Jumpolin Piñata Store Closing Its Doors In East Austin

EAST AUSTIN, TX — Jumpolin, the piñata store relocated after being razed in 2015 without the owners' knowledge — a move that dramatically illustrated the effect of gentrification at its most corrosive — is now shutting its doors for good, its proprietors announced on Monday.

In a lengthy post on Facebook, Monica and Sergio Lejarazu announced the store would close this month amid rising rental rates and a changing demographic. The relocated store at 2605 E Cesar Chavez St. has operated there since 2017 after the original storefront at 1401 E. Cesar Chavez St. was demolished by unsavory property owners in February 2015.

The land owners at the time, F&F Ventures, demolished the piñata store as they sought to capitalize on SXSW with a party on the land they had then recently purchased — a plan that was frustrated with the presence of the store on the property. But the razing happened without the store's owners having been informed ahead of time, with their personal effects still inside the structure. The demolition garnered international headlines as a gentrification cautionary tale, culminating in an undisclosed monetary settlement with the Lejarazus in a subsequent court case.

Many who had followed the saga joined longtime patrons in rejoicing over the implausible reopening of the store two years later just a mile away on the same street — a reopening viewed as an unlikely story of a small business overcoming the forces of gentrification in true David versus Goliath fasihon. The store's demolition was an extreme example of a gentrification wave that has swept across the city, but more acutely in an East Austin that once was a working-class enclave largely populated by Hispanic and African American residents.

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Today, East Austin is a changed landscape that's arguably the trendiest part of town. Businesses and housing that once catered to a disappearing demographic have been replaced with luxury apartments, high-end restaurants and hip bars for a largely millennial crowd largely lured by a burgeoning high tech industry. Families that once thrived in East Austin have gradually relocated in an exodus sparked by gentrification-fueled valuations that have created rental spikes and property tax increases many longtime residents can no longer afford.

It's those changing dynamics to which Jumpolin now has succumbed, according to its owners: "We are saddened to inform you that in the month of January, Jumpolin will be officially closing our storefront on East Cesar Chavez St. after over a decade of service to our community," the store owners wrote. "It’s no secret that Austin is changing rapidly, and that the primarily working class community that once supported our business is dwindling fast, pushed further and further out."

For a decade, Jumpolin offered a wide array of piñatas and other party supplies. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

The Lejarazus added: "We have seen throughout the years the way our Chicano, immigrant, Black, and working class neighbors of all backgrounds have been forced out of their homes and businesses due to inability to pay the continuously increasing rents, property taxes, and simply not being able to afford the new wave of luxurious and expensive amenities. These amenities do not cater to the working class that once thrived on the East Side, and have fueled the ongoing displacement of our community."

Jumpolin sold a wide variety of candy to fill their staple piñatas, along with other party supplies. Photo by Tony Cantú/Patch staff.

While acknowledging the sad nature of news of the store's closure, the business owners noted the indelible legacy of the mom-and-pop store's past victory over gentrification, which helped put a spotlight on its negative impact on heritage businesses and the original residents of East Austin.

"Our story along with others helped sparked what we know as a strong anti-gentrification movement in our city, and although given the violence of our displacement in 2015, Jumpolin prevailed and has been one of the few East Austin businesses that survived and resisted the active displacement on the East Side," Jumpolin owners wrote. "Although we are closing our doors, we hope to see more resistance from our community and wish to continue to serve them in any ways we can."

The couple once explained to Patch how their shop's very name emerged from the once-thriving neighborhoods it formerly served. The name conflates "jump" and "trampoline" in children's vernacular when excitedly describing the store that offered bounce houses rented out for childhood parties as part of their festive fare along with authentic piñatas and the requisite candy to fill the handmade papier-mâché creations.

While there are no plans for a new physical location, vestiges of Jumpolin will continue with party rental services and custom piñata orders through telephone reservation and email, the shop's owners said. In addition, the company's Facebook and Instagram page, @jumpolinparty, will remain active for those wishing to contact shop owners for their party rental and piñata needs, the store's owners wrote.

"We hope that this news does not discourage or sadden you too much, but encourage you to see what can be possible to resist gentrification and displacement and make a better Austin," the Lejarazus concluded in their message to the East Austin community.