The Big Easy has cast its spell over David Garcia with all its magical charms and has rendered him a soul enchanted with the bewitching city. Is it the madness of Mardi Gras? The allure of black magic and the dark voodoo shops scattered throughout the French Quarter? Or something as sugary and sweet as…
Style
Eclectic by Design: The Unusual Interiors of Gregorio Mannino
When it comes to ambience, what is your favorite local restaurant or bar? Consider the over-the-top Asian market theme of Hot Joy, or perhaps the Victorian family groove of Barbaro. Then there’s the eclectic and cave-like basement at the Esquire, where myriad mounted fish greet guests after they traverse a darkened hallway paved with Rose…
Chameleonic Queen Nina Bo’Nina Brown Brings Her Wild Drag Stylings to Heat
Not that it hasn’t always been there in some way, shape or form, but exaggerated, outlandish costumes and makeup concepts have flourished in recent seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race — exemplified by the likes of deranged living doll Trixie Mattel (season seven), “7-foot-tall, live-action anime character” Kim Chi (season eight) and Atlanta-based transformation specialist Nina…
Villain or Vixen? Sin City Drag Star Kimora Blac Brings Her Sexy Show to Heat
Even though her claws didn’t entirely come out on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Las Vegas showgirl Kimora Blac still got pegged as one of the villains of season nine — a designation some attribute to a reality TV pitfall tellingly dubbed the “villain edit.” Sure, Blac bitched about challenges involving sewing . . . and bedazzling…
Texas Rover Company Pays Homage to Travelers of the Past
On a recent evening at The Tiny Finch in Pearl, Texas Rover Company founder John Humphreys looms over a crowd of eager customers who are attempting to get a glimpse of the several high-quality leather products on display at the boutique. At six-foot-five, Humphreys’ intimidating figure is offset by his unassuming personality. Here, Humphreys mingles…
Amy Stone Sheds Light on the Bizarre History of Cornyation
Originally published in the San Antonio Current. For many San Antonians, Fiesta is simply something that “happens” each year — a sprawling, expensive, messy celebration that lures tourists into downtown, dumps confetti all over the place and inspires folks to get dolled up in candy-colored garb to gawk at bedazzled “royalty” passing by on parade…
Humor and Heritage Artfully Collide in VeryThat
There are people who see beauty in the world, and there are people who make beauty in the world. Cristina Martinez, founder of VeryThat and all-around badass Chicana, does both. I first met Martinez in early 2014 at an art market on South Flores Street. Among a crowd of crafty vendors selling everything from artisanal…
Fiesta Cornyation’s King Anchovy LII is Jeffrey James
The board of directors of Fiesta Cornyation, billed as “the raunchiest, cheapest event of Fiesta,” have announced this year’s King Anchovy LII will be Jeffrey James, the proprietor of James Lawnmower Sales and Service. James will preside over the Court of Insane Privilege during Cornyation performances slated for April 25 through 27 at the Charlene…
Mike Casey Finds His Next Chapter in the Isaac Maxwell Metal Studio
As the unofficial “Mayor” of King William, Mike Casey is known amongst our community as many different things: Sharp-dressed man about town. Retired attorney. Arts patron. Bicycle rider. Classic car owner. King William renaissance pioneer. Metal studio owner. Wait … what? As of October 2014, Mike suddenly and unexpectedly found himself as co-owner of Isaac…
Saying ‘Adiós’ to On Main Off Main
Originally published in the San Antonio Current Donning matching black T-shirts that read, “On Main Off Main, Adiós Amigos, 1983-2016,” Bill Davis and Oscar Camacho are laughing while reminiscing about some of the more colorful customer exchanges they have had over the past 33 years of owning the quirky and eclectic On Main Off Main…