In addition to a great climate, world-famous friendliness, and rich cultural heritage, San Antonio and its neighbors in the South Texas area offer another attractive feature: some of the best, most unique shopping opportunities around. Whatever your interest - art, home furnishings, custom jewelry, antiques and collectibles, or fancy footwear—the shops, designers, and craftsmen who can fulfill that interest abound here in South Texas.

Those in search of one-of-a-kind and specialty items are in luck because the craftsman heritage of the region remains well represented, as does the independent and innovative spirit for which Texas is justly famous. The following is a decidedly incomplete list of shopping suggestions, so, as they say in the cruise biz, “get out there!”

San Antonio

Shopping in the Alamo City is definitely not limited to malls and national chain stores, although such avenues are readily available. The customer looking for something out of the ordinary will find shops catering to every discerning taste and unique style, from the most sophisticated urban contemporary to country rustic, from Asian to Mexican to European. While interesting shops are sprinkled throughout the city, many are located in two of the Alamo City’s most inimitable and desirable neighborhoods — Olmos Park and Alamo Heights.

Antiques

Antique lovers can hunt for treasure at Broadway & 9th Antiques or Back Alley Antiques. For larger items to incorporate in a building project, check out Architectural Antiques and Salvage (on Dawson ) or Antiques Warehouse (on S. Flores ).

Art, Home Furnishings, and Interior Décor

Whether it’s traditional or contemporary, art plays an important part in setting the tone. The San Antonio art community has been favorably compared to that of Santa Fe. Finding the perfect piece for your taste is easy with the city’s large number of galleries with well-deserved reputations. For example, Parchman Stremmel Galleries is in Olmos Park, while Harry Halff Fine Art and J.R. Mooney Galleries of Fine Art are on Broadway in San Antonio.

For those seeking distinctive furniture or home décor items, look no further than Aziz Oriental Rug Imports (on Broadway) for hand-tied oriental rugs, and ArteMex (on West Olmos Drive) for Mexican handcrafted furnishings and accessories. Visit Hearth and Home (on McCullough Avenue) or Five Broads Off Broadway (on Austin Highway) to discover practically limitless creative possibilities for your home’s interior. Kantabria, on Lockhill-Selma near Blanco and 410, is another not-very-well-kept secret source for dramatic and unique decorative features.

Luxury bedding and European linens are available at The Heirloom Bed Co. (IH-10 at Wurzbach in Colonnade III) and at Lin Marche Fine Linens (on McCullough at Olmos Drive).

Clothing, Shoes, and Jewelry

Women with a strong sense of personal style will find the list of places to shop for apparel delightfully long. There are the established icons such as Julian Gold (on McCullough) and Town & Country Fashions (on Broadway at Basse), where mothers of the bride, for example, find style and appropriateness at a reasonable price.

Boutiques such as Mirabella, Painted Pony, Grove Hill, Ltd., Terry Clegg, and BellaDonna offer the latest fashion and specialty apparel. For the man, dressing casually or more dressy for business, stores are situated around the city. Satel’s has two stores, one in Alamo Heights and the other in the Colonnade. You can also find a broad selection at Joseph’s on Rector St. and Jos. A. Bank.

Shoe lovers will want to drop into Theo & Herb Designer Shoes (on Basse Rd.) for those high fashion choices. And those in the market for a good pair of custom-made boots can put their feet in the hands of famous local bootmakers, Lucchese Boot Company or Dave Little of Little’s Boots.

Building, perhaps, on the region’s Mexican silverworking heritage, San Antonio is also home to a number of excellent jewelers who can help you “flaunt it if you’ve got it” (a good ol’ Texas tradition, ladies!) with custom designs and special in-house manufacturing. Gold, platinum, or silver, diamonds, precious gems, or semi-precious colored stones—take your dreams to the experts at Ben Adams Precious Jewels, C Aaron Penaloza or Moretti’s Fine Jewelry, any of which will be happy to make them a reality.

BEYOND SAN ANTONIO

While San Antonio offers wonderful opportunities to shop till you drop, dedicated shoppers ignore the rest of South Texas at their peril. So jump in the car and do a little sightseeing on your way to the following shopping meccas:

Boerne - Main Street and River Road are chock full of delightful and Texas exceptional merchandise. Check out Cosas, Tea Rose Quilts, and Ewe and Eye for one-of-a-kind items for home and garden. Simple Treasures and Home Town Furniture offer antiques and hand-crafted furniture. The Kitchen Table displays work by Texas craftsmen and artists plus the finest American and European kitchen accessories. Look for Double D Ranchwear, Jeep Collins jewelry, handmade quilts, and gift items—including Boyd’s Bears—at Traditions at the Depot. Inspirational gifts and décor items can be found at Angels & Ivy. Western and wildlife art on view and for sale at Bill Scheidt and other galleries in town.

Floresville - the Promised Land Dairy’s Deli, Ice Cream, and Gifts shop is a delight, offering country crafted gifts and limited edition collectors bottles in addition to tasty sandwiches and delicious ice cream. Stop by the town’s several antique stores, too.

New Braunfels - the German influence is still strong here and in neighboring Gruene. Check out the Palace Heights Antique Mall for antiques and western art, Day & Company for wrought-iron furnishings and candles, the Unique Boutique for women’s clothing. Gruene is full of antiques, collectibles, and art galleries.

Pleasanton - the “Birthplace of the Cowboy” also offers fun shopping at R & S Main Street Collectables, Bridges J-B Antiques, Ricks Company, and Sisters Gift Shop & Boutique.

Schertz - this close neighbor of San Antonio sits astride three counties and boasts some great shopping at Bawdsey Manor, Enchanted Cottage, McDonald’s Woodworks, and the SAS Factory Shoe Store. Unusual purchasing opportunities can be found at Concrete Art #2 (for that yard art you’ve always wanted), Clear River Pecan Company, and Bussey’s Flea Market, the biggest and best in the area, where dedicated bargain hunters can find anything from original art to imported jewelry to children’s toys.

Seguin - this charming and richly historic city lies east of San Antonio on Interstate 10. Visit Pape’s Pecans and Nutcracker Museum, The Maple Tree apparel boutique, Keepers or Gift & Gourmet for gift items, and the Blue Hills Antique Mall on north Highway 123.

Catherine Hudgins writes for local and national magazines on subjects ranging from health and education to recreation and travel. She’s also published six novels.