Viva La Plant Shop officially opened their doors Thursday, May 11. Their new brick-and-mortar store is located inside of New Nuevo – a shared space centered in the Plaza of Old Town.
Matt Vinson and Iris Valenzuela-Vinson, partners and owners of Viva La Plant Shop, began displaying their passion for plants with pop-up bus shops amid the pandemic in Memphis, Tennessee. Last summer they brought their business to Albuquerque.
“We were able to adapt quickly when we moved, and we essentially almost had a community here already when we started, so it was a very easy transition for us and we felt like we were able to start quickly and make connections quickly,” Vinson said.
Actively displaying representation of the Mexican community was an intentional aspect of the bus shop in Tennessee, whereas in New Mexico, Vinson and Valenzuela-Vinson said they were able to resonate and connect with the community quickly because of shared culture.
“I think a big intent of the bus when we started in Memphis was bringing representation where there wasn’t a lot of Mexican community there – not nearly as prominent as it is here. It’s nice that people are talking to us right away,” Vinson said.
Transitioning from a bus to a storefront has allowed them to adapt with the hot climates. However, the community can still expect to see pop-ups from Viva La Plant Bus this upcoming August at the Rail Yards.
“It’s a little too hot for the bus, so it’s been nice to be able to transition to a brick-and-mortar and be able to have a consistent space where we can be for people who want to buy plants from us, or just hang out in our space and enjoy it for a moment,” Valenzuela-Vinson said.
Viva La Plant has valued collaboration in their business, Vinson and Valenzuela-Vinson said. Currently they are working in partnership with local brand, High Desert Debris, to design merchandise.
“We’ve always loved collaborating. In Memphis, we had a lot of art friends, so it was super easy for us to do and here we’ve found a good community of artists … We have a local artist that prints us shirts and collaborated on a design with us, which is awesome. We love being a part of the community and getting that interaction and collab,” Valenzuela-Vinson said.
Opening during the height of the pandemic shaped their business.
“We pretty much started in the pandemic so I feel like the pandemic really changed our way of thinking, especially when it came to owning a business. Being able to own a business where we know we can adapt and start small – it was nice to have that free time during the pandemic to build something together and enjoy that,” Valenzuela-Vinson said.
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The community and opportunities available in Albuquerque have given them the room to grow, Vinson and Valenzuela-Vinson said.
“Having something as plants – they bring people so much joy in general. And being able to represent my culture and the community as well is great for us,” Valenzuela-Vinson said.
Milan Ortiz-Ruiz is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com.
Milan Ortiz-Ruiz is a freelance reporter at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached on Twitter @ milanortiz_or
