Howdy folks, and welcome back to HHR. Today, we’re taking a bit of a vacation, not too far away, just to San Antonio, to feature a chain that once flourished in Houston, Handy Andy. These photos are from a visit I made not too long ago, during Big Lots’ bankruptcy, to visit what was then the oldest intact example of a Ranch Style Handy Andy location open to the public. These photos are from December of 2024, so far enough into bankruptcy that things had become chaotic in the store. First, though, some history. Located at 3715 Colony Dr, San Antonio, TX 78230, this store originally opened in October 1968 as Handy Andy’s 29th location. The store was not the first ranch-style location, but was an early example. For those not in the know, Handy Andy was probably most comparable to San Antonio’s take on Weingarten’s. The family-owned chain aimed to serve all neighborhoods of San Antonio, and just as Weingarten’s began early regional growth, so did Handy Andy. By the 60s, the store was similarly overlapped by HEB’s service area, but still had a heavy hold on San Antonio. The chains would continue growing and directly compete with each other. However, in the 1970s, Handy Andy set its sights on Houston, a market that HEB had observed but decided not to enter at that time. Back in San Antonio, Handy Andy would continue to compete as a general grocer, whereas in Houston, they decided to enter the specialty-grocer space. The Houston stores were lavishly designed, expanded to the Ranch theme into the stores we recognize. They also stocked and sold unusual groceries and extensive gift departments.
In 1979, Handy Andy sold its Houston locations, mostly to Randalls, which would eventually rebrand the stores as its first Flagship locations. Coming back to San Antonio, Handy Andy had a storm brewing on the horizon. Kroger was preparing to enter San Antonio and Austin, and HEB would counter with a knockdown, drag-out price war that would land Handy Andy in bankruptcy by 1981. While many locations would close, the Colonies North Handy Andy was spared and continued to operate until 1992. After a failed attempt to flip the store to a discount concept called Food Pavilion, Handy Andy would sell the store to San Antonio newcomer Whole Foods. They would operate here until around 1997 when the location in Alamo Quarry opened. Big Lots would move in around 1999 and operated out of the space until its bankruptcy. While Whole Foods did renovate the space somewhat, including painting things their signature green, much of the skeleton of Handy Andy has survived into the Big Lots era. It’s interesting to think about what would have happened if Handy Andy hadn’t fallen from grace. Could they survive against modern HEB? Well, I have my doubts, but I also think we’re overdue for a resurgence of local grocers.
