La Panadería to Celebrate Stone Oak Grand Opening on December 17. Photo: La Panadería, used with permission.
San Antonio’s food scene continues to grow, and Stone Oak residents now have a new reason to celebrate. One of the city’s most beloved bakeries, La Panadería, is officially opening its newest, and largest, location in North San Antonio. Known for its authentic Mexican pastries, fresh-baked bread, and all-day café menu, the James Beard–nominated bakery is bringing its signature flavors and community-driven atmosphere to the Stone Oak area just in time for the holidays. (La Panadería, 2025)
La Panadería Opens Its Largest Location Yet in Stone Oak
La Panadería, beloved for its authentic Mexican pastries, tortas, and all-day café fare, is officially expanding once again in San Antonio.
The bakery will celebrate the grand opening of its newest Stone Oak location on Wednesday, December 17, inviting the public to join in a festive ribbon-cutting event filled with music, special guests, and community celebration.
Grand Opening Celebration Details
📍 Location: Stone Oak 📍 Address: 1011 N. Loop 1604 E., San Antonio, TX 78232
🗓 Wednesday, December 17, 2025 ⏰ 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Event Highlights:
DJ and live festivities
UTSA Cheerleaders
Ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m.
First look at the new space and La Panadería’s newest mascot
A Major Milestone for La Panadería
The Stone Oak opening marks La Panadería’s largest location to date, spanning an impressive 6,600 square feet and offering 100 dedicated parking spaces for guests.
This expansion represents:
💼 100 new jobs created in San Antonio
🏗 $3.5 million investment into the space
📍 The fifth La Panadería location in the city
What’s on the Menu?
Guests can expect the same crowd-favorite offerings La Panadería is known for, including:
The Stone Oak opening also introduces Don Lino, La Panadería’s very first mascot.
Don Lino is a heartfelt tribute to the generations of bakers who inspired the Cáceres family’s craft. Named after a legendary baker from the brothers’ childhood stories in Mexico City, Don Lino represents the warmth, tradition, and artistry behind every loaf of bread.
With his signature mustache and dimpled smile, Don Lino embodies:
Early-morning dedication
The scent of fresh bread
The enduring spirit of La Panadería
The Don Lino story was written by Emiliano Cáceres Manzano, son of co-founder José Cáceres. Guests can meet Don Lino for the very first time during the Stone Oak grand opening.
Jose & David Caceres + Don Lino Photo: La Panadería
Holiday Seasonal Treats & Drinks
La Panadería is also celebrating the holiday season with two festive, limited-time offerings, available at all locations:
🎄 Seasonal Specials
Horchata Cold Foam Latte | $7.50 Smooth cold brew topped with house-made horchata cold foam, infused with vanilla and cinnamon, and finished with freshly grated nutmeg.
Abuelita Chocolate Tiramisu | $11.50 A cinnamon-kissed twist on the classic tiramisu, blending espresso and mascarpone with Kahlúa and rich Abuelita Chocolate.
🗓 Available now through New Year’s 📍 Limited in-store availability
Magik Theatre presents ¡Lotería: Game On! and Tomás and the Library Lady. Photo: Magik Theatre, used with permission.
(San Antonio, TX) – Spring is in the air in San Antonio and at Magik Theatre, where children and their families are invited to celebrate the city’s rich cultural heritage with two bilingual productions for Spanish and English language learners and speakers of all levels. (Magik Theatre, 2025)
Magik’s mainstage play ¡Lotería: Game On! closes out the beloved children’s theatre’s milestone 30th season from May 3 to June 1, 2025. Additionally, Magik is pleased to present Tomás and the Library Lady as its Spring 2025 touring production for regional schools, community organizations, and special events. Both plays move seamlessly between English and Spanish dialogue and feature traditions or historic figures dear to San Antonio’s Hispanic community, wrapped in Magik’s signature creative fun.
Launching on the last weekend of Fiesta, ¡Lotería: Game On! is a great way to party down with little ones, complete with an opening night celebration on May 3 in Hemisfair Park. Performances later in the season have plenty of fun in store, too, with Magik’s backstage experience add-on, allowing guests a glimpse behind the curtain during a cast meet-and-greet and guided tour as they savor a post-show paleta.
Written by Mabelle Reynoso for audiences ages 6+, ¡Lotería: Game On! brings the competitive fun of the classic Mexican card game to the stage in a whimsical, immersive experience. Blending fantasy, humor, and cultural traditions, the bilingual story follows Mexican-American siblings Sam and Kris as they work together to rescue their father from the mysterious realm of Lotería. When they brush off their dad’s attempts to spend quality time together, Sam and Kris have no idea he’s about to disappear through a pillow-fort portal to magical Lotería land. During their quest to bring their dad home, the pair encounter characters based on familiar Lotería cards like La Rana, El Gallo and La Mano, and must cooperate and think fast to outwit Lotería’s rules.
