit in its strategies to re-imagine…
The intersection of FM 802/Ruben Torres and I-69C is among Brownsville’s busiest corners. An old-school filling station with gas pumps and cars jacked up on lifts stood on that location for years. Even as Sunrise Mall’s renovation and rebirth loomed behind it, the 1970s-era gas station lingered, a holdout to the past with new developments all around it. The pressure to sell such a coveted corner of real estate finally…
Everything is coming up golden for Iselle Perez. It shows in her smile and a new boutique gaining a footing in Brownsville. Golden Girl Boutique is tucked next to the Vermillion, an iconic Brownsville restaurant and watering hole she co-owns with her husband, George. Golden Girl is Iselle’s enterprise. It’s a business she launched in spring 2020. Those were perilous months to start anything new given all of the public…
Walk into Karma Coffee & Books in South Padre Island and it’s immediately a place where you want to sit and stay a while. There’s a wide variety of coffee-based drinks to go with breakfast and lunch sandwiches – and of course books. It’s an ideal place to take a break from the beach sun and surf. The way that Will Everett sees it is that his new coffee and…
In 2016, Cynthia Villarreal and daughter Ximena Martinez turned meal prepping to creating fresh dinner options that were ready in minutes. They used what they learned in Villareal’s nana’s traditional Mexican kitchen. Their creations then became La Casa de mi Abuela, a line currently of seven stews and products. The duo are now one of 20 contestants who will present their products for H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best. A panel…
The Edinburg Chamber is shifting gears by transitioning its outdoor market to a late afternoon/early evening event. The Sunset Member Market takes place Aug. 19 from 3-7 p.m. at the Historic Edinburg Chamber Depot, 602 W. University Drive. The free event will allow attendees to discover new products and services from different members of the Edinburg Chamber. Vendors will have products such as food, coffee, clothing, jewelry, home decor and…
Most mornings, while enjoying a cup of coffee, Kim Edwards-Garza spends this quiet time before her workday with God. “I fill up my soul with His Word, and it enables me to tackle any problem or stress I may have that day,” she said. Born and raised in McAllen, and a graduate of Memorial High School, Edwards-Garza earned a degree in marketing at St. Edward’s University in Austin. She later…
The bracelets at Jen Zeano Designs define the brand Jennifer Serrano is selling. “Fuerte,” says one bracelet with the others reaffirming the theme of strength with “Poderosa,” and “Jefa.” Being a boss and exuding power all flow into the pro-Latina vibes Serrano and her partner and business co-owner, Veronica Vasquez, live everyday. The 20-something business owners ship out 50 to 100 orders monthly from their Levee Street location in downtown…
Debbie Garcia and Alicia Garza met at a neighborhood block sale on Nyssa Avenue in McAllen over 15 years ago. It was a chance encounter neither guessed would lead to a sisterly friendship and a business partnership. That is exactly what happened. The two women already had a few things in common when they met. Both were teachers in the McAllen school district. Garcia was an English teacher at DeLeon…
Up in his son’s second floor office, Francisco Pulido pulls out a book of family photos. He then smiles at the sight of a skinny 19-year-old youth. “That’s me,” he said, pointing to himself in the late 1970s, standing in front of a record store in Nuevo Progreso. He was a young entrepreneur then. He was the son of Tamaulipas farmers, opening up a record shop in a town already…