San Antonio has always shown a lot of love for Asian markets, whether it’s a local grocer where you can stock up on hard-to-find items, a claw-machine haven or a blind-box toy stocker. But there’s been a boom in national retailers in the Alamo City over the past couple of years, and one particular fan favorite is putting San Antonio at the center of its massive expansion.
TESO Life opened its first location in October. In the months that followed, a land grab erupted as the company realized the gold mine of eager shoppers and began leasing several spots. Now, the latest project is bringing much-needed excitement to the City Base area on the Southeast Side of the city.
“TESO Life is an Asian department store offering a wide range of products – including beauty, snacks, toys and home goods – with over 200,000 SKUs,” a TESO Life spokesperson told MySA, confirming that a location is set to open in the coming months at 3142 SE Military Drive. “As part of our continued growth, we’re planning to open approximately 25 stores this year.”
The new TESO Life store will replace a Joann Fabrics location at the City Base Landing retail site, which currently hosts big-box staples like Office Depot and Best Buy, along with several chain eateries and errand stops. According to a flyer from Mimco Properties, which operates the City Base shopping center, TESO Life will be the third-largest retailer in the area by square footage, with 15,000 square feet of retail space.
However, this will be the company’s smallest footprint in San Antonio once its three stores are up and running. The first TESO Life in San Antonio, along I-10 in the University Square shopping center, is the largest endeavor, at nearly 27,000 square feet. The second location –– just outside San Antonio near the edge of where Schertz, Live Oak and Selma meet –– is slightly larger than the latest store, coming in at around 19,000 square feet.
According to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, crews began converting the former fabric retailer into a TESO Life on Wednesday, July 1. The company is moving quickly, estimating that construction should wrap up by late October and aiming for an opening this year. However, it may fall behind opening plans.
For those unfamiliar with the cult–favorite retailer TESO Life, you can get your fix of unusual chip flavors that influencers love to taste-test on camera, snatch up blind boxes or buildable sets with moving mechanical parts, test your luck at a claw machine or peruse aisles upon aisles of stationary, Asian beauty products and home wares.
It’s not for the faint of heart or those short on time, but it’s a lot of fun if your wallet can handle it. But beware, lines can wrap around the building in the early days after opening.