MOM'S LOVE LANGUAGE: GIFTS

Nurture your generous side with these Mother's Day gifts from Austin

Love Weld is celebrating Mother's Day with a pop-up event at the South Congress Hotel.

Photo coutesy of Love Weld

In case it wasn’t apparent, Austin goes all-out for Mother’s Day. Lots of local shops are putting all of their energy in providing the best gift options for every type of mom out there. If you haven't found the right gift for her yet, don't fret. CultureMap's got you covered with some of the city’s best gift ideas in this ultimate guide to help you celebrate the special motherly figure in your life. From jewelry, to handmade crafts, to curated gift boxes, there is something for all moms to enjoy on her special day.

Paper + Craft Pantry
This Mother’s Day pop-up market is an invitation for all sorts of mothers: dog moms, plant moms, or a dad who performs both roles as a parent. 17 local small businesses will be set up at the Paper + Craft Pantry in East Austin on May 7 from 12-4 pm. From embroidery, to watercolor paintings, to one-of-a-kind ceramics, this pop-up will surely help you find the perfect gift. Check out the wares at thepapercraftpantry.com.

Kendra Scott
This popular jewelry brand has delicate gifts that your mom is guaranteed to love every time she wears it, for every style and price point. The new Mom Heart Padlock Pendant Necklace comes in sterling silver or 18k gold vermeil, with complimentary initial engraving in a choice of three different fonts. Or choose a bestselling accessory like the Elisa Gold Pendant Necklace with 21 total gemstone colors to personalize your gift, including two new colors: mulberry dusty and light yellow dusty. Shop at kendrascott.com.

Meanwhile Brewing
Fellow last-minute shoppers can get a second chance at finding the right gift in-person at Meanwhile’s Mother’s Day Market on May 14. The brewery has curated a showing of several local creators, makers, and vendors for this small event from 11 am to 4 pm. See the list of vendors at meanwhilebeer.com.

Earlybird CBD and Latika Soap
These two local Austin businesses are teaming up to bring your mom the ultimate self-care experience. From May 12-14, shoppers who purchase from Latika Soap will receive a discount code for a free four-pack of Earlybird CBD gummies, while shoppers who purchase from Earlybird will receive a complimentary Vitamin C bath soak and a 20 percent off discount code for their next purchase at Latika. Check earlybirdcbd.com and latikasoap.com for more details.

Sprinkles Cupcakes
This cutesy cupcake shop has unveiled its special Mother's Day boutique with a local Mother's Day box bundle containing 12 total cupcakes, three in each of the following flavors: vanilla, salty caramel, red velvet, and dark chocolate. Special gift wrap is included, and boxes can be picked up between May 8-14 at their Palm Way location at the Domain, or delivered at an added cost. Boxes can be ordered from sprinkles.com.

V/O Med Spa
All month-long, V/O Med Spa is celebrating mothers with a special discount: Purchase a wrinkle relaxer treatment in any area, and you’ll receive 50 percent off a one-hour signature facial. The discount is available for both new and existing customers. More information is available on their viomedspa.com.

Foxtrot Market
Austin’s first location of the cult-classic Foxtrot Market opened its doors on Burnet Road earlier this year, and will be providing Mother’s Day gift boxes now until May 14. The curated selections range from self-care items to pantry staples by women-owned businesses. The boxes ship within two to three days and can be ordered online via foxtrotco.com.

Ten Thousand Villages
If you lean more on the creative side and love to give your mother handmade gifts, Ten Thousand Villages on Burnet Road will host a special block printing workshop on May 12 and 13 from 11 am to 2 pm. The team will teach crafters about this 2,000-year-old practice and help you create beautiful, handmade cards. While you're there, you can browse the many unique and handmade fair-trade gifts and take advantage of a 20 percent off in-store promotion for purchases over $50. Additionally for May 13, shoppers will be accompanied by live music by a jazz guitarist and pop-up market in their new community engagement room. Learn more at tenthousandvillages.com.

