explore austin homes

Popular AIA tour drafts 9 local architects for a peek inside Austin homes

The 2023 tour will take place on October 28-29.

Photo courtesy of AIA Austin

Taking a stroll around a nice neighborhood and commenting on the architecture is an evergreen activity. But Austinites can speculate from the sidewalk any day. Clear your calendars on October 28-29, because the popular self-guided AIA Austin Homes Tour is back.

This will be its 37th annual journey to highlight local architects and innovative home design. The nationally recognized tour showcases both newly built and renovated homes that inspire everyone from homeowners, to designers, to architects.

Before the physical tour, AIA Austin will put on pre-tour webinars with each of the nine chosen architects from September 13 to October 11. Attendees will gain access to the webinars when buying a ticket, getting an introduction to each architect and the home they designed, plus a question-and-answer session. Webinars can also be purchased individually.

"This tour has something for everyone," said AIA Austin Executive Director Ingrid Spencer in a release. "From a house made mostly of plant-based materials, to a multi-generational house with lush gardens, to a renovation of a spectacular house we saw on this tour 20 years ago, this tour promises to inspire attendees and generate lots of discussion about great design."

Other homes that will be on the 2023 tour include a three-glass home on a steep 10-acre property, a 660-square-foot studio space above a pre-existing bungalow, and more.

The nine architects that will be highlighted for the 2023 annual tour are:

Early-bird tickets ($40 per person) are available until September 22. General admission will be available for $45 until the day of the tour, and $50 on October 28. VIP tickets ($125), which include access to a VIP party, are also available.

More information about the 37th annual AIA Austin Homes Tour can be found at aiaaustin.org.

aia austin homes tour austin homes tour design architecture

GOB Sale

All Austin-area Big Lots stores hold going out of business sales

Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Big Lots

Discount retail chain Big Lots is hosting a massive "GOB" — going out of business — sale, in anticipation of a possible company-wide closure.

The Columbus, Ohio-based chain has not come out and said it is going out of business — but instead that is holding the going-out-of-business sales to protect the value of the company.

"We all have worked extremely hard and have taken every step to complete a going concern sale," Big Lots President and CEO Bruce Thorn said in a statement. "While we remain hopeful that we can close an alternative going concern transaction, in order to protect the value of the Big Lots estate, we have made the difficult decision to begin the GOB process."

The sell-off comes after a stalled sale of Big Lots to Nexus Capital Management, which was in motion after Big Lots initiated bankruptcy proceedings under Chapter 11 in September.

At that time, they executed a first round of closings — a total of 344 stores that included just one in the Austin area. More rounds of closures followed in the coming months.

On December 19, Big Lots determined that the sale would not be moving forward.

According to Fast Company, Big Lots did not explain why it was unable to complete a sale to Nexus, other than reports that an appraisal of Big Lots' inventory came in below expectations, which would make it unviable for Nexus Capital Management buy the company.

While they continue to look for alternatives, the plan now is to do the GOB sale in anticipation of a company shutdown.

Fans will miss Big Lots for their good-quality furniture, household goods, seasonal items, and gourmet foodstuffs, as well as basics like cleaning products and cereal.

There are currently four stores still operating in the Austin area:

Cedar Park: 850 N Bell Blvd., Ste. 104
Round Rock: 1201 S. Interstate 35, Ste. 200, Round Rock
Spicewood Springs: 8666 Spicewood Springs Rd.
Southeast Austin: 801 E. William Cannon Dr., Ste. 135b

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