By Louis Zylka
The 830 Times
Conrad’s Casita, 648 S. Main St., offers unique home-decor products for people to buy in Del
Rio’s historic downtown.
The new store opened on Aug. 16, and is run by Antoinette “Toni” Conrad and her husband,
Armando Arteaga. The store sells products and supplies for handmade projects, seasonal
events and home decorations.
The store, originally named Casa De Toni, was owned by Conrad’s parents, John and Yon
Conrad, who named the store after their daughter. Conrad said her parents opened Casa De
Toni in 1991 during the time the downtown area was known for having multiple dollar stores
where people can walk to and buy something for $5.
After her father passed away in 2022, Conrad inherited the property and decided to venture into
the business life by reopening the store and modernizing its look and products. She
opened the store during the summer and renamed it Conrad’s Casita to honor her father.
Conrad said she and her husband both enjoy do-it-yourself projects, which influenced
their vision of turning the store into a stationery shop that sells unique items for various projects,
such as vinyl material for stickers and T-shirts and floral supplies to beautify one’s home.
Conrad taught Career and Technical Education courses at Del Rio High School, and Arteaga is a captain for the city’s fire department. Conrad said she and her husband always
support their community and have wanted to give back to others by opening up their store.
“When (me and my husband) thought of opening up this business, we thought of things that we
love doing, and we thought about what we can bring to our community,” Conrad answered when
asked what the inspiration was behind creating her store.
When entering Conrad’s Casita, you will find various items throughout the store for people to
use for creating decorations and gifts. Conrad said one of the goals of the store is to support
local artists by providing an alternative to big-box stores.
Conrad’s husband helped by modifying some of the interior items. Arteaga used
an xTool for laser engraving to create some of the shelving and tables for displaying the
products the store has.
Conrad’s Casita also offers a variety of supplies for journaling.
When you walk near the front of the store, you can find a stationary section with custom tape, rulers, stickers and stamps for scrapbooking and journaling.
All throughout Conrad’s Casita you will also find plants, artificial flowers, pots and decorative items such as ribbons for making wreaths. Conrad said she aims to keep what was popular
when Casa De Toni first opened as well as include items not easily found in other local stores.
Conrad said they plan to expand the store to include more jewelry making materials. She also mentioned the possibility of offering community workshops in the future, such as bow-making
sessions to engage the community and its local artists.
Conrad said her store aims to continue the tradition of being a family-owned business in the downtown area while modernizing its offerings. Conrad’s Casita is open Tuesday through Friday
from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
