More Natural Food Stores Coming to Austin

Exciting stuff... 2009 will bring Austin three spiffy new natural food stores including Sprouts Farmers Market, Natural Grocer, and Newflower Farmers Market.

Fall 2009, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market will be opening in Rollingwood in the Mira Vista shopping center at Bee Caves Road and Edgegrove Drive, in the current Office Max space. Sprouts will also take up a portion of the John Williams Interiors space. John Williams Interiors will be closing their Rollingwood location this month and consolidating into their Anderson Lane space, which they plan to be bigger and better with more design resources.

Colorado-based Natural Grocer will be opening at 3901 Guadalupe in Hyde Park in the next couple of months.

Newflower Farmers Market will be opening a new location at William Cannon and Manchaca next month. NFM fashions itself after Trader Joes, selling a large portion of private label product lines and price conscience produce. This is especially good news for South Austinites who have been hoofing it all the way to Whole Foods downtown or Sun Harvest on Lamar up until now.

That will make 8 good sized natural food markets in Austin, a city of less than 1 million people (not including burbs).

Note to self for further research one day when I have some "free" time (that's a joke) ... what city has the highest # of natural food stores per capita?

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Happiness is playground equipment that spins you round and round and round until you are so dizzy you can't walk straight and you fall to the ground in a pile of giggles.

Taken at Phil's Icehouse on Burnet Road this afternoon while we waited for our to-go order.

Alyson Fox @ Kick Pleat Tonight

This evening from 5 - 7 pm I am heading over with two girlfriends to a special Alyson Fox event at lovable neighborhood boutique - Kick Pleat on 12th and Lamar,near Clarkesville. On sale will be limited edition Alyson Fox prints from $50 - $75. Oh -- and Kick Pleat will be on sale! 15% off of everything.

Alyson Fox, multi-talented Austin artist...with a seemingly endless capability to create marvelously chic "stuff" including: illustrations, textiles, photographs, and clothes...will have on sale this evening a collection of prints, ideal for framing for yourself or for gifts.

Rare Modern Rehab Opportunity in Tarrytown

Just happened upon this little diamond in the rough...wasting away in Tarrytown with [apparently] no one to love it. Has been on the market 150 days.

Built in 1961, this modern home sits on a massive .28 acre lot, just 2 blocks from Lake Austin. It's boasts 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, and $3395 square feet. Needs a complete makeover, but the bones and raw design of the home, indicative of the era, are in good shape and hard to find in such condition. Great light. Great layout.

Seller says "bring all offers"....

East Austin - Rated Top 15 by Businessweek.com

Businessweek.com names East Austin as one of the top 15 “up and coming” neighborhoods to buy into now, while it’s still cheap.

According to Businessweek.com, the hot places to buy in today’s soft real estate market are “urban areas in transition”. i.e. the Soho and Venice Beaches of 10 years ago. The easiest way to find these areas is to follow the artists. Artists “often set the stage for redevelopment, and home buyers who follow their lead can sometimes get in while real estate prices are affordable. Over time, the abandoned warehouses artists occupy become gorgeous lofts and studios, and gritty neighborhoods transform into trendy communities with an edge. That's when the investors, developers, and wealthy buyers arrive, pushing up rents and displacing the artists who are then forced to set out for the next undesirable neighborhood. It's a cycle that has repeated itself for decades, in cities across the nation.”

In Austin, the artist community has honed in on East Austin and the result is a thriving real estate market ideal for early adopters and investors. Many artist collectives like the Pump Project and the East Austin Studio Tour set down roots here a couple years back and with them came the arrival of trendy coffee shops, restaurants, and boutiques…all of which continue to grow in number in East Austin. If you haven’t spent time in East Austin recently, take a trip and visit Manor Road, E. 11th Street, and E. 6th Street where you will find lively, urban, modern communities of young Austinites living and loving their little secret slice of Austin.

The “hottest” zip codes are 78722 and 78702, although don’t overlook 78723 which also has prime, close-in properties for a great price. Within East Austin, there are tiny micro-neighborhoods, each exuding its own quirky personality, including the Holly Street District, the French Legation, the East End, Swede Hill, East 6th, French Place, Cherrywood, and Delwood.

Click here for full story at Businessweek.com.

Here are just a few of the current deals to be had in East Austin... Contact me for more info (email address at bottom of this page!).

$230,000 - NEW on market this week; 1950s home in original condition on large .19 acre lot in well established neighborhood of Shceiffer place. Walking distance to Patterson Park, Mueller, and Manor Road. Screaming for a make-over - the home has original wood floors, easy cosmetic fixes, central heat/air, giant oak tree in back yard. Lot next door is empty...no neighbors! 3 bed / 2 bath / 1357 sf.

