When Guadalupe “Lulu” Tineo opened a store for her company Yōlia Botánica, she had no idea that the space would become too small within six months.
When she settled in South Tucson over a year ago, the 300-square-foot space became a spiritual hub for the community, where locals could purchase metaphysical tools, find unique gifts and even receive spiritual cleansings called limpias.
But like everything that has roots, you grow.
Tineo has closed her original store and is expanding with a new brick-and-mortar location at 1307 W. St Marys Road. The grand opening is scheduled for Saturday, August 17th from 11am-7pm. Customers can check out the new store and receive a free mini paleta and pico de gallo fruit cup while supplies last.
After the soft opening phase, the store’s regular opening hours will be Wednesday to Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Yōlia Botánica owner Lulu Tineo takes a look around “American Brujeria” as she sets up her new shop before its unofficial opening.
The new store is about four times larger than Tineo’s previous location and now features a DIY salt bar and a back room for limpias and other community-focused events.
“I would call it a very well-deserved expansion for the community,” says Tineo. “It’s my store, but this store is nothing without the community that supports it and sees itself in it.”
The store will feature new items – from literature to pottery to natural skin care products – from 20 to 30 small businesses around the world, including Mexico, Guatemala, Peru, India and more. Tineo also makes handcrafted energy cleansing bouquets, creosote bath oils and more.
“I don’t want to be just another gift shop,” Tineo says. “It’s nice that we have something like that. But mine has a very specific purpose and is focused on highlighting our culture. … I want to stay as unique as possible with the things I have while also giving other small businesses an opportunity. I hope this shop gets exposure and I can get to know more businesses.”
Yōlia Botánica makes products such as creosote bath oil and flower bundles for smoke cleansing. Her flower bundles are pictured here in May in owner Lulu Tineo’s old shop.
The move to the new space in west Tucson was made possible by Growth Partner Arizona’s Kiva Tucson program, which helps small businesses obtain 0% interest loans through crowdfunding. Thanks to 107 lenders, Tineo was able to secure a $15,000 loan for the expansion.
But when moving house, nothing goes as smoothly as planned. She had to spend a lot of money to completely replace the flooring in the new rooms.
While the flooring was the biggest hurdle, Tineo is still working on the details of the store. There are many things she likes about the new space, but her favorite is the mural of her new logo, painted by Tucson muralist Alejandra Trujillo.
“I have all these little details that I really want to finish (before opening the store), but I have to understand that my little tiendita (little store) didn’t become the cute little store that it once was until much later,” she says. “So it’s going to be the same here. It’s going to transform. It’s going to change (over time).”
Yōlia Botánica’s new logo was painted in its new building thanks to muralist Alejandra Trujillo.
“I am excited to see how one dream has enabled the realization of other dreams.”
If the name Yōlia Botánica sounds familiar, you may remember our profile on Tineo when she opened her first brick-and-mortar store last summer. A long list of obstacles, including her previous lack of paperwork and depression, all contributed to the path 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 their whole life they’ve been denied their identity, shamed and exposed for their identity. And it’s given me so much peace, it’s given me so much love and compassion and empathy for people, for myself, for everything I’ve been through. And I just don’t see it any other way – it’s all led me here,” she told #ThisIsTucson last year.
Determined not to let obstacles hold her back, Tineo opened Yōlia Botánica to help others with similar experiences find themselves and their place in the world.
Now that she has a (much) larger space, she plans to continue helping parishioners with limpias, spiritual items, and meaningful conversations.
She also plans to open the back room to other spiritual practitioners who share her values. She plans to organize events and host pop-up markets in the new space and parking lot.
One of the new areas of Yōlia Botánica’s expanded store is a DIY salt bar.
“For me it is still a healing process, this shop, this project, this vision, this dream, all of this is part of my healing journey,” says Tineo. “It was the riskiest, scariest and most beautiful thing I have ever done, but it helped me understand that there are many parts of me that need care, healing and nurturing.
“I think compared to last year, I’ve learned to be more compassionate and gentle with myself and understand that I can’t do everything and I need to forgive myself for that. When I think I’m failing or that I’m lacking in something, my community has done a great job of reminding me of the areas where I actually excel and bubble over.”
The core of Tineo’s business will always be about helping the community. She hopes to eventually expand to other locations to reach more people. She wants to open new stores in other cities and continue wholesaling with likeminded individuals and businesses.
“I’m excited to see how one dream turned into more dreams. Because with the little one, I was mesmerized and asked myself: Will I be successful? Will I make it? And in six months, I was too big for the space.”
Some of the bath and body oils containing creosote available at Yōlia Botánica.
