We are developing a brand new open air market on Harwin Drive and need someone with mad project management skills and a steel will to succeed.
Responsibilities for the job (and it's a big job) are split into 3 phases.
Phase 1 responsibilities include (but aren't limited to):
- understand licensing and compliance requirements and work with government agencies to obtain all licenses and approvals for our market
- select and work with an architect to create a build-out plan for our site
- find contractors for the build-out and manage the build-out process. Don't worry, it's an open air market we're building, so it won't be overly complicated
- manage the vendor recruitment program, which involves marketing, partnerships, and a tad bit of legal work to get our contracts right. - Vendor negotiations will be necessary as well, but it should be pretty straightforward as our pricing will be very transparent
- there will be a $10K bonus for you upon the completion of Phase 1. Yes, $10K. Yes, pre-tax.
Phase 2 responsibilities include (but aren't limited to):
- marketing, marketing, marketing. It might sound daunting but it really isn’t, because we have a marketing team that will do all the heavy lifting. You just need to ensure they perform. There will be a checklist of activities for you, so you will have a clear roadmap.
- recruiting. you can’t do everything by yourself, and you will need to build a team of cleaners, security guards, bartenders, waiters, etc. Hopefully it’s as straightforward as posting some ads like this on Craigslist
- there will be another $5K bonus for you upon the completion of this phase
Phase 3 responsibilities include (but aren't limited to):
- launch the market.
- deal with the vendors
- manage the employees
- hire yourself an assistant manager
- ensure that everything at the market is working well
- on a monthly basis, you will be given a 3% share of profits. Your assistant manager will get a profit share too, but, obviously, it won’t be as much as yours. From our financial projections, your 3% will be worth $30K to $100K annually. A lot of it depends on your own job performance.
Base salary for this job is $3,000 per month. No we don’t provide health insurance at the moment. But once the market launches successfully that will hopefully change.
ABOUT US
We are a new international marketing company. We are Voasis. No, don’t google us yet, we’re still in the middle of building our website. We have offices in Houston, Austin, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong. We are not the biggest marketing company in the world, but we believe we are the most effective.
WHY ARE WE HERE
The owner of the property has engaged us to successfully run the project. After all, it was our concept in the first place and we pitched it to the owner and they were pleased.
AND HERE’S ALL THE THINGS WE NEED TO GET APPROVAL / LICENSING FOR IN PHASE 1 ACCORDING TO CHATGPT
Phase 1 legal checklist:
Here is the complete, Houston-specific, Harris-County-specific “Everything You Must Get” licensing & approvals list for a fully operational night market (food + retail + alcohol + outdoor assembly + entertainment). This is written as a real operational checklist and tells you exactly which office to go to, what department handles it, and what each permit covers.
I. CITY OF HOUSTON PERMITS
1. City of Houston Planning & Development – Site Plan Approval (NOT a permit, but required)
Why? To legally change use of the property into an “outdoor assembly / market.”
You must submit:
Site plan (stall layout, walkways, fire lanes, exits)
Parking plan (including your leased parking agreements)
Crowd capacity estimates
Traffic flow plan
Where to go: City of Houston Planning & Development Department 1002 Washington Ave., Houston, TX 77002 (“Development Services” counter)
2. COH Public Works – Commercial Use Conversion Review
Because you are converting external parking areas into commercial use.
They review:
drainage
ADA compliance
concrete/asphalt integrity (depending on how much load stalls/tents bring)
Where: Same building (1002 Washington Ave.)
3. Houston Fire Department (HFD) – Outdoor Assembly Permit
REQUIRED for any market, festival, or gathering >49 people.
