In the coming months, the Huebner Oaks shopping center may hardly be recognizable. The popular chains of the 2010s are disappearing, replaced by leasing signs and shiny new destinations. It’s all part of a retail renaissance that’s revitalizing what was, for a short while, the mall of the moment in the early aughts.
Already, trendy snack foods can be nabbed at Trader Joe’s, the Barnes & Noble resurgence is taking root, and an artisan coffee can be sipped at the aesthetic-forward BlueBird Coffee shop. But more is on the way.
If you remember swinging by The Gap for your basics during back-to-school shopping in 2005, before trying to convince your mom that an overpriced Abercrombie & Fitch sweatshirt and ripped jeans were wroth the splurge (I still vow nobody rivals the comfort of those old cotton hoodies), you’ll be sad to learn your rainbow assortment of chinos and polos have fled the scene. Instead, a fast-casual Italian spot is well underway in its place.
“Piada Italian Street Food has earned top accolades from trade industry leaders and national publications alike,” a company press bio states. “With an aggressive 5-year growth plan led by tenured executives collectively sharing more than 50 years of hospitality experience, Piada continues to prove best in class in the fast casual segment.”
Part of that growth plan includes its first San Antonio store. It’s an exciting addition where folks can nab quick pasta, wraps, healthier bowl options or, essentially, Italian burritos with pasta inside – even if it means the normcore clothier in the middle of its own comeback is gone.
Across the parking lot, where California Pizza Kitchen once stood, it seems a Chinese hot pot chain is making its Alamo City debut. Word first arrived when MySA noticed a mysterious filing to replace the quirky pizza place with a new spot codenamed Hot Spot 61…