Update: A Grocery Store for Downtown San Antonio

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Update December 8th, 2015: New H-E-B Grocery Store opens for downtown San Antonio, giving access to healthier foods for the area.

Since 2013, talk of a new grocery store for downtown San Antonio has been in the works, with the city’s officials, community leaders and local grocers. H-E-B was selected to be the company to provide the new grocery store in urban downtown.

H-E-B’s new store, South Flores Market, officially opened to downtown residents, at seven in the morning, on Wednesday, December 7, 2015. Community shoppers can now enjoy fresh produce along with a bike rack with a “fix your bike” kit, a water station for dogs, parking and a 24-hour gas station. The store is much smaller compared to other designs of H-E-B stores, but still offers fresh produce and available fresh grab-and-go foods. Offering consumers a way to get freshly prepared foods, with less emphasis and options on packaged or processed foods.

The 12,000-square-foot store had a long journey to open its doors as design ideas were put into the mix to find solutions on how to work in such a small linear space. However, the investment into downtown is part of a larger movement in providing more jobs, and redevelopment in San Antonio San Antonio’s Mayor Ivy Taylor said in a recent article.

Providing foods in growing urban spaces like San Antonio’s largely Latino populated city (63.2% Latino) allows for more healthy food access and less consumption of junk-food that can usually be found in corner stores or local gas stations. Research shows, when Latino families have easy access to fresh fruits and vegetables, they consume a healthier diet.

Adding small grocery stores or corner stores with fresh foods allows Latinos access to healthier foods, and a healthier lifestyle.

To learn more about how Latinos are impacted by healthier food environments, click here.

Original Post, May 30, 2013: San Antonio’s downtown is growing. Walking and biking around is easier than ever, and many young people are heading to downtown for the business and nightlife. However, downtown San Antonio is missing one thing that is keeping it from becoming a pale where young people and families want to live: a grocery store. Would you want to raise your family in a place where you couldn’t buy fresh fruits and vegetables for your kids?

City officials decided recently to solicit proposals from anyone serious about opening a major grocery store downtown, an amenity they think is necessary to revitalize the urban core.

La Fiesta is one food retailer considering a downtown location.

Currently, it looks like HEB might be the lucky food retailer that gets to claim stake to San Antonio’s downtown grocery needs.