Growth brings more dining, shopping opportunities
16 Feb 2022
Retail, Quality of Life, News
Dalondo Moultrie The Seguin Gazette
As Seguin’s population continues its ascent, so do opportunities to bring new businesses to town.
Some eateries have moved into the city in recent weeks and still more are coming along with other retail shops, said Josh Schneuker, executive director of the Seguin Economic Development Corporation.
He pointed to recent openings of a home-cooking cafe, donut shop, nationally-known barber shop, and a workout establishment as examples of the blossoming business community in Seguin. Also, development talks are underway for a project he can’t yet mention as well as changes coming with the recent purchase of the Crossroads shopping center at State Highway 123 Bypass and Court Street.
“The purchase of that shopping center is a really big deal for the future of retail in Seguin,” Schneuker said. “The other one is a targeted retailer we’ve been trying a long time to get to Seguin.”
He and his team on Monday were working on drafting some announcements to let the public know about continued successes they’re having, Schneuker said. They were awaiting corporate approval before spilling the beans on a new company moving to Seguin, he said.
In the meantime, he touted the near completion of a second Chicken Express restaurant off of 46 where Burger King and DaVita Kidney Dialysis opened last year near C.H. Matthies Jr.
Economic Development Corporation staff continue working hard to bring more development to that part of town, Schneuker said.
“We know the community wants to see more options on the west side of town,” he said. “We’re constantly trying to plug more real estate opportunities out there.”
Much of the new growth is happening in the area with houses rapidly popping up along and around Hwy 46, Schneuker said. It is helping drive Seguin’s population boom, which is projected to reach about 50,000 within the next 15 years, he said. Seguin’s population hovered around 30,000 people as of the most recent census.
The key is to influence business owners to start to relocate here now, the economic development director said.
“Our story to them is get it while you can because it’s really only a matter of time before things start to pick up,” Schneuker said. “Growth helps sell the story to retailers and helps push more retail development in the city. There’s evidence with a lot of the new stuff we’re seeing come in here that it’s really starting to take shape and we’re looking to take it to the next level in the next year or two.”
Recent newcomers are Gg’s Home Cooking Cafe, Shipley Do-Nuts, Sport Clips and Hot Worx, he said. They have centered around the area near Hwy 123 Bypass where anchor retailers like Walmart and H-E-B and the Guadalupe Regional Medical Center already draw large crowds of folks, Schneuker said.
It’s the economic development corporation’s job to get in front of national and regional retailers to tell them about Seguin, he said. They sell the story of how great the community is and how businesses can flourish here, he said.
Helping make the story more appealing is the number of people with purchasing power already here and the projected expansion.
“The growth really helps sell that story,” Schneuker said. “Now that we have all these houses coming out of the ground, we kept preaching it’s only a matter of time before we see that retail pick up. We’re starting to see it pickup.”
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