SAN ANTONIO – The excitement of a San Antonio Spurs playoff berth and Fiesta season are colliding with once again. The result, local business owners said, is a surge in sales for shirts, hats and handmade jewelry.
Florence Barrera, owner of Bohemian Gemme Boutique in Southtown, recently had one of her best months yet.
Customers stocked up on Fiesta-themed pieces with a Spurs twist.
“March was a record-breaking month for us in sales,” Barrera said. “People are buying Fiesta jewelry and the Papel Picados that are Spurs-inspired.”
Artist and entrepreneur Mando Zimmerle said demand has also jumped for his limited custom Spurs shirts and caps, which are created with partners Jason and Greg from Retro Goods.
Zimmerle said this year’s energy feels different across the city.
“This year is just different altogether, and it’s helped push these products,” Zimmerle said.
Zimmerle said his designs pull from hip-hop culture and San Antonio culture. He often features the Spurs Coyote — a nod to a team symbol he believes resonates beyond the court.
“I focus on the Spurs Coyote because he’s not going nowhere,” Zimmerle said. “He’s the heart of the Spurs.”
Zimmerle said one of their concepts ties the city’s basketball hopes to the “Race for Seis” slogan, pairing it with a racing-inspired look.
“‘Race for Seis.’ It just clicked with us, like, man, we should put it all together,” Zimmerle said.
Zimmerle said the motivation comes from the community’s enthusiasm for both the Spurs and Fiesta.
“It’s all love and the passion behind it that keeps us motivated to keep doing it,” he said.
Barrera said her boutique’s bright Fiesta collection has become a seasonal go-to, particularly her Papel Picado earrings she designs from scratch.
“Our Papel Picado earrings — we designed them last year and added that to our Fiesta collection,” Barrera said. “They were selling out like crazy. … It’s a staple. It’s an iconic thing for our city. For our culture.”
Zimmerle said that same pride shows up citywide: from watch parties to pop-up sales and local makers turning fandom into art.
“That winning mentality is so heavy on the city when it comes to the filling up the bars. The restaurants watching the games. People promoting it, people making merch,” Zimmerle said.
For Barrera, the busiest weeks are also the most rewarding.
“To know that our customers, they trust our product and they like the things that I create. It just feels unreal sometimes,” Barrera said. “I love seeing people wear our designs.”
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