Retail Therapy

More stores hit West Ave, including a blow dry bar & Tootsies' male counterpart

Blow dry bars are popping up in hot spots around the country and Houston isgetting one at West Ave.
West Ave is shaping up with more new stores.
Photo by Ralph Bivins
Q Custom Clothier aims to give men an answer to Tootsies at West Ave.

West Ave, currently the epicenter for new Houston retail, restaurant and beauty openings, is unveiling three more storefronts in the coming months. Q Custom Clothier, Bang & Olufsen and Do Bar will be the latest concepts to call West Ave home.

While the female fashion flock heads to Tootsies, their male counterparts can shop at Q Custom Clothier, a boutique stocked with custom shirts and suits, shoes, leather goods, accessories, cufflinks and luggage. The Dallas import opened in 1965 and owner Raja Ratan chose Houston for its first expansion location. The men’s shop is expected to open in the summer.

Sisters Ronit Levy Mele and Sharon Levy opened their Ivory Bridal Atelier at West Ave in January and were mum about other retailers headed to the center, although they quietly shared the news of one store, Bang & Olufsen. Filled with top-of-the-line music systems, loudspeakers, televisions, telephones, accessories and other multimedia products, the store is set to open late spring or early summer.

And how did the Ivory owners know about the impending opening? Their father is opening the store.

Popular in New York and Los Angeles, Houston is set to get its first blow dry bar. Do Bar, a spot for blowouts, updos and conditioning treatments is set to open at West Ave in June. Craft Salon owner Cara Crafton believes local women should have the opportunity to treat themselves and their hair.

“Women love to have their hair blow dried but it’s a luxury many don’t afford themselves or something they only do for a special occasion. We are taking it to the next level and making it quick, accessible and affordable,” Crafton said.

Blowouts will take 30 to 45 minutes and cost $35. Customers will choose from a blow-dry menu with options such as Sleek & Straight and Big & Bouncy.

There is also word of at least one other well-established men’s and women’s boutique finalizing plans for a West Ave move, but lips are sealed until the deal is done.

As new spaces are opening, there is news of Rome Salon and Day Spa shuttering its doors in November after opening in June 2010.

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Slight decline in Houston home prices could benefit buyers, report says

Photo by TK Images for Martha Turner Sotheby's International Realty

311 Brown Saddle St is on the market for $6.75 million.

A brand new report from Homes.com, which tracks hundreds of thousands of transactions to identify real-time housing trends, might mean great news for Houston home buyers.

Houston home prices posted their third consecutive monthly year-over-year decline in June. The median home price in the Houston metropolitan area fell from $349,000 in June 2024 to $347,970 in June 2025, a 0.3 percent decline. The numbers represent sales of single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums throughout the metro area.

Looking a bit deeper, the report indicates that condos and townhomes are seeing prices fall the fastest. In June, the median detached-family home sold for $278,204, and the median condo sold for $160,000. That’s a 3.9 percent dip for both from a year ago. Meanwhile detached single-family home prices saw the smallest price decline, selling at $350,000, which is 0.8 percent less than a year ago.

The website Homes.com quotes local realtors noting that this is likely due to oversupply as well as rising HOA fees in these segments.

But all of it taken together means the scene could be shifting to a buyers’ market.

“Active listings are above pre-pandemic levels,” according to Itziar Aguirre, senior director of market analytics for CoStar and Homes.com. “Houses are staying on the market longer, and price cuts are becoming more common so that sellers can remain competitive, which is a good thing for potential homebuyers. With slightly lower prices and more houses to choose from, it is starting to feel like a buyer’s market.”

The report goes on to explain that housing construction in Houston surged coming out of the pandemic due to strong demand and population growth in the region. Developers may have overbuilt, particularly in the condo market and townhomes. Now, prices are falling the fastest in those two segments.

Also, there is likely a bit of a market correction going on since Houston saw a significant price appreciation from 2020-2022.

Condos and townhomes are often entry-level options for first-time buyers and high mortgage rates have impacted these buyers’ purchasing power. HOA fees have also increased, as have insurance premiums in the last few years, due to increased risk of flooding and hurricanes in Houston as well as higher repair costs due to inflation.

reports housing