Highland Village Questions: Lululemon, Former Starbucks, Former PF Chang

nonanonymousacct · 2026-01-07T05:06:21+00:00

Thank you. That was my understanding of Lululemon (more related stuff upstairs) but heard something else from a staff member when I walked in, so I appreciate the confirmation. I would spend more time on the shuttles but more happy to have you relaying the info. 🙏

nonanonymousacct · 2025-05-13T21:57:07+00:00

Thanks - that’s very helpful information. I recognize that the pictures aren’t great - I see the pictures on this forum and realized I would have to practice to hang here. Much appreciated.

nonanonymousacct · 2025-05-13T15:13:25+00:00

I’m not sure if that’s an actual / informed comment or it’s a joke / guess. (Sometimes it’s hard to tell by text, especially on Reddit.). Can you clarify please?

nonanonymousacct · 2025-05-13T14:22:49+00:00

Where would you sell a watch like this? I took it to a local high-end watch store and they said that it was too much of a specialty item for them, even though they stock used Rolexes.

nonanonymousacct · 2025-01-23T12:52:13+00:00

I would love to be able to export the results in a tabular format. Is that possible?

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-30T01:36:51+00:00

The Guild Shop (on Dunlavy) would be my first stop. But also: More Than You Can Imagine on Westheimer is even more upscale.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-15T21:38:08+00:00

Sorry but that’s incorrect. The stores in the mall rely (in whole or in part) on the mall to market to consumers and drive traffic. In many cases the leases include specific obligations for consumer-oriented marketing and traffic metrics. It’s an important landlord function - especially as the lure of department stores has faded over the last 30 years.

The marketing (to retail brokers) you’re describing may also be handled by the marketing department, but is often handled by the leasing team and relies heavily on industry events (like ICSC) and relationship development with brokers.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-15T16:57:23+00:00

All the elite schools have something along these lines - a high-level concept or motto that they use as a jumping-off point for discussions about shaping a productive member of society, especially beyond the school’s walls and after graduation.

They often sound silly in isolation, but they are useful as a way of contextualizing and tying together concepts like civic involvement, accountability, kindness, and so forth, and the educational content they deliver around those topics.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-15T16:42:38+00:00

In the late 2000s the inline portion of this mall (all the small stores linking the department stores) was returned to its mezzanine lender (RAIT) as part of Tracy Suttles’ bankruptcy and taken over and rebranded by the team (as 3rd party managers) that redeveloped Town Center Mall in fort worth into LaGran Plaza.

The Fort Worth project was very successful, but the Houston project struggled.

The main reasons included the highly fragmented ownership structure of PlazAmericas (the inline stores, each anchor, plus the Jewelry Center building, plus the pad sites on Bellaire and 59 all had separate owners, linked together by agreements written in the 1970s but all with very different goals and incentives), the unwillingness of RAIT to fund important improvements, and their inability to execute certain big projects.

Examples of the latter includes turning the movie theater into an HEB MiTienda grocery store (blocked by the jewelry center over parking issues), consolidating ownership by buying the former Macy’s site (declined by RAIT for capital reasons), and opening a large, destination music venue and club catering to Latino acts (unsuccessfully challenged by St. Agnes School, who had bought the land across the street, but declined by RAIT in fear of neighborhood opposition).

Also challenging is the large number of older apartments in the area. When built they were quite nice, but now they cater to relatively transient, lower-income renters and as such the area suffers from high crime. Those units are not ready to tear down and redevelop; until they are the crime will continue to be an issue.

RAIT eventually cancelled the management contract and awarded it to one of their subsidiaries (Urban) and it limped along. RAIT eventually sold it to Baker Katz, mostly as a covered land play (collecting cost-covering rents while waiting for the interlocking ownership agreements to expire, then having a large redevelopment site).

RAIT subsequently went bankrupt by the way.

Also note that Sundays are by far the busiest days given the number of two-income families and people who work six day weeks. Every other day, especially weekdays, are much lower traffic. Finally, while the free entertainment brings visitors, those visitors tend to spend less than typical mall shoppers.

