Mazzio's Pizza in Temple (Temple, Texas)

This is the same scan (c. 1991) that appears on sister site Brazos Buildings & Businesses.
Another spin-off of the SW H.K. Dodgen Loop page, Mazzio's Pizza opened in Temple in 1984 with its address originally being 1906 Glendale Drive but became 1420 S.W. H.K. Dodgen Loop as that became a frontage road for the highway later. Unlike the College Station location which closed by late 1997, the Mazzio's Pizza remained and kept its older logo for years (I seem to remember it hanging onto it even into the late 2000s, though it had switched to the current logo by 2008). Sometime around late 2013 it was shuttered and replaced by "Henderson's" restaurant in 2015, which by November 2018 became another restaurant, Bay Street Steak & Grille; however by summer 2019 it was already gone. The new Denny's opened in fall 2020 and is the first in Temple since the one off I-35 (the old Kettle) closed. (See Carbon-izer's I-35 in Bell County page).

Target Cherry Lane (Fort Worth, Texas)

This was when it was still open as a Target, so before 2008. (Bing Birds Eye View).
Here's a post that was originally supposed to be on Carbon-izer but exclusive to Numbered Exits. In spring 2010 I took a trip to Fort Worth and while I sadly don't have any pictures from that trip I do have a few images I took from the old "Bing Birds Eye View" (back when they had mid-2000s shots) of the old Target that was near our hotel. Bluepages reports the Target (T-74) at 2600 South Cherry Lane opened in November 1979 and closed in July 2008, when it was replaced by the store at 751 Alta Mere Drive.

A slightly closer look. (Bing Birds Eye View).
Additionally, a stand-alone Payless ShoeSource (2610 S. Cherry Lane) was boarded up and closed. This store operated from approximately spring 1981 to March 2008. In late 2012 the building was repainted and reopened as "Premium Title Loans". A Payless ShoeSource did exist in Ridgmar Mall proper from 1987 to the chain's bankruptcy in 2019 as well. There's a page for Bastrop's stand-alone Payless ShoeSource stores here on Carbon-izer.com though I need to fix it as the pictures are upside down as of this writing. I may have some more pictures of this Payless (also from Bing Birds Eye View), though that may have to come later (I already delayed this post as it was!).

The Target had direct access to West Freeway's frontage road (I-30), and as of December 2023 was subdivided into smaller, office-like tenants including Perkins Aircraft Windows Inc., Blue Haven Pools, Conti Warehouses, Midcoast Energy, Required Team Gear, and Momentum Upstream.

Finally, the front part of the Target parking lot was redeveloped with a small strip mall building (2606 S. Cherry Lane) that has of March 2024, Cherry Lane Cleaners, Wally's Liquors, a vacancy, Donut Express, A Plus Nails, and Star Relaxation. Finally, a Holiday Inn Express & Suites at 2620 S. Cherry Lane to replace the hotel at 2620 S. Cherry Lane was built sometime around the mid-2010s.

Hi-Ho Store (Navasota, Texas)

This picture is taken from Visit Navasota.
Today's post is a slightly souped-up and focused version of this post (permanent archived version). For many years, the State Highway 105 East exit was memorable because if it was taken, it was usually the first big sign that we were on a big trip. Houston and Galveston still continued down Highway 6 and if we were even in Navasota to begin with there was at least something special going on. I had mentioned back at Brazos Buildings & Businesses those points that when crossed meant we were officially on a trip, but even when that line went from Rock Prairie Road to William D. Fitch Parkway, this exit meant that it was some place special—for years, it would be something like a road trip to Baton Rouge or Florida, or even in later years something a bit closer to home, like the Renaissance Festival. (All those things between here and there will be future posts) and even in my last road trip to Florida, I still took Highway 105 (though got off at the 249 exit). Nowadays it makes me a bit sad to see the area increasingly developed with Jack in the Box, Chicken Express, and a Starbucks at that corner (yet Navasota still lacks Taco Bell).

Today's subject is Hi-Ho, a Shell station that originally had the address of 1831 South Loop 6 but changed to 1921 Texas 105. Hi-Ho was there since 1994 but repaved and rebuilt its Shell gas canopy and around 2008-2009 (nearly looked like a new store), and then did a big expansion around 2017 (truck fueling and a store expansion including a back entrance) to compete with the new Stripes (now 7-Eleven) across the street. Other changes, like making the frontage roads one way and adding turnaround lanes, came around this same era.

Hi-Ho predated the gas station at the southeast corner (Circle H, later rebuilt as Circle T, no relation) and was the first thing at that intersection, so it holds some nostalgia value, and seeing the Shell sign after traveling on Highway 105 returning meant that home was one step closer. Hi-Ho survived, at one point in the late 2000s or early 2010s a car ran into the store (this was before the expansion). But things are changing once more, and Hi-Ho may turn into just another gas station consumed by TxDOT expansion.