$239,000 - Updated 1940s house and garage apartment on ENORMOUS .42 acre lot! Walking distance to Manor Road and bus line. 3 bed / 2bath / 1930 sf.

$244,900 - Delwood 1949 bungalow on large .21 acre treed lot...adjacent to Mueller development. Designer interior...oodles of mid-century charm and style. 2 bed / 1 bath / 1028 sf.

Wheatesville... Under Construction ... But Still A Favorite

This is my favorite Austin grocery store, Wheatsville Co-Op on Guadaloupe, just north of the University. Yes, yes, in Austin we do have the famed Whole Foods Flagship downtown that is seriously...the most beautiful grocery store on earth...and I go there occasionally. BUT my favorite place to grocery shop is here at Wheatsville. It's a small store with that friendly, hometown feel, full of yummy, natural products to fuel yourself on. It's a true co-op, and by paying the annual "ownership" fee, you can be an owner too. Owners get lots of special coupons and savings, as well as a monthly newspaper that again...has that warm fuzzy feeling. Non-owners pay an additional % on their bill Produce at Wheatsville is super fresh and comes from local growers whenever possible. They carry farm fresh eggs. Their wine department is also on the upswing offering an eclectic collection of good wines at good prices. I love that it never takes me more than 3 minutes to walk from my car in the parking lot to the front door...unlike the mega grocery store's whose parking lots are bigger than the stores themselves. If you have kids, there is also the bonus of little mini shopping carts. My little girl loves getting her own shopping cart (located at front of the store, to the left when you walk in) and filling it with her favorite foods. Wheatesville is in the middle of a renovation, but don't let that deter you, this is a wonderful place to shop. Also to fall in love with are their smoothies and deli items at the back of the store. Located at 3101 Guadalupe, in Hyde Park, North of the University.

East Austin Continues to Foster Its Creative Community

This is a recent mural turning up in East Austin, completed by the artist collective Trust Your Hustle. The mural is located on the west wall of longtime blues music venue Victory Grill on E. 11th St. The mural pays homage to Austin’s own soul queen Lavelle White along with other Austin blues music pioneers Johnny Holmes, founder of Victory Grill, and Roosevelt “Grey Ghost” Williams, first musician Holmes booked for the venue. Trust Your Hustle is a touring collective of artists who join forces with local artists all over the country to create murals. …kinda cool that they chose Austin. !

East Austin has longtime been a community playing safe harbor to thriving artists and artist communities by providing low priced real estate, urban “inspiring” spaces, rich culture, and a super convenient distance to downtown and the rest of central Austin. Even with the rapid gentrification of East Austin (and rapidly sky-rocketing real estate prices), many artist communities remain there actively enriching the community with their work.

The East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T.) is a 2 day event occurring each fall, this year scheduled for November 22nd and 23rd. This is a self-directed tour includes over 100 studios and 200 local artists holding open houses to present and sell their work. Free copies of the studio tour map are available at the studios. Bike transportation between the studios is highly encouraged…and by far the most convenient option anyway.

Another East Austin art program is the PUMP Project whose 30-something members work out of a single complex thus providing affordable work space and camaraderie to the artists. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Saturday 1-5.

Many other collective studio spaces are available for rent such as 501 Studios at I-35 and E. 5th Street. If you are looking to buy, there are new construction live/work spaces…but those go fast and there aren’t any currently on the market (although I have heard of a few underway). If you are patient and have cash, there are great resale properties that come (and go) on the market in East Austin that would serve as excellent artist studios.

Thursday is 99 cent day at SAVERS

If you are a little bit thrifty and you subscribe to the idea of reusing and conserving in this age of mass consumerism --- then you gotta go to Savers. Savers is the department store of thrift stores, two locations in Austin (Burnet & North Loop, South Lamar & Hwy 70). Thursdays is the best day to go when they designate one color of tag throughout the store as 99 cents. ...and you can walk out of there with some seriously great finds like brand new tennis shoes for the kids, a television, or some groovy boots for yourself. Plus, shopping at Savers teaches our kids to reuse and conserve...which is the best message of all.

Rad Skateboards ... from Austin with Love

I am not a skater or skateboarder by any stretch of the imagination...but I do have soft spot for sports whose athletes regularly use words like "stoked" "rad" and "totally cool". I also have a pension for Vans footwear.

I stumbled upon this new skateboard company here in Austin called Roger Skateboards. The boards are designed and developed by Michael Sieben (super cool artist/illustrator, skateboarder) and his buddy Stacy Lowery (former pro-skateboarder). Apparently the two share not only a passion for skating, but also a wicked, satirical sense of humor, communicated through their eye-catching graphics. Check out their website for more from this dynamic duo...it's very entertaining.

Look for their boards at No Comply, 812 W. 12th Street (12th & Lamar).

