Bobbi Brown's Jones Road, Faherty Set to Land in Houston's Rice Village

Rice Village is picking up two more national retailers, as clean-beauty brand Jones Road and outdoor apparel label Faherty both prepare to open storefronts in the Houston shopping district. Jones Road is taking over the former MAC Cosmetics space at 2411 Times Blvd., while Faherty will move into 2414 University Blvd., according to reporting by CultureMap Houston's Eric Sandler.

A Bobbi Brown Brand Finally Reaches Houston

Jones Road was founded by makeup artist Bobbi Brown and is known for clean, multi-use makeup items, including its Miracle Balm, per the same CultureMap report. The Houston shop, expected to open later in 2026, will be Jones Road's first location in the city. Brown launched the brand in October 2020, the very day her 25-year non-compete clause from the 1995 sale of Bobbi Brown Cosmetics to Estée Lauder for $74.5 million expired, according to the Los Angeles Business Journal.

The brand has grown quickly since then. Jones Road pulled in roughly $160 million in revenue in 2024 and set plans to open three times as many physical stores in 2026 as it did the year before, according to the Bigblue Blog. CEO Cody Plofker said in January that physical stores let customers test clean beauty formulations in person before buying, the outlet reports. Jones Road opened its first Texas storefront on South Congress Avenue in Austin in April 2025, per Tribeza, making the Rice Village shop its second in the state.

Faherty Brings Outdoor Layers to the Village

Faherty, founded by twin brothers Mike and Alex Faherty, describes itself as a premium apparel brand built for outdoor activities, featuring knitwear and easy-to-layer pieces made from premium materials for men and women. The CultureMap report notes both Jones Road and Faherty arrive with strong brand identities and loyal followings, though Faherty's Rice Village debut isn't expected until spring 2027, later than Jones Road's planned opening.

Kinokuniya and Hill House Home Round Out the Push

The two new arrivals join a broader wave of retail additions transforming the district. Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya has announced plans to open its second Houston-area location, a 5,600-square-foot store at 2369 Rice Blvd. slated for fall 2026 that will sell books, stationery, paper goods and more. Kinokuniya opened its first Greater Houston store at the Katy Grand development in October 2019, according to Community Impact, and the chain, founded in Tokyo in 1927, now operates more than 80 stores worldwide.

Viral lifestyle brand Hill House Home is also headed to Rice Village, taking over the 2,146-square-foot space at 2414 University Blvd. previously occupied by boutique Lily Rain, with an opening planned for fall 2026, Community Impact reported separately. The moves fit a pattern Rice Village has followed for years: Sam Dike said the district aims to create a thoughtfully curated mix of retailers that enhances the Rice Village experience, part of what the CultureMap report describes as an almost-decade-long process of upgrading the district's retail offerings with national and international brands.

A Historic District Tied to Rice University's Finances

Established in 1938 near Rice University and the Texas Medical Center, Rice Village spans more than 300,000 square feet of retail space and counts over 60 merchants, according to Houston First Corporation. Rice Real Estate Company, a subsidiary of Rice University, manages the district along with the 80-acre Ion District in Midtown, generating revenue that funds university operations, research and scholarships.

That institutional stake is now driving a major infrastructure push. Rice University unveiled its $120 million Gateway Project in November 2025, which will extend Amherst Avenue two blocks east from Morningside Drive to Greenbriar Drive, creating what the university calls a seamless, pedestrian-friendly corridor linking the campus to the heart of Rice Village. The project also includes a multiyear renovation of the 75-year-old Rice Stadium through 2028, downsizing it into an updated 30,000-seat “stadium in a park” that once hosted JFK's 1962 moon speech and Super Bowl VIII.

The commercial build-out sits alongside unusual local governance developments. Hoodline previously reported that a municipal management district covering portions of Rice Village approved a $430 million bond in a four-voter election last November, funding infrastructure tied to the district's growth. It's the kind of low-visibility public financing that increasingly underwrites the walkable retail experience Rice Real Estate is selling to brands like Jones Road, Faherty and Hill House Home.