While Ray Hernandez, president and CEO of Partnership Lake Houston<\/a>, said the rising cost of rent and increased costs due to inflation have caused some difficulties for area businesses, he said business owners have access to several loans and counseling options aimed at easing their struggles.<\/p>\n “><\/p>\n A closer look<\/p>\n Brett Nuttall, who opened Pop Drinks Atascocita<\/a> with his wife in 2024, said he\u2019s had to reduce the size of their supply orders to reduce costs.<\/p>\n \u201cWe just can\u2019t keep dollars sitting on the shelves for undetermined periods of time,\u201d Nuttall said.<\/p>\n Nuttall said the strain caused by inflation might lead to higher prices at his store.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s all we\u2019ve got left to do,\u201d Nuttall said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re buying in bulk less frequently, so we\u2019re fully stocked at all times,\u201d Landry said.<\/p>\n From 2021 to 2025, the average rental rate for retail space in the Lake Houston area rose from around $18.25 per square foot to $25.10 per square foot, said Ashley Brown, Realtor with Red Door Realty & Associates<\/a> and The Polompsky Team<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEven a 1,500-square-foot space can easily cost $4,000 or $5,000 a month once you factor in taxes, insurance and maintaining your business,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Additionally, Brown said new businesses tend to sign shorter leases, leaving them open to quick rate hikes once their initial contract expires.<\/p>\n Brown noted members of her realty team strive to prepare potential business owners for the reality of opening their stores before they finalize their lease agreements.<\/p>\n \u201cYou really want to strategize to make sure your operating costs and your projected revenue makes sense for that location,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIf rent makes up more than 10% of your income, you\u2019re going to end up really biting the margins there.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"chart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777400415_789_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Landry said he is taking a different approach with his new business, noting he\u2019s aiming to reduce the number of orders he places by buying more food with each order.<\/p>\n![\"chart](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777400416_603_thumbnail.jpeg\")
Why it matters<\/p>\n