Today we’d like to introduce you to Feliza Salazar.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My first job was at a sandwich shop and I was there for seven years. The passion for creating delicious subs always stuck with me. I always thought that San Antonio needed more local sandwich options, and I decided it was time to start my own.
I started with a pop-up here and there but quickly found a home inside of oscar de la tienda once it was in the process of opening. I live in the Alta vista neighborhood, and when I heard little sams was being turned into a bodega/tienda I made some sandwiches and walked them over to Cynthia, the owner of oscar de la tienda.
I told her it was always a dream of mine to have a brick-and-mortar sandwich shop and I thought I could start by providing lunch out of her tienda. She enjoyed the sandwiches and offered me a small space in her shop to get my small business started. It was a very small operation at first back in Jan. 2022, but the neighborhood welcomed me with open arms and business started to pick up.
In May 2022, I had my close friend build out an entire counter, I upgraded all my equipment, I quit my day job, and am now in full-time pursuit of making my small business successful.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Being the sole owner and operator of this business has definitely had its obstacles. I work day and night to make sure I’m on top of everything! Getting to the store every morning to get the freshest bread, produce, and deli.
Menu planning. Staying on top of the rotating weekly which I offer. Make sure I’m on top of social media(s). Promoting. Running the lunch service. Breaking down and cleaning up and getting ready to do that all over again the next day.
I had to close shop in may to renovate. I had never done anything like that before and I was naive and thought an entire demo and rebuild of that side of the building could be done in a week or two. I was so wrong. I was closed down for an entire month.
I had already quit my day job. Being closed so long made it a struggle to make ends meet, but I scraped together what I could, tried to do a pop-up here and there, and just tried to stay positive.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Many people might recognize me from Verisimilitude. A local San Antonio band that I played in for about 13 years. It still warms my heart when people come into the shop and say… “wait… aren’t you the drummer for Verisimilitude?”
I started playing gigs with Verisimilitude when I was 13 and like I said we gigged around the city and the state for a little over a decade. It’s been about 3 years since our last show. I tell people I’m no longer behind the kit, I’m now behind my deli counter.
I’m still very close with Dakota and Zach from the band. Their support of the sandwich shop has been amazing! Verisimilitude music is still available on Spotify, Apple Music, and a few other streaming platforms.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I would say the band. Just recently some people that come into the shop were somehow introduced to Verisimilitude.
They come in and are shocked. “I didn’t know you play the drums!”
Pricing:
- The Beast comes with all the meat I have to offer. It weighs in at about a half pound and it’s a neighborhood favorite. It runs for $12.
- There are vegetarian and vegan options available too. Those run $8
- The weekly rotating Wich runs anywhere from $8-$12. Depending on what I have on the Sub.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @thewickedwichsa
- Facebook: @thewickedwichsa
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4MOJ6NtQNbrIOCCgD2tnID?si=_Uh89Ls-TJC4RpWcXNd8ew
Image Credits
Jess Elizarraras and Oscar Moreno
