a trip to the market

Bustling downtown intersection sprouts new look with massive mural

"Produce Row" pays homage to the downtown intersection's bustling commercial past.

Photo courtesy of Main&Co

Houstonians who love downtown and farmers markets will no doubt enjoy this massive tribute to both at a blooming intersection.

“Produce Row,” a sprawling, 7,000- square-foot mural that spans three levels now adorns Main&Co, a mixed-use development housing creative office space, cocktail lounges, and an art gallery. Main&Co is nestled on the corner of Main and Commerce streets. The five-story downtown mixed-use development is home to The Cottonmouth Club; ETRO Nightclub; Lilly&Bloom; and LCD Gallery, a contemporary arts space on the upper floor.

Designed and painted by local artist DUAL, the concept for the mural, a collaboration between LCD Gallery and UP Art Studio, is a nod to Commerce Street’s history as the site for Houston’s first farmers market in the 1870, according to a release. As the name implies, “Produce Row” is a vibrant mix of colors illustrating vegetables, fruits, and other grocery iconography.

“The mural addition at Main&Co is a compliment to the extensive restoration work our team completed to bring life back into these two neglected historical buildings,” says Dan Zimmerman, president of NewForm Real Estate (which owns and manages Main&Co). “The juxtaposition of DUAL’s street art aesthetic with the historical elements of the buildings personalize the downtown experience for residents and guests.”

Visitors of the mural can also visit an extended collection of DUAL’s artwork at LCD Gallery’s “ALL CAPS” street art show. Guests can also learn more about street art with a personal appearance and book signing by Blek le Rat on Friday, November 15.

galleries downtown

No Cap

Houston ranked No. 3 destination for Gen Zers on the move for 2023

Photo by Alexander Londoño on Unsplash

undefined

As Gen Z enters adulthood, many are flocking to the nation's biggest cultural hubs like New York City, Los Angeles, and now Houston, which had the third-highest inflow of Gen Zers in 2023.

H-Town's new reputation as a Gen Z hotspot was unveiled in a recent report by American home improvement brand This Old House, which analyzed migration trends across multiple generations using 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data.

Houston saw an influx of 22,868 Gen Z residents last year to become the generations third most popular city. That's up from ranking as the No. 11 most popular city in 2022. Houston gained fewer than 7,600 new Gen Z residents during that time in comparison to 2023's migration trend.

Houston started gaining traction as an up-and-coming destination for Gen Zers last year, when the "experience-hungry generation" was on the hunt for an affordable place to live with vast opportunities for entertainment, education, or employment.

Real estate marketplace Zillow seems to agree on a statewide scale, declaring Texas as the No. 1 destination for Gen Zers on the move in 2024.

While Houston saw big gains in its Gen Z population last year, many other big cities saw a mass exodus.

"El Paso, Texas, has lost the most residents from this generation, with a drop of 5,607, a sharp turn from 2022 when the city saw an increase," the report said. "Other cities, including Plano, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; McKinney, Texas; and Wichita, Kansas, are seeing similar declines."

The report also surprisingly revealed that Houston is also one of the top destinations for millennials and Gen X, whereas both New York City and Los Angeles lost more residents among those two generations in comparison.

Houston ranked as the No. 1 city for Gen Xers and No. 4 for millennials based on their respective migration trends in 2023. Houston gained 6,312 new Gen X residents last year – the most nationwide – and the fourth-highest amount of millennials (5,301 new residents).

"Gen X, baby boomers, and the Silent Generation are also moving away from major cities, particularly New York City and Washington, D.C.," the report said. "They’re heading to some of the same cities as Gen Z, including Houston and Jacksonville, Florida."

The top 10 cities that gained the most Gen Z residents in 2023 are:

No. 1 – New York City, New York
No. 2 – Los Angeles, California
No. 3 – Houston, Texas
No. 4 – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
No. 5 – Chicago, Illinois
No. 6 – San Diego, California
No. 7 – Seattle, Washington
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Dallas, Texas
No. 10 – Minneapolis, Minnesota