Alamo Antique Mall — Local services in San Antonio

Have been going to this place for over 6 years easily and have spent hundreds of dollars if not more on some of the most beautiful and lovely things from vintage memorabilia to beautiful clothing and while the staff have been everything from the brightest and most beautiful stars to bitter and uneasy, one of my most recent visits really changed my opinion of this place.

Simply going through for a quick visit and quick buy me and a partner, as we always do, and one of the clerks consistently harassing us over our usual practically weekly visits; as we were simply inspecting prices and condition of small cards the clerk would not leave us alone and told us to stop looking through the things as if we were violently handling them when we were truly being careful as we always have been. I'd never been so condescended and treated so rudely here and it was entirely unprecedented before.

Besides the awkward and somewhat blatantly rude staff, the store has so much to offer with prices varying from good to overpriced. The record store on the top is cramped but we have bought so much from the lovely man who runs the shop who seems to have a story every time we're there; Good finds and a fun adventure to plan ahead each time.

I'd recommend this place for leisure and good shopping if you have the money, try to avoid the unwanted and disheartening stares from the clerks that almost feel prejudice (though some of the women are angels!). There's so much to find here and at alamo records you really have to fight through how bad and unwanted you feel by the staff much of the time.

UPDATE from a year later: Came in for some records up top and spotted something that caught my eye and again met with a torrent of just attitude and a feeling of total condescension; its no wonder the overpriced items here are gonna keep gathering dust.

It's a shame given the reputation of this place and that some of the staff are actually incredibly welcoming. Probably won't ever be returning for leisure or anything else besides Alamo...

I haven't been here in a few weeks, thought about visiting today, but didn't. I was hesitant for several reasons. See the first con.

Pros: Interesting, but limited selection of items, something for most interests, but not everyone. You'll find things like vintage clothing, vintage decor, magazines from the 1940s, some interesting wall art, etc. My mom found some really nice mid century modern wall art last time. You just have to walk through slowly and look at everything and you may find something.

Good downtown location at the corner of Broadway and E Travis.

Cons:

This is a major one. They are making profits off of racist and slave era memorabilia. A slave collar? Swastika? Dolls and figures that mock black people? These products should be in museums to tell the horrible side of history, not sold for profit in an antique store. It is a huge turn off and detractor for us. How can they accept this and think it's okay? Who would buy these things?

Their air conditioning in this building is inefficient, so expect to be a bit uncomfortable in the summer, especially on the upper floors. I'm sure that contributes to the moldy odor in the building. This building is in dire need of a major renovation. This place feels oppressive.

As mentioned earlier, the inventory doesn't change that often, we tend to see the same products time after time in a span of several months - it's pretty stagnant. There are far too many trinkets.

Friendliness is hit or miss. There is an older Hispanic gentleman who is extremely friendly and helpful, but the other employees can be rude and unwelcoming. When we visited a few weeks ago, we were yelled at by an older lady because we walked in an hour before closing - she said "you know we close in an hour." Not even a welcome or hello. We left without buying anything because none of us ever carry cash, and apparently purchases under $10 must be paid in cash. Being picky about methods of payment is not a good business practice.

This place needs a change up and some...

First of all, Google listing says the “mall” is open until 6:00. Second, I own an antique store in another city so when I am out of town I love to shop and support other businesses. Here is my experience with this store and then my observations as a business owner. I get there around 4:00 thinking I had plenty of time to shop. I found a few small things I was going to purchase and left them in their booths so I could grab the items on my way out. I had made it to the third floor and had several things I was adding to my “buy list” from there when all of a sudden the lights start going out, then I hear fans being turned off so as I’m starting to walk towards the section of the fans a lady rudely yells….”WE’RE CLOSED”! Then as she sees me she said it again. I look at the time and it is 4:42. I didn’t even respond, just went downstairs and went to leave but was locked in. Someone else had to let me out and they mumbled sorry or thank you or something like that.

All that being said let me say this…We constantly make sure our store hours are correct on allllll the platforms so that customer/potential customers know our hours because they do not always look at the hours posted on our door. Also, I don’t care if a customer walks in one minute before closing and asks “are you about to close” our entire team tells them we stay open as long as we have customers so don’t worry about that, welcome in, make yourself at home! Before we lock the door and turn out the lights we always make sure our store is empty. And lastly, we would NEVER tell a customer we are closed and run them out if they are still shopping.

I found the place unwelcoming to begin with but that experience will cause me to...