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Jefferson Bodega owners offer unique world while building community

The community the owners of Jefferson Bodega built at the height of the pandemic rally behind them in their time of need.

SAN ANTONIO — When stopping by Jefferson Bodega you might be surprised about what you find.

From pistachio Snickers, craft beers, freeze dried candy, anime snacks and drinks, anything that’s seasonally flavored, limited edition or weird will be stocked on their shelves. 

“It’s like our little underground store… my daughter’s more into stuff like this that you can’t really find at the other stores,” a shopper said.

What you also may not find in other stores is a kind word of encouragement and a positive vibe that beats as loud as the music coming from their surround sound.

 "We’ve said all along what we are really trying to make here is not about the products. It’s really about the experience," Jefferson Bodega, co-owner, Luke Horgan said. “We want you to leave here all the time feeling a little better than when you walked in.”

Owners Luke and Lisa Horgan dreamt up the idea after leaving New York City and 22 years in the corporate world.

 And coming back to the neighborhood Luke had spent his high school years.

“I wanted to be like San Antonio’s first Bodega. Where I grew up in New York City all these stores were, Bodegas," Luke Horgan said. “Many, many years ago when I went to Jefferson and this was like my little corner 'tiendieta.' People kind of take pride in their corner store. I wanted to find a way to be unique and have the neighborhood take pride in us."

But Jefferson Bodega’s products were not always as eclectic. 

“When we first started we were more traditional. We had the rat traps and the milk and eggs and everything else," Jefferson Bodega, co-owner, Lisa Horgan said. 

The store born of disaster and actually opening their doors in 2019. 

“Literally, a month before covid started hitting. It was probably the worst time ever to start a business," Luke Horgan said. "So I had to find a way to source toilet paper, and I started reaching out to anyone who shipped items all around the world."

Once covid cooled, the bodega no longer needed their international connections for the basics.  

“So I wrote to these people and said what else do you got? Some of them said 'I had a bunch of Japanese Kit Kats' others said 'I have drinks'. I said let’s give it a try, and here we are," Luke Horgan said. 

These rare snacks and drinks ended up changing the makeup of the store for the better.

“I’m addicted to this feeling of bringing people joy and so we like this concept that is called, pleasant surprises. It’s to counter all of the negative surprises from the past couple of years, and boy have there been plenty of negative surprises, so we wanted to have people be delighted as they walk through." Luke Horgan said.

They stock international finds while still promoting local products.

“Local to us is just as cool and amazing as a lot of these international products," Luke Horgan said. “The idea is even though we are international we want to keep it as local as possible."

These components make them popular with locals and tourist alike. 

“I hear all the time from people [who come] from Colorado and this was on [their] list of things to do," Lisa Horgan said. “We just love it. People come from all over and I love that we have a lot of people come specifically to expose their kids to something different."

But, its not just the hard to find products that helped them gain fans or their own monikers. 

“I’m just here to provide a great time so that’s what the Bodega Man does and that’s what BodegaMa sort of oversees,” Luke Horgan said. “It’s all about the neighborhood, the store and the vibe."

 “We call our people Bodega fam," Luke Horgan said. “We’ve really built this connection with our customers. It began with helping people out during covid but it sort of evolved into a place where people can come here for a respite."

Lisa Horgan feels the same way. 

"We feel like stewards of it. Now we are just trying to take care of it and be what people want us to be. Find the new products, keep it cool but always being super positive coming through that door. There’s just so much negativity in the world."

However, it was the summer of this year that Luke and Lisa would need to lean on their 'bodega fam.' 

“I went through a really bad and surprising episode of heart disease and I ended up needing bypass surgery," Luke Horgan said. “It was just like we went to the doctor on a Tuesday and he was like you’re not going home... and we had to stop the bodega train for a minute.”

Closing up shop, the two got a response on social media from their customers, but it was nothing like they expected. 

“When we posted that I was sick and were probably going to be closed for a bit, I expected people to complain about the hours. I really didn’t expect hundreds of amazing comments that would make me cry. Then that love… ppl were visiting me at the hospital and these were people you would call otherwise customers," Luke Horgan said.  

Lisa also feeling the support as a caretaker and the one who kept the shop going as Luke recovered, “We’ve been blown away by the outpouring of support. …  And I just love that all of our people are with us on it. It’s been so inspirational for me. I’m really trying to be a positive force for other people but the amount that people have given back to me is incredible.”

"Bodega Man" is now back on track with his health, and reflecting on 2022 and the business and community Jefferson Bodega has helped bring together. 

“I do, I get emotional about this stuff because again, we never had these moments in corporate. We never get to like make that kind of connections. But to be able to touch somebody to inspire them to make a better life which might make a better life for everyone around them. That’s why we do what we do," Luke Horgan said. “It’s been probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done." 

Be sure to follow Jefferson Bodega on Instagram to find out more about their store hours and future pop ups. 

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