“Social scientists speak of “third places,” by which they mean informal anchors to community life. These places are neither home’s first place nor work’s second, but somewhere in the middle… Especially when it hosted in-store concerts, Cactus functioned as a third place for a good portion of Houston’s music scene, a convivial meeting spot that was neither home nor a bar. Sure, it wasn’t the cheapest place in town to buy CDs, but think about the atmosphere on in-store nights: Where else could you enjoy free music and bevies with dozens of your closest friends?”