When Guadalupe “Lulu” Tineo opened a brick-and-mortar for her business Yōlia Botánica, she had no idea she’d outgrow the space within six months.
When she put Yōlia Botánica’s roots down in South Tucson over a year ago, the 300-square-foot space became a spiritual hub for the community. There, locals could shop for metaphysical tools, pick up one-of-a-kind gifts and even receive spiritual cleansings known as limpias.
But like all things with roots, you grow.
Tineo has closed her original space and is expanding with a new brick-and-mortar at 1307 W. St Marys Road, with a soft opening planned for 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17. Customers can check out the new space and receive a free mini paleta and pico de gallo fruit cup while supplies last.
After the soft opening, regular store hours will be 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Yolia Botánica owner Lulu Tineo looks through “American Brujeria” while setting up her new shop ahead of the soft opening.
The new shop is roughly four times larger than Tineo’s previous location, now featuring a DIY salt bar and a back room for limpias and other community-centric events.
“I would call it a very much deserved expansion for the community,” Tineo says. “It's my store, but this store is nothing without the community that supports it and finds themselves in it.”
The brick-and-mortar will include new items — from literature to pottery to natural skin-care products — from 20-30 small businesses from around the world including Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, India and more. Tineo also handcrafts floral bundles for energy cleansing, creosote bath oils and more.
“I don't want to just be another gift shop,” Tineo says. “It's a beautiful thing that we have those. But mine is focused on a very specific purpose with a blend of focusing on highlighting our culture. … I like to stay unique with the things that I have, as much as I can, while still providing an opportunity to other small businesses. I'm hoping that this store gets the name out there and I'll be able to meet more businesses.”
Yōlia Botánica creates items like creosote bath oil and floral bundles for smoke cleansing. Her floral bundles are pictured here in May in owner Lulu Tineo's old shop.
The move into the new space on Tucson’s west side was made possible by the Growth Partner Arizona’s Kiva Tucson program which helps small businesses crowdfund loans at 0% interest. Thanks to 107 lenders, Tineo was able to secure a $15,000 loan to help with the expansion.
However, when it comes to moving, nothing ever goes as smoothly as planned. She had to use a good chunk of money to completely redo the flooring in the new space.
While the flooring was the biggest hurdle, Tineo is still in the process of working out the fine details of the shop. She has many favorite things about the new space but she loves the mural of her new logo painted by Tucson muralist Alejandra Trujillo.
“I have all these little details that I want to make sure are finished (before opening the shop), but I need to understand that my little tiendita (little shop) didn't get to the cute little space it was until much later,” she says. “So, it's gonna be the same here. It's going to transform. It's going to change (over time).”
Yōlia Botánica's new logo is painted inside her new location thanks to muralist Alejandra Trujillo.
‘I'm excited to see how one dream allowed for more dreams to happen.’
If the name Yōlia Botánica sounds familiar, you may remember our profile about Tineo when her first brick-and-mortar opened last summer. A long list of barriers, including previously being undocumented and experiencing depression, all contributed to the journey that led Tineo to open Yōlia Botánica.
“So many people don't find their footing, so many people don't know where their roots are because all their life, they were denied of their identity and they were shamed and pointed out for their identity. And it has given me so much peace, it's given me so much love, compassion and empathy for people, for myself, for everything I've went through. And I just don't see it any other way — everything led me here,” she told #ThisIsTucson last year.
Determined to not let any obstacles define her, Tineo opened Yōlia Botánica to help others with similar experiences find themselves and their place in the world.
Now, with a (much) larger space, she plans to continue helping community members with limpias, spiritual items and meaningful conversations.
She also plans to open the back room for other spiritual practitioners who align with her values, with plans to arrange events and host pop-up markets in the new space and parking lot.
One of the new parts of Yōlia Botánica’s expanded shop is a DIY salt bar.
“It's still very much a healing process for me, this store, this project, this vision, this dream, all of it is very much part of my healing journey,” Tineo says. “It's been the most risky, scary, beautiful thing that I've done, but it has helped me understand that there are a lot of parts of me that need tending, that need healing and that need nurture.
“I think compared to last year, I have learned to be more compassionate with myself, more soft with myself and understanding that I can't do everything and that I have to forgive myself for that. When I think I'm failing or I am lacking, my community has done an amazing job of reminding me the areas where I'm actually exceeding and where I'm actually overflowing.”
The core of Tineo’s shop will always be to help the community. She hopes to eventually expand to other places to reach more people. She’d like to open new shops in other cities and continue wholesales with like-minded individuals and stores.
“I'm excited to see how one dream allowed for more dreams to happen. Because with the little one, I was like gripping my seat, you know, am I gonna be able to succeed? Am I gonna do it? And I outgrew the space in six months.”
Some of the creosote bath and body oils available at Yōlia Botánica.
