And still we rise.
In late September, the Defender reported on a popular Black-owned fashion sneaker and streetwear retailer being potentially pushed out of Houston’s Galleria Mall. Fast-forward to Nov. 11, and that retail shop, Agenda Houston, and its owner Ken Haggerty are celebrating being in their new location.
Agenda Houston is now operating out of its new upscale 3,870-square-foot flagship store at The Shops at Arrive Upper Kirby (3300 Kirby Dr., Unit 4A, 77098). And just in time for the holiday season, giving Agenda Houston’s many big-baller, shot-caller clientele the opportunity to show their continued support for the store.
“It’s an amazing feeling being in our new location,” said Haggerty. “The Lord works in mysterious ways. Everything that you think is a loss, it turns out to be better.”
Earlier this year, before the Kirby location, Haggerty was told he could no longer operate out of his current store, and that he had to relocate from his heavy-foot trafficked area of the mall, to a spot with much less visibility. The reason? According to Haggerty, the popular Houston mall signed an exclusive deal with a new client.
Sneakers and resale retro kicks are a huge part of Agenda’s story and success, and Haggerty believes he was singled out and “pushed out” by Galleria Mall owner Simon Property Group, the nation’s largest mall owner, and A Sneaker City, a multi-state retail operator whose business model mirrors Agenda’s as a premier buy/sell/trade store for fashion sneakers and streetwear.
Though Haggerty was the model tenant and did everything possible to work out a way to stay in the mall, he concluded a new spot was the best move—and one he had already envisioned.
Haggerty told the Defender in September, “The shoes are my passion; my bread and butter. They’re what Agenda is known for. To have the mall suddenly tell me I can no longer sell shoes, just clothing, because they negotiated a deal with another vendor, significantly impacts my business model, my customers and my revenue,” said Haggerty in September, while operating under a temporary lease.
Haggerty still has that Galleria location, but now his flagship store at The Shops at Arrive Upper Kirby will be the new showplace for the coveted line of limited edition and designer footwear Agenda Houston customers have been missing at the Galleria location.
“This new store is really a dream come true that started for me as a kid,” said Haggerty. “I’ve had a passion for sneakers for as long as I can remember, and I love having a custom space to work with clients and cutting-edge designers to create authentic looks that represent an entire lifestyle. This new showplace brings it all together, in lux fashion, for a truly unique shopping experience that I can’t wait to share with the Houston community.”
But even more than the new space itself, Haggerty sees another aspect of his new location as the biggest gain.
“The biggest positive from all of this is the fact that I got a long-term lease. I can’t be moved. The lease is the most important thing,” said Haggerty.