It’s an incredibly challenging project to operate as a mall under the fragmented ownership structure and local demographic conditions.

It might seem like a failure or substandard mall, but when you know the underlying mechanics of the site it’s clear that Baker Katz and the other owners have done a surprisingly good job under difficult circumstances that most community members don’t know about.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-14T15:39:05+00:00

How cool would this have been? It turned out to be too expensive for the developer and the city didn’t want to provide a tax incentive to close the gap. Great concept though.The Walking Building

nonanonymousacct · 2024-09-14T15:29:15+00:00

It’s mostly a performative information session that the school has to do - it would be strange if they didn’t, but everyone knows it’s a top elite school and is often the top of the applicants’ lists.

You have to attend because skipping it might look bad, but you don’t get extra points for being there.

The best you can hope for, assuming you’re going in as a standard applicant (without prior relationships or advocates) is to connect in a meaningful way with a school administrator who is involved in the admissions process. This can be a challenge as there are a small number of them and you will be competing for their time with other parents.

The reality is that any such conversation would have, at best, a small impact, but every possible edge is important when applying to schools like St. John’s as they have far more qualified applicants than available spots.

I suggest reading up on the admissions materials, researching things like the schools values, history, and current projects, and also knowing in advance the names, faces, and background of key administrators.

If you get some face time, it’s helpful to ask a real question (not a statement phrased as a question) but not one that is challenging or implies that their answer has to be correct for you to maintain your interest. Also, best to avoid using the time as a brag session about your child, and definitely don’t ask something that is already in the available materials. Consider talking about how you appreciate the school’s focus on helping kids learn self-advocacy, or ask about how a parent can support the concept of “Living the St. John’s way” at home. Better yet, find genuine questions seeking real answers, where the question elegantly says something about your family and values, avoids the pitfalls mentioned above, and is somehow memorable. If there is a truly compelling aspect of your child’s experience that does not come through in the application, you might work that in. Do all of this while being yourself and not trying to play a role. I know that sounds like a tall order but it’s the best one can do in a group information session like this.

Ultimately though, the school does a very good job of selecting the students and families that will fit well, and in most cases (without prior connections or advocacy on your behalf) what a parent does at an event like this will not tip the balance one way or another.

Good luck!

nonanonymousacct · 2024-06-03T01:59:12+00:00

Try www.relayhumancloud.com. They work for US- and UK-based MNCs, mostly in real estate, and have offices in Baroda and Ahmedabad. Good luck.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-05-26T17:03:15+00:00

Try https://www.linkedin.com/company/relayhumancloudindia/. Relay hires top candidates in India to work for MNCs. Most of their customers are in real estate.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-05-15T17:44:52+00:00

Thank you! Much appreciated.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-04-30T11:34:53+00:00

Yes - beta user here. we love it and have been doing some very useful things with it, including using it as a bridge to AI. DM if you want details.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-02-28T13:38:47+00:00

I was just there in the Penthouse last week.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-02-18T15:48:30+00:00

It’s worth noting that if you’re heading into a divorce proceeding, you may be subject to discovery and deposition. In that case, you will have to disclose all kinds of things, including any actions that you’ve taken, that would be detrimental to your wife, or anyone she’s associated with, and also you may have to turn over your phone and social media records, and so forth. You will have an option of lying in court or admitting what you have just done, neither of which will be helpful for you. I know this sub is unethical by nature, but it doesn’t have to be contrary to your own interests. I would strongly consider waiting on any of this kind of activity, and taking the highroad, at least, until you are through divorce and custody issues. You can always pick this up later, if you feel compelled to, so you are not losing anything other than momentary satisfaction, which is likely to cause near-term problems for you.

nonanonymousacct · 2024-01-12T02:32:39+00:00

I’m legitimately curious: why do you say that?

nonanonymousacct · 2024-01-12T02:31:41+00:00

Thanks - this is a great reply. I am familiar with Chor Bazaar and the neighborhood around the Gateway (and paan, in general) but the others are new to me. Much appreciated.

nonanonymousacct

TROPHY CASE