CultureMap Video

Credit cards fly as shoppers party hearty at first-ever CultureMap Holiday Pop Up Shop

Show Goat Creamery's Jamie Glover had planned on a hefty interest in her triple cream brie at CultureMap's inaugural Holiday Pop Up Shop. But so overwhelmed was the cheese maker by enthusiastic samplers that she ran out of her supply a third of the way into the six-hour shopping extravaganza on Sunday at Silver Street Studio.

For many of the 600 shoppers that joined the holiday-themed event, it was a first-time exposure to a number of the merchants — all local.

With her section in the Phoenicia Specialty Foods display, Glover was among many of the two-dozen-plus proprietors who were pleasantly surprised at the turnout for the first annual event.

Likewise, Manready Mercantile in the Heights ran out of their spiffy Mason jar mugs wrapped in leather cuffs half-way through the shopping while their whiskey-soaked toothpicks flew off of the display.

For many of the 600 shoppers that joined the holiday-themed event, it was a first-time exposure to a number of the merchants, all local, including Zayver Jewels, April Lykos' Shop the Symphony and Carla Christoph's amazing caftans.

CultureMap's Houston marketing manager Emily Goetz pulled together a carefully curated collection of quality merchants not usually found at the typical shopping events. Maryam Afshari brought items from Baanou, her chic boutique on Shepherd. Suzanne Coppola proferred her luxe collection of international goods from her Laurier Blanc website.

Sponsored by Lexus, the event (with a few dreamy vehicles on display) drew guests such as bloggers Bethany Buchanan, Roz Pactor, Magen Pastor and Carrie Colbert, art collector Judy Nyquist and artist Betirri.

The event was not without a charitable component. Both the American Cancer Society's Victory and the Washington Avenue Arts District received a portion of proceeds from ticket sales.

Circulo tequila fueled the shopping enthusiasm with tastings and cocktails while a man cave at the end of the warehouse space featured the Texans game on view on a large flat screen TV, the perfect hangout for the gents not so much into shopping.

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Click here to see lots of fun photos from the CultureMap Holiday Pop Up Shop, including scenes from the man cave,"poptails' booth, tarot card readings and shoppers galore.

Thanks, Queen Bey

Pop icon Beyoncé donates $100,000 to University of Houston Law School

Beyonce Super Bowl

Photo by Erza Shaw Getty Images

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Pop megastar Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has donated $100,000 to the University of Houston Law Center Criminal Justice Clinic through her BeyGOOD Foundation. The gift will allow the clinic to hire fill-time faculty to head it, benefiting the students who study there.

“I am delighted that the BeyGOOD Foundation has made this very generous gift to the UH Law Center,” said Leonard Baynes, dean of the UH Law Center. “Not only will this funding help establish a full-time criminal justice clinic that provides pro bono legal services in our community, but it will also supercharge our already excellent criminal law and justice programming.”

The clinic is one of nine at UHLC. It helps students learn to navigate the criminal justice system, especially on behalf of clients that are underserved by skilled attorneys. People of color are affected disproportionately by a lack of good, ethical representation.

Beyoncé, the most decorated artist in Grammy history and easily the biggest musical star native to Houston, has a long history of advocating for criminal justice reform. She was a staunch supporter of the police reform following the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, asking law enforcement to “stop killing us” in a web post. In 2020, she penned an open letter to the Kentucky attorney general asking for justice in the death of Breonna Taylor.

Through her BeyGOOD Foundation, established in 2013, Beyoncé has focused mostly on expanding the prospects of Black-owned business and offering education opportunities to students. Forwarding the cause of legal representation in Texas while also helping out marginalized communities compliments her other philanthropic work.

“At UH Law, we envision a legal profession where ‘everyone has the opportunity to prosper,’ as BeyGOOD envisions, and we will achieve this vision by providing access to strong and effective legal representation in criminal proceedings,” Baynes said. “And together, through this gift, the BeyGOOD Foundation and UHLC will shepherd the next generation of criminal justice attorneys in the city of Houston, the state of Texas and the nation.”

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