eye-catching looks

Casual chic eyewear brand Warby Parker makes a spectacle with new location in buzzy Katy hub

Warby Parker spring 2023 line Christina Ricci Jeremy O. Harris

La Centerra shoppers can find Warby Parker looks from names such as Christina Ricci and Jeremy O. Harris.

Photo courtesy of Warby Parker

Katy-area fans of the affordable and stylish Warby Parker no longer need to head into Houston or hunt online for choice eyewear. The growing spectacle brand is set to open its 18th Texas story in Katy at the buzzy La Centerra at Cinco Ranch on Saturday, January 14.

For its newest Houston-area location, Warby Parker promises a "a one-stop-shop" for cool eyewear, plus eye exams, per press materials. Shoppers can expect the brand's full sun and optical eyewear offerings, including the newly launched spring 2023 collection. The new line includes designs from notable names including Christina Ricci, Jeremy O. Harris, Arpana Rayamajhi, and Henry Eikenberry.

In keeping with the company's focus on cool store design, the La Centerra locale features in-store artwork by Anna Broadhurst.

As customer know, each store offers the brand’s glasses, contacts, and more. Eyewear options include the Gallery Edition and Sculpted Series collections, the Warby Parker brand of daily contact lenses (Scout by Warby Parker), and third-party contacts.

For those who dread eye exams, Warby Parker offers customers ar Virtual Vision Test, which is an app that allows users to update both glasses and contact lens prescriptions (if eligible) using an iPhone X.

Well-known among the glasses-wearing public as an online one-stop shop that would send people five pairs of frames to try on, offering both those and the necessary prescriptions for relatively inexpensive rates, the company had been quietly, concurrently, building its brick-and-mortar business.

Noted for its charity as well as looks, Warby Parker distributes a pair of glasses to a person in need for every pair of Warby Parker purchased; to date, more than 10 million pairs have been distributed, the company states in a press materials.

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Warber Parker — La Centerra, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Suite A130. Hours are Monday-Saturday 11 am-7 pm, Sunday noon-6 pm. For more information, visit the official site.

fashion eyewear katy sunglasses

be well

3 hot wellness studios move swiftly into new Heights development

Courtesy of Radom Capital

The Swift BLDG is expected to open in late 2026.

A new mixed-use development in the Heights has announced its next round of tenants. Three wellness businesses are coming to The Swift BLDG, Houston developers Radom Capital and Triten Real Estate Partners’ project in the historic Swift & Company Packing Plant that’s located near the Heights Hike & Bike Trail.

They are:

SweatHouz, a contrast therapy studio
Strong Pilates Studio
The Skin Clinic, a Houston-based aesthetics and skincare destination

Scheduled to open in winter 2026, SweatHouz will offer infrared saunas, cold plunges, and other protocols to improve a person’s well-being. The protocols are focused on areas such as athletic recovery, reducing stress, improving circulation, mental health, and longevity. In addition, it will offer a beauty bar equipped with Dyson hot tolls and a beverage station stocked with different waters.

Building on the success of its Katy location that opened last year, Strong Pilates Studio will occupy 2,500 square feet in the Swift BLDG. Using Rowformer and Bikeformer machines, customers have the opportunity to take classes in Strong Body, Strong Loaded, and Strong Pilates-Only. It’s expected to open in the fall.

“Our method blends strength, cardio, and reformer-based training into one, delivering real results in just 45 minutes. This isn’t just Pilates — it’s a new standard for fitness in Houston. And a community that sweats together stays strong,” franchisee Mona Hussein-Zaki said in a statement.

Currently located in M-K-T, the Skin Clinic will more than double its footprint by relocated to the Swift BLDG. The clinic’s services focus on skin health and rejuvenation. It also expected to open in the fall.

“The response from this community has been incredible, and Swift gives us the room to grow into what our patients have been asking for: more space, more services, and the same patient-centered care that got us here." founder Kelli Nwuli said.

All three businesses join previously announced tenants such as Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, premium juice bar Leemoo, Merit Coffee, and Houston Tex-Mex staple Escalante’s.

On track to open to the public in fall 2026, The Swift BLDG will offer more than 30,000 square feet of office space along with 30,000 square feet of restaurant and retail tenants. The two companies previously partnered on M-K-T, the Heights mixed-use development that’s near the Swift project. Radom is known for a number of other Houston developments, including the Montrose Collective and the historic Tower Theater property and its adjacent buildings.

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