SAN ANTONIO — A popular St. Mary’s Strip bar owner is blaming the city and its ongoing construction for the downfall of the business.
The Squeezebox will close at the end of the month.
District 1 Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said the construction should be complete by late July or early August.
Near The Squeezebox, the construction has already wrapped up but the owner, Aaron Peña said it wrapped up too late.
“I fought as hard as I could,” Peña said.
Peña said he has been anticipating the closure for about a year.
“People are very very sad,” He said. “They don’t want to see us go. I don’t want to see us go.”
During May of 2021, the city began its North St. Mary’s Strip project. It had an original end date of October 2022. Peña said once the construction started, he noticed the impact, instantly.
“I think there was a narrative that you just couldn’t reach us,” Peña said. “You couldn’t get on the St. Mary’s Strip. You couldn’t park and so immediately, we saw people stop coming out.”
Which in return, meant he was losing out on profits.
“Over the last year we’ve lost over $120,000 due to construction,” Peña said.
This year, the city offered some relief through the COVID-19/Construction Recovery Grant. Peña applied and was awarded $35,000.
“Inevitably though, $35,000 equates to a few months of rent for us,” Peña said.
He said it was not enough.
“Like you fight so hard and then you get to the finish line and you gotta stop at the finish line, so I am upset that I made it this far for this to happen,” Peña said. “But I mean we look outside on the St. Mary strip and it’s still not complete.”
Councilwoman Sukh Kaur said in a statement,
"I share in the community's sadness over The Squeezebox's plans to close. Its closure underscores the importance of supporting small businesses during major infrastructure projects."
In all, the city has awarded 2.4 million dollars to nearly 100 businesses through the recovery grant program.