\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLook back on nine, locally owned Northeast San Antonio businesses and restaurants featured by Community Impact in 2025.<\/p>\n
Veteran-owned shop sells Japanese-inspired gifts in Universal City<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Army veteran Magda Kussel opened Craftpudding<\/a>\u2014a kawaii gift shop located at 216 Pat Booker Road, Ste. 216, Universal City\u2014in 2020 after being discharged from the military and battling cancer.<\/p>\n The inspiration<\/strong><\/p>\n Craftpudding originally began as an online Etsy shop in 2007, offering hand-carved rubber stamps. Kussel\u2019s love of Japanese crafts and artwork inspired her to begin making the stamps as a hobby. She combined her favorite hobby and her favorite food, rice pudding, to call her business Craftpudding.<\/p>\n \u201cI got very inspired by Japanese [culture] and I started to read books, especially in the area of crafts because they\u2019re so well explained that [I didn\u2019t] really need to know how to read Japanese,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Kussel decided to open her own studio after she began started painting to find solace after retiring as a disabled veteran and recovering from breast cancer.<\/p>\n Read more here.<\/a><\/p>\n Howzit Hawaiian Kitchen serves up family cuisine in Schertz<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n The Tottori family is bringing their Hawaiian heritage to Schertz through plates from Howzit Hawaiian Kitchen.<\/p>\n The locally-owned restaurant, located at 1420 Schertz Parkway, Ste. 290, opened in November 2024.<\/p>\n The inspiration<\/strong><\/p>\n A native to Hawaii, Owner Alden Tottori managed restaurants in California and Hawaii before moving to Schertz to be closer to his wife’s family. Tottori said he had always considered opening and owning his own restaurant, and in November 2024, that became reality.<\/p>\n Tottori said his family and friends gave him the final nod of approval after trying his Hawaiian cuisine. Then he saw an opportunity to open his restaurant when a space became available within the Parkway Village Shopping Center.<\/p>\n Read the full story by Reporter Thomas Leffler.<\/a><\/p>\n The Purple Pig serves up BBQ, midwestern-style<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Demetric Herron, owner of The Purple Pig BBQ, said he started his culinary career after serving in the United States Army, working his way up from food tents to food trucks.<\/p>\n Then, along with his wife, Cherise, he took the final step and officially opened restaurant in November 2021, bringing the Schertz community something different\u2014Midwestern style barbecue.<\/p>\n The background<\/strong><\/p>\n Herron grew up learning the Midwestern craft from his great-uncle in Indianapolis, Indiana.<\/p>\n \u201cI remember looking at ribs that were the size of me when I was a little kid,\u201d Herron said.<\/p>\n Read the full story by Reporter Andrew Creelman. <\/a><\/p>\n Elite CrossFit + Personal Training offers functional fitness in Selma<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Fitness has always been a part of Jeremy Tucker\u2019s life.<\/p>\n At the age of 12, Tucker got his first gym membership. He played college football and worked the front desk at Ray Wilson Family Fitness<\/a> and GNC<\/a>, before landing his first job as an assistant high school football coach.<\/p>\n After becoming a personal trainer in the early 2000s, he began training collegiate teams at the University of Incarnate Word<\/a> before making the decision to open his own gym.<\/p>\n Tucker opened his first Elite CrossFit + Personal Training location in San Antonio at 18347 Redland Road in 2008 before opening a second location in Selma at 16719 Pawlin Drive in 2010.<\/p>\n \u201cI had an itch to expand,\u201d Tucker said.<\/p>\n Read the full story by Editor Amira Van Leeuwen.<\/a><\/p>\n Grome’s Sewing Machine Company sews community in Universal City<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Grome\u2019s Sewing Machine Company has been in San Antonio and within the Grome family since its beginnings all the way back in 1950.<\/p>\n The backstory<\/strong><\/p>\n Cyndi Grome took ownership of the sewing shop in the early 1980s at their original location at 4719 Manitou Drive in San Antonio. Since then, they\u2019ve opened a second location<\/a> in Universal City at 2040 Universal City Blvd.<\/p>\n Now, her daughter, Hannah Brook, is the fifth generation in the family to work full-time at the shop, which Grome said makes them stand out.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a family is what separates us from everyone else,\u201d Grome said. \u201cAs a whole, we know enough to be able to help everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n Read the full story by Reporter Andrew Creelman.<\/a><\/p>\n Tandoori Grill fuses traditional cuisine with homemade recipes in Schertz<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Hailing from Punjab, India, Davinder Kaur and her husband moved to the United States at the turn of the century in 2000. After owning several hotel franchises in and around San Antonio, Kaur said she wanted to pursue her passion of cooking.<\/p>\n \u201cI love cooking,\u201d Kaur said. \u201cWhen you have a hobby, you can do anything with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, they own and operate the Tandoori Grill<\/a> in Schertz, serving traditional north Indian cuisine, which Kaur said is \u201cdone the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more by Reporter Andrew Creelman. <\/a><\/p>\n Hole in the Wall Hobbies offers community in Universal City<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n There aren\u2019t too many places with endless collectibles for Warhammer<\/a> games and community playing sessions in the Northeast San Antonio Metrocom, Tom Colben said.<\/p>\n Colben is the sole proprietor of Hole in the Wall Hobbies<\/a>, a table top gaming, collectible and card shop nestled at 11503 E. Loop 1604 N., Ste. 104 in Universal City.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an accidental hobby shop,\u201d Colben said. \u201cIt was never supposed to be this big, but here we are.\u201d<\/p>\n The history<\/strong><\/p>\n Colben said that he has always been the \u201cnerdy\u201d type since he was a kid, but he wears it with pride.<\/p>\n As a lifelong interest in Warhammer and other table top games grew into an online eBay shop, Colben said that it kept growing to the point where he had to sell items out of rented storage lockers.<\/p>\n Check out the full story by Reporter Andrew Creelman.<\/a><\/p>\n M.Y. Chockdee Oriental Market & Restaurant serves authentic Filipino dishes in Universal City<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n There aren\u2019t many places in San Antonio that offer sit-down Filipino dining and an Asian grocery market all-in-one.<\/p>\n At M.Y. Chockdee Oriental Market & Restaurant<\/a>, located in Universal City at 119 E. Lindbergh Blvd., Owner and Chef Merle Rivera said they have both\u2014along with catering options and more.<\/p>\n The backstory<\/strong><\/p>\n Rivera said she wanted to bring her love of cooking to the United States, so she moved from the Philippines to Texas in 1985. During that process, she met her husband, Yong\u2014who trained her to become a professional cook.<\/p>\n Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n Pollo Picosito serves up Tex-Mex with a West Coast twist in Live Oak<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n While Tex-Mex and breakfast tacos are abundant throughout San Antonio, Jose Castellanos said he wanted to put his own twist on the tried-and-true cuisine.<\/p>\n Some context<\/strong><\/p>\n Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Castellanos said he has been in the restaurant and hospitality business for 45 years, managing and owning a variety of eateries for decades. So, to slow things down and \u201cretire,\u201d he decided to open Pollo Picosito<\/a> in Live Oak in 2022\u2014a spot that Castellanos said has become a local favorite.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to run a little spot in this nice community,\u201d Castellanos said. \u201cIt was the perfect choice.\u201d<\/p>\n