Carmen Lujan and her husband operated their jewelry business out of the same flea market for more than four decades. Last year, they had to move out of the Bandera Flea Market while the space underwent a major renovation.
Now, they’re back.
On June 12, the Shops at Bandera Road hosted its grand opening, bringing customers back to the indoor shopping complex on 1327 Bandera Road near Woodlawn.
“We’ve been here 46 years,” Lujan said, noting that she and her husband started the business when they were just 18 years old.
She stands behind counters full of sterling silver jewelry. Families walk through clean, white hallways past tall, glass walls where vendors and merchants display various wares and services. Music blasts from speakers and, at the back of the complex, plates of food emerge from a full kitchen, a bar serves drinks and a billiards hall echoes with the click-clack sound of pool games.
The Shops at Bandera Road is slowly attracting foot traffic as vendors work hard to bring in new and old customers through social media advertising and word of mouth.
“I like it, it’s working out,” Lujan said. “My old customers are coming back, thank God for that.”
Owner Peter Garcia didn’t intend to keep the market there when he bought the property.
“That wasn’t part of the initial plan,” he said.
His company, Garcia Event Centers, focuses on event hosting and halls. The renovation of the flea market included building an event center. After spending a year attending the flea market, though, he decided to renovate it and keep it in place.
“The new building, it’s more clean. Everything is new,” said vendor Maria Gonzalez. “It looks better, it’s very nice.”
Gonzalez runs Furniture Etc. and her space is tightly packed with ornate wood tables, lamps and pictures on the walls. She also used to sell at the old Bandera Flea Market.
“It was a lot of work,” Garcia said. “But it wasn’t intimidating. We wanted something that was awesome for the community.”
Construction at the site started in March 2025. Vendors like Gonzalez and Lujan had to find new spaces for just over a year as the building got new plumbing, electrical and light systems.
“Everything had to be redone completely. It took some time,” said the shops’ general manager Barbara Tovar.
Tovar said the shops had a soft opening in April and they have slowly been leasing out to vendors. She says she is trying to maintain a balanced and diverse lineup that gives each vendor a niche. She hopes to be fully leased in two to three months.
The shops are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Monthly rents start at $470 for a 100-square-foot space and the first month is free.
Vendors said attracting foot traffic has been a challenge, but individual businesses have been building customers through social media.
“It’s been a great location for a lot of people,” said Lorena Aguilar, who owns Adelore Fashion Boutique.
Aguilar is one of several vendors who have moved to the Shops at Bandera Road from Painted Tree, which shut down its locations across the country with little warning in April and filed for bankruptcy.
Aguilar said Painted Tree vendors are still waiting for money owed to them by the company, but she’s trying to move on. On Friday, other former Painted Tree vendors showed up at the grand opening to congratulate Aguilar and see her new space.
“It feels amazing. The San Antonio community has been really supportive,” she said. “We’re continuing to show up for each other.”
“It feels good to have found a new home,” said Valerie O’Neil, another vendor who made the same move from Painted Tree in the Park North Shopping Center.
O’Neil said there are adjustments, like new hours and new in-person requirements, at the Shops at Bandera Road, but she is grateful for the new opportunity.
“Painted Tree was good for us in that season of our life,” she said. “We’re happy to be at Bandera.”
Garcia is happy to have those businesses. He wants to build on the Shops at Bandera and make it more family-friendly.
The food court serves full meals, including Bandera Burger, which food and beverage director Angela Giron said is a combination of a burger and a tostada.
Garcia hopes to see families not just shop at the market, but spend time eating, drinking and enjoying community. He plans to add an arcade or kid-friendly space, as well.
“There’s not a whole lot to do on this side of San Antonio,” he said. “This is something positive for everyone to visit.”
