Lowe's is planting its first-ever Converse store at the corner of East Loop 1604 North and Coppergate, a $10.5 million project expected to bring a 107,136-square-foot home improvement superstore to the doorstep of Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. Construction is slated to begin in January 2027, with completion targeted for October 2027.
The project, first detailed in a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, was reported by the San Antonio Express-News. The North Carolina-based chain already dominates the Texas market with 148 locations statewide, including 10 stores across the greater San Antonio area, according to StoreLocators. The new Converse location sits roughly 2.5 miles from H-E-B's own upcoming superstore in Schertz, a 125,000-square-foot grocery project set to open later this year.
Lowe's arrival taps into one of northeast Bexar County's fastest-growing pockets. Converse's population climbed to 33,402 in 2026 — a 19.9% jump since the 2020 Census — with a median household income of $94,222, per World Population Review, a figure that outpaces both the statewide and San Antonio city medians.
A Corridor Shaped by Annexation and Highway Money
Converse didn't stumble into this growth spurt by accident. Under a 2017 interlocal annexation agreement with San Antonio, detailed by the San Antonio Report, the city agreed to more than triple its footprint from 7 to 22 square miles over 17 years, absorbing unincorporated subdivisions along the way. That expansion positioned Converse to capture exactly the kind of big-box development now landing along the Loop 1604 corridor.
Infrastructure is catching up to the growth. The Texas Department of Transportation authorized plans in August 2025 to convert the Loop 1604 segment between FM 78 and Rocket Lane — the stretch passing right by the new Lowe's site and adjacent to JBSA-Randolph — from a four-lane divided highway into a four-lane expressway with frontage roads. TxDOT also broke ground this month on Segment 6 of its $1.4 billion Loop 1604 North Expansion, widening the highway from Judson Road to Interstate 35, with the full 23-mile corridor expected to reach ten total lanes by 2029, according to KENS 5. Exactly when the FM 78-to-Rocket Lane widening itself will be finished remains an open question, one that will shape traffic flow around the new store as construction there stretches into late 2027.
Big Box Neighbors Are Piling In
Lowe's won't be the only heavy hitter competing for shoppers in the area. The Home Depot is building a 135,000-square-foot store at Schertz Station near Interstate 35 and Cibolo Valley Drive, expected to open in early 2027, according to MySA's coverage of the expanding commercial development. Commercial broker SRS Capital Markets has also begun marketing retail outparcel pads at the southwest corner of Coppergate and East Loop 1604 North, signaling that Lowe's could anchor a broader shopping center aimed at restaurants and service tenants.
H-E-B, meanwhile, is pouring even more capital into the region — a $300 million refrigerated distribution facility and bakery plant on San Antonio's East Side, on top of its Schertz superstore, the Express-News reported. Hoodline previously covered H-E-B's Converse superstore plans. Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph itself adds steady economic weight to the corridor, generating more than $1.3 billion in direct annual economic impact and supporting over 17,000 personnel as headquarters for Air Education and Training Command, per the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts.
Lowe's Corporate Backdrop
The Converse project arrives as Lowe's navigates a mixed financial picture nationally. The company reported second-quarter 2026 sales rose 8.3% to $26 billion from $24 billion a year earlier, though net earnings stayed essentially flat at $2.4 billion. Online sales increased 15.7% during the quarter, and Lowe's said it used $80 million in tariff refunds to help protect profit margins and cover rising operational costs.
Lowe's attributed its growth to online sales, professional customers and home services, saying it was encouraged by continued momentum in its total home strategy. Still, CEO Marvin Ellison said discretionary DIY demand remains under pressure, noting that customers are cautious about spending and are prioritizing where and when they invest in their homes.
The Converse project is part of a broader Texas expansion pattern for the retailer, which is also building a store in San Marcos slated for completion in August 2027 as part of the fast-growing I-35/Loop 1604 suburban ring, according to the Express-News. Lowe's is also opening a Manvel location, which Hoodline reported features self-service paint kiosks. Combined with recent Converse retail news covering Bojangles and Wingstop, the Coppergate corridor is quickly becoming one of northeast Bexar County's busiest commercial fronts.
