SAN ANTONIO – A historic building on the West Side is drawing crowds, fueling small businesses and celebrating local culture.
Basila Frocks, a landmark structure built in 1929, recently completed renovations and has since seen an explosion of business activity over the last six months.
The building’s survival wasn’t guaranteed. At one point, the nearly century-old structure faced demolition.
“They were gonna demolish the building. And the fact that it was saved and it’s been converted into what it is now, a beautiful space,” said Janie Villarreal-McClinchey, owner of K-Retro Arts and community engagement specialist at Dream On Group.
Basila Frocks is now home to a collection of local small businesses and artists selling hand-crafted items — from flower crowns and jewelry to polymer clay pieces and custom keychains.
“We also do have stickers, coasters, some of these keychains, and then I also do make polymer clay jewelry. So those are gonna to be my designs up there,” said one vendor inside the space.
Spring proved especially strong for the artisans inside Basila Frocks. Fiesta shopping, combined with San Antonio Spurs playoff excitement, sent sales soaring.
“The month of April, March, it was amazing for small business, because of course everybody was buying the flower crowns and the blouses and the jewelry and so on. And then come the Spurs and then they make the playoffs,” Villarreal-McClinchey said.
The Spurs’ postseason run gave local crafters a new challenge — and a new opportunity.
“The Spurs mania started. But then with us, because we are crafters, we had to get busy. We had to start creating Spurs merchandise by hand,” she said.
What was once a dance hall, nightclub, restaurant and more, Basila Frocks now serves as a cultural and commercial anchor on the West Side. Villarreal-McClinchey says the space is an open invitation to anyone who hasn’t yet made the trip.
“If you’ve never been to the west side of San Antonio, we want to invite you because there’s lots to see, lots to do here at the west side of San Antonio. We’re full of art, culture, and just great, great community,” she said.
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