Life is a Cabaret, Old Chum

Gift a unique entertainment experience at the Hobby Center’s Founders Club

It's time to experience the Hobby Center in a whole new way. Book a table in 2025 for The Founders Club at the Hobby Center and you'll be transported to an intimate cabaret nightclub, complete with cocktails, nibbles, and extraordinary performances.

The New Year features live performances from local and national artists performing everything from Broadway to country to global music, meaning there's something for every taste.

The laidback vibe encourages the performers to tell stories and even chat directly with the audience, setting the Live at the Founders Club experience apart from more traditional theater experiences.

Purchase a full table for four people, or meet new friends when parties of one, two, or three are seated with other guests. It's a unique date-night idea, whether it's your first or 500th outing together, and offers a different perspective on Houston's iconic skyline thanks to the stunning, floor-to-ceiling view.

Doors open 90 minutes before showtime to encourage socializing, and full table service is available before and during the show.

A distinct menu is curated for each performance, but imagine ordering up a martini and seasonal cheese selection, a frozen hibiscus margarita and shrimp cocktail, or a black cherry old fashioned and smoked salmon flatbread. A wide variety of wines, beers, and spirits are available, as well as non-alcoholic options.

Hobby Center Founders Club Cheers to new friends made at the table.Photo by Annie Mulligan

Photo by Jacob Parrish Power

A more intimate side of the Hobby Center.

“The Founders Club is a beautiful intimate space that welcomes artists who seek deep connections with the audience,” says Deborah Lugo, Hobby Center vice president of programming and education. “It goes beyond talent; the audience will want to get to know these inspiring artists in a more personal way. From world music to cabaret to jazz, and maybe even a little country, we are looking to share something with Houstonians they may not otherwise experience.”

Upcoming 2025 show dates include:

Over the Moon: Broadway Reimagined starring Teresa Zimmerman, January 17 & 18
Honky Tonk Hearts – The Best of Country Duets starring Ben Hope & Katie Barton Hope, February 14 & 15
An Evening with Sally Mayes, March 28 & 29
Storm Large: Inside Voice, April 3 & 4
Luciane Dom, May 9 & 10
An Evening with Broadway’s DeQuina Moore, June 20 & 21

Treat yourself to an amazing evening or gift an unforgettable experience to family and friends — tickets make great stocking stuffers! Tickets to individual shows are linked above, or see all options and purchase here.

---

ExxonMobil is the presenting sponsor of The Founders Club at the Hobby Center.

theater music concerts video promoted

Mags Move In

Shuttered Houston magazine stand finds new home at Austin coffee shop

Tomo Mags bus outside of brick-and-mortar Austin store

Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Tomo Mags is driving into a new era.

Austin's roaming newsstand Tomo Mags — which sells books out of a signature blue bus — is moving up in the world. Its new brick-and-mortar bookstore and partner coffee shop, Cielito Lindo, are celebrating their grand opening Thursday, January 22, at 411 Brazos Street, #101. A ribbon-cutting ceremony from 10-11 am with the Downtown Austin Alliance and the Austin Chamber of Commerce will mark the occasion.

Tomo Mags started in 2015 in Houston, on a decommissioned school bus. Founder Vico Puentes hit the ground running — or driving — visiting shopping centers, galleries, universities, cafés, and more. It toted artsy independent magazines about fashion, photography, design, erotica, and even some comparatively normie selections like The Economist and New York Magazine.

The journey so far has included an earlier stationary space that later closed (and another one that reopened), a pause for several years, and a "bittersweet" move to Austin in 2025.

Tomo Mags Austin interior The collection has a lot more room to expand in this new space.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

The new shop offers more of the same: a wide selection of magazines and art books alongside studio tools like pens and notebooks, merch, and fashionable accessories. It's been in a soft-opening phase since mid-December. Cielito Lindo, which opened in a coffee pot-shaped trailer in Manor in spring 2025, also kicked off its soft opening in the space a few days. Both the Tomo bus and Cielito's trailer will continue operating.

Even though both businesses are relatively new to Austin, Puentes has deep personal connections with the city.

“Before opening TOMO mags, I worked in downtown Austin for the last six years, and I’ve seen such an incredible evolution in what it feels like for the people who work and live here, as well as the visitors passing through,” said Puentes in a press release.

Tomo Mags Austin interior Cafe tables are great for flipping through new finds with Cielito Lindo's signature horchata latte.Photo courtesy of the Downtown Austin Alliance

Driving around town to make sales may sound like a fast-paced existence, but Puentes hopes visitors to Tomo can slow down when they visit, enjoying the physical experience and maybe even creating a personal art archive over time. Part of that includes getting to know the artists filling the shelves.

"With TOMO mags, our goal is to create a place people can come back to regularly to slow down, find inspiration, and leave with something special, or a gift that actually feels thoughtful," he said. "We’re already meeting people from all over the world, and we’re proud to host them and share recommendations that help them experience Austin beyond just downtown, while also spotlighting the creative community and local businesses that make this city so special.”

magazines design openings bookstore