The Kevin Brady Library in The Woodlands moved into a former Randalls grocery store and has since doubled its daily visitors.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
A former grocery store in Montgomery County has found a second life. This time, it’s filled with books, podcast equipment and 3D printers instead of shopping carts and checkout lanes.
The Kevin Brady Library in The Woodlands officially opened in its new location in September 2025, moving into what used to be a Randalls grocery store at the Grogan’s Mill Shopping Center, which closed in 2020.
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The revamped Montgomery County library now includes a maker space and podcast studio.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
According to library manager Laci Martinez, the transition felt oddly fitting. Before becoming a grocery store, the space once housed an earlier version of the library itself, long before the better-known Lake Robbins location that served The Woodlands for more than three decades. The move to the new location came through a partnership between Montgomery County and Howard Hughes.
“A lot of people don’t remember the original locations,” she told Chron. “They only know the Lake Robbins location where we were for 31 years.”
Some longtime residents also struggled with the initial changes, judging by Reddit posts shared shortly after the library opened.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
Some longtime residents also struggled with the initial changes, judging by Reddit posts shared shortly after the library opened.
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“I went to the new one once and I’m not going back. It’s awful,” one user said. “There’s very little study spaces and the actual library part is pitiful compared to the old south regional library.”
Before becoming a grocery store, the space once housed an earlier version of the library itself, long before the better-known Lake Robbins location that served The Woodlands for more than three decades
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
“The library sucks,” another user said. “There’s no good desk spaces to sit down and read/work. When I went, they didn’t even have internet yet.”
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But the number of visitors in the first several months that suggest the library has survived the growing pains.
“The old location, we averaged about 500 visitors per day,” Martinez said. “And now we’re at 1,000. So we’ve doubled our foot traffic.”
For Martinez, though, the biggest shift isn’t technological—it’s communal.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
That growth has also transformed the library into the busiest branch in the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.
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“We account for 30% of the foot traffic of all seven branches,” she added. “I had a gentleman the other day, he said ‘I don’t know what people are complaining about, this is a good place.'”
The library itself reflects how much public libraries have evolved beyond shelves of books.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
The library also participates in an interlibrary loan system that allows users to request books from participating libraries across Texas and even the United States.
“They’re really missing out if you’re paying $9 for an e-book. You’re spending too much money because you can get them for free through the library,” Martinez explained.
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The library itself reflects how much public libraries have evolved beyond shelves of books. Inside the renovated building is a maker space equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters and a podcast studio built with equipment purchased by Howard Hughes.
Inside the renovated building is a maker space equipped with 3D printers, laser cutters and a podcast studio built with equipment purchased by Howard Hughes.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
For Martinez, though, the biggest shift isn’t technological—it’s communal. That philosophy has become increasingly important in an era where information is often consumed alone—and not always accurately.
“Libraries aren’t just about books anymore, and we wish more people knew that,” Martinez said.
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The library has transformed into the busiest branch in the Montgomery County Memorial Library System.
Laci Martinez, Library Manager
“We always view the library as your third space,” she added. “There’s really nowhere in the community that you can go to sit and be and not have anything expected of you.”