HOUSTON — Want to shop? Eat? Drink? At Ironworks, you can do it all.
"It’s unique in that you have different little businesses," says developer Andrew Kaldis, president of Kaldis Development. "I’m really proud of this project. I’ve been doing this for 28 years in Houston. Started out in the Montrose area, Downtown, Midtown. I’ve been over on the east side for about seven years."
The east side is where he discovered the old Cameron Ironworks building, the first part of which was built in the 1920s.
"This one is really special because it’s really a historic landmark," Kaldis said. "It does have a lot of history. That, to me, makes it even more exciting."
He said he worked with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve that history, on display throughout the original building.
"We were able during our demolition to see doors, crown moulding, even had original windows that were behind some of the sheetrock," Kaldis said.
He also restored the building’s 2,500 windows, replacing almost every pane of glass.
"All the window frames that you’re seeing in this building are original," Kaldis pointed out.
His preservation approach extended to the building’s addition, which went up in the ‘40s.
"Part of doing a historic development, at least in this industrial building, they want to make sure you keep how the building was," Kaldis said. "In this one, the expansiveness, the steel."
Confronted with the challenge of keeping the building open while also creating space for retail, Kaldis had the idea to install shipping containers instead of standard walls.
"The main thing is they don’t obstruct the view in the building," he said. "Especially since it’s in the industrial side of Houston. I think it’s kind of neat."
The businesses inside the containers are all locally owned, as mom-and-pop as they get.
"This has offered a platform for those people to do something they’ve always wanted to do, whether it’s selling t-shirts, doing makeup," Kaldis said.
The containers house vintage shops and local creators, candles and creams, handmade jewelry, sweet treats, doggie duds and teas and tinctures. It's an ever-evolving collection of vendors, not the least of which is Segundo Coffee Lab and Second Slice Sandwich Shop.
"For me, to see people chase their dreams and realize, ‘You know what, I can do it. I can have a business.’ That gives me gratification. I get a real kick out of that," Kaldis said.
You can support those dreams and get just about anything you’re looking for with a visit to Ironworks.
Content sponsored by Dairy Queen.