Fiesta Mart to Reopen in Bear Creek After 8-Year Hiatus Following Hurricane Harvey Flooding
A well-known name in Texas grocery is making a long-awaited comeback to the Bear Creek area. Fiesta Mart is set to return to its former location at 4310 Highway 6 North, with a $3.5 million renovation project scheduled to begin in early September 2025. Construction for the remodeled store is expected to wrap up by mid-January 2026.
The return of Fiesta Mart marks a powerful symbol of neighborhood revitalization in a community still healing from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey. In late August 2017, torrential rains from the historic storm overwhelmed the Addicks Reservoir just south of the store, flooding much of Bear Creek Village and the surrounding area. The Fiesta Mart, originally a Gerland’s LLC grocery store, was forced to shutter after sustaining severe damage. Despite post-storm clean-up and gutting of the space, the store—and most of the shopping center it anchored—remained closed for nearly eight years.
A Fresh Start in a Familiar Location
According to construction filings, the 42,152-square-foot building will undergo a full interior transformation of its “greybox” shell to once again operate as a full-service grocery store. The new store will serve as a major retail anchor in a long-dormant part of Highway 6 that’s slowly regaining momentum.
Fiesta’s return comes at a pivotal time, as the broader Bear Creek and northwest Harris County region continues to rebuild both physically and emotionally from Harvey’s aftermath. Floodwaters during the storm reached unprecedented levels, inundating more than 154,000 homes countywide, approximately 68% of which were outside the 100-year floodplain. .In Bear Creek Village, residents experienced up to six feet of water in their homes, and recovery has been a long and painful road.
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Fiesta Mart’s return to Bear Creek comes amid a broader resurgence for the brand, which celebrated the grand opening of its first new store in nearly a decade. The 49,000-square-foot location in Lewisville, Texas—unveiled in June 2024—is a flagship for the grocery chain’s new era, blending mainstream U.S. brands with an extensive global assortment from over 100 countries. The new location also features an in-house tortilleria, bakery, and a full-service restaurant—Pepe’s Kitchen—serving pupusas, tortas, burritos, ceviche, and aguas frescas, all in a casual dine-in setting.
The Bear Creek remodel appears to be part of Fiesta Mart’s broader multi-year strategy to refresh all of its stores by the end of 2025. This modernization plan aims to enhance customer experience while staying true to the chain’s cultural roots, focusing on updated interiors, expanded fresh food offerings, and new merchandising that reflects the diversity of the communities they serve. Backed by parent company Chedraui USA—which also owns El Super and Smart & Final—Fiesta Mart is positioning itself for growth after several quiet years. The reopening of the Bear Creek location is not only a homecoming for local shoppers but a continuation of the brand’s revitalization journey across Texas.
Fiesta’s Roots and Role in Texas Communities
Founded in Houston in 1972, Fiesta Mart has long been celebrated for its vibrant multicultural selection of groceries, offering fresh produce, international goods, and ingredients from Latin America, Asia, the Caribbean, and beyond. Fiesta stores are known for their colorful atmosphere, hard-to-find imports, and wide assortment of fresh meats, seafood, bakery items, and prepared foods that reflect the diversity of Texas.
With more than 60 locations across Texas, the brand has cultivated a loyal customer base by catering to the needs of Houston’s global communities. Fiesta Mart is often seen not just as a grocery store, but as a cultural destination where families can find the flavors and staples of home—wherever home may be.
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Symbol of Recovery and Resilience
Fiesta’s Bear Creek location is poised to be more than just a retail reopening—it represents a moment of return and renewal for a neighborhood that was once a flashpoint of Harvey’s wrath.
In the years since Hurricane Harvey, Harris County has embarked on one of the most expansive flood recovery and mitigation efforts in the nation. The damage from the 2017 storm was staggering—Harvey dropped a record 60.58 inches of rain in some areas, causing catastrophic flooding across the region. In Bear Creek Village, water levels reached as high as six feet, and floodwaters from the Addicks Reservoir surged beyond project boundaries as the reservoir peaked at a historic 109.09 feet on August 30, 2017.
Since then, the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) has completed 229 infrastructure projects totaling approximately $448 million. These initiatives have reduced flood risk for more than 14,000 homes and businesses and removed over 4.7 million cubic yards of sediment to restore water flow in drainage channels.More than 800 voluntary home buyouts have relocated over 2,200 people from high-risk areas, and 66,000 trees have been planted as part of a long-term resilience strategy.
Complementing this local effort, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has undertaken critical repairs to the Addicks and Barker Dams, including sealing cracks, replacing damaged concrete slabs, and launching a Dam Safety Modification Study to evaluate the structural integrity of the spillways under changing hydrologic conditions.
These combined efforts are helping to restore confidence in flood-prone communities like Bear Creek, making way for long-delayed redevelopment—such as the return of Fiesta Mart—to finally take root.
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What’s Next
Now, with Fiesta’s comeback on the horizon, the Bear Creek corridor is signaling that it’s ready to reclaim its role as a thriving part of northwest Houston. Renovation crews are expected to kick off construction shortly after Labor Day 2025. If the schedule holds, interior renovations of the Fiesta Mart in Bear Creek will wrap up towards the end of January 2026—almost exactly eight and a half years after Hurricane Harvey shuttered its doors.
For Bear Creek residents, the reopening of Fiesta isn’t just about groceries. It’s a reminder of the neighborhood’s identity, the perseverance of its people, and a sign that even after the darkest storms, familiar lights can turn back on.
Stay connected with My Neighborhood News for the latest updates on business reopenings, flood recovery efforts, and community milestones in the Bear Creek and Highway 6 corridor.
Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
