Bryan College Station Farmers Market Century 21 Beal

Bryan/College Station is a very unique place. The sister cities have most everything you’d find in a big city, but alternatively it’s got quite a bit you wouldn’t. What makes it so special is the amount of farms and food producers around. This area of Texas is one of the agricultural boons of the U.S., not to mention A&M University has some of the most premier agricultural researchers. We are surrounded by some of the freshest, healthiest meats and vegetables in Texas; that makes Bryan/College Station one of the best places to shop for food. Be it our farmers’ markets, local grocers, or A&M’s meat market, you can find some of the most delicious foods in our quaint little sister cities.

HEB and Kroger’s are great grocery stores as well, but if you’re looking for fresh produce, you really can’t beat the farmers’ market. For over 10 years, the Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market has been trying to connect local food farmers with local consumers; the food is amazing, and the prices are impossible to beat because they come straight from the producers Another thing that makes the farmers’ market a great place to have is that it ties the community together. The Brazos Valley Farmers’ Market doesn’t receive any funding; it’s all volunteer based and fruits and vegetables is not the only thing vendors come to sell.

There are a ton of different vendors that come to the market selling everything from jellies, specialized salsas, and honey to jewelry and perfume. It really is a wholesome, communal environment and a great place to go even if you don’t have any kind of grocery list.

But if you do have any kind of meats on the list, the A&M meat market is tough to compete with. They sell all types of meat products and they’re all pretty amazing. It comes from one of the best meat science & technology centers in the world, and it shows. They’re basically just selling the meat so they can afford to buy more livestock and keep studying it, and the community reaps all the benefits.

For another great food experience, Bryan/College Station also has the Farm Patch; it has all the great produce you’d find in the farmers’ market, but it’s as convenient as a grocery store. They get a lot of their inventory from local producers and they also sell flowers, trees, and seeds– in case you’d like to grow some food at home. The Farm Patch is a charming, friendly place; the whole experience is like a remnant from a quieter time.

This area has all the right qualities that make it one of the best places to find great food; it’s not too big and it’s not too small. Tons of local farmers from the rural areas gather here to sell their good, and the consumers get access to some of the best produce available– the communities of Bryan and College Station, Tx  is made all the better.

Susan Hilton – Realtor & Sales Trainer for Century 21 Beal, Inc.

#1 in Real Estate in Bryan and College Station Home Sales

Bryan College Station Real Estate & Community Blog

Gucci Dog Harness: $355.00

Gucci Travel Bag: $820.00

Gucci Travel Bed: $290.00

Louis Vuitton Pet Carrier Bag: $1,570.00

Juicy Couture Cashmere Dog Sweater: $47.50

Today’s Luxury Market isn’t just about people anymore. The affluent buyer expects luxury in every aspect of his or her life including the family pet. It seems that there is no limit to what they will spend to have their pets live in the lap of luxury. So my question to all our reader’s is: “How much would you spend on your pet?”

Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Lifestyle and Real Estate Expert for over a Decade!

When I first came to College Station over a decade ago, I remember everyone complaining that we just didn’t’ have enough good places to eat. They also complained that what we did have wasn’t all the amazing.

Well just over a year ago, one of my long time clients and college friends Wade Barkman moved backed to College Station to try to change that. In 1999, Wade graduated from Texas A&M and moved to New York to attend the Culinary Institue of America. When he finished there, he moved to one of the “foodie” capitols of the world, Las Vegas, Nevada. There he ran several restaurants including the 808 Steakhouse at Caesar’s Palace. When Steve Wynn opened his new hotel, The Wynn, Wade was stolen away to be the general manager at a struggling restaurant called Corsa Cucina. Within weeks, Wade and the head chef guted everything in the restaurant and rebuilt it into one of the top restaurants in Las Vegas. Tired of being an employee and not an owner, Wade decided to look at how he could change that. His first thought was in his home state of New Mexico, but that proved to be an almost impossibility with the cost of acquiring property, excessive special fees and more. One day it hit him that his alma mater might just be the place to make his mark.

