It’s become increasingly difficult for small-business owners and creatives nationwide to make a profit while keeping their enterprise afloat. At the same time, “third spaces” are disappearing, leaving communities without free public spaces to gather together.
The monthly Pulga Market at St. Mary’s Strip music venue Paper Tiger is a response to both problems. The free events have built a following since Alberto Belalcazar, an independent promoter and the club’s social media manager, launched them last December.
The fiercely DIY music flea market will return to the venue’s courtyard from 1-4 p.m. this Saturday. It’s free, open to all ages and, true to its ethos, free to vend with no booth fees or buy-ins.
Belalcazar launched Pulga Market after a trip to Mexico City last November, where he encountered the legendary Saturday flea market El Tianguis Cultural del Chopo. The very next month, Paper Tiger hosted a San Antonio version of “El Chopo,” rooted in the same punk ethos and vision for accessible creativity.
Unlike many curated arts experiences today, Belalcazar’s plan for Pulga Market precludes exclusivity. He’s not interested in $500 vintage tees or top-secret collectibles. Instead, he said he curates with affordability and authenticity at the forefront.
“I don’t just let anybody pop up,” he said. “If it’s not the right fit, I’ll say, ‘Really cool stuff, it’s just not for this market.’”
The market also centers on physical media, a move that Belalcazar said resonates across generations. In any given month, you’ll encounter booths selling records, cassettes, VHS, band T-shirts, posters and other vintage music paraphernalia.
“I’m 43 … I grew up analog to digital,” he said. “My daughter’s 15, and everything’s on her phone. So everyone’s getting introduced to records, CDs, shit I grew up with.”
Paper Tiger donates the courtyard space, and Belalcazar brings in live music to keep the energy daytime-casual. This Saturday’s event will feature Dazed, a project from the venue’s own sound engineer. Like Mexico City’s El Chopo, Pulga Market has created a brand that’s communal and proudly unpolished.
“If you’ve ever been to a real flea market, it’s cheap,” Belalcazar said. “That’s the vibe we’re going for.”
And that “vibe” has been such a success because the curation is so deeply personal.
“If I like it, I’ll put my name on it,” Belalcazar said. “I wouldn’t put my name on it if it wasn’t ‘cool’ to me.”
His approach to booking bands mirrors his approach to Pulga Market: trust your gut, trust your taste and don’t be a trend-chaser.
“You can’t buy cool. Cool is cool,” he said.
That same mindset has shaped Paper Tiger’s identity over the past decade, as it has made itself one of South Texas’ preeminent music venues. Belalcazar pointed to artists who have played the space, ranging from Jack White and Doja Cat to Dinosaur Jr., as proof it’s carved out a singular place in the creative ecosystem.
While the venue may be a success, San Antonio’s market scene more broadly has seen mixed outcomes in recent years. While some long-running markets have shuttered, others are thriving. Belalcazar said he believes the difference comes down to curation and identity.
“Different markets that are curated properly get the demographic they’re going for,” he said.
For Pulga Market, the demographic target is simple. Anyone who likes cool, music-related stuff but doesn’t want to pay boutique prices is welcome. Belalcazar said that for vendors and attendees alike, this business model has been a success.
In recent months especially, interest in the event has exploded. Vendor spots fill quickly, and the crowd is packed with a diverse mix of local folks.
“Anyone and everyone’s welcome,” Belalcazar said. “You could be a tech bro, you could be a punk rocker. Everyone’s just chilling.”
Trinity University professor and nationally recognized folklorist Norma E. Cantú explained that the market’s success draws on a centuries-old pulga culture that began with open-air “tiyānquiztli” in the Aztec Empire and spans the global Latinidad.
“The phenomenon is not just exclusive to San Antonio. It’s everywhere, up and down the Valley, in Houston; wherever there’s a Latino community, there seems to be an active and lively pulga scene,” Cantú said. “There’s music, there’s food, there’s all kinds of cultural events — it’s where you can get your quinceañera dress. Maybe even your wedding dress.”
While she was still teaching at the University of Texas at San Antonio, Cantú conducted research on pulga culture with student Sarah Castillo. Through this work, she examined why pulga culture thrives in San Antonio and what purposes it may serve.
“It has to do with fulfilling the sense of community that migrants often yearn for. After mass, you go to the pulga and walk around, dance, listen to music. I see the Paper Tiger as parallel to that,” Cantú said. “The music is the essential element. And food, that’s the other part.”
Cantú calls these elements “intangible heritage,” or the living traditions and knowledge that compose our site-specific cultural identity. Although music is only one aspect of San Antonio’s character, Belalcazar’s Pulga Market represents the continuation of an age-old practice that protects creativity and binds the community together.
Free, 1-4 p.m., Aug. 15, Paper Tiger, 2410 N St Mary’s St., papertigersatx.com.
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