Foxtrot Ventures Inc. – the modern Chicago-based convenience store chain – has unveiled expansion plans for four Austin locations by early 2023. The company first announced plans for expansion in January after months of raising $100 million in venture capital.

More About Foxtrot

While based out of Chicago, Foxtrot has over 21 locations throughout the country, including Dallas and Washington, D.C. Widely popular and praised for its creative and constantly evolving design integrating grocery shopping and cafe-style food and drink options, Foxtrot is quickly becoming a household name. The chain values customers and opts to transition throughout the day to fill its customers’ needs – transforming into a midday cafe and an evening seller of bread and wine.

Alongside its dine-in and grab-and-go meal options, an alluring aspect of Foxtrot is its combination of brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce shopping. Shoppers have countless options as they experience and enjoy the Foxtrot chain.

The Austin Stores

While the majority of the four stores in development for Austin won’t reach the city until 2023, there is still plenty to be excited about. With plans to hire over 125 employees across the four locations, it will come as no surprise that Foxtrot also plans for one of its Austin sites to be its largest location to date. The 6,500-square-foot flagship store will be located at 1804 South First Street and is currently poised to open sometime this fall. The other locations will be spread throughout Austin, with a 2,500-square-foot store at 4800 Burnet Road, and stores at 2270 Guadalupe Street and 301 West Second Street.

While Foxtrot is a national brand, it prides itself on partnering with local vendors. Austinites can expect many of their local favorites to be stocked at the upcoming stores, such as Lick Honest Ice Creams, Chop Chop Ramen, Rosen’s Bagels, as well as alcohol from St. Elmo’s Brewing, Austin Winery, and Live Oak Brewing.

Why Austin

Austin is not a novel concept to Mike LaVitola, the CEO and founder of Foxtrot, as the chain already carries many items made by Austin companies. When asked about establishing roots in Austin, LaVitola pointed to the city’s youth and incredible local vendors as its most alluring qualities.

The widespread popularity and acclaim that is associated with Foxtrot will only bring great things to our city. Contact me here to stay up to date with news on Austin’s future developments!

September has been an eventful month – with a long-awaited change in season, the beginnings of countless thrilling fall events, and the highly-anticipated news of the soon-to-be tallest tower in Texas, Waterline Tower. While construction began on this project in mid-June of this year, its completion is not anticipated for three to four more years. 

Upon completion, the 74-story skyscraper will surpass the state’s tallest building record of 1,002 feet, currently held by the JPMorgan Chase Tower in Houston. The Waterline Tower will be co-developed by two companies operating out of Texas, Lincoln Property Co. and Kairoi Residential LLC.

The Space Inside The Waterline

While a large portion of the retail space on the first two floors remains unclaimed due to the longer timeline of this project, the following 13 floors have already been booked with 1 Hotel Austin, a luxury hotel featuring a ballroom and rooftop pool.

The next 27 stories will contain roughly 700,000 square feet of office space. Spectacularly, this office space will only take up one-third of Waterline’s entire height. To further entice the Austin workforce, the office space will be created with large corporations and smaller technology companies alike in mind. 

Lincoln Property Co.’s Seth Johnston remarked “In Austin, Texas, you don’t go only corporate or only tech…Big corporations and tech companies intermingle every day, so what we tried to design is a building that can suit both and be as flexible as possible.”

Residing above the impressive office space will be 33 floors consisting of 352 luxury apartments, with many details still to be determined.

What This Means For Austin

Downtown Austin has been booming, drawing attention from across the country. Now, with not only a new record-setting skyscraper but with additional office, retail, and residential space, the Waterline Tower will be an incredible contribution to the city. 

Katie Keenan, CEO of Blackstone Mortgage Trust, who provided the construction loan for this property, commented on the mission of the Waterline Tower: “We continue to see strong demand for new, best-in-class residential, office and hospitality assets in high growth markets like Austin and are excited to support this trophy, mixed use development that will make a meaningful contribution to the community as well as the Austin skyline.”

As we learn more about this fascinating development, feel free to reach out. I always welcome discussions about this incredible community and what the future holds for us.