ICYMI: Jumpolin Piñata Store Making Triumphant Return To East Austin

EAST AUSTIN, TX — Jumpolin has risen from the ashes.

The owners of Jumpolin—the piñata and party supplies store that was long an East Austin fixture before unsavory landlords abruptly demolished the building to capitalize on their newly acquired land—is re-opening this weekend less than a mile from their previous location, Monica Lejarazu, one of the store's owners, told Patch.

The 2015 demolition of the original Jumpolin storefront garnered national headlines in 2015, cast as an extreme case of gentrification. In recent years, East Austin—once a working-class enclave primarily populated by Hispanic and African American residents—has become one of the trendiest parts of the city, recently dubbed a "hipster paradise" by the Austin American-Statesman.

Yet many residents lament the erosion of the original neighborhood to which commercial developers have descended to build luxury housing, high-end eateries and other amenities catering to a new demographic influx. That trend of change was dramatically illustrated two years ago when F&F Ventures acquired the prized land on which Jumpolin had long been a neighborhood fixture, eager to capitalize on their new acquisition.

The little piñata store suddenly found itself in the cross-hairs of their new landlords whose aversion to the neighborhood store culminated in its demolition as the property owners rushed to capitalize on the land as a site for a SXSW-related party on the grounds.

Eventually, Lejarazu and her husband, Sergio Lejarazu settled out of court for damages resulting from the razing of a building housing their business, with personal belongings and inventory still inside.

But Jumpolin is back.

Mrs. Lejarazu told Patch on Thursday that a new incarnation of the store is opening this Saturday at 2605 E. Cesar Chavez—less than mile from the original location at 1401 E. Cesar Chavez that was destroyed. The building is owned by Rosa Santiz who owns considerable real estate in East Austin and who supported the Lejarazus by offering a temporary storefront elsewhere in the wake of their store's destruction.

While the new store will officially open this Saturday morning at 9 a.m., a mid-August grand opening is in the works. That formal opening will serve not only as a business opening but as a show of appreciation for the East Austin clientele that patronized the old Jumpolin and to advocates and activists who voiced their support in the wake of their sudden ouster from the neighborhood.

Mrs. Lejarazu said a decision to relocate to the new site had to be made quite rapidly in the wake of a recent vacancy at the Santis' building. Since the demolition, the Lejarazus have focused on distribution of piñatas to various Latino markets across the city in a their post-demolition pivot in lieu of direct sales to the public. As it happens, the husband-and-wife team recently received a new shipment of some 250 piñatas for distribution—product they'll now have on hand for Saturday's opening.

"It wasn't planned or anything," Mrs. Lejarazu said of the new store, during a telephone interview conducted entirely in Spanish. "The decision was made three or four days ago, and we're opening on Saturday. We came to good terms that benefits both her [Mrs. Santiz] and me," she added, noting the initial lease terms are for two years with hopes for a longer renewal in the future.

Given the trauma the Lejarazus experienced in East Austin—the destruction of a business they worked hard to build and the sudden loss of a clientele base cultivated over the course of several years—Mrs. Lejarazu acknowledged moments of trepidation about returning to East Austin. But in the end, she felt the decision to relocate there was important given the backdrop of gentrification that has continually eroded the original spirit of East Austin.

"She wanted to have a Latino feel to that location," Mrs. Lejarazu said of her new landlord. "And I have to preserve my identity as a Hispanic business. It does scare me a little bit, but I know that people have supported us."

She acknowledged the rent of the new location will be higher than what they paid originally at the shuttered site, but within their budget. She described the new storefront as roughly double the size of the original location.

The couple's daughter, 20-year-old Emila Lejarazu has stepped up as something of a new face for the business, with Mrs. Lejarazu joking she is now the couple's boss in the rebooted venture. Currently attending classes at Austin Community College, Emilia plans to transfer to Texas State University where she'll major in business administration, her mom told Patch.

She also lauded her new landlord, whose own perspective on the business is diametrically opposed to that of the former rent takers.
"We're dealing with a person who knows our story," Mrs. Lejarazu said. "We know we're with a landlord who understands our situation, and who knows we're coming with ganas. I'm not going into this with a plan to fail. I feel that returning to East Austin is a triumph."

Ganas is a Spanish term describing a determination to succeed.

The store opens its doors this Saturday at 9 a.m. Thereafter, hours of operation will be Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

>>> Photo credit: PINATA-PARTY.SE via Wikimedia Commons