New HEB store on old Nutty Brown land to honor iconic music venue

HAYS COUNTY (KXAN) — Gone is the Nutty Brown Cafe and Amphitheater from its spot near the Travis-Hays county line, but HEB is trying to keep its spirit in the area.

The popular music venue moved to Round Rock to become Round Rock Amp, and now a 103,000-square-foot HEB grocery store is being built on the property. The San Antonio-based company announced the start of construction in March, and that it would "use building materials and showcase iconography and memorabilia from the iconic venue."

HEB said it has owned the property since 2015 and worked with venue owner Mike Farr to make the transition as smooth as possible. Construction started in March.

"It means a lot to me that H-E-B cares enough about the history at Nutty Brown and plans to pay homage to it in some way," Farr said. He gave HEB some guitars signed by musicians that played at Nutty Brown, and the company will integrate those into the new store's decor.

"I value the way H-E-B has treated me and my business over the last several years. They’ve been amazing partners to work with. I live a few miles down the road, and it’s a surreal concept to think that a place I’ve walked into and owned for two decades is now where I’m going to buy milk and bread. But I’m excited to see it and excited to be a part of it," he said.

The store, located at Country Road 163 (also known as Nutty Brown Road) and U.S. Highway 290, is expected to be done by Spring 2023, HEB said. HEB built another store on the highway in the Oak Hill neighborhood to replace an old store in southwest Austin, but the new one is meant to serve people living between Austin and Dripping Springs.