Artisan small-batch tea cafe Leaf Petal Stem opened July 3 in Old Town Spring, owner Shamira Preston confirmed.

How it happened: Leaf Petal Stem originated as a mobile tea bar in May 2025. Preston said she originally hoped the business could function solely as a pop-up cart, but realized she needed a more stable environment with how intricate tea can be. With the new permanent location, Preston said they were able to expand their beverage menu and partner with vendors to bring in baked goods.

"Our space is about building relationships, really having that community over competition mindset as we've partnered with additional people within our space," Preston said, " and just being an outlet for other people to make lasting connections and relationships as well."

Leaf Petal Stem will continue offering mobile cart pop-ups and private event bookings. Preston said that's the foundation of the business, and she doesn't want to get rid of that side of Leaf Petal Stem.

• 203 Midway St., Spring

According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has plans to open a new location in the Tomball area. Construction for the new location started in June and will be completed by November, per the listing.

The details: Per the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation the new The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill location will be located in a 2,000-square-foot building. Founded by a Greek-Armenian family in 2011, per the website, the family eatery expanded to Las Vegas in 2016. Today The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill has 14 locations and several new locations opening soon across the U.S.

On the menu: The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill offers several authentic Mediterranean dishes including appetizers such as Tzatziki and hummus. The eatery also offers gyros, falafel, burgers and wraps.

Houston Airport System welcomed an estimated 4.5 million passengers during the period in which the Houston area hosted 2026 FIFA World Cup games, according to a July 9 news release.

The details: Officials noted nearly 1.8 million departing passengers were screened by Transportation Security Administration officials at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport during the 25-day travel period. Additionally, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials processed more than 439,000 international passengers at IAH and Hobby from June 12-July 3.

Also of note: IAH handled 60 charter flights related to FIFA World Cup 2026, including 30 team charters serving 13 national teams, per the release. Royal Air Maroc and Corendon operated 30 additional charter flights carrying more than 5,800 passengers.

What they’re saying: "We understood from the beginning that for many visitors, the airport would be their first and last impression of Houston," said Jim Szczesniak, director of aviation for Houston Airports. "Our employees, volunteers, airlines, federal partners, concessionaires and regional partners worked together to make sure Houston was ready. They delivered."

The June Housing Market Update from the Houston Association of Realtors reports a rise in home sales and pending activity with steady overall pricing.

By the numbers: The number of single-family homes sold increased by 3.5%, with 8,820 homes sold in June compared to last June with 8,525 sold. The average home price rose 1.2% to $455,159, while the median home price slightly decreased by just 0.3%.

Total property sales across the Houston area rose by 2.6% with 10,181 properties sold, and the number of active property listings increased 2.2%, equaling 59,970.

Also of note: The luxury market remained strong with home sales over the price of $1 million rising 17.1% year over year.

However, the townhome and condominium market showed a 9.3% fall year over year with 439 in June compared to 484 last June, data shows.

In their own words: HAR Chair Theresa Hill said the Greater Houston area is seeing a “little more breathing room” on both sides of the transaction.