The original idea was thus: a nice neighborhood butcher shop, the kind of place where Houstonians could get the freshest meat from local farmers. But when business partners Ryan Pera and Morgan Weber started putting their business plan together, they realized there was an opportunity for something much bigger, a full-blown market, conveniently centered in the Heights neighborhood that would serve up everything from produce and dairy to specialty coffees and artisan breads.
The concept is now reality with the opening of Revival Market. What's with the name? Pera and Weber are trying to revive the concept of the old time corner market, where people could pick up everything they would need for a meal, plus a few extras, all without dealing with a big grocery store. At Revival you'll find such interesting items as stoneground polenta and corn grits, homemade preserves, honey from local beekeepers and breads from Houston baking company Slow Dough.
In recent years, the locally-sourced foods movement has gained a lot of momentum in Houston and farmers markets have sprouted throughout the city. Revival complements these markets and area farmers and food producers by providing them with a steady outlet for their products. The vast majority of the foodstuffs carried at Revival are sourced from within 150 miles of Houston.
Meanwhile, Weber is also doing his own farming under the name Revival Meats, raising chickens, pigs and lamb at a farm outside of Houston. The meat is then cut to request in-store. One of the more interesting features of Revival Market is the oversized window into the charcuterie case that shows off the variety of house-made and cured meats available. There are other interesting architectural elements as well-all of the wood in the store was salvaged from a 100-year-old house that was being demolished nearby. There's also an Old World butcher block and handmade finishings throughout.
Beyond its grocery staples, the market is also serving up fresh made sandwiches, salads, pastries and more-all with a down home Southern touch-for in-store lunch and those on the go.
