Our Favorite Things Party is a highlight of being on the ACM team—think Oprah, but all local, small, San Antonio businesses! Hotel Estancia del Norte hosted a fabulous event, complete with Don Strange specialty foods, a beautiful space to gather in, and delicious mimosas. Scroll through the images, visit our featured San Antonio small businesses, and shop for yourself or for a gift that truly has local SA flavor.

A boutique taste of San Antonio—Just off Loop 410, this newly-renovated hotel is next to North Star Mall and near San Antonio International Airport, less than 10 minutes from the terminal. Located within 10 miles of the Alamo, River Walk, and the Pearl district. Enjoy wood-fired favorites at Lazo Restaurant and an extensive bourbon selection at Paseo Bar. The hotel also offers over 12,000 sq. ft. of event space.

TMPHOTO, LLC, specializes in commercial FOOD photography. Photographer Tracey Maurer’s background in Theatre Arts and as a commercial photographer has given her a keen eye for “story telling” when creating images for her clients. Her original Lotería art was created using photography illustration to capture iconic “San Antonio” food. Each subject was selectively chosen from offerings at farmers markets, panaderias, taquerias, local mercados, paleterias, or made in her own kitchen. The photographic process is unique to her art and includes techniques she developed over the last 30 years of photographing food.

Lotería de Comida™ is an interactive game of chance created in the spirit of the nostalgic game of Lotería (aka “Mexican Bingo”). It was designed with San Antonio FOOD culture in mind and features brightly-colored images of familiar Mexican food icons. Like the traditional loterías from the past 150 years, Lotería de Comida™ uses a deck of 54 playing cards and 10 tablets or “tablas” so that up to 10 people can play at a time.

Each card has a food-related image, a corresponding Spanish name, and a number. The 10 tablas consist of different selections of 16 images arranged in a random pattern matching images found in the playing deck. In honor of some of the oldest versions of the game, Lotería de Comida™ also includes a collection of playful verses that the dealer can recite for each card drawn.

Our colorful bilingual lotería game is a Fiesta-in-a-box and is suitable for kids of all ages. Choose your own personalized and age-appropriate game token pieces from items around your house. Then break out the chips & salsa on game night for a fun-filled evening with family and friends. With only four pinto beans or four bottle caps in a row for the win, be the first to shout out “¡Lotería!”

Lotería de Comida retails for $25.00.

WAPA HANDMADE is an online store dedicated to empowering women. Our products are 100% handmade by female indigenous artisans from Colombia. Our items preserve the traditional characteristics of a Hispanic-made product, with a splash of modern fashionable trends. This combination results in the uniqueness of our products and the high satisfaction of our customers. Every Wapa product tells the story of the Colombian culture, history, and beliefs.

The Wayuu indigenous people are located in the desert of La Guajira Peninsula, which borders Colombia and Venezuela. In the “rancherias,” the Wayuu community spends their time creating handmade bags with the crochet technique. The crochet technique has been passed for years from generation to generation to preserve the Wayuu’s culture. The crochet technique is specially managed by the Wayuu women. Depending on the artisan’s expertise, they can spend between two weeks or up to one month hand-making a bag. All the “mochilas,” or bags, have a different level of complexity, depending on the design or skill of the weaver.

The Pom Pom Clutch retails for $39.00.

Five years ago, I visited New Orleans for the first time with my partner at the time, and since that trip we went back many times. I have a love affair with the city, its people, its history, and its spirit. Every time I visit, I bring back a piece of the city’s soul and culture. No. 9 is a reflection of that.

No. 9 is a specialty shop focusing on unique retail floral, specialty gourmet chocolates from the Sweet Shop USA, with a focus on inspired gifts handcrafted and made in San Antonio and New Orleans. We’ve combined French Creole and Mexican culture to provide the San Antonio community with an array of products that can’t be found anywhere else.

No. 9 is known for our unique use of the freshest and most on-trend flowers, creating works of art that are gift-worthy. We curate a selection of interesting and unique vessels to hold our floral art, making it easy to personalize your arrangement even more. Arrangements start at $50 and local delivery is available. See our latest arrangements on Instagram.

AM:Leather is a family-owned company that specializes in making small leather goods, such as wallets, purses, belts, and bags. Each one of our items is cut and made by hand, here in San Antonio!

Our “Snap Wallet” is a small, compact wallet/business card holder. Nowadays with our on-the-go lifestyles, less is more. Pack these small snap wallets with the necessities, your ID, your bank card, and maybe a couple of bills. Snap it shut and then throw it in your purse or easily slide it into your pocket. But less doesn’t have to be less stylish. These wallets are all made from Italian leather and come in a variety of colors to fit your everyday style.

Little Fish Soaps was created out of necessity to bring quality skincare to my little one. We make really creative small-batch soaps and bath bombs that are fun for the whole family.

“Treat Yourself” Bomb Dust is bath bomb dust that has no color, is scented with essential oils, and has gorgeous dried florals included. Retail price is $8.00 per bag.

Charity Teague is a small-town New Mexico girl, currently residing in San Antonio, Texas. She is the owner of Charity Teague Confections and specializes in small-batch, hand-painted artisan chocolate. She’s an award-winning Pastry Chef and Chocolatier, winning Best Dessert Course, People’s Choice, Best in Show, and a two-time winner of the Chocolate Fantasy competition. She continues to widen the eyes of chocolate lovers with her artful execution.

Dark chocolate bars are made with 54% Belgian chocolate and topped with some of the most incredible ingredients I can find! Each one is unique and a work of art. Retails for $10 each.

Kittypawcrafts is a Latina-owned small business, operating in SATX. We specialize in bags, accessories, and stationery items, all handmade in various prints and styles.

Our “Favorite Thing” is the lanyard wallet! They’re great for everyday use and perfect to carry your keys, money, credit cards, lip balm, etc. Lanyards are roughly 17” x 3/4” and the wallet measures 5” x 3 1/2”. Retail price is $15.

Canvas Style is a contemporary lifestyle brand created for the modern woman seeking effortless style. Each piece is designed in-house, striking a balance between colorful and preppy designs, current trends, and timeless pieces.

Resort-chíc has never looked so good! 100% waterproof & made with genuine freshwater pearls, our best-selling Bali Bracelets are a must-have accessory!

From the beach to brunch & everywhere in between, our stackable bracelets can be dressed up or down to fit your style. Flexible silicone & genuine freshwater pearls make our Bali Bracelets completely waterproof.

Simply roll on & off your hand, or open & close at the pearl, to create the perfect arm party for every occasion.

Ally.is.on (recently rebranded from Tangerine City Prints) specializes in pop and Mexican culture-inspired prints, stickers, and other items. 

Top Chica Print—Retails for $10. (Printed on photo paper.)

Soirée Swag was born from my incessant need to create and love of little details that take an event, birthday, or gift from “nice” to “extra.” Soiree Swag specializes in small-batch and completely custom items made in San Antonio, TX.

Who doesn’t love a water bottle customized with a name, monogram, saying, or organization they love? These glass and bamboo bottles with a silicone sleeve are perfect for lemon water after barre or pre-mixing a small batch of cocktails for patio evenings. Individual and bulk pricing by request.

Speaking of things people love, custom key chains are the bee’s knees when it comes to gifting. Any saying, any logo, any monogram or name is possible and the classic motel key shape ups the kitsch factor by 100. Makes a great gift topper, cabin present, team gift, or bag tags for a whole group. Retails for $12.