History
The original store opened in 1994 in the Central Park Shopping Center on North Lamar in Austin, Texas, two years after its competitor Whole Foods went public. A popular following began immediately after the store opened. Many Texas foodies were attracted to the store's offerings and were willing to travel from other cities just to shop in the store. Beyond supplying hard-to-find products, Central Market's highly trained staff are knowledgeable about all things epicurean.
It was not long before H-E-B Grocery Company expanded the chain to the San Antonio area (the store is located in Alamo Heights), Fort Worth, Dallas and Houston. The chain's second store opened in 1997 in a converted H-E-B on Broadway in the San Antonio area (in the Alamo Heights city limits). Two years later, a third store was opened on South Lamar in Austin. Fort Worth and Houston were introduced to the chain for the first time in 2001, with stores on West Freeway and Westheimer, respectively. Central Market's sixth and seventh stores opened in 2002 on East Lovers Lane in Dallas and Coit Road in Plano. Continuing its Dallas/Fort Worth area expansion, an eighth store opened at The Shops of Southlake in Southlake on December 6, 2006 and another store opened in the Preston Hollow neighborhood of Dallas in February 15, 2012.
According to a 2000 article in the Houston Business Journal, "The two Central Market stores in Austin have become a tourist attraction of sorts, drawing in more than 1.5 million visitors a year, second only to the state Capitol in terms of Austin tourist attractions."
Read more about this topic: Central Market (Texas)
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