![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/StableHall_01_05.19.2025_AmberEsparza.jpg\")
Stable Hall opened in January 2024 at 307 Pearl Parkway as a premier music and events venue that can accommodate 950 guests. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\nGarrett Zimmerman wants to bring more diverse events and crowds to the Pearl and he wants to have fun doing it.<\/p>\n
The new general manager of Stable Hall, the 950-person venue built out of the Pearl Brewery\u2019s old draft horse stables, said he wants to take advantage of the partnerships, local music and family-friendly opportunities in San Antonio.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSan Antonio is a phenomenal city,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cI have been here for a short time, and I have loved every moment with every person I\u2019ve interacted with.\u201d<\/p>\n
Local musical acts are important, he said. Bringing in bands that are just starting out is an opportunity to support the community and catch great artists before they get bigger.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a real deep appreciation for the fact that every band was a local band at one point or another,\u201d he said. \u201cGiving those bands an opportunity is one of the most important things that I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also wants to take advantage of San Antonio\u2019s culture and geography. There\u2019s an opportunity to tap into the Hispanic music scene, he said, and bring Conjunto, Norte\u00f1o, Banda and other genres to Stable Hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can expect a lot more variety of events. Something that I haven\u2019t seen a ton of on the calendar is a lot of Hispanic-based events,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cI\u2019d really like to dive into the local market here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stable Hall will have a free concert series on Sep. 19, 26 and Oct. 10 for Hispanic Heritage Month.<\/p>\n
Those concerts will be family-friendly, another important element for Zimmerman. Shows that are available for kids can help bring people in and feel at home in a venue, he added. Those same kids will then be more likely to come back in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the blessings about being an all-ages venue is that parents can bring their 10-year-old with them and they can see their first concert, which is something that always gets me choked up,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cPart of doing concerts is you\u2019re making memories for people.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stable Hall opened in January 2024 at 307 Pearl Parkway as a premier music and events venue that can accommodate 950 guests. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n
When events go well for performers and for attendees, he added, that will bring good acts back again and again. Stable Hall will try to bring in different kinds of shows than you might find in Austin, but how San Antonio responds is important.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really about what a market will support. If people come to town and the show doesn\u2019t do well, they may not come back to town. So the important thing that the people [here] can do is make sure, if they see their artists coming to town, that they get out and support that show,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Zimmerman wants to expand those experiences beyond the single, circular wall of Stable Hall. The diverse community of businesses at the northern end of San Antonio\u2019s River Walk offers plenty of ways to match concerts with other events and enhance local experiences, Zimmerman said.<\/p>\n
But he also hopes to connect with other venues across town.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to try and find ways that venues can cooperate together, ways that you can do citywide events where we\u2019re going to make an initiative for a free concert weekend,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cMaybe we partner up with some other venues of similar size around town. I\u2019ve seen that kind of stuff happen before, and it\u2019s really, really awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those are opportunities he\u2019s created in other roles in other cities. <\/p>\n
He served as director of operations for TempleLive and helped launch or relaunch venues in Ohio, Arkansas and Illinois. Before that, he took on multiple roles at Thompson House, a venue in Cincinnati, where he grew up.<\/p>\n
Zimmerman did \u201ceverything from bartending, barback, stage hand, ticket taker, bouncer, I ran sound, played on the stage, you name it.\u201d<\/p>\n
His time in the industry has bred a humble approach to his job and working with his staff.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always tell my staff I\u2019m the least important person in the room. If the security guards don\u2019t show up, if the ticket takers aren\u2019t there, the sound guys aren\u2019t there, the stagehands aren\u2019t there, we can\u2019t have a show,\u201d Zimmerman said. \u201cI\u2019m the one person where if I don\u2019t show up to work, everything can still happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
His job, he said, is to make sure his staff are in a position to succeed, enjoy themselves and then share those feelings with attendees.<\/p>\n
When his team is excited to be there and takes ownership over the venue, that\u2019s when the experience becomes truly special, Zimmerman said.<\/p>\n