H-E-B retains history of former amphitheater in new Nutty Brown supermarket

Texas grocer H-E-B on Wednesday opened a new supermarket in west Austin on the site of a former amphitheatre, retaining some of the building’s rich musical history.

The Nutty Brown Café & Amphitheatre closed in November 2021 after hosting concerts for more than two decades. Before that, the building was a flour mill and candy shop known as Nutty Brown Mills.

H-E-B’s 107,000-square-foot grocery store features some of the red brick from the café’s original brick oven, as well as a mural that includes vintage photos. The former owner of the performance space, Mike Farr, donated 15 signed guitars from Texas musicians who performed there. They will be on display along with other music memorabilia, H-E-B said.

H-E-B purchased the property in 2015 and construction began in March 2022.

H-E-B incorporated music memorabilia into its new Nutty Brown location. / Photo courtesy: H-E-B

“This is a special store at an iconic site, and we are excited to preserve and showcase the history of such an important landmark as well as provide a unique shopping experience our loyal customers will be proud of for decades to come,” Sarah Longoria, Nutty Brown H-E-B top store leader, said in a statement.

In addition to the Nutty Brown grand opening, H-E-B on Wednesday also announced a July 19 opening for its next new grocery store, this one in McKinney, north of Dallas. The 118,000-square-foot McKinney store is one of three heading to the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the hear future. Construction on the McKinney supermarket also began in March 2022. It will employ more than 500 people.

The Nutty Brown H-E-B will employ more than 400 workers and will include a variety of features, such as: a drive-thru pharmacy, full-service bakery and tortilla-making station, large Texas-grown produce selection, vast wine and beer department, full-service meat market and seafood counter, cooking demo area, sushi made in store, fuel station, Texas Backyard outdoor area, Blooms floral department and H-E-B Brand Shop with branded merchandise.

Last month, H-E-B opened an e-commerce fulfillment center in Plano, its sixth in Texas.