The set design by Lucian Hernandez draws viewers into Lotería’s mystery, while Yesi Tafur’s costumes reflect the cards’ iconic visual language. Lucero Garcia and Maryann Valerio play Sam and Kris respectively, while Gabriel Itzcoatl Luera takes on the role of Dad. They deftly navigate a script that intentionally weaves together both Spanish and English.
JOIN MAGIK ON THE ROAD WITH Tomás and the Library Lady
Tomás and the Library Ladyisbased on the inspiring true story of Crystal City-native Tomás Rivera as written by author and poet Pat Mora and adapted for the stage by José Cruz González. The bilingual play focuses on the special friendship between Tomás, the son of migrant farm workers, and the kind librarian who helps him unlock a love of reading. Together, they discover the transformative power of books, which eventually propels Tomás into a groundbreaking career in higher education. The real-life Tomás became the first Mexican-American chancellor of a University of California campus, and many of his family members are still in the South Texas area. His daughter, Ileana Rivera Liberatore, even taught Magik’s managing director Mel Zarb-Cousin in high school.
It’s no surprise, then, that Tomás and the Library Lady is already popular around town: the San Antonio Public Library and the NCAA’s literacy initiative Read to the Final FourⓇ have both booked several performances of the play, which is available to visit campuses and community centers from April 7 through July 20th then again in the fall, September 8 through October 12th in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month. Each production offers TEKS-based digital resource guides and an after-show Q&A session between audience and cast, with optional workshops led by Magik Theatre Teaching Artists. More information about Magik on the Road is available online.
Both productions’ creative, heartwarming approaches to our region’s unique culture make them ideal for celebrating the end of the semester, San Antonio’s most vibrant season, and the promise of summer fun. Help Magik send off its legendary 30th season in style!
“These joyful, high-energy shows celebrate the power of storytelling, the resilience of family, and the traditions that shape our lives. Each play reminds us that family is not just about where we come from, but the stories and traditions that keep us connected.”— Anthony Runfola, Magik Theatre Artistic Director
SPECIAL EVENTS & ADD-ON EXPERIENCES
¡Lotería: Game On! Sneak Peek | Saturday, April 12, 10:30a.m.
Curious about the making of the play? Be the first to witness the behind-the-scenes magic of ¡Lotería: Game On! at the Sneak Peek where attendees can glimpse into the world of theatrical production and interact with Magik’s talented cast and crew during an intimate Q&A session. Light refreshments will be provided, making it the perfect morning outing for families, friends, and theater enthusiasts alike. The event is FREE and open to the public. Reservations can be made HERE.
Magik Story Time at Yanaguana Garden | Tuesday, April 29, 10a.m.
Magik Theatre joins Hemisfair’s weekly Story Time series with a reading of “Lotería” by Karla Arenas Velenti. Little ones can head to Yanaguana Garden on Tuesday, April 29 where Magikal friends bring everyone’s favorite Mexican card game to life from the page before it officially hits the stage.
Opening Night Party in the Park – Saturday, May 3, 1:30p.m., show at 3p.m.
Attend a puro San Antonio pachanga to kick off ¡Lotería: Game On!. In partnership with Hemisfair, the Fiesta fun continues in Hemisfair Park with street fair snacks, jugos and a Hemisfair-inspired special edition Lotería game and coloring craft. DJ Mayhem will spin live Latin beats to motivate little movers in a boogie book battle dance off to see who has the right stuff to win a copy of “Lotería” by Karla Arenas Valenti. The pre-show party is free and open to the public.
Backstage Experience Add-On (Available after every performance excluding other special events)
Enhance your visit to Magik Theatre with our Backstage Experience for only $20 per person. This exclusive add-on includes an onstage meet and greet with the cast, where you can snap photos and share special moments with your favorite characters. Plus, enjoy a 15-minute guided tour of the set, props, and rehearsal space led by a Magik Theatre performer offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the magik of theatre. And, enjoy a tasty paleta as San Antonio gets back to its warm temps.