Crestview and Crestview Station

Crestview is a north central Austin neighborhood that has always been high on charm, loaded with 1940's and 1950's houses, but still reasonably priced for young families, professionals, and hipsters who refuse to move out to the burbs in search of affordability. The neighborhood is bound by Anderson Lane on the northside, Koenig Lane on the southside, Lamar Blvd. to the east, and Burnet Road to the west. A quaint shopping village lies at the center of Crestview with an independent grocer, a barber shop, and a mix of restaurants and delis.

Capital Metro has one of it's nine commuter rail stations planned for the northeast corner of Crestview. Crestview Station will be more than 70 acres of office space, retail space, multi-family and single family homes, and open recreation spaces.

There are homes and condos surrounding the Crestview Station (like the ones pictured above) that are priced as low as $175K and go up to $400K, with the majority of homes around the $250K - $280K range. This part of town is currently "car dependent" but in a few short months is going to explode with grocery, dining, shopping, and public transportation options...all within a short walk. Lower priced housing options lie east of Lamar, but still within walking distance of Crestview Station. Crestview and Crestview Station adjacent properties are a fantastic opportunity to buy quickly appreciating property at an affordable price before the craze hits. Please email me for some of the listings in this area.

The Low Down on Austin Schools by Neighborhood

As a realtor, I get asked a lot which neighborhoods have the best public schools in Austin. As a parent of a preschooler here in Austin, I am currently struggling myself with the private school vs. public school dilemma as I live in an area with not so great public schools. It's amazing to me that there are a lot of neighborhoods in Austin where you can buy a million dollar home, but only have a lowly academically acceptable elementary school to send your children to! I love Central Austin and wouldn't move to out to the burbs for anything in the world, but that $600 per month I am likely going to shell out for private school for the next 8 years in order to avoid sending my child to the local elementary school is going to be painful.

So if you are looking for a neighborhood with good public schools in central Austin, here are the neighborhoods I would recommend buying in from the beginning:

BEST BETS - good public schools elementary through high school...
-Zilker

- Barton Hills

- Bryker Woods
- Rosedale
- Northwest Hills

- Highland Park
- Tarrytown

- Anywhere in Westlake -- Eanes School District...where every school is exemplary

SOME PRETTY GOOD OPTIONS

- Crestview

- French Place

- Hyde Park (amazing LEE elementary but not so great middle school...KEALING)

- Clarksville

- Downtown Austin (PEASE elementary is apparently pretty neat with small class sizes)

...also to note, in Delwood, which is a quickly gentrifying East Side neighborhood, the public elementary school, Blanton Elementary, just received an exemplary rating from Texas Education Association for 2007. That neighborhood has great homes for the money and is extremely centrally located. Unfortunately, that neighborhood also has terrible middle school and high schools so don't plan on staying forever.

PLAN ON PRIVATE SCHOOL (at least I would)

- East Austin - 78702 zip code

- Travis Heights

That being said, I am sure there are parents of school age students who live in these neighborhoods and who might disagree with my opinion. Please leave a comment as I am eager to learn more.

All Texas public school TEA ratings can be found here.

Thanks to woodleywonderworks on flickr.com for the pic.

The "Human Race" ... Here in Austin

I just signed myself and hubby up for the Nike Human Race to be held here in downtown Austin on August 31st. Austin is one of 25 cities to host the first ever "global" 10K where over 1 million runners will be running to benefit global charities including Livestrong, the UN Refugee Agency, and WWF (environmental preservation). Other cities that are hosting the event include Paris, Los Angeles, New York, London, Quito, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Warsaw, Singapore ... I love that Austin is on this list of world cities! Following the race is a concert by Ben Harper ... open ONLY to race participants. ! It costs $35 to register. Click here to register for the race.

Pick provided by Patrick Dentler on flickr.

Single Stream Recyling for Austin

GREAT GREAT NEWS. The little blue bins will soon be a thing of the past as "single stream" recycling is on its way to all of us here in Austin. Instead of sorting our paper and recyclable items into the current little blue bins (which never seem to hold enough and are always overflowing...), we will now all have 90 gallon recycling carts. The service officially begins on October 6th and the city is passing out the carts during the month of October. Recycling will be collected on your normal trash day, every other week. This is great news for those of you who don't currently recycle because it all seems so complicated -- it doesn't get much easier than this! Details on the new service found here.

I wonder how the city will recycle all of those little blue bins?

I wonder if City of Houston will ever get a city-wide recycling program?