Covers:
Fire lanes
Maximum occupancy
Tents exceeding 400 sq ft
Electrical safety for outdoor markets
LPG (propane) from food vendors
Generator placement (even small ones)
Where: Houston Fire Marshal Office 1801 Smith St., Suite 620 Houston, TX 77002
4. HFD Tent Permit (if ANY tent >400 sq ft)
If you use vendor-owned 10x10 tents → NO PERMIT NEEDED If you install aisle canopies or sticky tents >400 sq ft → PERMIT REQUIRED
Where: HFD Permitting Portal (called iPermits) https://www.houstontx.gov/fire/business/permits.html
5. City of Houston Health Department – Special Food Event Permit
Covers:
Outdoor food stalls
Handwashing requirements
Temporary food vendor licensing
Every food vendor must have: A COH Temporary Food Dealer’s Permit OR A Mobile Food Unit (MFU) permit (for food trucks)
Where: Houston Health Department Bureau of Consumer Health 8000 N. Stadium Dr. Houston, TX 77054
6. City of Houston — Alcohol Permit (Your Bar)
This is local approval BEFORE state TABC approval.
Covers:
Layout of the bar tent
Security plan
Crowd plan
Dry zone verification
Where: City of Houston Administration & Regulatory Affairs (ARA) 1002 Washington Ave.
II. STATE OF TEXAS LICENSES (TABC & More)
7. TABC – On-Premise Mixed Beverage Permit (MB)
Required for your alcohol tent (spirits, cocktails, shots).
You will need:
Floor plan of bar area
51% signage determination
Background checks
Entity registration
Sales tax permit
Where: TABC Houston Regional Office 427 W 20th St #600 Houston, TX 77008
8. TABC – Temporary Event Permits (per night)
OPTIONAL alternative to a permanent MB license.
Pros: Easier, faster Cons: More expensive long-term, limits rules
Same office as above.
9. Texas Comptroller – Sales Tax Permit
Required for:
You (the market operator)
All vendors (you must verify)
Where: https://comptroller.texas.gov/taxes/permit/
III. HARRIS COUNTY PERMITS
10. Harris County Fire Marshal – LPG (Propane) Food Vendor Permit
Food trucks, grills, propane fryers must comply.
Where: HCFMO 7701 Wilshire Place Dr. Houston, TX 77040
11. Harris County Public Health – Wastewater / Grey Water Disposal
If any vendor is not fully self-contained.
Where: HCPH Environmental Public Health Division 2223 West Loop South Houston, TX 77027
IV. ALCOHOL SERVICE OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS
12. Texas Food Handler Certification
All bartenders & servers require it.
Approved providers: TexasFoodHandler.com Learn2Serve.com
13. TABC Seller-Server Certification
Every bartender & server must have it.
V. SECURITY & CROWD MANAGEMENT
14. Security Plan Approval (Houston Police Department – HPD)
Required if you expect more than 1,000 attendees per night (you will).
Includes:
Traffic control plan
Crossing guard plan
Parking enforcement
Private security guard roster
Where: HPD Special Operations 2400 Travis St. Houston, TX 77002
15. Private Security Licensing (if you hire guards directly)
If your guards carry weapons → big extra steps. Most markets hire licensed security companies to avoid this.
VI. BUSINESS ENTITY & ZONING (Houston is EZ because no zoning)
16. General Business License (DBA OR LLC/Corp)
Located here: Harris County Clerk – 201 Caroline St.
17. COH Certificate of Occupancy (CO)
Because you are changing the “use” of your building. Even though Houston has no zoning, CO is still required.
Where: Houston Permitting Center 1002 Washington Ave.
VII. OPTIONAL BUT USEFUL
18. Music Licensing (BMI / ASCAP / SESAC)
If you play music publicly (even Spotify), you technically need licenses.
Annual combined cost ≈ $1,000–$2,000
SUMMARY — EVERYTHING REQUIRED
Category
License / Approval
City of Houston
Site Plan Approval
Commercial Use Conversion
Fire Department Outdoor Assembly Permit
Tent Permit (if >400 sq ft)
Temporary Food Dealer Permits
City Alcohol Clearance
State (Texas)
TABC Mixed Beverage (or Temporary Event Permit)
Sales Tax Permit
County (Harris)
Propane Permit
Grey water disposal approval
Operational
Food Handler training
TABC Server training
Security plan approval
Building
Certificate of Occupancy
Optional
Music licensing