By Florian Martin – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jul 22, 2023 Updated Jul 21, 2023 5:16pm CDT
NewQuest Properties is getting close to opening a 90,000-square-foot retail center in west Houston that is undergoing a major makeover.
The Houston-based real estate developer acquired the 10-acre Pavilion Center at 12220 Westheimer Road two years ago. Construction started in 2022, and the new center — named West on West, or WoW — is slated to open this fall.
“The center has been sitting there kind of vacant for some time with just a few tenants, and most tenants were on month-to-month leases,” said Heather Nguyen, development manager at NewQuest. “And we just thought of an opportunity to uplift the area if we were able to pull a project together that could really be enhancing and bringing life back to this part of the community.”
As part of the $12 million redevelopment, NewQuest replaced the walls, demolished part of the center and built new space.
WoW will open with Asian supermarket chain 99 Ranch Market as the 33,029-square-foot anchor and 90% occupancy overall. Nguyen said she is holding the remaining space for concepts she will be recruiting.
The project is part of NewQuest’s Asia-Pacific Retail division, which was launched in November 2020 with the goal to bring retailers and restaurant companies from the Asia-Pacific region to Texas.
“What we want to do is set a stage to showcase many different concepts from Asia that are going to be new to Houston, new to Texas,” Nguyen said. “Some of them are existing, and many of them are first to market.”
Tsujita Artisan Noodle, a Tokyo-based restaurant, leased 2,814 square feet for its first southern U.S. location. It has 18 restaurants in Japan and six in Los Angeles and New Jersey combined.
Paris Baguette, a South Korea-based bakery café, has leased 3,150 square feet.
The Alley, a Taiwanese bubble tea concept, has signed a lease for 2,436 square feet for its second Greater Houston location after one in NewQuest’s Katy Grand retail center, which is also under Nguyen's Asia-Pacific Retail division.
SomiSomi, a Los Angeles-based Korean dessert place, has leased 1,637 square feet.
Lady M, a New York City-based luxury confections boutique with French and Japanese influences, has leased 2,793 square feet with an anticipated spring 2024 opening date. It has another location in the Galleria.
Kaiten-sushi Ginza Onodera by Tokyo-based The Onodera Group will open its first U.S. location in 3,976 square feet next spring.
California-based Gen Korean BBQ House has leased 6,212 square feet for its third Houston-area location after Midtown and Webster.
Japanese retailer Teso Life has leased the 13,340-square-foot endcap fronting Westheimer Road.
Other than Teso Life and another retailer NewQuest is in the process of recruiting, all tenants are food concepts.
“We want it to be a foodie paradise,” Nguyen said. “Hopefully a place where people can gather and enjoy food and have a good time with their friends and family.”
WoW is about 4 miles from Chinatown, and many of those who shop there live closer, in Alief or Memorial, she said. While the center is Asian-focused, the goal is to attract a diverse clientele: “everybody who has interest or enjoys Asian cuisine,” she added.
First report here...
View WoW tenants here...