PetCare Express / 6220 West 43rd Street
This early 1970s-style building most recently had "Donalds Donuts" (not related to the Bryan-College Station stores). PCE opened in January of 2014. Prior to this, it was Mary Lee Donuts since 1977 then Donald Donuts starting around 2000. While it was originally a Texaco station (and has not been one for many years), the pumps were visible up until around 2007.
MytiBurger / 2211 West 43rd Street
The original MytiBurger location opened in 1967 and is one of only two in Houston (others were opened in the 1970s but failed in the 1980s). The other location at Kempwood appears to be semi-independent. (For example, they serve breakfast, the 43rd location does not).
T & T Washateria / 1859 West 43rd Street
T&T Washateria has been here since at least 2005 (as that name). There were formerly some palm trees between the laundromat and the street, but these perished in 2021.
Iglesia Emanuel Houston / 1845 West 43rd Street
This hasn't been a retail store in years. It opened as Henke & Pillot (later converted to Kroger), which closed in 1975 (see HHR, we'll get to the main Kroger they're talking about further down.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Premier Properties / 1803 West 43rd Street
This is housed in a very obvious former Taco Bell building, which operated from 1973 to around 1990. Even imagining it as a Taco Bell, it feels a bit isolated from other fast food restaurants and traffic.
Mobil / 1807 West 43rd Street
The main store here was built as a 7-Eleven in the mid-1980s but sold to Stop N Go, which was converted to Corner Store in the late 2000s. It seems to have suffered an identical fate to the former Corner Store at Valley Mills and Memorial in Waco, where the Corner Store got Circle K promotional signage but in the end removed both the Corner Store sign (no CIrcle K branding) and the Circle K promotional material. Like the Waco store it also got a new ExxonMobil brand name.
As of April 2022, there's a vacancy (L&M Cleaners and 1805 W. 43rd) to the left of the convenience store, and to the right is Nails By Katherina at 1809 W. 43rd Street.
Dollar General / 1804 West 43rd Street
Family Dollar was replaced Dollar General between 2016 and 2018. This was almost certainly one of the Dollar Express-owned stores that was spun off by Dollar Tree in 2015 and operated as Family Dollar until Dollar General bought the spin-off company and converted the stores. An October 2017 photo shows Family Dollar closed and a banner announcing a Dollar General coming soon. Around the time the store converted, Manna Thrift Store, located to the left of the store at 1806 West 43rd Street, closed.
Mister Car Wash / 640 W. Crosstimbers Street
Mister Car Wash dates back to 1973 (one of the earliest locations), though has obviously upgraded its appearance several times since.
Modera Garden Oaks / 641 West Crosstimbers Street
Currently undergoing construction is this multi-story apartment building. This was built on land that was a Kroger store (and its adjacent parking lot), though it only operated as such for a few years and spent most of its life as a bingo parlor. Kroger (#174 in the Houston division) built and operated this store (likely on land from Sears; it was connected to its' parking lot) in 1979 but closed after 1982 (due to union problems). After a short run with an outfit called "Home Town Foods" operated it in 1984-1985 (part of a short-lived affiliation of stores), it remained mostly empty until Family Bingo Center (moving from 1275 Pinemont) has been here since 1999. In October 2021, the bingo parlor shut up without much notice (despite owning the facility) and demolition plans for the building were filed soon after.
508-512 West Crosstimbers Street
There's a few warehouses that are back here accessible by a driveway, and prior to COVID, there was a small brewery called Brash Brewery, but as of fall 2022 appears to be closed up. Just west of here (actually accessible from Westcross) are some townhomes built in the mid-2010s. Immediately west of 500 was 514 West Crosstimbers Road, a Whataburger (#89; one of the drive-up variety, appears to be) opening in 1976 but closed sometime in the latter half of the 1990s. It was later redeveloped into townhomes. Immediately west of the driveway was 514 West Crosstimbers Road, a Whataburger (#89; one of the drive-up variety, appears to be) opening in 1976 but closed sometime in the latter half of the 1990s. It was later redeveloped into townhomes.