Please note: We are unable to accommodate guests with wheelchair needs for this experience. All patrons under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Magik Theatre Birthday Parties (NOW available after main stage performances)
And now, families can make their little one’s special day truly magikal with a hassle-free Magik Theatre birthday party right after one of the main stage shows. Magik Theatre birthday party packages include complimentary child tickets, discounted additional tickets, a private party space, and festive decorations. Kids will enjoy a show themed craft, digital invitations, and a birthday backdrop with props. Plus, the birthday child gets an exclusive backstage experience and a Magik Theatre gift. Up to ten additional party guests can join the backstage experience for an additional charge. Best of all, Magik handles setup and cleanup so parents can focus on making memories.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES
Educator Appreciation Day – Saturday, May 10 at 2p.m. – Educators and school faculty are eligible for one free ticket to this performance with proof of I.D. Additional tickets are available to purchase for these performances at a discount of 20% off the regular ticket prices.
Sensory Friendly Performance – Saturday, May 17, at 10a.m. – Audience members on the autism spectrum and those with sensory sensitivities can take in a special performance of ¡Lotería: Game On! designed just for them. Kids and adults are free to be themselves in this relaxed, judgment-free theatre experience that is a perfect introduction to attending a performance.
ASL Interpreted Performance – Saturday, May 17, at 2p.m. – Patrons who communicate with ASL can attend this performance featuring Robert Cardoza, the San Antonio theatre community’s primary American Sign Language interpreter.
Pay What You Wish Performance – Sunday, May 18, at 3p.m. – As part of Magik Theatre’s mission to make theatre accessible to everyone, the organization holds one donation-based performance. Tickets are only available at the door on February 8.
Military and First Responders Appreciation Day – Saturday, May 31 at 2p.m. – Service members with a valid military ID can purchase discounted $18 tickets to this performance.
TICKET OPTIONS
Magik Theatre offers multiple ways for patrons to experience the best children’s theatre in San Antonio. Magik is a cherished arts institution that has been providing families with professional, accessible, literature-based theatre and education since 1994. Located in Hemisfair Park, families can catch the show, enjoy a day of play exploring Yanaguana Garden, grab a meal at one of the many restaurants on site and make Magikal memories. Flex Passes and single ticket sales are available now.
MAGIK THEATRE
A professional theatre for young audiences established in 1994, Magik Theatre’s mission is to create theatrical experiences that ignite imagination, spark curiosity, inspire empathy, and foster a lifetime love of learning in young people.
These tips for improving user experience can make all the difference. Photo: cottonbro studios/Pexels
User experience is everything when it comes to running an online store, and is something you should prioritize from the very beginning. When it comes to physical stores, everyone knows the importance of having a great-looking interior full of great products and enticing deals, and the same goes for the online environment.
Of course, that’s easier said than done, and in the beginning, it’s completely normal to stare at your landing page, wondering where to start or how to go about improving your first attempt.
This article is here to aid you. Here are four top tips for helping you design or redesign your website so that people want to shop there.
1. Start with Navigation
While having an aesthetically appealing site is important, you shouldn’t try to run before you can walk. Creating a site that’s nice and easy to navigate should be your first port of call.
First and foremost, you need to make sure that your potential customers have a clear path to the items you’re selling. It’s best to organize everything into a few broad but distinct categories with easy-to-use drop-down menus, and you could also use color, texture, and images to segment things in unique ways (and don’t forget to have a prominent search bar).
2. Developing a Quick, Easy, and Secure Checkout Experience
You should always endeavour to optimize your checkout experience where you can, as this element forms the very core of your online store. If it’s too long-winded and complicated for your customers to pay for the goods or services they want, they’re much more likely to abandon their shopping cart.
For one, you should always offer a guest checkout option, as many people don’t want to go through the hassle of creating an account. More generally, try to minimize the number of steps involved as much as possible and work to reduce those clicks.
3. Provide Personalized Recommendations
Personalized recommendations are a big part of the retail experience, and it’s no different in the online world.
If you have the option, use a recommendation engine on the back end of your site to offer customers unique recommendations based on what they’ve previously browsed for and bought. You can implement these tools throughout the search page and also at the cart to entice shoppers with last-minute purchases.
4. Improving Loading Speed
And finally, it’s key to remember that we live in a world where people’s attention spans are greatly reduced from what they were even ten years ago, so make sure your website loads nice and fast.
You can improve speeds in a number of ways, such as by compressing images (but without compromising on quality) and using a website hosting service that’s known for utilizing fast and reliable servers.
Wrapping Up
Hopefully, you now have a solid idea of how to better design your website to be conducive to long-term customers. Start by getting that all-important smooth navigation down, and systematically work through the list until you have a site to be proud of. Good luck!
Portrait of a woman wearing a blazer. Photo: RDNE Stock project/Pexels.
Being a business owner takes a lot of hard work and dedication. What you choose to do and focus on daily matters and will make an impact regarding how much you can achieve.
