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Groundbreaking Complete!

Written by Tim Dowling on . Posted in Buda, Texas, Caboose, Destination Retail, Roundabout in Buda, Specialty Food & Drink. No Comments on Groundbreaking Complete!

We Asked People to Show Up on a 100-Degree Day. Over 100 of Them Did.

The shovel ceremony at The Roundabout drew a real crowd, and they brought their appetite for popsicles, cold brew, and egg rolls with them.

On September 8, we held the shovel ceremony for The Roundabout at 1141 RR 967. Right next to the three vintage cabooses staying on-site, headed for a future venue here. It was hot. The kind of hot where you sweat through your shirt just standing still holding a shovel for photos. Over 100 people showed up anyway. Not a polite showing where a few staffers stand around for a photo op. The mayor was there. The city manager was there. So were the heads of the EDC and the Chamber, plus a good chunk of the city council. That doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen for a strip center.

Mayor Lee Urbanovsky. City Manager Micah Grau. Jennifer Storm, CEO of the Buda Economic Development Corporation. Monica Davidson, Executive Director of the Greater Buda Chamber of Commerce. All there. When I say this project has been a community collaboration from day one, I mean the people who run this city treat it that way. Not just the ones who write the press releases.

The part that actually got me was the tenants. These are businesses that haven’t opened a single door at The Roundabout yet, and they showed up to work the crowd like it was already theirs. La Ola Pop Shop handed out popsicles, which on a day like that was less a nice gesture and more a public service. Trianon Coffee kept the cold brew coming. Kai Nail Salon brought Vietnamese egg rolls, and I’ll be honest, I went back for seconds. Mary Elise Jewelry set up a table showing off jewelry design and ran giveaways all afternoon. Nobody asked them to turn it into a block party. They just did.

We broke ground on this thing quietly a few months back. By the time we did the shovel photos, the work is already underway. This was never about marking the literal start. It was about marking it together, in public, with the people who’ll actually use the place once it’s built.

Eighteen acres. Nine buildings. 64,000 square feet of retail, dining, and entertainment, a mile from downtown Buda. Over half already leased. Close to 9,000 homes surrounding the site. The dirt is moving. The people showed up. Now we build it.

If you were there, thanks for showing up and sweating through it with us. If you weren’t, come by and see the site for yourself, and if you’re a business owner who wants in on what’s next here, reach out. We’d love to talk.

Welcome Kay Elise to The Roundabout: Jewelry You Don’t Just Wear – You Experience

Written by Tim Dowling on . Posted in Buda, Texas, Destination Retail, Roundabout in Buda. No Comments on Welcome Kay Elise to The Roundabout: Jewelry You Don’t Just Wear – You Experience

Kay Elise is coming to The Roundabout

This one has been a long time coming, and it’s exciting to finally share it. Kay Elise is coming to The Roundabout.

If you’ve never heard of Kay Elise, here’s the short version. It’s a jewelry studio, but calling it that undersells it. Yes, there’s beautiful jewelry. But what is really being brought to Buda is a place to celebrate, connect, and create something meaningful with the people you love. That’s the whole idea behind The Roundabout, and Kay Elise fits it perfectly.

More Than a Jewelry Store

At its core, Kay Elise is built around two things: craftsmanship and connection.

Permanent jewelry is a big part of what they do. Guests choose from a large selection of chains and connectors to build a custom-fit bracelet, anklet, necklace, ring, hand chain, or another piece entirely. It’s welded together right there for a clean, seamless finish. No clasp, no fuss, just a piece made to fit you.

They also handcraft jewelry, including something truly special: memorial jewelry that can incorporate ashes or other meaningful keepsakes into a piece someone can wear and keep close. It’s the kind of work that turns loss into something you can hold onto, literally.

Jewelry-Making as an Experience

Here’s the part that’s most exciting. Kay Elise isn’t just selling finished pieces, they’re creating experiences.

