RETAIL WATCH
San Antonio reels in pop-up shop from Austin's Howler Bros
Howler Bros will be in San Antonio for a three-month pop-up.
One of Matthew McConaughey’s favorite menswear brands is coming to San Antonio. Austin’s Howler Bros, known for its freewheeling aesthetic, is opening a three-month pop-up at the Sunset Ridge shopping center (6330 N. New Braunfels Ave.), October 15, 2026-January 15, 2027.
The shop will be located inside the former home of Tackle Box Outfitters, which closed in February. So far, the brand has not revealed any plans for a permanent San Antonio boutique.
Before Howler Bros was a business, it was an alt-country band. Founders Chase Heard and Andy Stepanian met at the University of Virginia and formed Wrinkle Neck Mules in 1999, touring the country for several years and even playing South by Southwest. When a t-shirt company signed on to sponsor the band, Heard, who had moved to Austin for architecture school, wanted to design the shirts himself.
That earlier foray into design became the Howler Bros in 2010. At first, the brand screen-printed shirts in small batches and sold them online. Bandmate Mason Brent and former Yeti marketing executive Rick Wittenbraker later joined as partners, and the company eventually opened a headquarters and retail shops in Austin.
The name comes from the noisy howler monkeys the founders encountered on a trip to Costa Rica, and the clothing continues that adventurous spirit. Both Heard and Stepanian grew up fishing and surfing, and the brand competes with concepts like fellow Austin outfitter Poncho Outdoors.
But Howler takes a more offbeat approach. Many of the shirts ape Western wear, adding yoke details to polos and embroidery to otherwise simple pearl snaps. And the company isn’t afraid of a print, adding psychedelic mushrooms to a shirt and tropical camouflage to a pair of fleece pants.
Howler Bros hasn’t said if it is eyeing San Antonio for a permanent retail outlet. Although a customer service representative confirmed the pop-up, a request for more information was not immediately returned. Although it is sold locally at Whole Earth Provisions and Bechants Men's in Boerne, its only two standalone storefronts are in Austin.