With College Stations relatively inexpensive real estate and a favorable base of his fellow Aggies from Texas A&M, this would turn out to be the right fit for Wade. He and his family poured their heart and soul into finding the right location, creating the perfect environment, developing the right menu, having the perfect wines, and most importantly hiring the best staff they could find. They pulled in luxury home builder, Rob Crowley, to re-work the old Tavern restaurant into a world-class luxury steakhouse. Luck struck when head chef Brian Light came in to town and immediately hit it off with Wade and his brother/partner Nathan. They found an amazing head waiter in life-long resident Todd Newhouse who notably is one of the best and best known waiters in Bryan/College Station.

The public has noticed. Since May of last year, the Republic Steakhouse has been wooing the residents of Bryan/College Station and thousands of visitors. They have become the place to meet friends for drinks at their elaborate copper topped bar. It’s also where more and more companies are hosting their company events in their private rooms. But it’s not just the locals and visitors who have noticed. National and International Magazines have started noticing. Last year, Southern Living and Texas Monthly both featured the establishment with rave reviews. However, Wade Barkman doesn’t settle for “ok”. He’s a true perfectionist at heart and that is probably why we are friends! He is constantly wondering what they can do better and finally the rewards for doing that are coming in.

Last week, they were informed that AAA, one of the most trusted companies for travel information, would be awarding them a 4-Diamond Award! They are the first restaurant outside of a major city in Texas to receive this award. This is a very prestigious award that few restaurants will ever achieve and they’ve done it in their first 18 months of operation!

If you haven’t tried this amazing restaurant yet, you are missing out. Call and schedule your reservations today at 979-260-4120. They are located in the Chimney Hill Shopping Center on University Drive across Tarrow from the Hilton Hotel. Check them out on the web at http://www.TheRepublic1836.com

As always, if you would like more information on living the luxury lifestyle or buying or selling luxury real estate, please email me at RClayLee@Yahoo.com.

Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Lifestyle and Real Estate Expert for over a decade!

I spend a lot of money one shoes. I guess it’s my thing. My broker spends a lot of money on fishing equipment and I think it’s insane. I have another friend that spends ungodly amounts of money on computer equipment that I also see as excessive. No matter who you are, you have that thing that you will spend a little extra on. Shoes has always been mine.

However, I don’t get rid of them easily. Good quality luxury brand shoes should and can last for decades! Now, if you don’t wear them at all, of course they would last a long time. But if you like to enjoy those great Ferragamo boot’s you bought, you are going to have to wear them. I have shoes that I wear all the time that I have had for years. As I write this article, I’m actually sporting a pair of black Donald J. Pliner boots that I bought in 2002 on my very first trip to New York City. They are classics and go with just about everything. Multiple times I’ve thought of throwing them away, but then I take them to my favorite shoe shop, Victor’s Shoe Repair, in Bryan. For anywhere from $10 to $45, they make them look and feel like brand new. I think they are probably on their 5^th pair of soles and I don’t plan on replacing them anytime soon.

That’s the key, the soles. When your shoes start to wear out or look worn, it’s probably best to replace the soles and have them cleaned up. You can replace the leather and rubber soles on most shoes that you own. I’ve even had a pair of my favorite sandals re-soled. If you are a shoe person like me, it’s also like getting your favorite shoes new again.

So the next time you think those $450 Gucci shoes are ready for the trash heap, try getting them resoled and cleaned up. You might just be surprised how much use and wear you will get out of them.

For more information on living the luxury lifestyle or buying and selling luxury real estate, feel free to email me anytime at RClayLee@yahoo.com.

Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Real Estate and Lifestyle Expert for over a decade!

But going home doesn’t have to be the end of your stay at your favorite hotel! Due to an enormous amount of client demand, many of the 5 and 4 star hotels are now selling almost everything you need to recreate your hotel experience at home. If you had to pull all the materials together yourself, it would take extensive travel and weeks of internet searching to find all the bedding, accessories, towels, and plumbing products. Now with just a simple phone call you can have almost everything you see!

