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    farewell to the queen

    Houston joins world in mourning as Queen Elizabeth II passes away at 96

    Steven Devadanam
    Sep 8, 2022 | 2:55 pm
    Queen Elizabeth II
    The beloved Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Thursday, September 8.
    The Royal Family/Twitter

    Editor’s note: As the city, and the world, marks this historic passing and indeed, an end of an era, CultureMap looks back at a Houstonian’s photos (above) of the queen’s Diamond Jubilee in London in 2012, in a piece by former society editor Shelby Hodge.

    The world has paused as Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in United Kingdom’s history, passed away at the age of 96 on Thursday, September 8 at Balmoral, the Scottish castle and holiday home of the Royal Family.

    The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon, read a statement from Buckingham Palace. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.

    She was surrounded by family; when doctors placed her under supervision, her children traveled to Balmoral, joined by grandson Prince William. Prince Harry is en route, according to news reports.

    Per ABC News, Queen Elizabeth’s funeral will take (tentatively) at Westminster Abbey 10 days after her death, following the tradition of observing a national period of mourning. Notably, she would be the first sovereign to have a funeral there since 1760.

    Following the services, per ABC News, the queen is expected to be buried at St. George's Chapel in a private service on the grounds of Windsor Castle. She will be laid to rest next to her father, King George VI; her sister, Princess Margaret; and Prince Philip, her husband of 73 years.

    Now, in keeping with tradition, Queen Elizabeth’s passing ushers in her son, formerly known as Prince Charles, as king; he will thus be known as King Charles III.

    A statement from His Majesty The King: pic.twitter.com/AnBiyZCher

    — The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) September 8, 2022

    His Majesty The King, Charles released a the following statement after his mother’s passing:

    The death of my beloved Mother, Her Majesty The Queen, is a moment of the greatest sadness for me and all members of my family.

    We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world.

    During this period of mourning and change, my family and I will be comforted and sustained by our knowledge of the respect and deep affection in which The Queen was so widely held.

    Queen Elizabeth’s reign spanned 70 years, beginning at post-World War II recovery to a transition from empire to Commonwealth. She witnessed the end of the Cold War and watched as the UK entered, and ultimately withdrew from the European Union.

    But perhaps no event, however, connected her to the world — especially those not in the Commonwealth — more than her public presence and statements following the death of Princess Diana of Wales, who lost her life 25 years ago this month.

    Here in Houston, locals are stopping by cultural mainstays such as British Isles, the UK shop in Rice Village. Longtime manager and Brit Guy Streatfeild tells CultureMap the news hit him “like a sledgehammer,” especially given that the store just celebrated her Golden Jubilee.

    “People aren’t quite sure what to do, how best to pay tribute,” he says of those who visited the store just after news of the Queen’s passing. “One gentleman came in just to buy flowers.” The store will also provide a guestbook for visitors to sign, which will be delivered either to the British Royal Consulate or Buckingham Palace.

    A representative for the British Consulate-General, Houston was unable to comment, citing protocol, but will provide updates via social media.
    Meanwhile, locals can expect official ceremonies at area venues in the days to come.

    Houston last hosted the queen 31 years ago. Her trip included a private dinner at the Museum of Fine Arts, a trek to Johnson Space Center, and an endearing moment at Houston’s oldest black Baptist church, where she joyfully tapped her toes to the gleeful gospel music.

    Rabinow e-mailed on Monday: "Wet and cool and wonderful. Those three words describe London during the excitement of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration."

    Queen's Jubilee, June 2012
      
    Photo by Kathryn Rabinow
    Rabinow e-mailed on Monday: "Wet and cool and wonderful. Those three words describe London during the excitement of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebration."
    deathscelebrities
    news/city-life

    telling stories

    Black-owned Houston bookstore opens new home in historic Third Ward space

    Craig D. Lindsey
    May 13, 2025 | 2:45 pm
    Kindred Stories bookshore Eldorado Ballroom
    Photo by Craig D. Lindsey
    Kindred Stories has moved to its new location.

    Even though its grand reopening will be held this Saturday, May 17, Third Ward bookstore Kindred Stories has already begun a soft opening at its new location inside the Eldorado Ballroom at 2310 Elgin Street.

    Since September 2021, the Black-owned bookstore was located on Stuart St., one of many businesses that came to life thanks to Project Row Houses’ Incubation Program. Last year, the nonprofit informed Kindred and the other business that they had to vacate their premises at the end of this month to allow new businesses to occupy the spaces.

    Thankfully, Kindred already had its eye on the Eldorado location, next to neighborhood eatery The Rado Market (which has a collection of cookbooks curated by Kindred). It’s a space previously held by Hogan Brown Gallery, which abruptly closed in December. “I had caught wind that this space might be available,” Kindred founder/owner Terri Hamm tells CultureMap.

    Hamm turned the moving process into a fun little event for her and her loyal customers. “Last Tuesday, we invited about 20 of our top community members that, you know, are always in the store and have really supported us all of the year,” she says. “We packed up all the books in the space in an hour and, then, we moved everything in an hour. So it was like the beautiful way to close out that space in the midst of the community that has really supported us throughout three-and-a-half years there. And we spent the last four days kind of unboxing and just getting all set up.”

    Hamm says the new location is certainly roomier (around 1200 square feet) than their previous spot, which was only 450 square feet.

    “There's more room to just spend time in the store,” she says. “I feel like that's the ideal bookstore experience, when you can go in and really take your time. I feel like in the other space, it was so small, people kind of felt like they were in a rush.”

    Although Kindred is open and ready to welcome anyone looking for Black-and-proud literature, Hamm insists they’re only 90 percent done. More light fixtures need to be installed. Plants and furniture have to be brought. They even have custom-made wallpaper that needs to be installed.

    “So, we have a few little things that need to happen,” says Hamm, “And, then, I feel like the space will be really, really ready – probably in another six months.”

    In the meantime, it’s business as usual. This month’s calendar of events includes various appearances from authors as well as a couple of book clubs. Hamm is looking forward to new bookworms coming in and discovering what Kindred Stories has to offer.

    “The bestsellers are selling,” she says, “But I feel like, in this space, people are going to get to discover a lot of under-the-radar titles, just because there's more space to see the books and explore.”

    kindred storieseldorado ballroomshoppingbooksbookstoresopenings
    news/city-life
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