At Dress for Success and Women of Wardrobe's annual Summer Soiree, generously hosted by Tootises, fashion-forward attendees dressed in pretty pastels, bold patterns and lots of ruffles — many designed by Houston's Hunter Bell, who showed off her fall line alongside jewelry by Claudia Lobao. Chairs Karishma Asrani, Courtney Campo, Allie Danziger and Melissa Sugulas welcomed guests to the event, which toasted the 20th anniversary of Dress for Success, and raised more than $20,000 for the org.
Exclusive Furniture’s Sam Zavary Credits Luck, Hard Work and ‘Mom’s Prayers’ for His Success
Jun. 18, 2022
How did you get to where you are today? I am a firm believer that hard work and having dreams that you strive to achieve will motivate and inspire people to achieve their potential. Working hard, dreaming, and making sure to take advantage of every opportunity is something I learned at a young age. I credit God and God’s grace firstly, but I know that success is a direct result of hard work. I tell my podcast subscribers and followers to continue setting goals, evolving, improving, and planning, and I practice what I preach. I am proud to have started my business in the fastest growing major city in the United States, and I attribute a lot of the success of Exclusive Furniture to the family culture we create in the best city — Houston’s diversity, philanthropy, and innovation have helped me achieve a lot of the milestones in the furniture business (and the “low prices”) you see today!
Whom do you credit? I credit my mom’s prayers. And, to his credit, in the words of Snoop Dog, “I want to thank me; For showing up every day with a plan. Me for caring about my employees. Me for caring about my customers; Me for caring about my community.”
I am truly thankful to have my siblings work with me. I surround myself with great people and therefore great things happen. I want to credit luck, hard work, dedication, good planning, prayers, and believing and having faith in the vision of Exclusive Furniture — “Where Low Prices Live!”
What lessons have you learned that might enlighten and inspire others? I am constantly learning. You should be learning something new every day as there are new lessons. Some more advice: Don’t take things lightly and don’t underestimate or overestimate people. Judge people on their performance. This includes employees, vendors, and contracted people. Make sure you do your due diligence. “You can only expect what you inspect, or something will fall through the cracks.” Don’t dwell on your setbacks, instead use your setbacks as a learning session so as not to repeat pitfalls again. And, don’t worry, you will always have setbacks to learn from; you will just have fewer if you learn from the past.
It seems to me that luck has a lot to do with success, and the harder I work the luckier I get.
What’s new in your life or work that you’re excited about? I am excited to open the new Exclusive Furniture Spring location in June! This will be my 8th location. Not bad for a guy who started out in 1998 with one 2,000-square-foot store. Proud to be where I am today. Now my smallest store is 12,000 square feet. Our 8th location is 61,000 square feet! I am excited about expanding into more Texas locations and continue the brand and culture of Exclusive Furniture.
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IT’S THAT TIME of year again — already! — and The Union Kitchen is honoring teachers and educators with a gratis brunch this weekend at all locations.
On Aug. 10 and 11, teachers and educators would be smart to show up from 9am until 2pm to enjoy a leisurely brunch before school begins the following week. This promotion falls hot on the heels of the concept's generous Kids Eat Free promotion that ran throughout June and July.
As a matter of fact, a total of 7,760 kids' meals were gifted this summer — including 1,250 kids' pizzas, 1,000 chicken tenders, and 1,500 of Houston’s best pancakes — saving parents in Houston $62,080. Led by restaurateur Paul Miller and his wife, Doris Miller, Gr8 Plate Hospitality runs The Union Kitchen's five Houston-area restaurants. The hospitality group also owns and operates local favorites Jax Grill, Passerella and Vine Memorial, a wine-bar-slash-café.
“As parents, we are deeply indebted to the tireless efforts of the teachers and educational support staff who have sparked inspiration in our children throughout their school years,” said Paul. “This is our way of paying it forward to these passionate people who selflessly shape young minds daily.”
It will be worth getting up early for a scratch-made spread of classics like biscuits and gravy, a pancake plate and The Union Kitchen Bowl. The latter is a hearty signature favorite comprised of scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, breakfast potatoes and veggies topped with shredded cheddar cheese. The Union Kitchen’s expansive “locally famous” weekend brunch and cocktail menu also are on offer, along with $1 espresso martini shots, $6 espresso martinis and the popular $19 Build-Your-Own-Bubbles deal.
The exclusive deal applies to teachers and staff with a current, valid school identification card. (And the offer is not available to-go, sorry!) All five of The Union Kitchen locations in Greater Houston will be participating including Memorial (77024), Oak Forest (77018), Cypress (77433), Katy (77494), and Kingwood (77339).
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Olympics Specials, Trill Burger's Latest Collab, 'Volcano' Ramen, and More of This Week's Food News!
Jul. 31, 2024
LET THE GAMES begin! Houston restaurants are celebrating the Olympics, White Linen Night, back-to-school season and more. What summer slowdown?!
Kazzan Ramen & Bar
Beef Sukiyaki Kazzan-style ramen (photo by Traci Ling)
Originating in Osaka, Japan, this fun concept-dining hot-spot is now open in the Heights, marking only its second location in America. Its signature dish is known as "volcano ramen," as it's served in a 350-degrees-hot stone bowl; the broth is poured tableside into the bowl from a cylindrical top, causing the steam to rise in a dramatic fashion. Guests can choose their ramen flavor and toppings, and also select other traditional Japanese dishes like gyoza, Kushikatsu skewers and more. Don't forget Kakigōri — Japanese snow cones — for dessert!
EZ's Liquor Lounge
White Linen Night returns on Friday, Aug. 3, and EZ's Liquor Lounge is ready! There will be live music courtesy of Western Jelly from 7-10pm, and a menu of items from The Original Ninfa's to supplement EZ's delicious hot dogs and chili pies.
Trill Burgers
(photo by Dominique Hill)
The collabs keep comin': The latest to hop on the Trill Burgers bandwagon is Levi's, the iconic apparel brand with a storefront in the Galleria. The two businesses will cross-promote each other this week, as Levi's pops up inside the burger joint's brick-and-mortar on Shepherd with special black-and-yellow merch, and also offers restaurant gift cards to customers who spend $100 at its Galleria store. Meanwhile, Trill Burgers is serving a limited-edition Western-style OG Trill Burger topped with homemade chili; make it a combo and get a Levi's-Trill-Burgers t-shirt. Snag a 30 percent discount card for Levi's!
a'Bouzy
Through Aug. 11, toast the Olympics in true Parisian style! Each day at 5pm, the restaurant will pop a bottle of Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte for each U.S. medalist who wins. Keep the celebrations going with a delicious oyster deal: six fresh oysters paired with a glass of Nicolas Feuillatte Brut for $20.
Hungry's
Hungry's kids menu (photo by Jenn Duncan)
Make back-to-school easier on everyone: Kids eat free every Monday at this family-fave establishment with locations in Rice Village and Memorial — not to mention a much-anticipated new one opening on Woodway soon!
Heights & Co.
Mark your calendars for Aug. 10, National S'mores Day, and hit Heights & Co. for the ultimate s'mores board. Toppings include rice krisipies, cornflake candy, frozen fruit and chocolate ganache, and each order comes with a tableside fire pit (so you don't get too toasty yourself!). Wash it all down with an espresso martini for just $5.
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