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

Bang for Buck

Surprising suburb unlocks biggest apartments in Houston for $1,500

Photo by Matt Halls on Unsplash

Pasadena has the 6th roomiest apartments on a budget in Texas.

Budget-conscious renters searching for the roomiest apartments in the region should look no further than Pasadena. According to a new study, the east Houston suburb has the biggest apartments on a budget in the metro.

In 2026, Pasadena residents can rent a 1,125-square-foot apartment for $1,500 per month. That's enough space for a two- or three-bedroom unit, and it's four square feet bigger than what renters could get with the same budget last year.

RentCafe's annual report analyzes the places where renters can find the largest apartment sizes across 200 of the most populous U.S. cities for a monthly budget of $1,500. The price per square foot was calculated using the average apartment rent and size per city based on "multifamily properties" containing 50 or more units.

Pasadena offers the 6th most spacious apartments in Texas for $1,500, and Houston ranks 11th statewide.

Renters in Houston proper will net a 976-square-foot apartment for the same price in 2026, a size that has shrunk by more than 20 square feet since 2023.

Apartment sizes across Texas
For the second year in a row, the Rio Grande Valley is the region that has the most spacious apartments for a $1,500 monthly budget, RentCafe found.

McAllen leads the nation with the biggest apartment size – at 1,378 square feet – which is large enough for a three- or four-bedroom unit.

"With rents averaging just $993 and the typical apartment measuring 912 square feet, McAllen renters get a lot more space for their money than most Americans do within that monthly budget," the report said. "Still, that figure is down slightly from last year’s 1,393 square feet — a sign that even the most affordable markets are starting to tighten."

Brownsville, another city on the border located an hour east of McAllen, ranks fourth statewide with apartments spanning 1,213 square feet for the same budget.

These are the top 10 Texas cities that offer the biggest apartments for $1,500 in 2026:

No. 1 – McAllen (1,378 square feet)
No. 2 – Amarillo (1,237 square feet)
No. 3 – Lubbock (1,217 square feet)
No. 4 – Brownsville (1,213 square feet)
No. 5 – El Paso (1,128 square feet)
No. 6 – Pasadena (1,125 square feet)
No. 7 – Corpus Christi (1,115 square feet)
No. 8 – Killeen (1,058 square feet)
No. 9 – San Antonio (1,023 square feet)
No. 10 – Mesquite (988 square feet)

real estate apartments housing rentcafe study houston pasadena

a trip to the market

Bustling downtown intersection sprouts new look with massive mural

Comfort food chain Cotton Patch Cafe acquired by Dallas restaurant group

Houston restaurateur opens new shop stocked with his favorite products

Houston rock legends ZZ Top come home for fall concert with Cheap Trick

Bang for Buck

Surprising suburb unlocks biggest apartments in Houston for $1,500