For example, W Hotels has a retail store in most every hotel and a magazine in most of their hotel rooms that sell most of the accessories and the linens. They even sell the special BLISS SPA soaps you use in all of their bathrooms. The Ritz Carlton does a similar set up, but even includes an option to purchase the same mattress you slept on. I think Westin Hotels have the best program. You can buy the complete “Heavenly Bed” you slept in, the “Heavenly Bath” shower head from the bathroom, the towels, the robe, and more! Even the smaller boutique hotels are getting in on the action.

Next time you stay in a hotel that you just love, ask the concierge how to purchase the items from your room. I almost forgot the most important part. These companies even sell these items at LESS than you would pay if you had to go out and find all of these items on your own!

Some travelers like to take this one step further and literally buy a piece of real estate designed by their favorite hotel. The luxury hotel chains are all doing it in places all over the world. It goes from basic hotel rooms, to suites, to condos, to even complete stand alone residences. In most cases you get full or partial deeded ownership. The hotel completely designs and decorates the property and maintains it! Don’t get me wrong, it’s not inexpensive, but it’s definitely the easy way to get your luxury pad without all the hassles.

For more tips on living the luxury lifestyle, please feel free to contact me anytime at RCLayLee@yahoo.com
Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Real Estate & Lifestyle Expert For More Than a Decade!

Something came over me that instant. I’ve been very fortunate in my life and especially this year. I was standing there in a few thousand dollars of clothes, shoes, sunglasses, a watch, and untold amounts of facial care products. There they stood just trying to make it to tomorrow. While they were at the counter, I thought I would run to the ATM and take out a few hundred dollars and offer it to them to hopefully get them out of their rut a little bit. I had a new bank card, and stupid me had forgotten to set up the PIN number. I WAS FURIOUS. When I got back to the line at the pharmacy, they were gone. I asked the pharmacist if I could pay for their stuff that they would come back for the next day and she told me that it was covered under Medicaid. THANK GOODNESS FOR MEDICAID! So then it came over me that maybe I could just use my credit card and buy them an Albertson’s Gift Card so they could buy groceries. I looked through that entire store and couldn’t find them anywhere. I grabbed what I needed and headed out to my car. There I was going to get in my car when I noticed them sitting on the curb and the dad asked me what time it was. They would be waiting another 30 minutes for the “Trolley”. It’s the summer here in College Station, TX. That means that by lunch everyday that it feels close to 100 degrees outside. I said bye and got in my car feeling horrible that I hadn’t done anything to help them. I thought about going in to get a gift card for them, but what if I lost them again. I would offer them a ride, but the little girl needed to be in a car seat and I didn’t have that either. So I looked in my wallet and found $40 and took it to them. I just told him that I knew things were ruff right now and I hoped that the small amount would help him. He said thank you very much and smiled. I drove away feeling like I should do more.

I went to a few appointments after that, but in the back of my mind, I was still thinking about my experience at the grocery store. I was hungry and for some reason, the Brazos Valley Food Bank came into my mind. I don’t know why, but I instantly dialed 411 and asked for the number and in no time I was connected. I said who I was and asked what they needed right now more than anything. The lady on the phone didn’t know what to say and asked if I would hold while she got the director on the phone. Before I knew it, I was on the phone with Theresa Mangapora. She at first didn’t get what I was asking. After a little bit, she asked me to hold. She was gone quite a while and when she came back she apologized for what she was about to say. She said she knew it was more than I was looking to help out with, but that they were $5,000 to $6,000 short for their summer back pack program. That didn’t seem like that much money so I said, ok, and asked what else they needed. I don’t know who I thought I was, but I kept on asking what they needed and she kept apologizing for mentioning what they did need. Come to find out, the rising cost of gas has left them with the probability that they will be $4,000 short in their budget they have for gas to make the Brazos Valley Food Bank do all that it needs to do. I guess I felt ten feet tall and bullet proof at that moment, but I asked her if she cared if I tried to raise it by the end of the week. There was a long pause. She asked if I was serious and I replied with an astounding yes. She agreed to email me tons of information about the programs they had and I got off the phone. For some reason, it never hit me as to what I had just signed on for, but I immediately started through my phone book to anyone I knew who had means and a heart to go with it that might help out.

