Venturing outside of the bubble

I live inside of San Antonio’s Loop 410, and I admit that I rarely venture outside of the bubble. Since COVID-19 hit, I rarely venture outside, period.

When a friend I met at a political rally pre-pandemic posted on FB that she had free vegetables for the taking, we arranged for a trade: a variety of succulents for tomatoes & bell peppers.

Since she’s a new mom, I offered to drive to her. She lives in Northwest San Antonio off of Eckhert Road, and the last time I was out that way was many moons ago to go dancing at Floore’s Country Store on Bandera Road. (One of the 100 things to do/see in my book!) I don’t think I’d ever been on Eckhert Road, frankly, so I was delighted to stumble upon La Carreta Mexican Imports on the way to my friend’s home.

Scratching the shopping itch

My shopping itch has not been scratched since mid-March because I don’t feel comfortable inside of buildings. Most of La Carreta’s massive inventory is outdoors, so I was able to stroll and shop to my heart’s content.

Owner Anna Sanchez and her daughter, Samantha, are bound to have something you need/want. During this time period, facemasks ($10 each) are at the top of the need list. Yes, these are inside of their shop, but facemasks are required to enter and hand sanitizer is at the ready. Colorful Mexican dresses, guayaberas, and huaraches are also available inside their shop.

Outdoors sports an eye-popping collection of yard art: whimsical metal sculptures, concrete bird baths, ceramic pottery, and more. I scored a metal Texas horny toad ($35) and a set of hand-painted ceramic butterflies ($30). A Celtic cross I didn’t purchase at the time is still calling my name.

Supporting a female-owned, local business

La Carreta, which means wagon in Spanish, is located at 8151 Eckhert Road. They are open Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. They are usually open on Sundays from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m., but they’re taking a few Sundays off. Call 210-334-0160 to make sure they’re open before you go.

Sure, online shopping has been safe and convenient during the pandemic, but it felt good to shop local and support a female-owned business. It also felt good to get out of the bubble! ¡Viva San Antonio!

Denise Barkis Richter, Ph.D., has been blogging about San Antonio since June of 2010. Follow her at facebook.com/SanAntonioTourist so that you’ll never miss a post. Her love affair with the Alamo City began at Hemisfair in 1968. She moved to San Antonio in 1979 as an 18-year-old college student, and San Antonio has been home ever since. For even more ideas of fun things to do and see in San Antonio, visit Barnes & Noble, The Twig or Whole Earth Provision Co. to purchase Denise’s book, “100 Things To Do in San Antonio Before You Die” . Denise completed certification to become a professional tour guide in 2019. Please contact her at sanantoniotourist at gmail dot com if you’d like for her to design/lead a fabulous San Antonio experience for you!