Under the glow of streetlights and the hum of music in a San Marcos parking lot, students browsed thrift racks, watched fire dancers and sipped drinks.
The inaugural Vanilla Bean Night Market — a collaboration between Vanilla Bean Market, Bikini Hill Run Club and EDEN Nightclub and Cocktail Lounge — took place March 20 in EDEN’s parking lot on West San Antonio Street, marking what its organizers hope is a new chapter for nightlife in the city.
Born from a shared desire to create more inclusive and engaging nightlife experiences, the market brought together three distinct communities: thrifters, runners and the late-night crowd.
For Randall Martinez, co-founder of Bikini Hill Run Club, the night market represents an opportunity to fill a gap in the city’s social scene.
“We just wanna bring different experiences to San Marcos that you can’t find,” Martinez said. “You could go to Austin — there’s a whole bunch of stuff to do. You could go to San Antonio — there’s a whole bunch of stuff to do. But there’s a gray area in between those two cities, and that’s where we’re trying to fill the void for the people in the area.”
The market featured more than 15 vendors offering everything from vintage clothing and handmade jewelry to cold-pressed juice and snow cones. Entertainment included a live DJ and fire-dancing performances by PyroFlow ATX. Attendees also had the chance to join Bikini Hill Run Club for its Thursday night tradition — a two-mile run through downtown.
Cooper Philpot, Vanilla Bean co-founder, hopes the night market creates a space where people can go out at night without the pressure to drink or party.
“I like doing stuff at night, but there’s not much in the city to do besides partying and drinking,” Philpot said. “I hope it makes people want to get outside while not necessarily feeling pressured to go to bars or clubbing, adding a fun thing that’s outdoors for people who don’t really need the typical nightlife.”
Francis Foglia, co-owner of EDEN, said hosting the market was a natural extension of the club’s vision to be more than just another bar on The Square. A San Marcos native, Folio said the city’s nightlife has long felt limited in scope — something he and his business partner, Will Logan, set out to change.
“Coming back to San Marcos and working on opening EDEN, I wanted to make something that was truly special for the people,” Foglia said. “I felt there weren’t enough places that were conducive to hosting events and creating an atmosphere for meeting other people.”
For Landry Hardin, public relations senior, the night market felt like a refreshing change from the usual Thursday night out in the city.
“If we had more events like this, students wouldn’t just be hanging out at The Square, that’s all there is to do,” Hardin said. “I feel this gives an alternative to that and also pulls people in from not just Texas State but also people who live here locally.”
Organizers hope the night market is only the beginning. With plans to host the event more frequently, the team sees it as part of a larger shift in San Marcos: one where nightlife is less about partying and more about connection.
“We’re kinda reinventing the nightlife,” Zane Sutten-Edwards, co-founder of Bikini Hill Run Club, said. “There’s not much nightlife here that isn’t a bar, and we just hope more new stuff starts to come out.”
