AUSTIN -- What was once a piñata and party goods store in East Austin is now just another pile of rubble in the ongoing gentrification battles of the growing city.
There is a lot of conflicting information in the "he said, they said" story swirling around Jumpolin. The former piñata and party store at 1401 E. Cesar Chavez was demolished on Thursday, February 12, by ACI Design Build.
The owners of Jumpolin and tenants of the building Sergio and Monica Lejarazu say they had no idea that the building was going to be razed and were in shock when they drove up to see demolition crews tearing down the place — with everything still inside. Their entire business and livelihood — store inventory, cash registers and other property — were smashed in pieces on the ground.
"I was driving by like any other day, taking my daughter to school," Sergio told CultureMap. "That's when I saw it: my life's work under the bulldozer."
Sergio admits that they had received a notice from the building's owners to vacate the premises two days before, which they immediately handed over to their attorney, Doran Peters. "But I swear to God, they never gave us a notice they would demolish."
Read the rest of the article on CultureMap Austin's website.
