Requiem for Downtown Brownsville's HEB
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
Downtown Brownsville has always been my stomping grounds. As a child, I spent summers walking all throughout downtown's streets, eating at G&A's, C&L, and Rutledge, visiting Whitman's and the different ropa usadas around downtown's periphery. I rode the buses my grandfather drove while he was a bus driver for the city and I would later spend time in the BUS offices at Market Square when he was elevated to the position of dispatcher. I will never be as learned or as knowledgeable as some local historians, but I can take you on a driving tour of downtown (as I have for visiting friends in the past) and point out the different landmarks — this is where Whitman's was, this is where Sears was, and JC Penney, and the old Chevy dealership, and Woolworth's, and the old bank that was turned into the C&L Pharmacy, and the Majestic, Queen, and Capitol Theaters, this is where Fisher's Cafe was, this is where Mac's Toys used to be, and this is where the HEB...was.
Plywood panels were screwed into the front windows of the now closed HEB. A vinyl sign saying the location is closed was unceremoniously hung on one of those plywood boards. The signage was all removed. The communications equipment was unbolted from the roof. All that remains is the shell of what used to be one of the oldest operating HEB's left in Texas.
The Texas grocery store chain announced it would be closing its profitable, albeit small, downtown location on October 20. The public relations people said the store was closed because it did not think it would be economically viable to refurbish the existing structure that was in need of repair and renovation.
This was a very poor decision. Several people relied on that HEB. There was never a time I passed by or visited when the store wasn't filled with customers. That HEB catered to several different crowds. People who owned small eateries downtown could always pop in if they needed something for their restaurant. Despite its apparent lack of residential space, downtown is home to several people. People live in some of the second story spaces over some of the businesses. There are several houses within blocks of that HEB. The Villa Del Sol housing complex is within walking distance. That was probably one of HEB's biggest customer bases. Several elderly people live in that high-rise structure. Many of them do not have transportation and many of them would purchase their groceries and other essentials from that HEB.
Another big customer base was people crossing over from Matamoros to conduct business at the HEB Business Center or to purchase groceries.
The closing of this HEB is going to be a big blow to downtown. That said, I'm sure that's exactly what some people wanted.
Downtown Brownsville is being turned into a playground for the Brownsville and Matamoros elite. Historical buildings are having their facades restored and refurbished only to house upscale pizza and wine restaurants, hip bars and pubs, and coffee houses. People who would go downtown to go looking for inexpensive wares and secondhand clothing are quickly noticing their spots being replaced by places selling fifty dollar shots of rare whiskey.
The gentrification of downtown is not a good thing. I've never understood why people have always wanted to turn Brownsville into something it isn't. No matter what we try and do, Brownsville is never going to be McAllen, San Antonio, or Austin. We don't have to pretend to be a low-rent Sixth Street. We don't have to make things look like anything we aren't. We should strive to make Brownsville the best Brownsville it can be.
Downtown can be a beautiful place. Some of the New Orleans style architecture combined with Spanish and American elements of design make downtown a unique place. We don't have to turn it into a row of bars and upscale restaurants. There is nothing wrong with bars, restaurants, art galleries, and coffee houses — but there certainly isn't anything wrong with having a grocery store that served the people who lived close to downtown, either.
With the recent news of the old Hotel El Jardin being sold to the BHA breaking as I'm writing this article, downtown is about to get a whole lot of new inhabitants within the next couple of years. We have to find a way to coexist and service those who are going to be living within a stone's throw of that old HEB.
Yes, we're a little bit upscale, fancy bar...but we're also a little bit indoor flea market; and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Downtown Brownsville has always been my stomping grounds. As a child, I spent summers walking all throughout downtown's streets, eating at G&A's, C&L, and Rutledge, visiting Whitman's and the different ropa usadas around downtown's periphery. I rode the buses my grandfather drove while he was a bus driver for the city and I would later spend time in the BUS offices at Market Square when he was elevated to the position of dispatcher. I will never be as learned or as knowledgeable as some local historians, but I can take you on a driving tour of downtown (as I have for visiting friends in the past) and point out the different landmarks — this is where Whitman's was, this is where Sears was, and JC Penney, and the old Chevy dealership, and Woolworth's, and the old bank that was turned into the C&L Pharmacy, and the Majestic, Queen, and Capitol Theaters, this is where Fisher's Cafe was, this is where Mac's Toys used to be, and this is where the HEB...was.
Plywood panels were screwed into the front windows of the now closed HEB. A vinyl sign saying the location is closed was unceremoniously hung on one of those plywood boards. The signage was all removed. The communications equipment was unbolted from the roof. All that remains is the shell of what used to be one of the oldest operating HEB's left in Texas.
The Texas grocery store chain announced it would be closing its profitable, albeit small, downtown location on October 20. The public relations people said the store was closed because it did not think it would be economically viable to refurbish the existing structure that was in need of repair and renovation.
This was a very poor decision. Several people relied on that HEB. There was never a time I passed by or visited when the store wasn't filled with customers. That HEB catered to several different crowds. People who owned small eateries downtown could always pop in if they needed something for their restaurant. Despite its apparent lack of residential space, downtown is home to several people. People live in some of the second story spaces over some of the businesses. There are several houses within blocks of that HEB. The Villa Del Sol housing complex is within walking distance. That was probably one of HEB's biggest customer bases. Several elderly people live in that high-rise structure. Many of them do not have transportation and many of them would purchase their groceries and other essentials from that HEB.
Another big customer base was people crossing over from Matamoros to conduct business at the HEB Business Center or to purchase groceries.
The closing of this HEB is going to be a big blow to downtown. That said, I'm sure that's exactly what some people wanted.
Downtown Brownsville is being turned into a playground for the Brownsville and Matamoros elite. Historical buildings are having their facades restored and refurbished only to house upscale pizza and wine restaurants, hip bars and pubs, and coffee houses. People who would go downtown to go looking for inexpensive wares and secondhand clothing are quickly noticing their spots being replaced by places selling fifty dollar shots of rare whiskey.
The gentrification of downtown is not a good thing. I've never understood why people have always wanted to turn Brownsville into something it isn't. No matter what we try and do, Brownsville is never going to be McAllen, San Antonio, or Austin. We don't have to pretend to be a low-rent Sixth Street. We don't have to make things look like anything we aren't. We should strive to make Brownsville the best Brownsville it can be.
Downtown can be a beautiful place. Some of the New Orleans style architecture combined with Spanish and American elements of design make downtown a unique place. We don't have to turn it into a row of bars and upscale restaurants. There is nothing wrong with bars, restaurants, art galleries, and coffee houses — but there certainly isn't anything wrong with having a grocery store that served the people who lived close to downtown, either.
With the recent news of the old Hotel El Jardin being sold to the BHA breaking as I'm writing this article, downtown is about to get a whole lot of new inhabitants within the next couple of years. We have to find a way to coexist and service those who are going to be living within a stone's throw of that old HEB.
Yes, we're a little bit upscale, fancy bar...but we're also a little bit indoor flea market; and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Well said, I remember when I started working for Pepsi and I had to merchandise that HEB. I was always packed! It will be missed!
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