What could be more fun than shopping San Antonio malls and strip centers for clothes and souvenirs? You can find some great bargains on these items and more while you are here.
San Antonio has some large malls for your shopping convenience where you can buy just about anything and have a drink, a snack or a meal, all under the same roof. This is especially helpful if it is miserably hot out or if the weather (very rarely) is rainy or cold.
The large all under one roof malls here are:
- Ingram Park Mall at Ingram and Loop 410.
- North Star Mall at Loop 410 between McCullough and San Pedro.
- Crossroads Of San Antonio Mall at 4522 Fredericksburg Road, off Loop 410 and I-10
- Rivercenter Mall downtown at 849 E. Commerce between S. Alamo and Bowie
- Rolling Oaks Mall at 6909 North Loop 1604 East and Nacogdoches Road
We have some open-air malls as well. Our newest and nicest open-air mall is The Shops At La Cantera.
We also have:
- The Quarry at 255 E Basse Road just off Highway 281
- Huebner Oaks Shopping Center at 11745 IH-10 West
- Bandera Pointe at Bandera and Loop 1604
- Alamo Ranch Marketplace Loop 1604 and Culebra Road, near the entrance to Highway 151
- Northwoods Shopping Center at US Highway 281 N and Loop 1604.
Shopping San Antonio also includes Market Square, made up of two downtown indoor markets. They are El Mercado and the Farmer’s Market. They have over 100 shops and are located at 514 W. Commerce Street near Dolorosa.
Another great place to shop for arts and crafts and one of a kind items is La Villita.
Don’t miss the fabulous shoe store factory where you are bound to find the perfect footwear. I am talking about SAS Shoemakers at 101 New Laredo Highway. They even offer tours.
There are some fantastic outlet malls in San Marcos, not quite an hour away from San Antonio, on the way to Austin. You can buy many name brand things there, much cheaper than at the regular malls. I love it there.
Ingram Park Mall San Antonio
Ingram Park Mall San Antonio is the mall we shop at most because it is right across the street from our neighborhood. So conveniently located! However, near Christmas, it is almost impossible to get out of the neighborhood because of the traffic going in and coming out of the mall!
This mall has a food court and all sorts of stores with just about everything you would ever need.
There is a place for little ones to play while their parents take a sit-down break, on the first floor in front of JC Penney. Stop by Starbucks first and then go sit down and relax while the kids run around and play.
Located at 6301 NW Loop 410 at Ingram Road, you can shop at Dillard’s, Macy’s, Sears, and JCPenney’s. There are clothing specialty shops for everyone, shoe stores like Payless and higher end shoe shops. There are a lot of jewelry stores, a book store, a candle shop, a record shop, a toy store, a video game store, and lots more. Throughout the mall, there are numerous kiosks selling all sorts of items.
This is a busy place with tons of slow-moving shoppers, taking their time, just having fun. Me? When I shop, I like to move like I have a purpose in life, but sometimes I think I am the only one…
There are gift shops, card shops, electronic stores, and phone stores. There is a Bath & Bodyworks and to please the kids, Ingram Park Mall has a Disney Store! There is also a free play area on the lower level for the little ones, while Mom and Dad sit down and rest.
There are nail salons, hair salons, lingerie shops, and home furnishings stores.
There are several places for eye exams and to buy eyeglasses. There is also a photography studio that takes glamor shots. There is even a newsstand where you can pick up a magazine or today’s Express-News.
You can get your taxes done at H&R; Block, buy perfume at two different perfume shops and visit the Dallas Cowboys Pro Shop, all under the same roof. This is a great mall, especially if the weather is really hot or bad. Everyone in the family will be pleased with Ingram Park Mall San Antonio.
North Star Mall San Antonio
North Star Mall San Antonio is located at 7400 San Pedro at Loop 410. You will know you are there when you see the biggest pair of cowboy boots you have ever seen in your life, right in front of the mall.
This mall is always crowded. There are also several strip malls in the area that you can see from the parking lot.
Right across Loop 410 is a large music store, Sam Ash. This store has some great buys on instruments and musical equipment. My son, Matthew, loves it there and owns several instruments purchased there, including his full-sized drum set that we got for a great price.
