With the holiday season upon us and our work schedules somewhat altered, I recently found myself in the office on a Sunday afternoon trying to work ahead a little bit, when I received a text message from my friend and publisher. It was a video celebrating the opening of a new historic HEB in Austin.
A short while later after arriving home, Hubby shared that he had talked on the phone with Daughter, a student at the University of Texas at Austin. She and her friend were excited because there was a brand-new, two-story HEB open in Austin and they were planning to go check it out later that evening.
It truly is a small world.
As chance would have it, we were headed to Austin the following day to pick up Daughter and bring her home for Christmas break. En route, I told Hubby that we had to go by and check out the new two-story HEB. He agreed.
Located at 2400 S. Congress Ave., the recent grand opening of the iconic South Congress store follows a complete rebuild of HEB’s longest-standing Austin location, making the new store more than double the size of the original location’s most recent footprint.
At over 145,000 square feet, the multi-level store includes a True Texas BBQ at ground level with indoor and outdoor dining, a second level with a large assortment of products, and three levels of above-ground parking with space to accommodate 500 vehicles.
Let me just say it was amazing. Absolutely AMAZING.
Before we ever entered the store, I was already impressed with the parking garage and its state-of-the-art green and red LED lights suspended over each parking space, signaling whether the space is available (green light) or taken (red light). Another benefit of the parking garage is that in the event of inclement weather, you’re completely undercover and not faced with having to load your groceries into your vehicle in the rain.
Once inside, the store is easy to navigate, as it is equipped with both elevators and escalators – even an escalator for your shopping cart.
I was overwhelmed by the beautiful shiny floors and the appealing natural light coming through the vast floor-to-ceiling windows. Hubby, on the other hand, was extremely impressed with the large wide aisles – and lack of in-aisle coolers – that made getting around easy and effortless.
The bakery is a sight to behold with numerous cases filled with an array of brightly colored macarons and beautifully adorned cakes and pastries. The sushi bar, and the skill and speed with which they were creating the masterpieces, was fun to watch. In the dairy section, the sheer variety and volume of fresh cheeses was so impressive that even Daughter commented – and she’s not easily impressed.
A station called HEB Cooking Connection features professional chefs answering questions and providing tips as they cook for the shoppers and passersby. The large produce section, laden with absolutely gorgeous fresh, organic produce, made my heart beat a little faster than usual. However, the feature that actually made me weak in the knees was the soup bar, an area that featured six large pots of homemade soups, all ready for you to serve yourself. The aroma was intoxicating. Being the soup-lover that I am, I briefly wondered if I had died and this was heaven.
In 1944, HEB opened its first store on South Congress down the road from the current location. The HEB at 2400 S. Congress Ave. opened in 1957. The 25,000-square-foot store received several upgrades over the years and was later expanded to 69,000 square feet. Demolition of the former store began in February 2022.
The new SoCo HEB offers curbside and home delivery, a full-service pharmacy with drive-thru, and a beer and wine department boasting the largest wine selection in the company. I regret not getting a picture. However, I think I may have been catatonic by that point.
To celebrate the store’s longtime South Congress roots and Austin’s vibrant art scene, HEB commissioned several art installations throughout the store, which range from murals to sculptures. The various installations showcase the community’s heritage.They were colorful and cheerful and made me happy.
Inside and out, the SoCo HEB has a distinctive overall design that was thoughtfully crafted to reflect and complement the heart of Austin and the surrounding South Congress community. An emphasis was also placed on environmental sustainability, incorporating a host of features including smart lighting, abundant natural light, CO2 refrigeration, plans for rooftop solar panels, and more.
“After more than six decades of serving the South Congress and Oltorf communities, we are proud to offer our loyal customers a brand-new store filled with HEB favorites along with new amenities and features tailored to the area,” Cathy Harm, HEB Senior Vice President for the Central Texas region, said. “This is an iconic location, and this project reflects our commitment to preserving the heart of our long-time store while creating a meaningful space that will better serve the community for years to come.”