Porchman Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Reported this morning in the Houston Chronicle's Business Section. Kraftsmen Baking's Scott Tycer plans to move the company the 114-year-old Oriental Textile Mill at Lawrence and W. 22. He will also be operating a retaurant there, "Textile", with a planned opening in July. Kraftsmen currently operates near Rice Military. This is exciting. It's a cool building, and I'm glad to see an investment in it. I'm also glad to see another new dining attraction come to the area. He will, of course, need to incoporate similar "club" rules as Shade, because that area is within the dry zone. EDIT: I'm pleased that there will be some retail outlet for Kraftsmen at the site. We can stop by on our trips to Fiesta. (Missed that paragraph in the article earlier). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bachanon Posted May 18, 2008 Share Posted May 18, 2008 Very exciting. I wondered as I was reading the article if anyone had mentioned it here. WTG Scott Tycer! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I'm also thrilled with the news. If the new restaurant ends up as high profile as Aries, it could be good for the neighborhood b/c it will bring a national focus on the history of the area that the suits at city hall won't be able to ignore.i've mentioned this before on this forum, but i think that the "club" thing isn't such a big deal. restaurant row in dallas has the same laws and they are booming. i think the dryness of the area is *not* what has stopped restaurants from moving in. i think they have been waiting until the gentrification has moved a little farther along. they were waiting for the 1st million $ home and now they have many. thank goodness it was someone like Tycer who decided to come in next and work with the historic nature of the 'hood! the article talked about good will like it was some simple nicety, but we all know "good will" in the heights is more than just a sentiment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NenaE Posted May 19, 2008 Share Posted May 19, 2008 I was very happy to see that article, always good when an old bldg. finds a new use, and is left standing. Found the conversions & Vacant Bldg. tidbit interesting. one listing under Vacant: (Minimax Store No. 2: 5210 Almeda Rd. built in 1938.) from Houston Chronicle -Business Sec.D Sun., May 18, 08. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houstonray Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Anyone know when this (bakery portion) is supposed to open? I thought the article said June 1st but it doesn't look anywhere close to being finished at this point. Looking forward to it and the restaurant. Can't wait! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeats Posted July 6, 2008 Share Posted July 6, 2008 Both Cleverly and Tasty Bits have more info on Aries, from prior to the Chron article. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted July 29, 2008 Author Share Posted July 29, 2008 Anyone know when this (bakery portion) is supposed to open? I thought the article said June 1st but it doesn't look anywhere close to being finished at this point. Looking forward to it and the restaurant. Can't wait!They look like the have the distribution portion open. A full fleet of delivery trucks was on site a few days ago. I couldn't tell if they were selling bread out of the back door.Notice of Textile's alcohol permit app. is posted in a window facing W22. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houstonian05 Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 They look like the have the distribution portion open. A full fleet of delivery trucks was on site a few days ago. I couldn't tell if they were selling bread out of the back door.Notice of Textile's alcohol permit app. is posted in a window facing W22.They will be opening in the next few weeks! Very excited! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheeats Posted September 4, 2008 Share Posted September 4, 2008 Just as an FYI, Dax McAnear will be working at Textile with Tycer. Which...is interesting. McAnear was formerly the head chef and "pit boss" at Beaver's and was supposed to be quite the barbeque master. So, I'm just trying to envision how that whole thing is going to fit with the modern French-American thing that Tycer is going to be doing at Textile. Can't wait to see for myself... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porchman Posted October 5, 2008 Author Share Posted October 5, 2008 Saw signs in the windows on my way back from Fiesta - Opening Tuesday, October 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galahad1743 Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Saw signs in the windows on my way back from Fiesta - Opening Tuesday, October 7.Did it open? Anyone been there yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brucesw Posted October 14, 2008 Share Posted October 14, 2008 Soft opening last week: Textile Excellent review on the eGullet Texas Board, with pictures supposedly to be added soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc281 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 very cool, but awful pricey! we need more places like Jax :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc281 Posted October 15, 2008 Share Posted October 15, 2008 ^^i realize this sounded ignorant and uncalled for. i just really love jax. will be trying textile asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Via HP and swamplot, Textile is closing. The Kraftsmen wholesale operation will continue in the space on 22nd St. