Meet 3 Entrepreneurs Shaping Downtown Corpus Christi
As a growing business district catering to locals and visitors alike, downtown Corpus Christi has become a destination where entrepreneurs thrive. Ahead, meet some business leaders proud to call Coastal Bend home and contribute to the area’s transformation.
Richard Lomax
President and CEO Water Street Restaurants
Part of a family business serving Corpus Christi for over 40 years, Richard Lomax knows a thing or two about being a downtown-based entrepreneur. “Entrepreneurship is in my DNA,” says Lomax, who grew up working as a barista, oyster shucker and other roles in his father’s downtown restaurants.
He eventually worked his way up to president and CEO of Water Street Restaurants.
Under Lomax’s leadership, Water Street Restaurants has expanded its downtown footprint. He successfully added new concepts like the bakery and breakfast spot Central Kitchen, as well as El Camino, an upscale Tex-Mex dinner destination, and Elizabeth’s, which features Mediterranean-inspired cuisine and cocktails inside the walls of the Art Museum of South Texas. He’s also revamped longtime standbys like the Executive Surf Club and Water Street Oyster Bar. Through it all, Lomax has maintained a community-focused vision for downtown Corpus Christi and beyond.
“We want to grow the Coastal Bend and make it a great place to live, work and visit,” Lomax says. “Our vision for downtown is aspirational. To get it to where we want to be, we have to take that first step.”
Some of those first steps have included attracting talented employees who want to grow their careers and build something special downtown, too. “We’re creating a team culture that prioritizes quality, integrity and serving the community,” he says.
At the same time, downtown Corpus Christi has helped Lomax’s vision come to life.
“We’ve been blessed to have fantastic community support,” Lomax says. “Downtown is a dense ecosystem of locals and tourists. It’s a thriving business district that gives us the oxygen we need to fulfill our vision.”
Lucas Boyd
Owner Community Grocery
Located on the ground floor of the historic, 100-year-old Nueces loft building, Community Grocery goes beyond its name alone.
“It’s more of a vibe than a store,” says owner Lucas Boyd.
In addition to the basic essentials, the mini grocer offers grab-and-go sandwiches and juices, imported snacks, hard-to-find niche products, Asian and Italian grocery items, and a wall of Labubu plush toys, among other things.
Further expanding its uniqueness, Community Grocery is also a breakfast, lunch and dinner hangout for the community. It offers traditional deli sandwiches, pastas and other one-of-a-kind weekly specials (Grown-Up Spaghetti-O’s, for example) made by Community Grocery’s in-house chefs and local chef collaborations. There are even instant ramen machines. “They’re our prized possessions,” Boyd says with a laugh. “Anybody can be a bodega, but do they have ramen machines?”
Boyd, who admits he has a knack for getting people to relax and enjoy themselves, is fulfilling a dream he’s had since he was 10 years old: to own a business where the community can gather and have fun.
“We’re making waves in a positive way. It’s important to have a cool, local meeting spot to feel comfortable, be safe and know you’re around good people,” Boyd says.
For Boyd, it’s an exciting time to be located in downtown Corpus Christi.
“Downtown is on an uptick,” Boyd says. “There’s a core development of businesses that are going to be here a long time.”
Stephanie Brazeal
General Manager House of Rock
Offering a live music venue, event space, restaurant and neighborhood hangout all wrapped into one, House of Rock is a key community center of downtown Corpus Christi.
And as general manager at House of Rock, Stephanie Brazeal has helped curate the venue’s welcoming atmosphere for over 14 years.
“Being an inclusive, all-ages venue, we do everything here – from concerts and networking meetups to private events and more. Since we’re open for lunch and dinner and late at night, people come just to eat and connect, too,” Brazeal says.
More than just providing a safe gathering space, however, Brazeal and her team also make it a priority to support the local community.
“Anytime you can show love to local artists, it’s great. We have so much talent here,” Brazeal says.
As such, House of Rock offers one of the longest-running open mic nights in town, plus regular showcases of community artwork on its walls. Locally sourced meats are even featured in its famous pizzas, too.
Extending the welcoming spirit further, Brazeal considers it a privilege to operate downtown alongside other local businesses.
“It’s not a competition. The more businesses, the better,” Brazeal says. “Downtown is a city within a city. There’s a lot of fresh energy and excitement here.”