Picture date nights and girls’ nights where guests come in together, grab a drink, and actually make their own jewelry side by side, including couples welding their own rings together. Birthdays, anniversaries, milestones, or just a good excuse for a night out with friends. Kay Elise wants to be the place people choose to mark those moments.

They’ll also host private parties and group experiences, so groups can celebrate together while creating something they’ll wear long after the party’s over.

25 Years in the Making

Kay Elise comes from a jewelry maker with about 25 years of experience creating pieces that carry a story. That’s the vision for the studio at The Roundabout: pair real craftsmanship with a welcoming, elevated space where people can shop, create, celebrate, have a drink, and spend time together. Not just make a purchase and leave.

That’s exactly the kind of business The Roundabout set out to bring in, one that turns a stop into a memory. Buda is going to love welcoming Kay Elise to the neighborhood.

You Don’t Have to Wait to Book

Here’s the best part. You don’t have to wait for the storefront to open to experience Kay Elise. She’s already out there making memories, showing up at fairs and events across Texas, and she’ll come straight to your door or your event, too. Planning a birthday, a bachelorette, a girls’ night, or a private party right now? Get it on the calendar.

Book directly at kayelise.com.

Stay tuned for more on the storefront’s opening timeline at The Roundabout. But no reason to wait to get your own piece made.

The Roundabout in Buda Engineering SoCo-Level Energy — Right Here at Home

Written by Tim Dowling on . Posted in Buda, Texas, Destination Retail, Specialty Food & Drink. No Comments on The Roundabout in Buda Engineering SoCo-Level Energy — Right Here at Home

Most retail developments are built to fill space.

We’re building something different.

We’re building energy.

Because what makes a place truly successful isn’t the buildings, the tenants, or even the location.

It’s how a place feels.

The Benchmark: Why SoCo Works

South Congress in Austin isn’t successful by accident.

It works because it creates a pull. People don’t go there because they have to — they go because they want to be there.

That comes from a formula: it feels authentic, it’s built for walking and wandering, it blends retail, food, and entertainment seamlessly, and it stands for something.

SoCo became one of the most sought-after retail corridors in Texas because of that formula. The businesses that got in early built something lasting.

That’s the blueprint we’re bringing to Buda.

Bringing That Energy to Buda

We’re not copying South Congress. We’re taking the principles that make it work and building them intentionally into The Roundabout — because unlike SoCo, which evolved over decades, we have the opportunity to get this right from day one.

It will feel like Buda. Local businesses with real stories. Historic railcars on site. Character you can’t replicate in a spreadsheet. This isn’t a generic mixed-use box — it’s a place people will actually talk about.

It’s designed to be walked, not just visited. A walkable layout, over a mile of connecting trails from surrounding neighborhoods, and natural gathering spaces throughout. The goal: get people out of their cars and keep them there.

It layers experiences. Unique retail, restaurants that become regular hangouts, pickleball and volleyball, live music, and community events. You shouldn’t need a plan when you show up — the place creates the experience.

It’s built for locals first. Buda is one of the fastest growing cities in Texas. Families, young professionals, and longtime residents are all looking for a place that feels like theirs. Win the locals, and you have repeat business. Then something else happens: people from outside start making the trip. That’s when a project becomes a destination.

It has a heartbeat. Every great destination has a center of gravity. Ours is anchored by gathering spaces built for real connection — including an Irish pub where you don’t need an excuse to show up.

This Isn’t Just a Retail Project

It’s a reason to gather. A reflection of Buda’s identity. A place built to become part of daily life.

South Congress became what it is through energy, authenticity, and experience. The businesses that planted their flag early are the ones that define it today.

We’re building all of that into The Roundabout from day one.

Not to replicate SoCo. But to create something just as powerful — right here in Buda.

Because when you get it right, it stops being somewhere you go.

It becomes somewhere you belong.

Interested in Being Part of It?

We’re currently leasing retail, restaurant, and entertainment space at The Roundabout. If you’re looking for a location built to drive foot traffic and community loyalty — not just fill square footage — let’s talk.