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtticaFlinch Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 Via HP and swamplot, Textile is closing. The Kraftsmen wholesale operation will continue in the space on 22nd St.So much for Heights "good will". It's too bad. The Montrose operation seems to flourish in comparison, even during this rough economic patch. the article talked about good will like it was some simple nicety, but we all know "good will" in the heights is more than just a sentiment.Anybody want to get a betting pool going on a Walmart close date? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 So much for Heights "good will". It's too bad. The Montrose operation seems to flourish in comparison, even during this rough economic patch.The Montrose operation is a Kraftsmen storefront, basically selling breads and sandwiches. Textile, on the other hand, was supposedly a "chef-driven" restaurant, offering diners a choice between a $115 7-course tasting menu (+$75 wine pairings) or an $85 5-course tasting menu (+$55 wine pairing). The real problem with the place was that, aside from the desserts, which are interesting and change frequently, the savory side of the menu was, while tasty, a little dull and relatively static. The 5-course tasting menu on the website is virtually the exact same one I had last fall, and isn't remotely seasonally appropriate.The whole exercise just seems phoned-in.I think it's incredibly disengenuous for Tycer to blame the neighborhood for his restaurant's lack of success. You can't really say that El Bulli, the Fat Duck or Noma succeed due to their location. If a restaurant is good enough to justify the kinds of prices Tycer was charging, location wouldn't really matter. The fact of the matter was that the experience at Textile just wasn't all that good (on one visit, the mushrooms in the mushroom tart had clearly not been properly cleaned). At a price tag of close to $500/couple, you're fishing in a pretty shallow market, which means you need a lot of repeat business. But if you never change the menu, why would anyone want to pay those kinds of prices to have the same meal over and over again.That said, a Kraftsmen storefront probably would do well in that spot. Especially if it sold some of Plinio's stuff as well, like his foie gras ice cream or bacon jam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 This is the kind of thing you need to be doing to be successful at $115/pp (not sure what he charges for these dinners at Bootsie's, but his Tenacity dinners were usually around $75, BYOB).Randy Rucker is drawing 30 people to Tomball. On a Tuesday!Tycer's problem was not location. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 (edited) I will try most new restaurants in the Heights and all over Houston (if I know about them). We eat out a lot and love new places. We tried to go to Textile twice. The reservation process was a real run around- you have to call his catering manager, leave a message and they will call you back... maybe. When my husband finally got ahold of someone, the person he spoke to was very rude and condescending. My hubs isn't easily put out by people but this guy seriously annoyed him. We couldn't get a reservation for a number of weeks so decided to move on. Second time, we could never get anyone on the phone and messages were not returned. So, I had the good will. Textile was the one lacking. I do have a couple friends who were lucky enough to get in. No one had anything spectacular to report. One friend mentioned it was a real disappointment compared to tasting menus from other restaurants in town. If I was going to go at all at this point, it only would have been for Plinio's desserts. This discussion was also happening on a local message board I read and most of the people tend to live outside the loop. Several commented to me that they have never even heard of Textile and one person who lives in the Heights commented that she hardly ever saw or heard anything about Textile [in the press]. Anyway, I don't think the neighborhood is to blame. Worse places have survived in equally bad locations. I think PP made a good point that at his prices, Tycer has to really deliver- esp when you only have like 10 tables. HOw much you wanna bet the next location is a heck of a lot bigger? And, I don't really trust Tycer. He closed Aries, which was popular and nationally recognized, at the peak of its renown and reopened in the same place as Pic- which we gave 2 chances and it was abhorrent. It closed after only a couple months in business. He thought he was infallible that time and I wonder if this time he isn't just looking for a scape goat? Tweeted this morning by HouPress's food blg: Textile isn't closed indefinitely, but only "temporarily" for the summer while Tycer scouts a new location. Relief? Or diversion? I vote for diversion. ETA: and his new business partner doesn't have much of a friendly following in the Heights. Whether it's deserved or not is debatable but the fact is Ryan Hildebrand has a bad reputation after tearing down Ashland House. Again, some people didn't care but enough did that I was surprised he even accepted the job at Textile. I bet he knew they were going to move Edited June 29, 2010 by heights_yankee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted June 29, 2010 Share Posted June 29, 2010 This is the kind of thing you need to be doing to be successful at $115/pp (not sure what he charges for these dinners at Bootsie's, but his Tenacity dinners were usually around $75, BYOB).Randy Rucker is drawing 30 people to Tomball. On a Tuesday!Tycer's problem was not location.But don't some think it was in large part location that killed Rucker's Laidback Manor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 Speaking of Laidback Manor, a new Indian restaurant called Kormasutra just opened there. Yatra failed there about six months ago or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartmann Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 So much for Heights "good will". It's too bad. The Montrose operation seems to flourish in comparison, even during this rough economic patch.I don't think it was the neighborhood that did Tycer in, I think it was prices, economic forces, and the concept. Let's not forget that Bedford, which had a similar concept (though not tasting menus) also failed due to price.Then let's look at what's thriving in the Heights: Stella Sola and Zelko Bistro. Zelko certainly doesn't have a ton of seating but the menu is good, the prices are decent, and people come back. The same thing with Stella Sola.My point is, I'm not convinced that Textile's failure is due to the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeTX Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I ate at Textile ONCE and that was all it took for me not to go back again. I told all my friends in the Heights it was not worth it as the service was HORRIBLE. Location is not the issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownproud Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 while undoubtedly location isn't the sole reason it failed, i think that it contributed to it. textile catered to a very high-end clientele, and the heights is surrounded on three sides with neighborhoods that could not afford it. furthermore, there are not many businesses and hotels in the area, both of which would provide business travelers and expense accounts to pay for such expensive meals (granted downtown isn't far away, but it takes awhile to get over there from DT). again, no doubt the restaurant had other issues, but if it had been in the Galleria, Village, Greenway, Montrose, or River Oaks it would have had a better chance of surviving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heights_yankee Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 while undoubtedly location isn't the sole reason it failed, i think that it contributed to it. textile catered to a very high-end clientele, and the heights is surrounded on three sides with neighborhoods that could not afford it. furthermore, there are not many businesses and hotels in the area, both of which would provide business travelers and expense accounts to pay for such expensive meals (granted downtown isn't far away, but it takes awhile to get over there from DT). again, no doubt the restaurant had other issues, but if it had been in the Galleria, Village, Greenway, Montrose, or River Oaks it would have had a better chance of surviving.Restaurants fail in those neighborhoods all the time. I would even venture to guess that they fail in greater percentages due to the amount of competition. Any half way decent concept in the Heights has done very well. Even Happy All Cafe manages to stay open. However, you are right- it takes more than just neighborhood folks to support these restaurants and they certainly do. I know people who drive in from The Woodlands to eat at Stella Sola, have run in to a guy my husband works with from Memorial at Shade, talked to someone just the other day who came from the museum district to eat at Zelko. I mean, Textile wasn't Tony's as far as price. Depending on how much you drink, the prices were commensurate with dinner at Stella Sola or Glasswall. You can't blame prices alone and you can't blame the Heights. Bad concept, inaccessible, bad service, big ego. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted September 13, 2010 Share Posted September 13, 2010 That said, a Kraftsmen storefront probably would do well in that spot. Looks like Tycer is planning something pretty close to this:http://blog.cleverley.com/2010/09/12/scott-tycer-discloses-plans-for-textile-space.aspx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kylejack Posted September 13, 2010 Share Posted September 13, 2010 He was talking about re-opening Textile somewhere else as a slightly different concept. I wonder if this means those plans are shelved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcook2002 Posted September 13, 2010 Share Posted September 13, 2010 i think this idea will do much better. The Montrose Ave location is nice, and this having more food options then just sandwiches will be a nice addition to the hood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angostura Posted November 9, 2010 Share Posted November 9, 2010 (edited) There was a small sign up at the corner of 22nd and Lawrence announcing the opening of the new Kraftsmen store. Today, IIRC. Edited November 9, 2010 by Angostura Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hartmann Posted November 10, 2010 Share Posted November 10, 2010 There was a small sign up at the corner of 22nd and Lawrence announcing the opening of the new Kraftsmen store. Today, IIRC.Yes, the new bakery/sandwich shop opened today. Didn't get to stop by but a friend of mine did and enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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