Canino Produce shutters
Historic produce company announces closure in popular Heights-area market
One of Houston’s most prominent produce vendors will soon close its doors. Canino Produce Company will cease operations on January 21, co-owner Bill Canino tells ABC13.
"We are just getting old. I'm 70, and my brother-in-law is 71. Just the complication of owning a store and all the permits. It's just a different world now," Canino tells the TV station. "I'm tired, and he's tired. It's as simple as that."
For over 60 years, Canino Produce has been the most prominent tenant of the Houston Farmers Market. Located near the intersection of Airline Dr and 610, the market features dozens of vendors who sell a wide array of products to both restaurants and individuals.
The market has been in the news recently. Back in 2017, MLB Capital Partners, a local commercial real estate investment company, announced plans to transform the property by creating “a destination retail experience offering more diversified products, renovated facilities, and community programming.”
MLB founding partner Todd Mason tells CultureMap that Canino Produce closing doesn’t alter those intentions. Once the company closes, the remaining vendors will continue to operate normally while the company finalizes its designs and receives permit approval from the City of Houston to move forward those renovations, such as separating pedestrian and vehicular traffic, adding green space, and upgrading the bathrooms.
“It really doesn’t change anything for us,” Mason writes in an email. “We will miss them, but there are several other operators who are interested in taking over the space to run the grocery operation so we will sort it out and find a new operator over the next few months.”
Even though his business is closing, Canino expressed excitement about the market’s future. "It'll be a known factor in the Heights like it used to be. I look forward to seeing that," Canino says.
