Photo by Ben Olivo | @downtownsanantonio | Heron
Morgan Bradbury, co-owner of Lucy’s Bodega, is tired of hearing that you need to spend big money to eat or drink healthy.
In fact, Bradbury said their plant-based bodega carries themed, ready-made baskets that come with a week’s worth of groceries for roughly $60.
“We want our community to know that there are healthy alternatives at fair prices out there for them,” Bradbury said. “If you were to drop by Lucy’s for lunch, you are going to spend only about $10 and you won’t have to worry about reading labels on any of the products since we pride ourselves on being strictly plant-based.”
Lucy’s, co-owned by Morgan Bradbury and her husband Lucas, is now open at St. Paul Square, 123 Heiman St. The couple also plans to open a Lucy’s Bodega on East Houston Street near Alamo Plaza.
The store is named after Lucas’ mother, Lucy, who prided herself on a healthy lifestyle.
The bodega features grab-and-go snacks, frozen meals, fresh coffee, and cleaning products. Pricing can vary by product, but Bradbury described their prices as fair; a place where you won’t have to “empty your whole wallet.”
So far, since opening on July 8, Lucy’s has seen a steady flow of customers, but Bradbury said she felt the community doesn’t really know they are entirely open, yet.
“We mainly promote ourselves via social media, but we’re working on getting the word out that we are open and have been,” Bradbury said. “We plan to possibly have some events sometime in the future hopefully, but those are still in the works.”
Regarding the timeline of their East Houston location inside the Atlee B. Ayres Building, Bradbury said she couldn’t provide a definite opening date, but that the goal was to open by 2022. Expect both locations to be similar, but slightly different.
“The main differences are the sizing and the audiences we are working with,” Bradbury said. “Our East Houston location will be focused more on the tourist side because of our proximity to Alamo Plaza, and in St. Paul we are catering to the San Antonio community. However, we want both bodegas to be a joint where you come first for healthy options and enjoy a family atmosphere.”
Lucy’s is another business that has opened at St. Paul Square, much of which has been purchased by the local East Commerce Realty Group from either Zachry Corp. or the city of San Antonio since 2017.
The group, composed of Reata Real Estate executives Michael Jersin and Don Thomas, and developer David Adelman, envision a new mix of restaurants, bars and offices, along with live music, events and festivals at The Espee, formerly known as Sunset Station, they told the Express-News.
Since they took over, restaurants Toro Kitchen + Bar and Cuishe Cocina Mexicana have opened, along with cocktail bars Cellar Mixology and Lilly’s Greenville. Smoke BBQ+Skybar nearby on East Crockett Street has become a popular outdoor bar and event venue. NRP Group built The Baldwin in 2018 next to St. Paul Square, adding 270 apartments to east downtown. A separate investment group plans to transform the outdated Best Western Plus Suites on East Commerce into a trendy, boutique-style hotel that includes a speakeasy bar inside the basement of the newly-called Aiden Hotel.
All of the development attracted the Bradburys to the area.
“We felt like the area is up and coming and we wanted to be a part of the process,” Morgan Bradbury said. “Plus the brick-and-mortar design and the historical significance inside of St. Paul Square ultimately made our decision easier and it was perfect for us.”
Lucy’s Bodega is open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Rocky Garza Jr. is a freelance journalist in San Antonio and co-editor of The Ranger at San Antonio College. Follow him at @rockssjr on Twitter
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