In the Loop

By Ron Aaron Eisenberg

BEE NICE, NEW ICE CREAM PARLOR OPENS ON BROADWAY IN 78209

When Debra Hazle and her husband, Jeff, moved from Washington, D.C., to San Antonio, the great state of Texas was where she wanted to live.

She told me, “We were happy to leave the hectic pace of the D.C. metro area.” Figuring out what to do once they relocated to the Alamo City took a little planning.

Her father was a sixth-generation Texan who grew up in San Antonio. His family had settled in the area as pioneers in the early 1830s. “Some of my earliest memories are sitting on his back-patio, hand churning his banana nut ice cream.”

Those memories stuck with her. Why not open an ice cream shop featuring all freshly made ice cream?

And so, she did, at 8003 Broadway St., 78209. “We offer 20 flavors of ice cream and three dairy-free flavors at Bee Nice, all made on the premises using fresh fruit, real vanilla, pure cane sugar, and no high fructose corn syrup.”

Bee Nice is open Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 8:00 p.m. And Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The Hazles have four adult children and four grandchildren. She says they are all ice cream lovers.

By Ron Aaron Eisenberg

SHOP LOCAL EVENT PLANNEND IN OLMOS PARK

The Olmos Park Shop Local Event promoting Olmos Park businesses is happening Saturday, December 10th, from 10 am-5 pm. On its website, the city urges folks to “Shop local for delicious food, one-of-a-kind finds, get your picture taken with Santa, and enjoy live music”.

Participating businesses include Cosmic Cakery, Bloom Salon + Studio, Pinky’s, Feliz Modern, Gavin Metalsmith, Otra Vez Couture Consignment, Honest Soul Yoga, Lampcrafters, and Period Modern.

The Shop Local Event is sponsored by the Olmos Park Youth Commission and the Olmos Park Economic Development Corporation. For information on the day, visit shopolmospark.com.

TWO STORY OFFICE BUILDING PLANNED ON CIRCLE ST.

Unless you drive on Circle St. behind the Uptown Shopping Center on Broadway – think Bird Bakery – one would never know a vacant lot sits behind the center. But it does.

A developer is proposing to construct a 3,744 sq. ft. two-story office building on the site at 516 Circle St. The property had been listed for $340,000. There are no structures on the site at this time. The project will include 12 parking spaces. The building will be 26 feet tall. A zoning variance is required to complete the project. It will be considered by Alamo Heights City Council in November.

My daughter Reagan and I checked out the location on a recent Sunday afternoon. She said, “Look, dad, a squirrel lives there. What will happen to him if they build on this land?” I suggested Mr. Squirrel will move to a nearby tree.

By Ron Aaron Eisenberg

ZOO LIGHTS COMING SOON

ZOO RELEASES HORNY TOADS INTO THE WILD

San Antonio Zoo promises Zoo Lights will be “Bigger, brighter, and WILDER than ever before” as the holiday season approaches.

Acres of dazzling lights, festive holiday snacks, and drinks for adults and kids, plus larger-than-life displays and photoops across miles of trails throughout the zoo will be featured at this year’s Zoo Lights, presented by CPS Energy. It will run from November 19 through January 1, 2023.

Enjoy Zoo Lights favorites and dazzling new displays:

Lakeside Light Show 124-Foot Light Tunnel The Holiday Sing-a-long Express IllumiLIFE Art Display 32-Foot LED Light Trees Elaborate Holiday-Themed Displays Santa Meet & Greet

Tickets to Zoo Lights are free for Members and included with Standard Admission to San Antonio Zoo.

One of the things I heard not long after moving to San Antonio in 1990 was how sad it is that the Horned Lizards – horny toads – are a vanishing species. People told me they used to see them everywhere. But no more.

There’s some good news now for horny toad lovers. Recently, the Center for Conservation and Research (CCR) at San Antonio Zoo released 50 zoo-hatched Texas Horned Lizards (horny toads) into the wild. Lead veterinarian Dr. Rob Coke performed a health inspection before the young lizards were introduced to their new home.

While all the horny toads released hatched this summer, a clutch of them was born on June 18, Texas Horned Lizard Day. The release into the wild is a tremendous step forward for San Antonio Zoo’s Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project, which will bolster the survival of their species here in South Texas. “This is our 3rd release, and we have seen evidence after each effort that lizards are alive and thriving on the landscape,” said Dr. Andy Gluesenkamp, Director of the Center for Conservation & Research at San Antonio Zoo. The Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project at San Antonio Zoo is funded mainly by zoo ticket sales, donations, grants, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. In addition to the Texas Horned Lizard Reintroduction Project, Fort Worth Zoo and Dallas Zoo are working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department on releases in Wildlife Management Areas. All institutions involved share information and support one another through the Texas Horned Lizard Conservation Coalition.

Cadeaux

Arthur Perez and Doris Pitts

A Gift to the Community

By Meredith Kay | Photography by Al Rendon

We’ve all known people who are very difficult to surprise, and when the time comes to find the perfect gift for someone special, we can find ourselves at a loss for ideas. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a local go-to gift shop where you can be sure to find something unique that would delight the person who has everything and bring a smile to the face of even the pickiest gift recipients?