You can shop at Saks Fifth Avenue, Arden B, Armani, The Cheesecake Factory, J Crew, Pottery Barn Kids, Macy’s, Oakley, and so many more cool, yet high-end stores.
JC Penney, Dillard’s, and Mervyn’s are there too.
There is a food court to please everyone in the family.
Other great places to shop at North Star Mall include See’s Candies, Swarovski, Talbot’s, and The Disney Store.
A’gaci, Abercrombie & Fitch, American Eagle, and Aeropostale are all there as well.
To make sure the kids get a great souvenir from this mall, there is a Build A Bear Workshop where the kids can pick out a bear or other stuffed animal, make it, dress it, and pick out accessories for it.
There is a cool Fossil shop, several maternity shops, and even a Marble Slab Creamery.
North Star Mall San Antonio is located in a ritzy part of town so most of the shops are high end. Wear comfortable walking shoes as this is a huge mall and you will get your exercise. There is a big parking garage. Bring your credit cards and a camera so you can take photos of your family by the giant boots.
The Shops At La Cantera
The Shops At La Cantera is the newest open-air mall in San Antonio. It is filled with beautiful, bigger and better stores than the rest of the malls in the city have.
The photo above shows valet parking at this mall. Valet parking at a mall in a city filled with people just making minimum wage just blows my mind, but this mall caters to those with money.
Just recently, a two-story Barnes & Noble opened there. It is very cool, unlike any of the other Barnes & Noble stores in San Antonio. Of course, inside there is a Starbucks so the heavenly smell permeates the bookstore. If you decide to move out of the bookstore, you will find many other great things.
The neat thing with this mall is that you walk outside from store to store on a sidewalk. You can actually window shop, checking out the window displays. This can help you decide whether or not a store is for you. You can watch someone get a chair massage through the window of a health food store and decide if you want one, too.
There is a Nordstrom and a Neiman Marcus with a grand piano and someone plays live while you shop. Before I went in there, I had never experienced live piano music while I shopped. I love it!
There are all sorts of high-end shops and eateries. The Shops At La Cantera has over 150 retailers and food shops for your convenience and pleasure. It is a great way to spend an afternoon, walking around, looking, or searching for a must-have item.
Music from Musak plays in the background. Depending on where you are, the music changes throughout the mall.
The Food Court is very nice, with lots of choices and lots of clean tables so you can enjoy your food. There are outdoor tables as well throughout the mall so you can take your food outside and sit and watch the shoppers go by. I find this to be an interesting way to spend a few minutes. There is always something to catch your attention as you watch the way people treat each other, kind of like watching TV.
La Villita
One of the coolest places to shop for arts and crafts is at La Villita or little village in downtown San Antonio. This is a historic district. Shops are located in historic buildings, most of which were once homes.
Above is the South Alamo Street entrance to the historic arts and crafts shopping center.
This place has a real history. Back in 1722, the first homes were built here. In 1835, the Mexican Army surrendered and gave Texas its independence at La Villita. The next year, Santa Anna came from Mexico, trying to win Texas back just a few blocks away, and fought the Battle of the Alamo.
Somewhere before 1900, this little village got so rundown that it became a slum and stayed that way until 1939. That year, the city of San Antonio passed a city ordinance to restore this area of downtown San Antonio.
I must say that when my daughter and I recently visited this wonderful shopping area, we had a lot of fun. We went from shop to shop, marveling at all of the beautiful artwork and handmade crafts. There were oil paintings, watercolors, jewelry, clothing, pottery, sculpture, wind chimes, and even bonsai trees in one shop.
There are also some good eateries mixed in among the shops and lots of room outdoors to sit down and relax.
Every April during San Antonio’s biggest 10-day party of the year, Fiesta, the Night in Old San Antonio celebration or NIOSA is held here. It is a time of delicious Mexican foods and music, along with colorful costumes and tons of fun.
Just a stone’s throw across from the entrance to Hemisfair Park, and just a few blocks from The Alamo, the entrance to this historic arts village is located on South Alamo at Hueva. You can also access it by walking along the River Walk until you get to the Arneson River Theatre. Then just go up the steps to street level, and you are there. Happy Shopping.