make it to M-K-T

New Heights night market offers up food, flowers, and family fun

M-K-T Heights will host a new market.

Photo by Courtney Rodrigues

The Heights’ newest mixed-use development has launched a market that aims to be a destination for families and food lovers. M-K-T Sunset Market kicks off this Thursday, November 19 and will take place on the third Thursday of every month thereafter.

Located at M-K-T Heights, the new development off Shepherd Drive just north of I-10, the Sunset Market offers a different experience than a typical farmers market. Instead of produce and eggs, the market’s 35 vendors focus on offering ready-to-eat items, grab-and-go dishes, and family-friendly activities.

Market organizer Casey Barbles also started the bimonthly farmers market at the nearby Heights Mercantile shopping area. Radom Capital, the local developer behind Heights Mercantile and a partner in M-K-T, approached her about starting something similar at the new venue. Barbles tells CultureMap she wanted to differentiate the two markets so that customers could attend both and have different experiences.

“I wanted it to be heavy chef-centered, to-go meals,” Barbles says. “When kids get off from school, they have somewhere to go and pick up a treat or play.”

Both markets share some of the same vendors, but Barbles encouraged them to do something different for Sunset that’s a fit for the evening hours. For example, instead of serving tacos from his El Topo food truck, chef Tony Luhrman will be cooking skewers on his charcoal-fired yakitori grill.

At Heights Mercantile, chef Jane Wild sells bagels and cream cheese from her day job as the director of operations for Golden Bagels & Coffee. For Sunset Market, she’s selling sandwiches, picnic baskets, and baked goods that can be eaten either on the M-K-T lawn or taken to-go.

“We have a bunch of kid-friendly vendors,” Barbles says. “I want to make this the monthly place to take your kids after school to play and hang out.”

Those vendors includes popsicles from Kicpops, ice cream from Honeychild’s Sweet Creams, and mochi cookies from Mochi Chewi. Babe City Blooms will host a D-I-Y flower bar, and Refinement House will be on-site with a selection of sustainable home goods.

Once the sun goes down, the Sunset Market will screen movies on the lawn. Of course, measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 will be in effect, including mask requirements, plenty of hand sanitizer, and at least six feet of separation between groups.

“It’s going to be a place that people can come and feel safe and be outdoors in the fresh air and getting to spend time with the local community,” Barbles says. “It’s just so essential right now.”

news-you-can-eat the-heights shopping

are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities

Photo by Damaris Martin on Unsplash

Even with a poor ranking, you still shouldn't ask us to "smile more."

A new nationwide study analyzing the happiest cities in America has determined Houston is slightly happier than it was last year, but it still appears to be one of the unhappiest U.S. cities in 2026.

Houston currently ranks as the 128th happiest U.S. city. Last year, it was No. 151.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Houston across the three key dimensions:

No. 107 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 148 – Income and employment
No. 158 – Community and environment

Despite its low ranking, Houstonians are working hard to improve their city's quality of life year after year, whether its through opening new restaurants, inviting Houston-born stars to perform at the rodeo, or having a strong job market. We also have some of the best museums, a diverse culinary scene, and iconic institutions like the Johnson Space Center. And considering that people keep moving here, Houston must be happier than other places.

Having a good job and a fun social life can qualify as factors that measure happiness, but WalletHub separately emphasized that making more money doesn't necessarily mean "more" happiness.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Elsewhere in Texas
The Dallas suburb Plano and its residents' happiness far outshines the rest of Texas, according to WalletHub. Plano ranked as the 16th happiest U.S. city, and the No. 1 happiest statewide. Austin was the only other Texas city to rank among the top 50, landing in the No. 39 spot.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 70 – Irving
No. 92 – Garland
No. 106 – Grand Prairie
No. 111 – Dallas
No. 113 – Fort Worth
No. 119 – Arlington
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

reports san antonio wallethub

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are you happy?

Houston continues sad streak as one of the 'unhappiest' U.S. cities