Convenience Big Store: Small businesses love 'cool factor' of 1970s homes on Oak Ridge Drive

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Small businesses love the 'cool factor' of these 1970s homes in Spring's Oak Ridge Drive.

At first glance, Good Books in the Woods looks like an ordinary house on an ordinary street.

But an ordinary house it is not. Opened in 2008 by Jay Rohfritch and his parents, the bookstore is packed with some 50,000 used, rare and collectible books along labyrinthine passageways.

The street it's on, Oak Ridge Drive, also isn't what it seems. Located a block between The Woodlands and Interstate 45, the street has no deed restrictions, making it a free-for-all for small businesses looking to own their own space.

Many of the original 1970s and 1980s houses still stand, but are filled with unique businesses instead of families. Art galleries, an Argentinian market, a packed coffeehouse, and offices for lawyers, therapists and a tequila company all occupy remodeled homes along the one-mile street.

It's also attracting new developers. A new pet oncology center opened in May of 2023, and J. Beard Real Estate's Neal King said interest in the area only continues to grow. Check out the full story here.

What are your favorite areas on the outskirts of The Woodlands? Let me know at claire.partain@houstonchronicle.com.

Claire Partain, Suburban reporter producer

Claire.Partain@houstonchronicle.com

Need to Know

Members of the MLK Youth Mass Choir sing during the

Photo by: Jason Fochtman/Staff Photographer

Ceremonies, day of service planned in The Woodlands, Montgomery to celebrate MLK's legacy.

The birth of civil rights icon and social justice leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated Monday at events in The Woodlands and Montgomery.

Triathletes wait to begin the swimming portion of the Texas Ironman triathlon at Northshore Park, Saturday, April 22, 2023, in The Woodlands.

Photo by: Jason Fochtman, Staff Photographer

Ironman, Muddy Trails: Registration open for Woodlands' 5 spring races.

The Woodlands' spring sporting season kicks off with the Muddy Trails Bash in February and continues with professional golf tournaments, Ironman Texas and several 5K races.

Openings and Closings

Conroe's former Bed, Bath and Beyond will transform into a new Barnes & Noble with plans to open in early May.

Shout out

Shout out to my colleague Sondra Hernandez for making the front page! Check out her cool story about Lake Conroe's nearly 50-year-old lighthouse and the community that maintains it.