SAN ANTONIO — UPDATE: Traders Village's San Antonio location will get to reopen. The state sent the business an email Wednesday morning confirming they are, in fact, a mall.
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Original story:
The Traders Village locations in Grand Prairie and Houston were allowed to reopen last week under the governor's guidance to begin reopening Texas. But in San Antonio, the stalls remain vacant after the city on Friday said they believe Gov. Greg Abbott's order precludes the outdoor flea market from reopening.
"They consider it like a large outdoor gathering," said Traders Village General Manager Rudy Escamilla. "You know, I guess in comparison with the AT&T Center or an event venue. Our stance is we're retail."
Meanwhile, the Shops at La Cantera and North Star Mall opened their doors Tuesday, and Ingram Park Mall flipped the lights on over the weekend.
"Oh, it hurts. It hurts a lot," Escamilla said of the malls opening. "You know, they can open and we can't."
Assistant City Attorney Elizabeth Provencio said Friday that the outdoor markets were not explicitly covered by the governor's order and that they relied on guidance from Metro Health's transition team in their interpretation of it. Provencio said the transition team concluded the health risk associated with opening outdoor flea markets was too great.
On Monday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said officials with Traders Village could seek an official determination from the state's emergency management office on whether they are included in the governor's order.
Traders Village said they opened their other locations without a hitch, employing an app that they said allows them to monitor occupancy in accordance with the governor's order.
Officials with Traders Village said they have a limited number of entrances and exits, as well as check-in stalls that allow them to exercise care in a way that rivals, if not surpasses, other businesses that have been allowed to reopen.
Escamilla said he and other officials with Traders Village met with local leaders Tuesday to discuss the city's decision to preclude the business from the order. But as of Tuesday evening, the outdoor market remained closed.
"We have over 500 dealers waiting to open up and to sell their merchandise," Escamilla said. "And that's what we're working for, is our vendors that need to come out here and earn a living."