The San Antonio Spurs’ playoff surge has created a small-business boom for one local family: the Olivares family of Gidgets Gadget Shop in San Antonio, where Erica and Joey Olivares turned a hobby with 3D printers into a flood of Spurs-themed merchandise and collectibles that are catching fire across the Alamo City.
What began as printing little novelty items quickly scaled into a storefront operation driven by fans wanting something original to hold onto during the playoff run. The Olivares family found themselves filling orders instead of just tinkering in their garage, supplying Spurs supporters with keepsakes that feel personal and local.
They didn’t just chase trends; they focused on making things people want to touch and enjoy. “We want to bring little bits of joy to people,” Erica Olivares said. “Especially those with ADHD, we have clickers that can help them get a little more focused during the day. But with something cute.”
The family’s first Spurs work started with practical items like can koozie holders and then expanded into character-style player magnets. They built tiny likenesses of stars such as Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle, translating game-day excitement into tactile art fans could stick on a fridge.
Joey remembers the first character idea clearly and how quickly it snowballed. “We were watching the Spurs game, and I was like, ‘I wonder if we can just make a Wemby magnet,’” Joey Olivares said. “So, I got on the computer and started drawing and ended up with that guy and this was our first one. And then, we came up with a Castle.”
The magnets found a wider audience almost immediately after the family shared a video online. “I made a video, put him on TikTok. Was not expecting for it to get the exposure that it did,” Erica Olivares said. Orders and messages followed fast, and the family had to rethink production to catch up with demand.
Production is far from instant. Each magnetic figurine moves through a multi-step process that eats up hours and attention to detail, from digital design to layered printing and finishing. “We draw them up, we put it in the program, it creates a file and then, we send it to the printer,” Olivares said. “And then the printer does all the work.”
That work takes time; the family reports that Castle magnets require about 26 hours of machine time while Wembanyama magnets take around 22 hours. Those long print runs are just part of why each piece feels handmade and why fans are willing to pay for something that’s not mass-produced.
Sales happen mostly through their social channels, with buyers finding Gidgets Gadget Shop on Facebook and TikTok and contacting the Olivares family directly to place orders. The family says they’re already sketching out new Spurs-themed items, keeping one eye on playoff storylines and the other on what fans want next.
Local reaction has been upbeat, with neighbors cheering a homegrown business that celebrates the Spurs in a playful, tactile way. For the Olivares family, it’s a mix of business sense and community pride: the playoffs gave them a platform, and they turned that momentum into a creative product line rooted in San Antonio spirit.
Beyond the novelty, the story highlights how modern tools like consumer 3D printers let small shops do big things without massive capital investment. It’s a reminder that local fandom can translate into real economic lift when people make clever, well-crafted items people want to own and share.
