16. L&M Bookstore
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 222-1323
Address: 1716 N. Main Ave.
Description: This is a great spot to find college textbooks for those heading back to school. L&M has new and used textbooks, educational software for good prices, and an especially good selection of nursing texts and reference books and contractor code books. School supplies are also sold. A second location is at 15503 Babcock Rd. (210-695-8872).
17. Lifeway Christian Stores
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 694-2995
Address: 17802 La Cantera Pkwy., Suite 115
Description: Christian materials such as Bibles, inspirational books, and music can all be found here. Whether it’s for a gift or for yourself, if you’re looking for religious gifts and products, you’ll probably find something suitable here.
18. Mexican-American Cultural Center Bookstore And Gift Shop
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 732-2156
Address: 3115 W. Ashby Place
Description: The Mexican-American Cultural Center Bookstore and Gift Shop has a variety of books, videos, and gifts that reflect the cultural diversity of the city of San Antonio. This is the place to buy bilingual (Spanish/English) religious materials, videos, and language-education books. The store will place special orders for customers who can’t find exactly what they’re looking for.
19. Bless Your Heart Gift Shop
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 651-1000
Address: 18771 FM 2252
Description: This quaint shop has many gifts that will delight you or your friends and family. Items from Mary Engelbreit and Vera Bradley line the shelves, along with greeting cards, novelty bath products, and good-smelling candles. There is a variety of jewelry, too.
20. Collector’S Gallery
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 497-2525
Address: 13500 West Ave.
Description: This gallery calls itself the “area’s largest and finest gift shop” with good reason. The large shop has collectibles from such names as Dept. 56, Radko, M.I. Hummel, Swarovski, and David Winter. Boyds Bears, Precious Moments, Fenton Glass, Cherished Teddies, and other collectible lines also can be found here.
21. The Pink Giraffe
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 227-8851
Address: 250 E. Houston St.
Description: The Pink Giraffe has a varied selection of collectibles and figurines, greeting cards for any occasion, many types of candy, and lots of other gifts. You can’t miss this gift shop—it’s on Houston Street by the famous Majestic Theatre.
22. Alien Worlds
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 826-3800
Address: 6412 Bandera Rd.
Description: This comic-book store has much more than just comics. Alien Worlds is a great source for role-playing games, collectible card games, action figures, and collectible cards. It also carries rare and not-so-rare Star Wars, GI Joe, Pokémon, Yu-gi-oh, and Transformers figurines. An additional San Antonio location is at 3333 Wurzbach Rd. (210-681-0701).
23. Collectors Authority
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 977-8818
Address: 1534 SE Military Drive
Description: Offering over 2 decades of knowledge in the field of comic books, owner Pedro Contero Jr. can help customers find that elusive issue of Spider-Man or The Incredible Hulk or lead collectors to the latest Captain America statue or Balrog bust. Open Sun and Mon from noon to 6 p.m. and Wed through Sun from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
24. Dragon’S Lair Comics & Fantasy
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 615-1229
Address: 7959 Fredericksburg Rd.
Description: Here you’ll find a good selection of old and new comic books and collectibles as well as other toys, games, models, collectible cards, and Japanese anime. There are also game rooms available for rent. Open Mon and Tues 10 a.m. to midnight; Wed and Thurs 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri and Sat 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sun noon to 6 p.m.
25. Heroes And Fantasies
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 340-0074
Address: 4945 NW Loop 410
Description: This store claims to have more than a million comic books, and once you step inside, you may not doubt it. In addition to new and used comics, Heroes and Fantasies also stocks a variety of role-playing games, card games, action figures, sports memorabilia, posters, T-shirts, gifts, and models. Collectors of Japanese anime or Pokémon, Dragonball, Star Wars, Archie, Yu-gi-oh, or Spider-Man stuff will be happy here. A second location is at 914 Pat Booker Rd. (210-945-4376).
26. Eisenhauer Market Center
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 653-7592
Address: 3903 Eisenhauer Rd.
Description: Eisenhauer Market Center is one of the largest indoor flea markets in America, making it a must for flea-market aficionados. A wide variety of antiques and collectibles is available. Admission to the market and parking are both free. Note that the market is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
27. Mission Open Air Flea Market
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 923-8131
Address: 707 Moursund Blvd.
Description: Operating for over 20 years, this market has hundreds of sellers on 45 acres of space. Whether you’re looking for antiques or new merchandise, this is a worthwhile place to check out. An enormous variety of items makes this a great spot to poke and browse. Mission Open Air Flea Market is open only on Wed, Sat, and Sun, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
28. Best Friends Kids Boutique
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 349-9233
Address: 923 N. Loop 1604 East
Description: Featuring specialty clothing for boys and girls of all ages, this place is sure to have something unique for your little ones. If you’re planning on visiting the store on Sunday, make sure to call first and make an appointment.
29. The Children’S Place
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 877-2901
Address: 4224 S. New Braunfels Blvd.
Description: A dependable chain of 892 children’s clothing stores around the US and Canada, the San Antonio locations offer attire and accessories for sizes 0–14, in a kid-friendly atmosphere. Check out their website for additional area location information.
30. Casual Male Xl
City: San Antonio, TX
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (210) 344-6409
Address: 7334 San Pedro Ave.
Description: As the name might suggest, Casual Male XL is a great stop if you’re looking for nice clothing for a big and/or tall man. The store carries sizes 1X to 6X and XLT to 5XLT. If you need large shoes to go with your new big-guy clothes, they’ve got those, too. Sizes 11 to 16W are carried here in many major brand names. The staff is friendly and ready to answer your questions. Additional San Antonio locations are at 11075 I-10 West, Suite 302 (210-696-3460); 8251 Agora Pkwy., Selma (210-590-0686); and 5755 NW Loop 410, Suite 103 (210-521-8904).