A new grocery store is coming to College Station, and it promises to be like no other. Located in front of Park West Apartments on George Bush Drive across from the west campus of Texas A&M University, the new Brookshire Brothers is set to open in September and will feature a grocery store, gas station, pharmacy, and concert venue all in one.
The new store is a partnership with the Texas A&M System, built on Texas A&M land, and planned closely with the system to meet the needs of the Texas A&M community. Designed like Kyle Field and other iconic Texas A&M buildings, the store is designed to look like it is part of campus.
“Our president and CEO is an A&M grad, and we have a number of employee owners that are Aggies, so Aggie tradition and a love of all things A&M runs deep in the company,” says Sally Alvis, senior director of marketing and public relations for Brookshire Brothers. “We are honored to have the opportunity to serve students, faculty, staff, and the rapidly growing population around west campus.”
Along with all the regular grocery store staples, the new Brookshire Brothers will boast ready-to-eat, take-and-bake, and grab-and-go options, plus an array of Aggie souvenirs and merchandise. Online shopping is also an option, with both curbside pickup and delivery.
“OWN brands, our private labels, have high-quality, value-driven grocery, paper goods, and health and beauty products,” says Alvis. “Young people tend to be brand agnostic: they will buy what’s a good value, so it doesn’t have to be nationally known.”
In an effort to alleviate traffic on George Bush Drive, Texas A&M wanted a grocery store and a pharmacy within walking distance from campus. The new Brookshire Brothers will provide both of these things, reducing travel time for on-campus students and offering a convenient option for students without cars.
“It is a priority of the Texas A&M System to have a pharmacy with things like immunization, flu shots, and testing close to campus,” says Alvis. “Students can transfer their prescriptions from their home pharmacy. We have a big presence in small communities where lots of students come from.”
Brookshire Brothers plans on giving back to the community through their Brown Bags of Hope program: for $10 you can buy a brown bag stuffed with hygiene products, staples for a meal, or school-related supplies that are donated to food pantries and other organizations. They will also provide a number of jobs to the area by hiring locally.
“Often in small communities, we are a young person’s first job,” says Alvis. “We instill in them work ethic and high expectations. We’re giving a number of opportunities to not only college students but high school kids from the College Station area.”
Besides just providing all the trappings of a big grocery store, the 40,000 square foot Brookshire Brothers will also feature an outdoor concert venue and seating area, making it a space for the community to gather. The area can be used for live entertainment, event space for organizations to use, or for watching sporting events or other programs on the TVs.
“The venue will also have a coffee shop, beer on tap, and wine by the glass,” says Alvis. “When there is not a concert, the outdoor spaces are open for eating, studying, visiting, or playing outdoor yard games like cornhole. Up on the second floor there is a community room where you can have a private meeting. There is lots of seating and plugs for phones and computers plus couches and comfy chairs on a mezzanine that overlooks the store.”
Brookshire Brothers is an employee-owned grocery store with 115 retail locations stretching from the Texas hill country to Lake Charles, Louisiana. Though they have stores all over Central Texas and a pharmacy in downtown Bryan, this will be their first grocery store in College Station. For more information, visit www.brookshirebrothers.com.
