Construction is expected to begin toward the end of November on a new Kare Mart convenience store and gas station at 444 Montrose Blvd in Houston's Montrose neighborhood, according to permit filings. The $771,000 project will bring a 5,685-square-foot store, deli, and fuel station to a stretch of the corridor that was until recently home to a longtime neighborhood day spa.
Permit Details Clarify Address and Scope
WhatNow identifies the project location as 444 Montrose Blvd., with the 77007 ZIP code. As WhatNow first reported, the permit describes construction of a new convenience store paired with a new gas station, and the project is slated for completion by the end of April 2027, with the location expected to open by spring 2027.
Per the same outlet's reporting, the new Kare Mart will operate as a combined gas station, convenience store, and deli, with a menu that includes freshly prepared foods like wings and tortas. The site is described as a standalone retail storefront building not officially part of a major shopping center, and Kare Mart currently has no website or social media presence. WhatNow noted it had not received a response from permit contact Asim Karedia by the time of publication.
A Familiar Name Behind Houston's C-Store Boom
Karedia is listed on permits for Kare Mart locations opening throughout the state, and he also serves as Honorary Secretary on the Board of Directors of the Greater Houston Retailers Cooperative Association during the 2024–2026 term, according to the Greater Houston Retailers Cooperative Association, which represents thousands of independent convenience store operators across the region. A related project is the $1.3 million, 15,280-square-foot Kare Market #10 with a c-store and gas station at 9511 Richmond Avenue, listed in state records filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
The Montrose storefront has a different history. The address previously housed Etheria Salon & Day Spa, a neighborhood business known for its lush interior garden and luxury body treatments that operated there for over a decade before closing, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Part of a Broader Shift Along Montrose Boulevard
Kare Mart's arrival follows a pattern of former dining and service spaces converting into fueling stations across the corridor. In July 2026, the former Tony Mandola's/Ocean 12 restaurant building at 1212 Waugh Drive was slated for conversion into a convenience store and gas station, with construction projected to start November 30, 2026, and completion projected for August 31, 2027, as Hoodline reported at the time. Houston remains the only major U.S. city without formal municipal land-use zoning, according to KHOU.
The project is part of broader change in the Montrose neighborhood.
Retail turnover along the boulevard has also been part of the neighborhood's recent changes. Under Texas accessibility requirements, commercial construction projects must undergo a formal Texas Accessibility Standards inspection no later than the first anniversary of completion, per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