The Brazos Valley Food Bank has a special program for kids during the school year and during the summer. It’s called a Back Pack Program and it truly is amazing. Children who get free or reduced lunches at school are nominated by their teachers to be a part of the program. During the school year, the children are given a back pack full of food to take home for the weekend. It’s filled with kid friendly easy to prepare foods that the kids can pretty much take care of themselves with. On Monday, they bring the bags back and the process starts over on Friday. During the summer, the back pack program is run through community centers, churches, and a host of other programs that help keep these kids fed during the week and to have something to do. It truly makes the difference in a child’s life.

The Food Bank has similar programs that give boxes of food to seniors and to entire families. On their website www.bvfb.org, they have all the information about each program and how you can contribute.

I’m happy to report that this small goal was met through contributions from MANY generous people who heard my call and joined me in fulfilling this need. However, the need isn’t over. There is always a need for funding, food, and volunteers. This just helped the summer program see itself to completion. However, soon the summer will be over and the school year will start again. They will need our help again then. It’s amazing how around $5.00 will feed a child for the weekend!

I guess the moral of this story is that you never know why something happens. However, you can always know that if you set your mind to something, you can do anything. We all forget sometimes how good we have it. I guess it’s good to be reminded.

If you would like to help out the Brazos Valley Food Bank, please contact them at 979-779-3663 or www.bvfb.org. You may also contact me and I’ll even come pick up your donation and take it to them.

As always, for more information on living the luxury lifestyle in College Station, feel free to contact me at rclaylee@yahoo.com

Clay Lee

College Station’s #1 Luxury Real Estate Broker/Agent

Hopefully, you’ll never need the wonderful and caring services Scotty’s House of Bryan/College Station provides. However, for those that do, it’s truly a miracle in of itself. Scotty’s house is a non-profit organization that provides services to abused children and their families in a healthy environment that promotes healing in order to lay the foundation for a healthy future. They work with law enforcement and state agencies to evaluate, help, and rehabilitate abused children and their non-offending family members. They make sure they get the help they need to move on with their life at a time when they need it most.For years they have operated out of a small frame house on a tree lined street. However, soon they will start construction on their much larger and more modern facility so they can expand their services to more children in an even more comfortable and loving facility. This multi-million dollar facility is still in need of funds to pay for this construction, but it’s over halfway there and getting closer all the time!If you would like to help Scotty’s house by volunteering, donating to their building fund, or donating to their general fund, please CLICK HERE or go to www.ScottysHouse.org.

Luxury living is more than our surroundings, it’s the tingle we feel each time we do good for someone else.

For more information on living the Luxury Lifestyle, please feel free to email me @ rclaylee@yahoo.com

Did you know that the City of College Station owns a single park that is 515 acres? It does, and it’s called Lick Creek Park. It’s open to the public year round and is located off of Rock Prairie Road in South College Station. If you haven’t been there yet, you are missing out on one of the coolest and FREE things to do in Bryan/College Station. Now one of the most well known park’s in the country is Central Park in New York City that has 843 acres. At 515 acres, Lick Creek isn’t that far off in comparison!

There are equestrian, bike, and pedestrian trails that run for man miles throughout the heavily wooded park. It’s comprised of some swampland which makes the terrain very interesting and a lot of fun for exploring. A lot of people take their dogs with them and go for a long walk to just enjoy nature. Some people venture off the trails and make a true hike through the unexplored wilderness! The coolest thing is when you come up on someone riding a horse! You have to have a permit to ride your horse there, and I think they even have stables available for boarding. It’s a great place to go to just get away from everything without having to drive too far. With all the trees, it’s not as hot as being in the open sun which makes it a great place to go in the summer.

