{"id":2583,"date":"2025-10-14T10:52:05","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:52:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/2583\/"},"modified":"2025-10-14T10:52:05","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T10:52:05","slug":"tiny-texas-town-residents-set-sights-on-a-big-box-boom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/2583\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiny Texas town residents set sights on a big-box boom"},"content":{"rendered":"

A tiny town in the Texas Hill Country<\/a> is undergoing a more modern transformation. Located 30 miles west of San Antonio, it’s set to get its first major shopping center \u2014 complete with an\u00a0Ulta Beauty and a Burlington<\/a> \u2014 in the summer of 2026. However, several Castroville residents have a few other companies on their wish list.<\/p>\n

The Medina County city has long been known for its rolling grasslands, slow-paced rural lifestyle, and Colonial Alsatian-inspired architecture. It welcomed its first national grocer, Walmart, in 2017,<\/a> and contains only one high school for its\u00a0population<\/a> of just over 3,000. Though\u00a0quiet, the town sometimes sees increased foot traffic due to the emergence of nearby Microsoft data centers and its proximity to State Highway 211.<\/p>\n

Late last month, MySA staff asked locals which businesses they’d like to see come to town. The question was published in a private Castroville Facebook group<\/a>\u00a0and had received 27 replies as of Friday, October 10. Many of the responses called for larger markets, more recreational activities, and a wider variety of dining options. Requests for the store that does more\u00a0were especially common.<\/p>\n

“H-E-B plus with a garden center and a Buc-ee’s in this area would be amazing,” Corine Howard wrote in a post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Another resident, Priscilla Duquette, echoed Howard’s statement, saying A bigger Walmart, H-E-B, A gym, a Main Event, or more activity places for the teens.”<\/p>\n

The nearest location sits 20 minutes east at 14325 Potranco Road and State Highway 211. Even this store is relatively new. It hosted its grand opening<\/a> in October 2020. Another store is planned for 15489 Culebra Road, but it won’t open till late 2025 or early 2026, MySA previously reported<\/a>. It will also still be a roughly 30-minute drive for Castrovillians.<\/p>\n

When it comes to entertainment, it’s safe to say the city still has ways to go. Families can enjoy a regional park, a one-screen movie theater, and a few local boutiques if they have the shopping itch,\u00a0but any hopes for bowling, skating, or a Main Event run are nil.<\/p>\n

Other retail stores locals want to see include 7 Brew Coffee, Waffle House, Laguna Madre, Trader Joe’s, UPS, Academy, and a yoga studio. Fortunately, an As\u00e9 Yoga & Pilates Studio<\/a> is expected to open this fall, taking over the longtime location of\u00a0Ima’s Antiques and Gifts. But some people believe more change could disrupt the area’s character.<\/p>\n

“Honestly, I wish there was less. I miss the quiet town we once had,” LJ Hes said in a post.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Local Brenda Stein agreed, asking folks why they would like to move to Castroville if they desire\u00a0the conveniences that come with urban living.<\/p>\n

“I feel if you want chain stores, you should move to San Antonio instead of growing our small town,” she said.<\/p>\n

Aside from Alsatian Oaks, which is bringing big-name brands to the city next summer, the retail plaza Town East Crossing<\/a>\u00a0is also under construction off Highway 90 and FM 471. A spokesperson for Foresite Commercial Real Estate, the agency assisting the developer, previously told MySA that it plans for it to\u00a0include small businesses, a drive-thru of some sort, and a medical or dental business, among other stores.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A tiny town in the Texas Hill Country is undergoing a more modern transformation. Located 30 miles west…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2584,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[821,820,82,84,83],"class_list":{"0":"post-2583","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-mysabusiness","9":"tag-mysastaff","10":"tag-san-antonio","11":"tag-san-antonio-headlines","12":"tag-san-antonio-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2583"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2583\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}