Courtesy TxDOT
In the future we will be covering the long journey from Highway 105 to Florida (besides what has already been covered)...not all at once, there are a variety of other entries I wish to cover. There won't be a special tag for it, but I'll bring it up and link posts.

The Original Buc-ee's in Bastrop (Bastrop, Texas)

Google Street View images are so janky-looking but it's the best we have at this time. From 2022.
I'm in the midst of re-working the Bastrop page on Carbon-izer.com (you can see Version 6.0 here as it appeared during this writing). Buc-ee's made its appearance at Highway 21 and Highway 71 in May 2012...but it wasn't the first time. While it's true Buc-ee's #28 opened in 2012, Buc-ee's #11 opened in 1998...at the corner of Highway 21 and Highway 71 (where the highways split on the WEST side of town).

Sadly, I don't have any pictures of it when Buc-ee's was in operation, but the Exxon here at 1273 Highway 71 West was what could be termed as a Baby Beaver Buc-ee's and like these earlier stores were extremely small for Buc-ee's standards (4000 square feet) and had a diesel area for 18-wheelers (Buc-ee's forbids 18-wheelers). The Buc-ee's here was short-lived, only operating from 1998 to 2000 before it was sold, though I'm pretty sure it was always an Exxon. As of November 2022 it has a "Cooper's Express" fried chicken program.

Fiesta Fresh Market (Conroe, Texas)

This is from Google Maps Street View but I've decided to capture it in 16:9 to show all the details.
Fiesta Mart has gone through various merchandising and ideas over the years, including just being a supermarket focused on Hispanic foods, to being a low-price leader, to having interesting store concepts that rival Randalls and Kroger, to exploring new concepts and formats. Fiesta #81, originally branded as "Fiesta Fresh Market" was one of the last "original" Fiesta stores under the original ownership (the link talks about Fiesta #82) and was one of these concept stores. Opening in Conroe in November 2013, it was far smaller than most of the stores in the chain and was basically designed as a "specialty" Fiesta with a deli and bakery fit among its 22,000 square feet of space. Located at 210 East Davis Street it is near downtown Conroe and required a redevelopment of the block.

The buildings that were demolished included Smith's Tire & Lube (202 East Davis Street), Moore Furniture (105 E. Philips Street), and the vacant Heilig-Meyers Furniture (110 E. Philips Street, which closed in 2001).

Smith's had been there for a long time, it was built in 1966 as Smith's Mobil, became a Texaco in 1973, and shuttered in 1990 (moving to I-45), reopening as Smith's Tire & Lube in 1991. Heilig-Meyers Furniture is a visibly old building that dates back decades (1950s or 1960s but I haven't found much on it).

The logo wasn't the only thing that new ownership changed, in a nod to both older roadside attractions and in some way's Fiesta's own past, a blinking light marquee was at ground level near the entrance. This went away between 2017 and 2018.

I have not personally been to this store, unfortunately, but I remember reading about it and thinking that it was a good idea since I remember the Fiesta bakery being great--telera rolls, dirt-cheap apple fritters (25 cents, even in 2014), and a bunch of other stuff. These days probably not so much...

This entry is an expanded version of what originally appeared on this page ("Davis Street in Conroe").

H-E-B Pantry Orange (Orange, Texas)

Picture from August 2025 by author
Among the things I did on my vacation was visit a few grocery stores, and one of these was the H-E-B Pantry Foods in Orange, Texas. Well, it's branded as an H-E-B now (has been since at least summer 2008) and has been kicking around since its opening in August 1991 (there's a plaque outside of the door, as well as another honoring a deceased manager). Rumor is H-E-B has purchased Northway Shopping Center near I-10 to develop into a new H-E-B and additional retail but that's probably at least a year away.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the inside as I was still on a bit of a deadline (and hit Houston right at rush hour) and one of the only photos on Google that's not an H-E-B stock photo is this shot from 2017 (the aisle signs have been replaced, but otherwise looks pretty accurate). Inside-wise, it resembles the Pantry store I remember growing up with a few changes. They've clearly tried to fit more merchandise in, produce is cramped and bumps up right against the main grocery aisle (produce on the right to the front) while the bakery area (Pantry stores had a small bakery) had been removed for additional space (it's where the water was found and I think some HBA items were there as well). It is a tiny store at around 27,000 square feet. A new-build H-E-B is about four times that size (but wastes a lot of space, here nothing is wasted).

I know I saw an ad once that indicated someone drove from Louisiana for that H-E-B (before the short-lived Lake Charles store, anyway) but I can't find it at this time. The store number is #35 according to H-E-B's current website as well as what we currently have as H-E-B Pantry's full listing. (I did not visit the former Kroger Family Center nearby).

The H-E-B is located at 2424 North 16th Street, Orange, TX, 77630.

12636 Research Boulevard featuring Mongolian Grille (Austin, Texas)

Advertisement from the Austin American-Statesman, Feb. 10 2005 Today's post has spun off from Research Boulevard in Austin (Austin, Texas), 12636 Research Boulevard.

