Akiba Texas opened in February selling blind boxes, trinkets, accessories and more, according to a representative from Giant Noise. 

Learn more: The store concept is owned by the creators of Toy Joy and Yummi Joy, according to a press release.

The context: Austin Rocks previously occupied the downtown space for 12 years before closing its doors on Jan. 31, according to its social media. 

The store sold apparel and gifts, noting to customers on Instagram that many of the same products are available at its other store, Wild About Music, which is located on Congress Avenue.

• 301 W. 2nd St., Ste. 200

Several Austin Energy investments in solar generation and power grid resilience totaling up to $172 million were approved this spring.

The details: The energy-related projects advanced by City Council are expected to add dozens of megawatts of generation capacity to the AE grid. During peak service times, 1 MW can serve about 250 residential customers, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

New projects will include solar installations on a defunct city landfill and dozens of city-owned sites and buildings, and a new battery storage partnership with Base Power.

Dozens of potential city sites were initially identified for the new solar installations, and about 100 remain under consideration. The project advanced ahead of a key deadline with federal solar tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act are expiring soon.

The overview: Texans are expected to save millions in sales taxes on emergency supplies—everything from tarps to generators—during an annual tax holiday April 25-27.

How it works: The sales tax holiday begins at 12:01 a.m. April 24 and lasts until midnight April 27.

Texans are expected to save about $2.4 million in state and local taxes, according to the comptroller’s office. Last year, Texans saved about $2.3 million, agency spokesperson Kevin Lyons said.

According to the comptroller’s office, items qualify for the tax exemption if they are priced at:

• Less than $75 for items including household batteries, fuel containers, flashlights, smoke detectors, tarps and first aid kits
• Less than $300 for hurricane shutters and emergency ladders
• Less than $3,000 for portable generators