SAN ANTONIO — Jefferson Bodega has been put up for sale by its owners. The store has become known for uncommon products from around the world and a welcoming atmosphere.
The owners say they hope to find a buyer who will keep that energy going.
The Jefferson neighborhood on the west side saw big crowds Saturday for Sanrio night.
"All my vendor friends can make their own version – their own twist for their product and turn it into something ‘Hello, Kitty.’ It's just, it's the best," Owner of Tough Love Cookies and Treats, Dominique Perez said.
Perez organized the event held in the lot next to Jefferson Bodega.
"Bodega Man, Bodega Ma, they just kind of let me run with it for the market. You just kind of pick whatever theme you want," Perez said.
Luke and Lisa Horgan who go by "Bodega Man" and “Bodega Ma” opened the shop in 2019. Luke said they styled it after the corner stores he remembers during his time growing up in New York city.
“They all kind of welcomed me in and I got to try a little of their food and fall in love with their cultures,” Luke said.
Luke says Jefferson bodega hosts events like Sanrio night pretty much every weekend, becoming something of a hub for the community. But Luke said that after building up the business for four years, they have to give it up for the sake of his health.
“My doctor says I have to kind of take a step back and de-stress a little bit, and this takes a lot of effort to do it; Hey, guys, how y'all doing tonight?"
Luke said a brush with heart disease he had as the store was opening in 2019, has kept them from making Jefferson Bodega all it could be.
"Everyone's clamoring for us to do more hours seven days a week, expand our hours, more events like this,” he said. “And I would love to do so, but I frankly don't feel healthy enough."
Luke said they’re willing to help the new owners however they can keep the bodega spirit alive.
"We're offering as part of the sale to do fairly extensive training beyond just sort of like writing our vendors list, but to kind of like if you want to help with the counter, if you want to know why we do certain things the way we do,” he said. “There's a lot of science behind this.”
Before opening the Bodega, both Horgan’s worked in the corporate world. Luke said they took their expertise in data analysis and user experience and applied it to the design of the store.
“All this stuff I kind of learned in corporate and really kind of hyper focused on a consumer's experience to a physical space,” he said.
Luke said he believes the idea of the neighborhood bodega is bigger than any one person.
"I really want to drive by two or three years from now and see events going out here on Saturday nights and the same kind of attention," he said.
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