Residence at Garden Oaks / 500 West Crosstimbers Street
Unremarkable 98-unit apartment complex unit built in 1972. It has gone under a few names, including "West Crosstimbers Apartments" to just "Crosstimbers Apartments" by 2011. In 2014/2015, it was repainted and rebadged as "Residence at Garden Oaks Apartments". Originally the parking lot spilled out onto Truman Street and Fenn Street; however, these were later fenced off and is now controlled by an electronic gate.
440 West Crosstimbers Street
ABC Automatic Transmission was here for years, since at least 1990, probably further back. Around 2021 it closed and was replaced by Heights Upholstery (auto upholstery) and repainted the building with some ugly murals on the garage doors, but it seems like as of September 2022 it already closed ("For Lease" signs up, et cetera).
Flying Saucer Pie Company / 436 West Crosstimbers Street
Flying Saucer Pie Company has been here since at least 1975. 1967 is the first year in business, it's very likely the building is the same.
The Wealth / 422 West Crosstimbers Street
From 1999 to 2016 this was the home of Direct Air Compressor Rebuilds, also known as Direct A/C. After it closed, the sign stayed up for a few years before it was renovated in 2018 into "The Wealth" (events space, open 2019). It appears that "The Wealth" was always just an events space, despite tax records indicating it was supposed to be "The Wealth Bar & Lounge". Records prior to 1980 can't be found.
Gatlin's Fins & Feathers / 302 West Crosstimbers Street
For years, from about 1957 to 1997, this restaurant, Mexicatessen (also known as Mexicatessen Herreras, operated at this small building off of West Crosstimbers. It finally closed around 2007, and remained vacant for about 7 years before becoming Texas Enchilada House in 2014, but less than a year later became Landa Café (which also appears as Landa Cafe', or even "Landa Caf'" in many sources). It closed in fall 2018 but the signage remained up. Around June 2019, it reopened as Arturo's Mexican Cafe (even making it in a local piece about new restaurants) but by September 2019 it was already closed (per Yelp).
After sitting vacant for a few years, it was announced to be the location of Gatlin's Fins & Feathers, a soul food restaurant with other ethnic influences. It opened in July 2022.
120 West Crosstimbers Street
From 1975 to 2016 this was Aquarius Awning Corporation (signage still exists), but the older Jim Miller Industries Real Estate & Investments (~1950-1975), which still has a sign up. The main building (disguised with newer siding) dates back to circa 1920 as a single family house.
MP Instrument Company / 125 W. Crosstimbers Street
Electronic and engineering repair for large companies, as well as a distribution center for those parts. The company website says it was founded in 1962 at the "request of" Southwestern Bell and officially incorporated in 1964. It's hard to say if it was ever officially part of Southwestern Bell/old AT&T but it certainly isn't today. (Southwestern Bell spun off as an independent company in the mid-1980s, and eventually bought AT&T, taking its name).
Barbecue Inn / 116 West Crosstimbers Road
This restaurant I've been to, it has a small but aging following, with some good chicken fried steak and french fries. The current building was built in the 1960s, not the 1940s. I've written more about it with some photos at The Houston Files.
Independence Heights Apartments / 302 Crosstimbers Street
These apartment buildings were constructed in 2018-2019 (at least partially subsidized), and physically where Kennedy Elementary School was before it moved out around the early 2010s.
Church's Chicken / 425 Crosstimbers Street
In the late 1960s this was home to the "TexGas Service Station" and became Ron's Krispy Fried Chicken around 1982. It didn't last too long before the entire chain sold out to Church's less than five years later. It's still a Church's Chicken to this day.
1331 Crosstimbers Street
This started out as Monterey House and converted to Monterey's Tex-Mex Cafe, before becoming Monterey's Little Mexico. It was closed up sometime around 2018 (maybe 2017). The May 2022 Google Street View shows the space being used for a staging area for new palm trees.
1332 Crosstimbers Street
This Wendy's opened in 1985 and closed in 2013, becoming Loanstar Title Loans. This was closed between November 2016 and May 2017, and boarded up soon after. Sadly, around 2020 the solarium (hidden behind plywood) was later completely removed.