SAN ANTONIO — Imagine needing to find a special present for someone and wanting to shop local – but not needing to ever physically shop at a local market. There’s a new option in the Alamo City where the best of the mom and pop business scene is already curated for you… in a baby blue-colored gift box.
It’s called “By Bluebonnet” and it’s the dream that two San Antonio women turned into a reality. One year ago, Theresa Smith was working as a vendor doing direct market sales and she met Boglarka Bordas, a macarons baker who owns The Bunny Bakery. The two hit it off immediately.
“We fell in love – through macarons,” Smith laughed. “I am a macaron connoisseur. Of course, that was our connection. We just connected from there.”
Smith said in the heat of the sun (and in cold weather, too) – she and Bordas brainstormed to develop a small business together. They came up with a game plan to create a way to box up the best of all they were seeing small San Antonio businesses sell. That’s how “By Bluebonnet” was born.
The idea was to do a lot of the leg work (the walking, the perusing and window shopping) for their customers since they were surrounded by so many unique home-based businesses made in San Antonio.
“We want to capture the community,” Smith said. “We want to showcase all the talents within San Antonio first – just there are so many people with creative arts, such talented bakers. There are just so many many talents out there.”
They thought of some themes that would hopefully catch the attention of people who may struggle to find something special for someone.
There’s the Cozy Box that contains Tea from Oli Tea, Honey Candy from Bee Sweet'ology and a Relaxing Candle from Byccombe.
The Thank You Box is described as the “perfect sampler of a little bit of everything.” Inside you'll find a Freshy (an air freshener) by Yesie's Freshies, a colorful Candy Kebob by Mason's Candy, a bag of Minutiae Coffee and a Chamoy/Mini Tajin Combo Keychain by Oh So Spicy.
The Beauty Box has some pampering items like Mama Mint Lip Scrub by Honeydipped Co., Honey Soap by Carmel Soap Co., Pink Peony Body Butter by Mekumi and a hand-sewn Scrunchie by Encantada.
And for those looking for a straight-up Texas-theme, there’s the Cowboy Box. You’ll get two Texas leather coasters by Broken Axe Leather Co., Rosemary Almonds by Doubleside Toffee, Gentleman Soap by Carmel Soap Co. and that fun little Chamoy Keychain by Oh So Spicy that’s also in other boxes because as Smith puts it – it’s always good to have handy to add to fruit or anything you’re eating on the go, as many San Antonians know.
“We want to be able to bring those products to your doorstep,” Smith said.
She added that each purchase directly gives back to the community and supports families.
“When you fall in love with their product we encourage you to repurchase directly from them,” Smith said. “This helps our communities grow. 68% of money spent on small businesses stays in the community. This means that a mom, a teacher, a veteran, an artist, a neighbor gets to pass along that dollar to a fellow local business. Together, we can help San Antonio thrive.”
Each box contains about five items, which are constantly being chosen as Smith and Bordas come across new finds.
The boxes range in price from $35 to $50. To learn more, go to By Bluebonnet’s website or check out their Instagram page as they continue to expand their varieties of boxes. Their plan is to cover all ages from babies on up – so they’re also always on the hunt for new vendors to turn to.