Uvie Bikomo

3 weeks ago | houstoniamag.com | Uvie Bikomo

Despite the fire, Deloyd Parker is intent on continuing SHAPE’s mission and many programs. Image: Michael StarghillDeloyd Parker still remembers the smell. On the evening of January 19, smoke rolled through SHAPE Community Center’s primary location in Third Ward, swallowing 56 years of photos, posters, and carefully archived memories. Firefighters cut holes in the roof to stop the flames; water and smoke did the rest.

1 month ago | houstoniamag.com | Uvie Bikomo

Juan and Ana Parras created T.E.J.A.S. to organize against the effects of petrochemical plants in Houston. Image: courtesy t.e.j.a.sIf you ask Juan and Ana Parras how they met, you’ll probably get two different versions—but both start in a South Texas courthouse. He walked in with a mustache, wearing a fedora and a wool coat, fresh off a union campaign in snowy Indiana. She was holding it down at the information desk in the rotunda. “He looked like he was in the mafia,” Ana jokes.

1 month ago | houstoniamag.com | Uvie Bikomo

Grocery stores can be bland, forgettable, and downright joyless. Not if you’re in Texas. Here, H-E-B is sacred. With a loyal customer base and a brand identity that wraps itself unapologetically in Texas pride, H-E-B isn’t just a store. It’s an experience. Texans don’t just shop there; we brag about shopping there. It’s inspired memes, aisle-by-aisle TikTok videos, even merch. And a lot of that loyalty is earned.

1 month ago | houstoniamag.com | Uvie Bikomo

Allergic reactions to pollen in the air are based on several factors. Image: HOUSTONIA COMPOSITE/SHUTTERSTOCK.COMAnyone who’s lived in Houston long enough knows that spring can be a mixed blessing—beautiful blooms on one hand, and, on the other, a seemingly endless parade of sneezing and sore throats. This year, though, seems to have hit a whole new level of misery. It almost feels impossible to walk from your door to your car without feeling a prickly irritation in the nose.

1 month ago | houstoniamag.com | Emma Balter |Uvie Bikomo |Sofia Gonzalez |Meredith Nudo

When you ask Houstonians why they love the city, their answers are often vague—“the people,” they say, or “the food.” There are, last we checked, people and food everywhere, so what exactly does make Houston such a special place? It can be hard to pinpoint. Houston is a place that gets under your skin. A place with inexplicably infectious energy. A place that’s comfortable and easygoing while also providing discovery at every turn.