Construction on the lux new development on the Northside, The Merc, has made serious progress. Now, the developer has named the first wave of tenants moving in early next year.
Courtesy of The Merc/Schumacher Interests
After months of buildup, a swanky new shopping and entertainment district coming to San Antonio announced its first wave of tenants. The first retailers and restaurants honor the project’s core values, set out at the very beginning, keeping healthy living and recreation top of mind.
The Merc is a sweeping development along UTSA Boulevard, just down the road from Costco, on a plot of land that sat vacant for a decade before changing hands. The developer, Schumacher Interests, is now moving quickly to transform the long-empty lot of rock and weeds into a daily-use district for residents and Northside travelers.
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“Northwest San Antonio continues to be one of the most dynamic growth corridors in Texas, and The Merc is being built to meet that momentum with something more intentional,” said Rob Schumacher, founder of the development company.
The family behind Wild Goji Sushi, famous for its Japanese conveyor-belt-style grab-and-go service, is set to open a new concept at the ritzy Northside development. Boasting an eventual lineup of local businesses, Frenchies Modern Nail Care is set to open sometime next as well. However, that’s where the hometown lineup stops, for now.
Tuna maki on a conveyor belt at Wild Goji.
Polly Anna Rocha
A group of national, or even international, chains also secured first dibs on storefronts at The Merc development. Pür & Simple, a Canadian brunch spot that recently opened its first San Antonio location on U.S. 281, joins the ranks. Pure Green, a cold-pressed juice bar founded in New York City, will make its first foray into the San Antonio market. Lastly, Hawaiian Bros Island Grill is set to open its third Alamo City location.
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“Tenant response has reinforced what we believed from the start: The Merc is positioned to become one of Northwest San Antonio’s most exciting new retail destinations,” wrote Zach Fregosi, a broker with SHOP Companies. “This first wave brings together a healthy mix of locally-owned businesses and national brands, with the access, visibility, and growing community that successful operators are looking for.”
The first phase of buildings at The Merc has appeared rather quickly. Now, the developers say construction should wrap up by the end of summer, turning over the modern buildings with metal framing and massive windows to tenants. The first store is expected to open in early 2027.
The Merc is quickly emerging along UTSA Boulevard, set to bring retail and recreational space to the Northwest Side of San Antonio.
Zachary-Taylor Wright/MySA
One of the more exciting additions, however, is a nine-hole golf concept called Park Golf – part of a larger recreational plan for the luxury development that includes golf, trails and a small concert space.
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Early in the development phase, a spokesperson for Schumacher Interests modestly said this wasn’t going to be a new Pearl. But it is expected to bring something otherwise missing from a densely populated area of San Antonio – a place to spend the day and linger, rather than just another strip mall for running errands.
“There’ll be this really beautiful kind of pedestrian network that connects the adjacent neighborhoods and all the rest of the 115 acres together,” the spokesperson told MySA early on. “So, our pitch is really that this is a very different place than what else exists in that crazy 1604, I-10 area. It’s not The Rim, it’s not La Cantera. It’s not a glorified shopping mall. It’s truly meant to be a living, breathing district.”