At San Antonio’s Pearl District, a network of women-owned businesses is thriving
Nestled in the heart of San Antonio since 2006, the Pearl District has become one of the city’s premier destinations for retail, dining and entertainment. Within the Pearl, staple businesses are owned and operated by women entrepreneurs. Though these businesses flourished independently, they have collaborated in recent years through a woman-owned collective to drive their shared success.
Karen Lee Zachry transformed her love for beautiful things into her calling at the Tiny Finch, a boutique at the entrance of the Pearl District. After a successful career practicing and teaching law, Zachry decided to take a leap of faith into the business world.
“Life is short, but also it is long. And there’s time to do multiple different things,” Zachry said.
The Tiny Finch is more than a store, it’s a space with purpose. Zachry curated the shop with an eye for elevated aesthetics, but also with a firm dedication to the values that drive her as a woman in business.
“Women, people of color, LGBT people — businesses that maybe don’t have the same access to shelf space, is where we are making more of a direct impact with makers,” Zachry said.
In her two years as owner of the Tiny Finch, Zachry said she found support among the Pearl’s community of female entrepreneurs. For over a year, they have met to discuss how to support each other and collaborate to improve the Pearl experience.
“We see ourselves more as cooperators than competitors because we each have something different to say,” Zachry said. “If somebody sees a dress at LeeLee’s on Instagram and comes by, once you’ve parked at the Pearl, you’re probably going to walk through and shop, and so, if one of us is attracting attention, it benefits all of us.”
Across from Zachry’s storefront is Adelante, the San Antonio boutique currently celebrating 50 years in business. Marla Mason Ross grew up watching her grandmother run the store, and has transformed Adelante into a vibrant destination in her time as owner.
Although Adelante has evolved, the brand remains rooted in its Tex-Mex tradition, reflected in the local businesses Ross supports and the hallmark fabrics, colors and styles throughout the shop.
“It’s all about color, and it’s all about family, and it’s all about vibrancy,” Ross said. “Either you’re a rock star, or you’re Bohemian girl, or you’re girly girl or you’re a more tailored, traditional girl, and what I love about Adalante is we kind of push the boundaries.”
As the second woman to open a shop in the Pearl District, Ross has witnessed the space become a woman-dominated retail powerhouse of San Antonio.
“Well, that’s the beauty of all of these women that are down here is that we really, we understand the business, and we understand what it’s like to run a business as women, and we understand that support is really important,” Ross said. “I love the honesty, and integrity and the fun. It’s something magical, for sure.”
Like Adelante, a legacy of women entrepreneurs made Ruby Road Gems possible. Heidi Maguire’s background in gemology inspired her to open the store that her daughter Savannah manages.
“I didn’t originally plan to follow in my family’s footsteps. I thought I’d go the traditional route with a degree in psychology and a corporate job. But after a turning point, I started working for my mom, and the work made me happy again. It brought back my excitement, confidence and creativity,” Savannah Maguire said.
The mother-daughter duo has transformed their small business into an internationally recognized destination for vintage and modern jewelry. However, Maguire noted that despite the expertise of the Ruby Road team, vendors tend to discount their presence as women in the industry.
“Particularly, when we’ve dealt with outside vendors for our jewelry or jewel repairs, men meet us with resistance on our expertise. People try to outweigh my opinion all the time,” Savannah Maguire said. “It’s their loss if they don’t wanna work with us.”
Established in 1972, the Twig Book Shop has been woman-owned for decades. When the shop relocated to the Pearl in 2009, longtime patron Claudia Maceo took over as manager.
Maceo acknowledged the bookselling industry is rapidly evolving, shaped by trends such as the digitization of reading and the rise of hybrid genres like “romantasy.” Despite these shifts, the Twig’s collaborative ethos and dynamic, all-woman team have kept the store thriving.
“You really do have to put your money where your mouth is when you say things like that and all those other euphemisms about walking the walk. You have to talk the talk,” Maceo said. “We really want to represent different sides of the conversation and make sure people find a glimmer of themselves here. We are trying to reflect the community we live in.”
The Twig does more than reflect San Antonio. For decades, the store has hosted weekly storytelling events with children’s book storyteller Anastasia McKenna, captivating young readers. Her storytimes and character visits have raised generations of “Twiglets” at the Pearl.
In addition to collaborating with Miss Anastasia, Maceo said that the Twig is a part of the Pearl’s woman-owned collective. The Twig regularly participates in cross-promotions and events with neighboring retailers, synchronizing sidewalk sales and vendor showcases to create a unified, lively experience for visitors.
The Pearl District’s woman-owned majority is more than a network of retailers — it’s a model of entrepreneurship dedicated to resilience, creativity and community. Together, they have enriched San Antonio’s culture and commerce, and have paved a new path in business that empowers and inspires.