Don’t waste another Saturday playing in the backyard, head over to Lick Creek Park. To get there, take Highway 6 South and exit Hwy 40/William D. Fitch Parkway. Go East on William D. Fitch Parkway past Pebble Creek to Rock Prairie Road. Turn right on Rock Prairie Road and go about a mile. You will come to the Equestrian Center first, but go a little bit further and you’ll be to the public entrance of the Park! For more information on Lick Creek Park, CLICK HERE.

For more information on Luxury Living in Bryan/College Station, feel free to email me anytime @ rclaylee@yahoo.com

So then, I get my rental car and head over to LA’s coolest new hotel that is now finally finished! The London West Hollywood, formerly the Bel Age, is a sister hotel to the London New York City which has had rave reviews. After a 50 million dollar transformation, the hotel is now complete, and I have to say it’s one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at. I was in one of the smaller room, but it was still 750 square feet! Did I really need a hotel room that large? No, I didn’t. However, when you walk into your hotel room’s bathroom and the master bath is nicer than almost any home you have ever sold, that is pretty awesome! The bathrooms were the work of Waterworks which makes some of the finest quality bathroom products around. There was an enormous walk-in shower with two different showering areas, a huge vanity, an enormous soaking tub, and acres of marble and mosaic tile. The room itself had a huge sleeping area and large sectional in the sitting area. But the coolest part of the hotel is the food! I was checking in on a Wednesday, and as I walked through the lobby, I saw Gordon Ramsay himself. He happened to get on the elevator at the same time as me and happened to be staying on the same floor! He was so nice, and looked a lot younger in person with a smile instead of the scowl he has on his tv show, Hell’s Kitchen. He is the owner of the hotel’s restaurant and that night was the Grand Opening. When I left the lobby to go out that night to my friend Shane Mack’s performance, it was an insane scene with anyone and everyone walking the red carpet to get in the place! I ordered room service several times and each and every time the food was amazing and it all came from his restaurant.

If you are headed to LA anytime soon, I highly recommend the London. It’s soon to become the place to see and be seen. They even have complimentary car service to take you and pick you up from almost anywhere you want to go!

For travel tips and more information Luxury Living and Luxury Real Estate, feel free to email me any time @ rclaylee@yahoo.com

Manufacturers order materials 1-2 years in advance of the finished products actually making it to store shelves. This lead time helps retailers establish pricing and keep it that way instead of having constant fluctuating prices based on the exchange rate and the ever changing cost of goods. 2 years ago, the dollar was stronger than it was 6 months agao against the Euro. European Manufacturers and American Manufacturers using European materials who are putting out goods this summer for their fall and winter lines will have to increase prices signifigantly in American stores to make up for the difference between the Euro and the American Dollar. This could increase the price of those awesome Gucci shoes you love from $400 to $550! Things like this make me want to cry!

However, ALL IS NOT LOST! Today is June 1st which means is time for the Spring/Summer sales for European Designers. It happens twice a year in Europe where almost every store clearances out the previous seasons stuff just in time for the new lines to come in. I was in Paris in January for a week and most stores were 50-75% off of their retail prices! These sales are not only in Europe, the American storefronts for European Designers also start their sales at different dates throughout the month. Guccistarts their enormous discount sale on June 2nd and Donald Pliner starts his on June 6th! Call your favorite store and ask them when they start their sale and get ready to buy quick as they usually clean out quickly when the sales hit! Last year in June I got an awesome piece of Gucci luggage that hab been $725 for $300! A pair of flips flops I wanted were also half price making them much more affordable!

Don’t miss out on these summer sales as it looks like it might be a while before we get these kind of prices again.

For more tips on Luxury Living in Bryan/College Station, feel free to email me anytime @ RCLAYLEE@YAHOO.com