More New Business for Downtown San Angelo

Brenda Gunter, local business owner and President of Downtown San Angelo, Inc. (DTSA) gave a biannual report to city council yesterday morning. Gunter outlined progress that has been made downtown, what still needs to transpire, and what is up and coming.

Gunter recognized Joyce Wilde for over 30 years of business ownership in downtown San Angelo. Wilde is closing her store, J. Wilde’s, on block one of E. Concho Ave. in order to spend more time with her family and free up time to let her creative juices flow in her home studio where she turns disposed objects into works of art.

“She deserves a pat on the back for sticking with downtown for many decades,” Gunter said of Wilde. “[Even] through less than positive trends in the downtown area, she has been a very important stabilizing source in the downtown area. We are sorry to lose her, but we will find someone to fill that space as well, and we thank her for all of her work and effort.”

Filling the vacant buildings downtown with productive businesses still is a challenge for the city and DTSA. Gunter gave a report about new businesses that will be, or already have, joined the downtown scene.

“The women who own Fifi DuBois have purchased the Sealy Flats building. They will continue to run that [establishment] as a hotel and had a small opening this past weekend,” said Gunter. “So they are up and running and in business again, so we are excited to see them continue to become a part of our downtown area.”

 The former Sealy Flats has been renamed The Lagoon Lounge and has been renovated inside and out to carry a beach theme, was open this past weekend and again last night for a Cinco De Mayo celebration.

Gunter said that the bar establishments located in downtown San Angelo are an important part of what has helped to revitalize the most historic part of town, and maintaining the safety and clean looks are key for the future.

“It has been family friendly, people have not feared being on the streets late at night, and we want to keep it that way, continuing with that same atmosphere as we move forward.”

The old Harry’s grocery store building located at 135 W. Twohig Ave. has been purchased by a gentleman that, according to Gunter, will utilize the space for offices and covered parking. When this begins to take shape it will fill another building in the downtown area that has been vacant for a very long time.

The Roosevelt Hotel has also been purchased by a couple that lives in Austin. Progress to that building has been slow moving, but Gunter reassured the council that a plan is being carried out unseen by the public eye.

“The two story building which was the main entrance to Cooper Furniture has been purchased by Sassy Fox,” Gunter told the council.  “We are pleased to see her (Barbra Strain) expand her business. She has been a very successful and an entrepreneurial stable source of the downtown area, we are proud to see her business grow.”

The Cooper Furniture building has been vacant for quite some time. At one point, there were faded newspapers hung in the windows blocking the inside from outside public view. The building has undergone some renovations, and on the other side of those main entrance doors Gunter mentioned, there’s a whole new shopping experience being created.

LIVE! spoke with Sassy Fox owner, Barbra Strain yesterday afternoon, and got the inside scoop on her newest downtown business venture.

“We are going to expand in our clothing lines to include plus sizes, we are going to have much more jewelry, longer necklaces and bigger bracelets, we are going to have a bigger shoe department that will include more wide fit selections, we will have a hat department and we are also going to have a little bit of furniture,” Strain said.

   “I haven’t even posted this on my Facebook account yet and really no one knows,” Strain said before spilling the beans. “We are naming it after my grandmother; it will be called Jessie Rose Mercantile.”

Jessie Rose is described by her granddaughter, Strain, as a lady who enjoyed being beautiful and accentuating women’s beauty with make-up and jewelry.  Her grandmother was the inspiration to expand when the opportunity came.

Jessie Rose Mercantile has 3,000 square feet below it in the basement (which also contains openings to infamous downtown tunnels) and 10,000 square feet above with the first and second floor combined. For now Strain says she will focus on filling the first floor. With an arsenal of over $300,000 worth of inventory to back up the first day of business, it may be an understatement to say Strain is ready, she is locked and loaded.

“We should be opening up in six to eight weeks since most renovations that are taking place right now are purely cosmetic,” Strain said. “I can’t wait to walk across the street and start something new and successful. I believe that Block One should be nothing but the finest retail.”

Councilmember Silvas asked about the fate of the Angry Cactus. The highly anticipated and controversial (because of signage issues) restaurant bar still has plans to plant its roots in downtown San Angelo. Gunter said that the project has been delayed but is still in the works.  Del Velasquez, executive director of DTSA alluded to possible financing problems regarding the project.

LIVE! will keep you updated on the rapid progress of Jessie Rose Mercantile, The Lagoon Lounge, the Angry Cactus and all downtown developments as they happen.