South Flores Arts District upbeat, lively

For Andy Benavides, the whirlwind moment was pure magic.

"I thought it was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen," Benavides said. "It just seemed like a perfect symbol of what we're trying to do with the SMART Fair, to get people fired up about art. I've always felt like I had this creative guardian angel to guide me. I think we've got a great thing going here, and it can benefit a lot of people."

He sold a lot of blue T-shirts that explained the fledgling art festival's somewhat wonky acronym: "Supporting Multiple Arts Resources Together." The slogan sums up Benavides' philosophy for uniting the South Flores Arts District, which has been dubbed "SoFlo."

Generally, the area is best known for Second Saturday. The monthly crowds are still measured in the hundreds, rather than the thousands that swarm First Friday in Southtown, but South Flores is gathering steam, attracting more and more artists fleeing the high price of real estate in the not-so-far-away King William area.

"My goal is to have art events that people can go to every weekend of the year," Benavides said.

Benavides persuaded his friend Joe Lopez to buy the warehouse across the street, which is now a sprawling compound of Chicano art spaces known as the Gallista Gallery, housing a gift shop, a small auditorium for live music and poetry readings, Richard Martinez's Mito Gallery and studios for artists such as painter L.A. David and metal sculptor Luis "Chispas" Guerrero. The newest addition is a coffeehouse and café, serving breakfast and lunch, run by Jason Garcia and Sandra Torres.

Lopez recently retired as a computer graphic designer at Fort Sam Houston.

"Andy and I were neighbors when we both had galleries on Alamo Street," Lopez said. "He's like a son to me. Buying a warehouse isn't like buying a house — we had to come up with all kinds of documents, a business plan and so on. But it's worked out great, and now that I'm retired, I'm hoping to do a lot more with the gallery with more exhibits and special events. We have about 11 artists with studios in the gallery. The Gallista Gallery is all about promoting Mexican American culture."