Some of the worst mistakes of my life have been haircuts.
Jim Morrison
Bad advice:
If you see someone crying, ask them if it’s because of their haircut.
But ask Bob Shultz - a grizzled veteran Houston real estate developer - about haircuts, and his eyes light up. Haircuts are a cornerstone of his Mid Main Lofts development, a wonderful mixed-use project anchored by the Continental Club.
The Continental Club first opened in 1955 on Austin’s South Congress Avenue and after a few decades of live music, embedded itself in Austin’s South Congress Avenue DNA. It’s cool for a lot of reasons; having Junior Brown as a routine performer is one of them.
Imagine squeezing into a hot throng of Texans while holding a cold can of Lone Star to your chest and listening to this:
Mr. Shultz partnered with the owner to create another Continental Club in Houston. His genius was in not creating a facsimile, but something born of the original and yet altogether unique.
The Houston club would serve as the catalyst for a decades-long repositioning of a few forgotten blocks in Houston’s midtown neighborhood.
He did the same with Home Slice, an Austin pizza shop ranked by Yelp as #4 in the country. And rather than a replica, the Houston version is an evolution of the original.
He conceived a taco shop, Tacos a Go-Go, to round out the block and convinced a friend to run it.
On the opposite side of Winbern Street, Bob preserved the integrity of the old store fronts but merchandised them with a collection of perfect Continental Club complements.
Sig’s Lagoon, a world-class record shop, is another concept Mr. Schultz helped conceive and back.
Guard your wallet at My Flaming Heart, Mid Main’s vintage shop, or you’ll end up with turquoise bolo tie and a Mexican wrestling mask.
Hand-painted signs abound.
Why would anyone go to such lengths to create a few neighborhood diversions?
Because doing so became the catalyst for housing demand - housing demand at a higher density than would’ve otherwise been warranted. Nursing along the live music, coffee, tacos, exceptional slices, and bolo ties took years of care and feeding but the result is creating a place where lots of people want to live.
By backing these independent businesses, Mr. Schultz created a halo effect to support the first phase of his residential development. The virtuous circle will accelerate when he adds additional phases of residential, and in turn creates even more energy.
This long-term work requires fanatic dedication.
Imagine this level of doggedness:
Mr. Schultz decided a barber and shave operation would be a key piece to Mid Main. When no suitable operators could be found, he took matters into his own hands.
He recruited Big E, a bouncer at the Continental Club, sent him to barber school and then formed a venture to help Big E open Big Kat’s Barbershop.
It’s now a thriving business.
Some of Mr. Schultz’s best decisions have been haircuts - just ask the nearby residents.
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