The Flower Peddler
Treat your mom to a hand-picked flower bouquet all Mother's Day weekend long at the Flower Peddler at the Domain near North Italia. From 10 am to 3 pm on May 13 and from noon to 3 pm on May 14, you can show the motherly figures in your life some love with a complimentary rose, and get a chance to create your own bouquet for her with their selection of freshly picked florals. Learn more at theflowerpeddlertruck.com.

Love Weld at South Congress Hotel
From 10 am to 2 pm on Mother's Day, permanent jewelry maker Love Weld will be at the South Congress Hotel to help you celebrate your special bond with your mother with a 14k welded piece of jewelry. In just 15 minutes, you can have your chain and charm picked out, fitted, and welded. Walk-in space is limited, so appointments are recommended and can be made via Calendly. Just to note: the 15-minute appointment slot is for one person only, so book multiple times for more than one person.

mother's day gifts austin

Red Light

San Antonio leads Texas on ending horse-drawn carriage rides by 2030

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Horses will no longer pull carriages on the streets of downtown San Antonio.

San Antonio has pulled off something that the rest of Texas has yet to do, but it didn't come without some contentious conversations. City Council has unanimously voted (with one abstention) to phase out the use of horse-drawn carriages over the next five years. That means by January 1, 2030, there will be none on the streets at all; instead, there will be electric carriages.

These plans have been in the making since 2022 — if not always at the same level of intensity — when District 2 Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez and District 3 Councilmember Phyllis Viagran wrote up some concerns about the horses' wellbeing. A special session at the end of October 2024 hinted to San Antonians that the end for this practice was neigh — sorry, nigh — and the final vote was made on December 12. In addition to accepting the plan, it extended its timeframe by two years.

The initial proposal included worries about the horses' exposure to traffic and pollution, as well how their presence might exacerbate those issues for the environment at large by slowing traffic. It also raised concerns about the effects of standing or walking on hard surfaces for too long, or spending time in extreme weather.

At the December 12 meeting, San Antonians gave impassioned speeches about animal welfare — both to call attention to the need for better conditions and to defend the reputations and jobs of current horse drivers — but it wasn't the first time the council heard from the public about the issue.

In a prior city survey, 50,476 respondents weighed in. Of those respondents, 51.98 percent said they liked the idea to "Transition horse-drawn carriages to electric carriages and pedicabs and ban horse drawn carriages completely." There were alternative solutions listed, but respondents were less drawn to them.

A cultural divide emerged in the data and continued in the December meeting: some people avoided the carriages because they worried about the treatment of the horses, while others enjoyed them because of their historical echoes and living legacy. Many speakers in favor of the plan used this to form their argument, raising questions about history versus progress.

More tangible objections to the plan hinged on the businesses — specifically five companies — and jobs that would be lost, which was the main factor behind extending the adjustment period.

Discussions about the particulars of the electric vehicles are still to come, as confirmed in the discussion near the end of the meeting. Councilmember Jalen McKee-Rodriguez addressed concerns about what would happen to the horses, mentioning the Brady Hunter Foundation as a future partner in finding them rescue homes.

Some council members also brought up rhetorical questions about animal exploitation by groups like Sea World, the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo, military and police forces, and even various groups in the Fiesta parade, although these did not come with a formal motion to pick the issues up.

This decision could have a ripple effect on other Texas cities. Dallas has recently considered a similar ban, but it appears to have stalled; Austin's attempts at a ban have been unsuccessful, but according to the Austin-American Statesman, only one operator is permitted to bring horses downtown. She declines to do so because the long hours are unfair to her and the horses. Houston does have horse-drawn carriages, and there seems to be little conversation about banning them.

Cities like Chicago and Salt Lake City have led the charge in the United States with some of the most prominent successful bans. Other cities around the world with bans include Brussels and Guadalajara, which both switched to electric models. Bans that have been around for years, like Guadalajara's and Prague's, still aren't out of the woods — people are still pushing back on the decision, so it sounds like San Antonio still has much work cut out for it.

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