About a month ago, H-E-B announced two more Joe V’s Smart Shops were heading to Greater Houston: one off state Highway 288 just north of Almeda and another at 19611 U.S. Route 59. The latter of those Joe V’s is currently set to open sometime in early 2027. Wednesday morning, construction crews were seen digging up dirt and cracking the pavement in the parking lot.
The new Joe V’s is entering a space with a lot of history. The Humblewood Shopping Center was built in 1980. One of its first tenants, according to the Houston Historic Retail blog, was the now-defunct supermarket chain Weingartens and later Safeway. It was replaced by Craig’s, a Houston-based department store.
In 1988, the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post reported that Kroger had leased the space, marking the chain’s 61st location in the metropolitan area. The Cincinnati grocer closed the location sometime before August 2014, which was when they opened a much larger “Signature” store nearby on FM 1960.
A Conn’s furniture and electronics store moved in, but it went under after the chain shut down in 2024.
H-E-B has spent much time nurturing its various spinoff concepts across Texas. Joe V’s is the San Antonio grocer’s budget-friendlier store. As of 2026, there are 11 Joe V’s shops in the Greater Houston metro, including in Baytown, Katy and Pasadena. Mi Tienda, another H-E-B spinoff that currently only has one location in Houston, will soon open another location at the old Sharpstown/Plaza Americas mall.
