Bags checked? Done. Boarding pass and identification ready to show at the gate? Yep. Cell phone? Check. A good book to read on the flight? Got it. Then you get through security, find a seat near your gate, and take out that book, only to realize you left your reading glasses at home.
Airport concessions to the rescue.
Travelers at the McAllen International Airport can find an assortment of reading glasses at Explore McAllen. It’s operated by Oakwells, which is based in Orlando, Fla., and formed in 2004 with an eye on travelers. Oakwells operates newsstands, specialty retail and food and beverage locations at airports, rail stations and hospitals throughout North America.
Brainstorming sessions led to the company’s moniker.
“We wanted a name that has been around awhile and that has roots. We came up with Oakwells,” said Michael Reilly, the company president.
Oakwells landed in McAllen after responding to a request for proposal in 2020 for a retail concession operator.
“We do not take a location just to have another one,” Reilly said.
He traveled to McAllen and met with Elizabeth Suarez, McAllen’s director of aviation.
“It just felt right,” Reilly recalled after the meeting.
Once selected, the Oakwells management team readily agreed to use the city-branded name, Explore McAllen, rather than Oakwells.
“When we go into a community, we really want to feel we are part of that community rather than an outsider,” Reilly said.
That desire to be a part of the community extends beyond agreeing to a name, he said. The company’s two retail shops at the McAllen airport opened in November 2020.They hired local people for all sales and management positions and began networking with local vendors for many of the products they sell.
“Now we have our core group of vendors,” Reilly said.
Local Flavor
Two of the most popular local vendors provide a variety of apparel and gifts handmade in Mexico.
Explore McAllen sources colorful, hand-embroidered blouses from Cielito Lindo, a Mexican boutique in McAllen. Explore McAllen features pieces like the statuesque Catrin and Catrina figurines made of Mexican Talavera (pottery) and sourced locally from El Disco Super Center in Progreso Lakes.
Many of Explore McAllen’s souvenirs are far from ordinary and reflect the places where they do business.
“People want to take back a memento of where they’ve been,” Reilly said, “and these are locally sourced. We’re not cookie cutter. Our merchandise mix includes both standard and regional items.”
Big Hits
McAllen’s airport is the official South Texas airport of the Dallas Cowboys, so fans can find plenty of Cowboys merchandise at Explore McAllen during football season.
In the shops of the MFE, customers will also find travel bags, device chargers, snacks, magnets, and health and beauty items. Oakwells has added to its mix of products with a variety of foods and beverages. They include the company’s grab-and-go salads, tortilla and chicken soups, burrito bowls, with breakfast choices that include muffins, breakfast paninis and avocado toast.
The coffee offered has a local twist.
“We sell Jitterz coffee,” Reilly said, referring to the Mission-based coffee roasters. “It’s premium coffee, a taste of McAllen.’’
Explore McAllen caters events of all sizes, offering boxed lunches, menu selections and customized orders. Although delivery is not an option, catered meals are ready for pick up at the specified time. The Oakwells app, Oak2Go, allows customers to place their retail or food and beverage orders before they arrive at the airport or even while in line at the ticket counter.
Explore McAllen has proven to be a big hit with travelers, as well as with MFE employees and airport guests dropping off or picking up travelers.
“We are proud to have strong concessionaire programs at the McAllen International Airport to support our growing traveler base,” said Jeremy Santoscoy, the McAllen airport’s deputy director.
Reilly’s first positive impressions of McAllen have proven to be true.
“We are thrilled to be in McAllen!” Reilly said.