Sno-Beach ... Reviewed

We went to "Sno-Beach" this past week. Sno-Beach is a snow cone stand situated on Barton Springs Road between South First and Lamar. I love the concept of Sno-Beach...a random seasonal trailer that pops up during hot summer months selling wonderful ice cold treats. I was a little disappointed with the execution...but really...what can you expect from an establishment housed in a trailer that can be rolled away at a moment's notice? It was hot, very, very hot...and there was basically no shade...except that generated by an office building next door...and the bumle bees were out en masse making nose dives into our snow cones! Oh - and the snow cones are actually served in cups, not actual cones, which was a little disappointing too. (although I guess less mess) Anyway, my 3 year old was thrilled with the whole scene regardless - thumbs up from her. Oh - and kudos that they pass out giant golf umbrellas to everyone waiting in line.

Best Wading Pool in Austin

I love Eastwoods wading pool in Hyde Park, just north of the university. It's cool. It's clean. It's shady. It's free. It's almost never crowded. It's open 3-7 Tuesday - Friday. 2-6 on Saturdays, Sundays. Closed Mondays. ...and closes for the winter August 24th...so sad. Oh - and here's a little secret if you live in the area and you have a water-lovin' dog...casually show up at closing time and the lifeguards will let your pooch go for a dip before they drain the pool for the night.

New Downtown Boot Shop...Every Girl Needs a Pair of these...

These vintage cowboy boots sold at a new downtown shop are seiously cool. I want some. "Part Artwork, Part Footwear, All Fancy" ... Owner/designer Jerry Ryan creates vintage inspired boots, combining elements from the past (ode to Texas history) with his own designs to come up with a totally unique "retro-modern" look. ...which I think is right in line with our unique fashion style 'round here in Austin. I see me wearing mine with lots of flowy skirts and dresses. Prices start at $300. Shop is located at 117 W. 8th St. between Congress and Colorado. http://www.heritageboot.com/

'Walk Scores' for Austin's Neighborhoods

I found this website ** http://www.walkscore.com/ ** where you can plug in any address, and it will calculate that address's "walk score". A high walk score means less dependency on automobiles to go about one's daily life and judges distances to grocery stores, gas stations, fitness centers, hair salons, post offices, restaurants, etc ... a low walk score means high dependency on the car. I plugged in addresses for some of Central Austin's neighborhoods and here's what I got:

(possible total score = 100)

Travis Heights *55* - somewhat walkable
Bouldin Creek *78* - very walkable
South Congress (SoCo) *80* - very walkable
Rollingwood *52* - somewhat walkable
Westlake *45* - car dependent
Zilker *75* - very walkable
Downtown *94* - walker's paradise (obviously)
Clarksville *86* - very walkable
Tarrytown *63* - somewhat walkable
Rosedale *72* - very walkable
Allandale *55* - somewhat walkable
Crestview *62* - somewhat walkable
Northwest Hills *40* - car dependent
Delwood *58* - somewhat walkable
Hyde Park *78* - very walkable
French Place *72* - very walkable
Central East Side *58* - somewhat walkable
Holly Street District *69* - somewhat walkable

...next up... SCOOTER SCORES!

(thanks to Sister72 @ flickr.com for the pic!)

French Place 78722 ... Renovated 1940's Bungalow ON SALE

My friend just sent me pics of his bungalow he's selling in Austin's beloved French Place neighborhood. He dropped the price nearly $25K this week to $274,800. ...this is the only house in the French Place neighborhood at that price.

A similar house 3 houses down is on the market for $299K for the same square footage. Another similar sized house on the street, sold for $299K a few months ago. This is a 2 bed /2 bath completely renovated 1940's charmer. Instant equity. The house is great. Well located. Excellent condition. My friend is just ready to make a move. Email me or call me if you want the full MLS listing.

Lewitt X2 Exhibit at AMOA

Right now at AMOA downtown is an exhibit featuring both the artwork of Sol Lewitt and his personal art collection. Lewitt's pencil drawings, colorful gouaches, and wood/aluminum "structures" are continually recognized for pushing the limits in the minimalism and conceptual art genres during the past 40 years. Runs until August 17th...and next Saturday, August 9th, is family day at AMOA!

Screaming for a Makeover

This awesome Austin 1960's architectural home just popped up on my radar when the price was reduced from $459,700 to $435,000 or $170/sq ft. Located on .23 acre wooded lot in Northwest Hills area. It's screaming for someone to come in and make it fabulous. As you can see, the current owner has updated a few things in the home...but not everything...and easily could have chosen materials closer to the home's original charm / design.

It's slightly under market value for a home in the neighborhood, especially an architectural home of this stature and with so much potential. Can make it a dream home for yourself or flip it for profit. The subdivision has other homes that have sold recently for as high as $820K or $225/sq ft. Northwest Hills neighborhood has some of best schools in Austin and is great proximity to downtown entertainment districts, entertainment venues, and shopping. Seller's disclosure shows no major issues with home. Email me if you want to see the full listing!