Puro SA, One Year Later: Checking In with 2023 Picks
By Ayesha M. Malik
Photography by Alejandra Sol Casas
Business owner Aaron Peña
Aaron Peña
It has been one year since our Puro SA feature debuted, with entrepreneur extraordinaire Aaron Peña gracing the Summer 2023 cover. At the time, he had just said his goodbyes to his first business venture, the “world famous” Squeezebox (R.I.P.), slain by extended construction on the St. Mary’s Strip—while simultaneously welcoming sister concepts, A Perfect Day and Gimme Gimme, to the scene in SA. Suffice to say, the story didn’t end there.
Indeed, the saga continues: this time, not on the St. Mary’s Strip. It seemed to follow Aaron straight into Southtown, when the city announced construction closures on East César Chávez at Santa Rosa and South Alamo last fall. Aaron’s mistrust bubbled up, citing that city officials did not appropriately communicate with business owners who would be impacted. It was not misplaced. He immediately had traumatic flashbacks to his experience as a small business owner stifled by prolonged, mismanaged construction projects, noting that “construction delays and project issues, once again, seem to plague more than half of the businesses in this city.”
With San Antonio’s hospitality industry already operating on razor-thin margins due to rising costs, the city is experiencing the loss of beloved local fixtures at an alarming rate. Aaron commented, “It was the most unprecedented summer I’ve ever seen in this business. It seemed like every week another establishment fell victim to closure, some of which were longstanding legacy businesses that just couldn’t withstand the brutal climate of painfully slow sales, scaling rents, and high cost of goods.”
San Antonio simply cannot afford to lose more authentic treasures to decreased traffic from detours, delays, disruptions, and deceptions. He and others had been burned before, so they decided to band together to protect authentic San Antonio food and hospitality culture from a repeat of the failures of our Public Works Department.
In concert with The Friendly Spot’s Jody Bailey Newman, Empty Stomach Group’s Chad Carey, and consultancy firm Düable, Aaron sprang to action—specifically, political action. The Business Community Political Action Committee (TBC PAC), officially registered with the Texas Ethics Commission on July 15 of this year, held its kickoff meeting on September 26.
In addition to amplifying the voices of the small and micro-businesses that make up nearly 80% of San Antonio’s economy by encouraging civic participation in local government, TBC PAC sets out to hold the mayor, councilmembers, and city manager accountable by demanding increased transparency and communication, better project oversight, and financial support for COVID- and construction-affected businesses. Aaron concluded, “We hope all small business owners, and even just other concerned citizens, will join us in an effort to promote a more transparent city government that works for us and not against us.” ■
Aaron is, once again, helping keep SA puro. (And did I mention, he was just the Grand Marshal of the Dieciséis de Septiembre parade in the Westside?! We’re so proud.)
For more information on The Business Community, visit thebusinesscommunity.org. For updates on city projects and to learn how the small biz community is navigating these challenges, follow @tbcpac on Instagram.
Burgundy Woods and Shek Vega of the San Antonio Street Art Initiative
San Antonio Street Art Initiative
Shortly after the release of Scene In SA’s Fall 2023 issue, Shek Vega and Burgundy Woods of 501(c)(3) nonprofit San Antonio Street Art Initiative (SASAI) announced their Phase VI plans to create San Antonio’s first-ever street art park at Healy Murphy Park featuring a breakdancing pad, street art basketball court, and ten permanent concrete walls that will painted every year during their annual Largest Outdoor Gallery in Texas™ (LOGIT) block party! The park’s groundbreaking ceremony is set for October 1 at 9 AM, with construction to follow that week. With an ambitious turnaround, the public can plan to enjoy the park as early as January 2025. The park’s first mural cycle is expected to kick off during Fiesta on April 25, 2025.
As if they didn’t have enough to plan, the group is also spearheading efforts to revitalize San Antonio’s heavily industrial Eastside corridor, which has suffered in recent years because the investment that was promised in the area following the construction of the Frost Bank Center (formerly AT&T Center) never fully materialized. Phase VII of SASAI’s master plan revolves around the establishment of the D.R.E.A.M. Urban Arts District, a backronym for Dance, Recreation, Empowerment, Art, and Music.
Running just outside of Highway 37 stretching through until Cherry Street, the D.R.E.A.M. District will be launching a five-year solidified plan on October 5 during SASAI’s LOGIT block party. After three years of planning, the initiative aims to establish an official mural district for San Antonio that envisions and utilizes Chestnut Street (where SASAI’s new headquarters is located) as “Street Art Way” to create a visually striking bridge from St. Paul Square to the Burleson Beer Garden complex. This strategy aims to encourage more foot traffic to local businesses and nightlife, while creating a strong identity for the area: art! As Shek remarked last year, “It creates a gravitational pull for the community. They want to see it, enjoy it.”
But wait—there’s even more! As part of the launch of the D.R.E.A.M. District in Phase VII, the esteemed Gravelmouth Gallery, formerly housed in Southtown, is reopening after a four-year hiatus to relocate to the Eastside, providing yet another space to enjoy art. The triumphant return of Gravelmouth brings with it “The Color of Chaos,” showcasing artists Angela Fox, Cande Aguilar, FEEBEE, John Hernandez, and Shek himself. ■
Visit SASAI at sanantoniostreetart.org and become a member to support their organization and Brick by Brick career development programs. For more about SASAI’s exciting upcoming projects, follow @SanAntonioStreetArt on Instagram. For more about the D.R.E.A.M. District, visit dreamdistrict.org and follow @dreamdistrictsatx on Instagram. For more about Gravelmouth Gallery, visit gravelmouthgallery.com and follow @gravelmouth_gallery on Instagram.
