Tiny Grocer Leaves South Congress for a $1M East Austin Bet

Tiny Grocer is closing its original South Congress location, but the five-year-old Austin business isn't shrinking. It's putting roughly $1 million into its next location.

Founder Steph Steele is moving the concept to 2411 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., where Tiny Grocer is building out a 3,500-square-foot grocery and restaurant inside the former Longhorn Meat Market.

The new location is expected to open this fall and will include:

• A full in-house butcher shop
• Barbecue and rotisserie chicken
• House-made deli meats
• Fresh bread
• Coffee and cocktails
• Indoor dining and a 372-square-foot patio

The location has some serious Austin history behind it. Longhorn Meat Market traces its roots back to 1892, and Tiny Grocer plans to pay homage to the former tenant through its new butcher and barbecue program.

It's another major step for Steele, who spent 24 years at Whole Foods before becoming an entrepreneur at 50 and opening Tiny Grocer in 2021.

Tiny Grocer's former space is being taken over by Louisville-based leather goods company Clayton & Crume. Tiny Grocer hasn't said rising rent drove the move, but the strategy is clear: trade a small South Congress footprint for a much more ambitious East Austin concept.