SAN ANTONIO – Today @ 10:30 a.m., It’s the first day of fall!
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The first official day of fall arrived with San Antonio heat still hanging around, so the studio leaned on sugar instead of sweater weather. The Bread Box brought a spread built for the season: a made-over cinnamon roll in the form of a pumpkin roll, brioche dough filled with pumpkin and spices, iced with cinnamon and finished with candied pepitas. Also on the table were pumpkin muffins with pecan streusel, sour cream cinnamon chip muffins topped with sugar, pumpkin softy cookies that land somewhere between a scone and a cookie, and a pumpkin cream pie under whipped cream and spice. The bakery is a custom cookie and cake operation too, and it turned out an SA Live cookie to prove it. Vintage Halloween cookie designs, classic Halloween sets and the full fall cookie assortment are at the counter.
The demo centerpiece was a skeleton “candy-cuterie” board, a candy-covered Skelly named Fred that can be bought at the counter or pre-ordered. The owner’s advice for assembling one: scatter the candy rather than clumping it, break up the colors, and tuck a few pieces underneath so the skeleton sits up and pops. Cookie decorating classes return in October, kicking off with the Halloween set, and the bakery caters off-site as well as in its new event space next to its neighbors at Lee’s, where it also hosts tea parties.
DEAL FOR SA LIVE VIEWERS: Mention “SA LIVE” for 10% off a cookie decorating class at The Bread Box.
CRATE & BARREL AT THE SHOPS AT LA CANTERA
We take you on a tour through the retailer’s first San Antonio store, now open at The Shops at La Cantera, with three easy fall moves: swap bright blooms for faux and dried botanicals in warm tones, layer in one chunky throw and an earthy pillow, and set a simple table with neutral dinnerware, a low dried centerpiece and candlelight. The store carries furniture, kitchenware and, yes, pumpkin mugs, plus a full botanical shop, on-site floral styling and a free design desk with help on floor plans, vanities and entertaining gear.
This week’s Rookie Report featured a 10-year-old multi-sport athlete from San Antonio who is in the running for a national youth Athlete of the Year title. Asked what the nomination meant to her, she talked about confidence, hard work and showing that girls belong on the court. Voting ends Thursday at athleteoftheyear.org/2026/alayna-8f4d.
September has been a heavy month downtown. Carol G, My Chemical Romance and Guns N’ Roses have already come through, and nearly 160,000 people have passed through the Alamodome for major events this month, with Bruno Mars on Wednesday expected to draw more than 50,000. A representative of Convention Sports and Entertainment Facilities credited the run to the fan experience and to promoters wanting to come back, and pointed out that roughly 75% of attendees at these shows travel in from outside the market, from Laredo and the Valley to Corpus Christi, Austin, Houston and Dallas, filling hotel rooms and restaurants while they’re here.
His advice for Wednesday was blunt: pack your patience and plan ahead. Parking and event details vary show to show and are posted at alamodome.com, and Park and Ride was pitched as the easy option, payable by phone with drop-off and pickup right out front. Also on the calendar: Iron Maiden on Tuesday, Sept. 29, Monster Jam on Jan. 23 and 24, 2027, and the Metallica M72 tour on May 22, 2027, alongside UTSA football. Pulling off a night that size, he said, works like an orchestra, with hundreds of people each playing a part.
SAN ANTONIO STARTUP + TECH WEEK
San Antonio Startup + Tech Week runs Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, a week of startup and entrepreneurship events that Geekdom’s CEO said is open to anyone and free. Anchor evenings include Mission Pitch on Monday, a funding pitch competition for nonprofits; the Stumberg competition for Trinity University entrepreneurs on Tuesday at Trinity; a Latin pitch event Wednesday; and a party in the park Thursday, with daytime programming throughout.
The segment also brought in the story of Salsa DeLeon as a working example. The owners launched in 2018, converted their family game room into a commercial kitchen, got certified as manufacturers and sold at venues before landing a few stores. After repeatedly approaching H-E-B, they came on as a DSD vendor and stocked shelves themselves across the Gulf Coast, Austin, San Antonio and Hill Country regions while working full-time jobs and raising kids. They moved to warehouse distribution and reached the salsa shelf in May 2020. Her credit went to Launch SA and Geekdom for resources, and her advice to attendees was simple: show up, network afterward, and leave inspired and connected. She will be helping judge pitches during the week.