The good news is that there are always ways to improve and do better. All it will require is an open mind and willingness to head down a different path. It’s worth taking the time to evaluate your management and leadership style and figure out what changes can help you get the results you desire. Here you can review some tips for running a more effective and successful business.
Use Project Management Tools
There are likely many different assignments and projects that you and your team are tackling regularly. You need a way to keep track of all the necessary tasks and ensure you stay on schedule. Therefore, you should consider using project management tools so you can accomplish all you set out to do. Hire a project manager who can be in charge of the various to-dos and monitor the progress you’re making. These tools can enhance collaboration, increase productivity, and help you mitigate risk so you can find business success.
Prioritize Enhancing the Customer Experience
Another tip for running a more effective and successful business is to prioritize enhancing the customer experience. It’s especially important if you are in retail and have customers coming in and out of your store. You want to make a good impression and ensure a smooth and seamless shopping journey. For example, if you sell CBD or hemp products then you may want to look into enhancing the customer experience by exploring CBD processing solutions. This way you can offer your customers the opportunity to pay for purchases using a credit card instead of cash. It’s often more convenient and customers may end up spending more when they can put their items on a credit card.
Analyze Your Target Market
Marketing should be a top priority for you as a business owner. You want to avoid assuming everyone will want to work with you and sending out board messages. Instead, take the time to reflect on and analyze your target market. It’s important that you know who is most likely to make purchases from you and where they are spending their time. Your goal should be to tailor and personalize your marketing messaging based on what you discover. You want to understand their needs and preferences better so you can achieve greater customer satisfaction.
Establish Policies & Procedures
It’s important that everyone at your company is working together and is on the same page. You want to ensure high productivity and avoid duplicating efforts. Run a more effective and successful business by establishing policies and procedures to follow. Gather your teams and brainstorm and discuss what these are and the best ways to tackle various tasks. You’ll soon find that there is better consistency and efficiency and that your employees improve their performance overall. It’s a useful way to streamline operations and reduce ambiguity so that you can run a more effective and organized business.
The Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon North American Tour will make a stop at the Majestic Theatre on March 18, 2025. Photo: Bond Theatrical, used with permission.
Following its sensational month-long engagement in London, Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live, the world-wide smash hit 2.5D musical sensation based on the wildly popular manga (comic book), will launch a North American tour this March with technical rehearsals and previews held in Pittsburgh, PA and an official opening on March 15 in Austin, TX and in partnership with SXSW (South by SouthWest). The tour includes a stop in San Antonio at the Majestic Theatre on March 18, 2025. (ATG Entertainment, 2025)
With book, lyrics and direction by Kaori Miura (Musical: The Prince of Tennis, Tokyo Revengers The Musical), choreography by Satomi Toma, and music by Go Sakabe and KYOHEI, the visually stunning show follows the stories of Usagi Tsukino, a teenage girl who transforms into the heroic Sailor Moon. Together, with her fellow Sailor Guardians, she battles many dark forces to protect the Earth from evil.
With a mix of action, heartfelt moments, and iconic music, this production sees the manga characters brought to life on stage, in an epic story-telling live show experience guaranteed to wow audiences night after night, creating an unforgettable experience for fans and newcomers alike. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live will be performed in Japanese with English subtitles.
“At its very basic, ‘Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon’is about 5 girlfriends banding together to fight for what they believe in… that’s timely,” said writer and director Kaori Miura. “Sailor Moon and her fellow guardians are equipped with powers that help them defeat evil and the characters are imbued with the self-determination to have agency and make their own confident decisions. In short, they are the ultimate example of ‘girl power.’”
The show’s North American engagement of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live, is strictly limited, with previous engagements in New York City and Washington, D.C. selling out in record time. Ticket prices range from $45-$179 (will vary from city to city) including a VIP package designed to create enchanting fan experiences. For the San Antonio show, tickets are available online through the Majestic Theatre.
One of the most popular Mangas of all time, “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon”is a global cultural phenomenon. Created by Naoko Takeuchi, Sailor Moon began as a manga in 1991 in Japan in a girls’ comic magazine published by Kodansha and has since sold over 46 million copies world-wide and has been translated into over 17 languages. It has been adapted as an anime and a live-action tv series which has aired in over 40 countries.
Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon: The Super Live premiered at the AiiA 2.5 Theater Tokyo in August 2018. Following its European premiere in Paris in November 2018, the show had its US premiere in Washington D.C. and New York in March 2019 which sold out within minutes, drawing audiences from over 40 states. It has since played a hugely successful run in Taiwan.
SA Examiner 