This three-building property (also has North Brooke Plaza) has numerous strip mall tenants from the back near Jollyville Road to the highway side (built in 1984) through acquisitions. As of 2024, starting from the back near Jollyville Road, building A has The Abiding Glory Tabernacle, Hey Why Hair Braiding Salon (A-104), Pizza Hut (A-105), India Gate (A-110), and a location of Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet. Building B has Fusion Tadka in the back (which replaced longtime tenant B.B. Rover's Cafe and Pub). Other tenants (working clockwise) are Hill Country Flooring (also home to Austin Painting & Cabinets), C&J Massage, Trippiez Smoke Shop, Oak Liquor Cabinet, Cash 4 Gold, and D 2.0 Bar (B-101). Building C has Kanji Ramen, Kung Fu & Self Defense (upper level), High Octane, Pretty Lady's African Hair Braiding (upper level), 101 Event Center (upper level), Mind Body Yoga (upper level), Best Brains Learning Center, GoldenLove Tattoo, and possibly others that weren't listed.

What I wanted to specifically wanted to focus on was suite A-110. This was Mongolian Grille (link goes to YouTube commercial) from 2001 to 2012. I ate there in 2004 and for a long time was trying to figure out where and what it was. I remember it being better than Genghis Grill (which has since departed from most of the state) with bigger portions and more selection. (I also remember how bright their orange sauce was). One of my restaurant guides (Fearless Critic Austin Restaurant Guide 2nd Edition) rated it quite poorly, partly because of its ambience (though they reviewed the downtown Austin location) and a stated goal that they like restaurants where the chef (not the customer) knows best when choosing between various proteins, starches, and sauces. (They hated Cafe Express in Houston for the same reason). Anyway, Mongolian Grille was replaced with the similar restaurant Mongo Fire (until around 2018) and has been an Indian restaurant since. Chicha's Fire And Grill opened by the end of 2018 but reused Mongo Fire's awnings (including their website and phone number). Around 2020, this closed and was replaced by India Gate. Prior to Mongolian Grille, it was "Cafe Chino" (Chinese restaurant, 1989-2001, mentioned in this article).

Corner Store at 1624 West Waco Drive (Waco, Texas)

Picture courtesy McLennan CAD
1624 West Waco Drive was originally built as a Payless Gas, a convenience store chain owned by Strasburger Enterprises (the actual gas brand is unknown--they all used different gas brands) in 1985. It's been mentioned at a few of my other pages on Waco at Carbon-izer (at 1020 N. Loop 340 and at 901 South 5th Street). I never knew Payless Gas as Strasburger Enterprises sold the entire 64-store chain to Diamond Shamrock in 1991¹, whereupon they converted to Corner Store, Diamond Shamrock's in-house store brand. When Diamond Shamrock stores started to be converted to Valero around the mid-2000s Corner Store was their preferred brand (winning out over Stop-N-Go in Houston, which they also owned) and ultimately spun off Corner Store as CST Brands, though despite a promising start was purchased by Circle K (all of this happened within a decade or so). Unfortunately this Corner Store never got to see Circle K. In 2006, Valero sold the store to an independent (just labeled as "Food Mart") but within a few years was picked up and remodeled as Chevron with a new sign (the brick base for the old sign still stood) and a coat of paint. Within a decade this too was abandoned and in 2020 remodeled as "Be'ur Mart" with its own mascot on the signage (that looks like it was stolen from somewhere). Nevertheless, the Payless Gas legacy still exists in Waco, carrying on as Circle K.

1. It seems that not ALL of the Payless Gas stores were sold, and Strasburger Enterprises would later go back to convenience store in the mid-1990s with Quix. These were sold to 7-Eleven in 2012.

AkzoNobel - Houston Plant (Houston, Texas)

Want ad from 1978 from what was then Matcote
The AzkoNobel plant in Houston at 6001 Antoine Drive was originally built in the late 1960s as an annex to Matcote Co. Inc., a Houston-based protective coatings company which had a small facility at 5810 North Houston Rosslyn Road, which soon moved to this location (it is unknown when they closed the North Houston Rosslyn Road facility) and expanded again in the early 1970s.

A 1979 article goes a bit more into detail what Matcote did, which was not make paint but rather protective coatings for industrial use. In 1980, Matcote was purchased by UK-based Courtaulds d/b/a International Paint, but expanded the facility, adding another warehouse in 1982 and in 1985 opening a powder coating facility (they also expanded the facility's production after the closure of an International Paint facility in New Orleans in 1986). During this time the Matcote name disappeared and was replaced with the Courtaulds Coatings name through the 1990s (following a reorganization at Courtaulds that spun off its textile business). In 1998, Courtaulds merged with Dutch-based AkzoNobel and the plant reverted to the International Paint name again, though the plant has been branded as AkzoNobel since at least 2007.

The property also incorporates 5903 Antoine Drive—a former site of Monterey House (later Monterey's Tex-Mex Cafe) from 1981 to 1994 and ultimately torn down for additional parking.

This was originally part of "Antoine Drive in Houston".