16 Best Places to Shop in San Antonio, Texas

This is about as close you can get to Old Mexico without crossing the border. Market Square (El Mercado) has been a favorite of locals and visitors for generations for dining, drinking, shopping, and celebrating. The three-block space houses restaurants, shops, galleries, and working artisans crafting their wares in everything from silver to leather to woodwork. The Market Square outdoor plaza often has music and dance performances, especially during the holidays. Check the website calendar for upcoming programming. It's a fun, colorful outing, especially if you're dining at Mi Tierra Cafe y Panaderia or La Margarita Restaurant & Oyster Bar and are up for a lively afternoon or evening.

This longtime beloved independent bookstore has been part of San Antonio's literary world since 1972, residing in several neighborhoods before landing at the Pearl. The large, organized, and well-stocked store has thousands of books in all subjects as well as cards and gift items. It hosts regular author-signing events for local and national writers as well as events geared for children. Ask the very helpful and knowledgeable staff about the latest and best independent and mainstream bestsellers.

A San Antonio fashion staple for 50 years, this family-owned business is a beautiful store bursting with color and textures selling a brilliant array of women's fashions that reflect local flair and culture. Over the years the store has expanded into select home decor as well as jewelry, accessories, and gifts. The staff is welcoming and helpful but it can get busy, so plan on plenty of time to browse and take it all in.

Look for the distinctive smokestacks at this open-air shopping, dining, and entertainment center (the area was once a cement factory). Today, Alamo Quarry Market includes a Regal movie theater complex and many standard mall stores, such as Gap, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and Williams Sonoma. This entire area boasts many retail offerings. Quarry Village is across from Quarry Market, and the nearby Shops at Lincoln Heights are at the intersection of Broadway and East Basse Road.

Peruse paintings (oil, acrylic, and watercolor), pottery, prints, sculpture, and more at Artistic Endeavors Gallery, which specializes in original works by regional artists, many of which turn their artistic eye toward San Antonio's charms.

If you think a supermarket can't be a destination, think again. The only location of the chain in San Antonio (there are nine others in Texas), Central Market is both a foodie heaven and a popular gourmet grocery store in Alamo Heights. Among the many offerings, you'll find scratch-made baked goods, chef-prepared meals, a great wine selection, products from around the world and a knowledgeable staff to answer questions. Top off your finds with a fresh flower arrangement from the well-stocked floral center up front. An in-house cooking school provides classes (for a fee) in such areas as croissants, seafood basics, a Tuscan dinner, and more. Don't miss the very popular Hatch Chile Fest every August.

How to explain a guayabera? Although it is traditionally known as a men's button-down pleated shirt originating in Cuba, it has gained popularity in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America, and here in South Texas where natural fabrics like cotton and linen breathe best in the heat. Designer Caroline Matthews has over 30 years of experience in fitting, designing, and creating custom guayaberas. The process starts with selecting a fabric, then you choose a style, sleeve length, color, and the kind of fit. Each shirt takes at least four to six weeks to complete. The shop does quite a bit of designing for weddings, where smartly tailored guayaberas are more relaxed than tuxedos. The store also carries a selection of ready-made guayaberas and other guayabera-wear, including loungewear.

One of the most fun shops at the Pearl, Feliz Modern POP is a cool and colorful collection of things for you, your home, your friends, your family, your pets, and everyone you know. Many items have a Southwestern or Latin flair, like the Revolutionary Women of Texas and Mexico coloring book or a catnip-taco cat toy. Co-owners Mario and Ginger Diaz have assembled quite a collection for gifting, entertaining, and celebrating the connections in our lives with global art, accessories, and home decor.

Subtitled Fine Groceries & Prepared Foods, this little jewel is a combination market, café, and bakery tucked away on the first floor of Hotel Emma. Browse their eclectic stock of culinary luxuries and upscale staples as well as freshly prepared food to take out or eat in, fresh baked goods, and wine and beer. They also have unique gift items and signature tote bags for both Hotel Emma and Larder.

Stylish women's wear is just the beginning here. Niche carries an impressive collection of handbags, hats, scarves and bandannas as well as men's clothing and accessories. Best of all, you can book an expert styling session with their lead stylist. The coolest part of the store is Stitch at Niche, a curated fabric shop and project space with fabrics, thread, and patterns.

You'll find vintage and modern pieces here from Texas, Mexico, and all over the world. Owners Ginger and Mario Diaz opened Rancho Diaz as an eclectic, artisan-inspired home decor store with unique handcrafted items for design enthusiasts. Categories include terra-cotta planters and vases, Christmas and Day of the Dead decor, travel accessories, upscale pet items, and greeting and note cards. An exciting aspect of the store is that it carries the Tex Mex Dance Party Collection, curated and collected by former folk arts administrator and native Texan Rose Reyes. Her home decor brand focuses on vintage handmade objects and art with a Texas/Mexican flair.

A mixed-use lifestyle center of shops, dining, entertainment, and luxury residences, businesses at The Rim include Bass Pro Shops, Southerleigh Haute South, James Avery Jewelry, Bakery Lorraine, Woodhouse Day Spa, Nordstrom Rack, Panera Bread, and more. Disover current sales on the promotions tab of their website.

This upscale shopping center on La Cantera Parkway has something for everyone. Shop at standard mall stores, like Abercrombie & Fitch, 7 for All Mankind, Anthropologie, Apple, Banana Republic, and Barnes & Noble, as well as at higher-end retailers, such as Sur la Table, Chanel, Coach, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co. Plenty of dining options are here, too, from fast-casual to fine dining. Find all of their on-site events on their website.

Upscale boutiques, especially in tony neighborhoods like Alamo Heights, can be intimidating, but there's no such vibe in this jewel of a find in the Uptown Alamo Heights Center. It's a cozy space, but the multi-category store is comfortably filled with a wide variety of designer offerings in women's high-end fashion, perfumes, greeting cards, home accessories, gifts, and antiques. The fine artisan jewelry is irresistible—whatever you choose for that perfect gift, you will absolutely want one for yourself. Everything is beautifully displayed, and customer service is attentive and helpful.

Previously known as Sunset Ridge Home and Hardware, the name Sunset & Co. may be new, but it's the same wonderful place to browse to your heart's content. The store seems endless, brimming with gifts and accessories for him and her, bath and body products, travel bags, clothing and accessories for babies and kids, and more. Home decor and accents abound, as well as hardware, Weber grills and accessories, coolers, tool sets, organizational and storage products, and high-end cooking appliances.

This is one of those stores you visit when you can't seem to find the right gift. They showcase unique, ethically sourced handcrafted products from more than 130 artisan groups in about 20 countries. Their selection is staggering, and the categories seem endless: accessories, jewelry, indoor and outdoor home decor, textiles, baskets, stationery, tableware, linens, birdhouses, garden, bath and body, and gifts for everyone from the wellness guru to the foodie.