For over five years now, Arthur Perez and Doris Pitts have searched the world to bring the most unique and memorable gift items to their San Antonio gift shop, Cadeaux (pronounced cad-owe). Cadeaux is the French word for gifts, and their modern and eclectic gift boutique, located in the Boardwalk on Broadway shopping center, offers an intriguing collection of gifts that you are unlikely to find anywhere else in San Antonio.

Arthur and Doris moved Cadeaux earlier this year from their downtown location in the Travis Building to their current Alamo Heights location in order to expand. The move has allowed them to double their space and showcase their unique gift items in a bright and welcoming atmosphere. Arthur selects funky and relaxing albums that spin on the shop’s inhouse turntable, and Doris is happy to help shoppers find the perfect item for that someone special.

The boutique features unique jewelry pieces made by local and international artisans like Bibiana Dykema for Modern Moghul. Bibiana is an architect by trade from Corpus Christi who became inspired by the artisans of India and decided to launch her own jewelry line. Cadeaux offers something unique for everyone, and Arthur and Doris are experts at helping their customers choose the perfect gift. In fact, the store keeps a running “wish list” for their clients so that when the holidays or a special occasion comes around, you’ll be the hero when your special someone unwraps exactly what her heart desires.

Arthur states, “I have a strong retail background, so I am very customer focused, and I love to engage people on a personal level. I try to talk with each and every customer that walks through the door to learn more about what they are looking for and to ask deeper questions about the gift recipient.”

Cadeaux is a very open and inviting space, and everyone is welcome at the boutique, from students to your four-legged friends. You will find beautifully hand-crafted stationery and journals from around the world, along with fragrances, handblown glassware, Japanese incense, unique candles, and Italian leather accessories from another South Texas native artisan, Allison Hoeltzel Savini, and her designer brand, Officina del Poggio.

One of the most popular and unique gift items that the boutique carries is the line of Master Shin Anvil hand-forged culinary knives. The knives are made by a metal and leather artisan in South Korea, and they sell out as quickly as they arrive. They are beautiful and durable and even come wrapped in Korean newspaper and hand-tied with twine.

When asked what makes Cadeaux unique, Doris says, “We are a lifestyle gift and jewelry boutique. We seek out the most unique items that we can find, things you will not find in a bigbox retail store. We offer price points that will accommodate anybody’s budget, so whether you are just looking for an affordable piece of jewelry for the special lady in your life or you are really looking to stand out on a special occasion and are willing to splurge, we can help you find the perfect gift every time.”

Cadeaux 4007 Broadway (in the Boardwalk on Broadway shopping center) | (210) 451-0746 | IG: cadeaux.sa Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. | Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Sunday 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

David Tankin & Laura Celis

Living the Sweet Life in 78209

By Meredith Kay Photography by Al Rendon

We all have friends or family members that have decided to branch out, spread their wings, and move out of San Antonio only to return, sometimes many years later, to the place that we all call “home.” However, for one prodigal daughter, Laura Celis, and her husband, David Tankin, Alamo Heights is where they now call “home” after living halfway around the world, and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

David Tankin grew up in Evanston, Illinois, where his father was a professor at Northwestern University. David received his undergraduate degree and his MBA from Northwestern but then moved to Princeton, New Jersey, to pursue his career in finance. He met his wife, Laura, at a party following a football game while she was studying at Northwestern and while he was home for the game. Laura earned her master’s degree in Chemistry, and the two dated long-distance until she ultimately followed him to Princeton, and they were married. Laura was born and raised in San Antonio and graduated from MacArthur High School.

The couple moved from New Jersey to Saudi Arabia in 2009 when David took a job for Saudi Aramco, a petroleum and natural gas company. Their son, Harry, was a toddler at the time, and the couple lived in a very diverse community of American expats and international professionals also working in Saudi Arabia. David and Laura spent six years there, traveling back and forth to San Antonio to adhere to Saudi Arabia’s strict visa provisions, before deciding to move back to the states full-time.

Laura says, “We loved our time in Saudi, but we wanted to move back home so our son could attend middle and high school in America. It was harder to get used to living in New Jersey than it was to acclimate to Saudi Arabia, but eventually, I wanted to be back in San Antonio, where my family lived.” Harry is now 15 and attends Alamo Heights High School, where he is on the J.V. tennis team. Laura also has an older son, William (35), who is married to Meredith, and the couple just had their first baby, Luke James. Laura is very excited to be a grandmother.

Today, David works as the Statewide Head of Fixed Income Investments with Frost Bank, and he is active with the San Antonio Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Society, which promotes ethics and professional excellence in the investment industry. Laura, however, chose a different career path, or perhaps it chose her. She began baking as a young girl and rediscovered her love for baking again while living in Saudi Arabia. She would bake cookies for her international friends, and they were quite sought after. When the family moved to San Antonio, the Arcadia Cookie Company was born. The name comes from Arcadia Place, which is the street that they now live on in Alamo Heights.

Laura’s cookie enterprise continues to grow, and she is an incredibly creative and talented artist, creating custom handpainted cookie designs for literally any occasion. Her background in chemistry has allowed her to perfect her recipes, and she is always busy creating unique cookie designs for celebrations, holidays, corporate events, and school functions.

The family has two dogs, Max and Abby, and they love the small-town feel of the Alamo Heights community. When asked what she loves most about the neighborhood, Laura states, “I love how contained the community is. After living out there in such a huge world, and after all of the traveling we’ve done, I love that our world can be within just five square miles.”