Houston-based Midway, the privately owned, fully integrated real estate investment and development firm, today announced El Condor Coffee Roasters and Tomi Jewelry will open in the first phase of its East River development. Additional retail tenants confirmed for Phase One include Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries, Lick Honest Ice Creams, URBN Dental, and anew event venue and rooftop bar from the owners of The Astorian. Confirmed office tenants include Impact Networking, Method Architecture and TEAL. Construction is underway on the project’s first phase and is slated for completion in 2023.
“We are thrilled to welcome El Condor and Tomi Jewelry to the robust lineup of first-to-market concepts East River will introduce to the area,” said Lacee Jacobs, Senior Vice President of Strategic Leasing and Advisory. “Midway is committed to curating a dynamic mix that enhances the surrounding community, and innovative retail concepts like these—places you can’t find anywhere else in Houston—are precisely what we are looking to bring to the development. With construction in full force and moving fast, Phase One’s leasing momentum continues and we look forward to announcing more offerings that will amplify the neighborhood.”
New Tenants
El Condor Coffee Roasters will open its first location in Texas and second in the country in the base of East River 1 (Building C), with convenient access to the office building’s lobby. The 1,500 square-foot space will feature an open-format layout, as well as an outdoor patio. Since launching El Condor's New York City outpost in February 2022, El Condor has introduced a new level of hospitality to the coffee space, with a focus on redefining everyday luxury through comfort, convenience and thoughtfulness. This coffee shop and all-day café abandons the strict grab-and-go archetype and instead offers the option of a stay-and-play experience with hospitality touchpoints like table service and open tabs, power outlets at every seat with complimentary high-speed WiFi, and flexible seating options. At El Condor HTX, guests will enjoy El Condor's signature line: El Espresso (Brazil + Sumatra), Best Foot Forward (Brazil +Guatemala), and Worka Sakaro (Ethiopia), as well as an exclusive-to-Houston blend. On the food front, guests can look forward to an all-day menu offering an array of fresh baked goods, breakfast and lunch items, as well as plenty of healthy options featuring local ingredients and products. Beer and wine offerings will be sourced locally as well.
"We are thrilled for our outpost at East River to be El Condor's foray into Texas," says Nicolas Simon, co-founder of El Condor Coffee Roasters. "The [East River] development is an exciting project that we feel aligns perfectly with our flexible, all-day coffee shop concept and we can't wait to be a part of this community as well as Houston's blossoming dining scene. We want to thank the trusted team at Midway for giving us this opportunity."
Tomi, a collection of jewelry designed in Houston and made in the USA and Italy, will debut its first brick-and-mortar store on the ground floor of The Laura apartment building. Started by two Asian-American women during the pandemic, Tomi features bold, versatile, mix-and-match pieces inspired by its founders’ multidimensional personalities and Asian heritage. Tomi’s designs, which are particularly popular amongst millennials and Gen-Z demographics, make a complex and edgy statement that is timeless and beautiful. From its prime location overlooking East River’s dynamic central plaza, the 880 square-foot boutique will offer a uniquely curated selection of high-quality yet affordable earrings, bracelets, rings, and more.
Confirmed Tenant Updates
Previously announced tenants are already looking to expand their footprint at East River prior to move-in, and space is leasing up fast. Method Architecture has leased an additional 1,400 square-feet in building C, bringing its office space to 10,400 square feet to accommodate the firm’s rapid growth.
Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries, a new concept by local James Beard Award nominated Chef Jonny Rhodes, plans to open a temporary 1,270square-foot location early fall in a nearby building owned by Midway at 2311 Canal Street. Once Phase One construction is complete, the self-sustainable boutique bodega will relocate to their permanent 4,000 square-foot space in The Depot (the ground level of the garage).
Transforming Houston’s Waterfront East of Downtown
East River’s 150 acres of carefully designed, multi-phase, mixed-use development will transform the city’s waterfront east of downtown into a new economic center. In total, East River Phase One will offer 300,000 square feet of office space designed to fit a wide variety of business needs alongside The Laura, a five-story, modern-industrial multifamily community of 360 apartment homes; and an additional 100,000 square feet of retail at the ground floor of the office buildings, garage, and bayou pavilions that will fuse commerce and culture with restaurant, hospitality, retail, medical, and entertainment forming spaces. At the heart of Phase One will be more than 13,000 square feet of plaza greenspace with a full calendar of activations including events and live music. Located on the Buffalo Bayou hike and bike trails, East River will also be connected to nearly 500 miles of bike lanes.
East River 9, a nine-hole, par-three golf course open to the public, and Riverhouse Houston, a family-friendly restaurant and patio bar will debut on the East River site in September 2022. The active, outdoor destination will also feature a driving range and six pickleball courts for patrons to enjoy. This community-oriented activation will welcome neighboring residents to the site that has been closed to the public for over 75 years.
Construction Update
Construction is in full swing on East River’s first phase, with framing for The Laura is underway and structural construction for Buildings C and F i progressing quickly. Slabs have also been poured for the two River Pavilion restaurant buildings. Phase One is slated for completion in 2023.
ABOUT EAST RIVER
East River’s 150 acres of carefully designed, multi-phase, mixed-use development will transform the city’s waterfront east of downtown into a new economic center. Designed to grow and evolve through multiple phases, East River is ideally positioned to serve a wide range of residents and a spectrum of housing price points, innovative and globally competitive companies, cutting-edge retail and restaurant concepts, and a host of institutional, educational and recreational opportunities. The project’s early phases of development set the tone for a world-class collection of districts by focusing on connecting Houston’s urban fabric to central green spaces, active transportation, upgraded infrastructure and an impressive mile of waterfront along Buffalo Bayou. To stay up-to-date on East River’s progress, follow along on Follow along on Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin.
ABOUT MIDWAY
Houston-based Midway is a privately owned, fully integrated real estate investment and development firm that has provided the highest level of quality, service and value to clients and investors for over 50 years. Midway’s portfolio of projects completed and/or underway consists of more than 45 million square feet of properties ranges from mixed-use destinations to office, industrial facilities, and master-planned residential communities. Midway continues to develop projects of distinction, aesthetic relevance and enduring value for investors, clients, and the people who live, work, and thrive in the environment they create.
