(Seguin) — Five Below’s official opening at Seguin Crossing marks yet another milestone in the city’s largest retail development to date.
That’s according to Alora Wachholz, the executive director for the Seguin Economic Development Corporation. The discount retailer’s debut is more than just a ribbon cutting — city leaders say it represents steady progress on a project that’s been years in the making.
The $25 million Seguin Crossing shopping center, located along Interstate 10 near the State Highway 123 Bypass, totals 135,000 square feet of new retail space. Major tenants already include Academy Sports + Outdoors, Hobby Lobby and James Avery.
Wachholz says the store’s grand opening helps solidify the overall progress of the Seguin Crossing project – an undertaking that the city has not experienced in years.
“Seguin Crossing is the largest multi-tenant retail development that Seguin has seen built in over 30 years. We did have three main tenants. Those were Hobby Lobby, Academy and Five Below. Hobby Lobby opened in September of last year; Academy in November and then we had on the front side James Avery and Aspen Dental open in December and so, we’ve really been waiting for that last major retailer Five Below to open,” said Wachholz.
The retail project was first announced in September 2024, with the goal of creating a regional retail hub that would keep shoppers closer to home while drawing visitors from surrounding communities. Since then, Wachholz says construction has moved steadily, with multiple buildings rising almost simultaneously across the site.
“Academy and Hobby Lobby just so everyone is aware, they build their own stores. A lot of retailers don’t. A lot of retailers will rely on a developer to build the building itself and then they come and occupy that space. But Hobby Lobby and Academy are different in the fact that they each want to build their own building and the way they do that as everyone saw it being built – they tilt walls up pretty quickly. So, they are able to kind of jump ahead by doing it this way. Five Below on the other hand was a developer– a project more traditional so we knew that it was always going to come later on in the process and we are absolutely happy with it. Everything has been delivered on time or in advance of the timeline, so this has really been a great win for the community all around,” said Wachholz.
As each storefront opens, the development is already beginning to show its broader impact. Increased traffic along the corridor and interest from additional retailers across the city suggest Seguin Crossing is doing exactly what it was designed to do — spark more commercial investment.
“There is a small space – I believe it’s still available out there. A lot of times that is built in in case the space is subsidized or things like that but nothing major that we have to announce yet. I will say out there at Seguin Crossing – what is exciting to continue to look at is the pad sites that they have along Jay Road that is still available. So, there are two pad sites when you enter into that shopping center that you can see on either side. Those pad sites are being considered for future development as well. So, I think that is the interesting part really to keep an eye on is what could go in those places and what kind of progress will we be able to make on finding tenants for those pad sites,” said Wachholz. “I don’t have anything that I can give you yet, but I can say that there has been some exciting conversations happening about potential retailers for those sites.”
Although Five Below has officially opened, it won’t be the final retailer left to welcome local customers. Next on the list is America’s Best Eyeglasses located on the southeast corner of the property.
Looking ahead, the Seguin Economic Development Corporation team will continue building on that momentum by attending a regional retailer expo hosted by the International Council of Shopping Centers in the coming weeks, where nationally branded retailers and developers gather to scout emerging markets. Officials say projects like Seguin Crossing often serve as a catalyst for them during recruitment — signaling that Seguin is a viable place for investment.
The team will then hit the ground running again during the organization’s national conference in May — again, continuing efforts to recruit new businesses.