Everybody starts a business for different reasons. Some people do it for the money. Others for the freedom. Still others for the challenge. For Lola Caraballo, she did it because she needed a place to store her garden tools. I kid you not.
For years, Lola lived in Allentown, before eventually relocating to the city’s West Side. While she lived in Allentown, she took care of a number of tree plots, making sure that they were properly planted and maintained. You might say that she was obsessed with her duty, which was not a paying gig. In fact, she paid for her tools, and for the plants. That meant that she could plant anything that she wanted – she had complete control over the plots, which she tended when she was not bartending, or waiting tables.
When Lola heard that a small storefront had become available next to The Intersection Café (104 Elmwood Avenue, near the corner of Allen Street), a lightbulb went off. The storefront would be a great spot to store her gardening tools, so that she wouldn’t have to lug them around anymore. What started off as a fanciful idea soon took on a life of its own – to craft a business around a very unusual tool storage facility.
“Life is fleeting, time is short,” Lola told me. “When the economy took a downturn, and my mom ‘Rosie’ passed away, that was like the kick that I needed. She taught me a lot about art. She loved that I loved to garden – her grandmother was the family gardener in NYC that I got inspiration from. Since I was living on the West Side, and still taking care of the tree pits, I decided that there was an opportunity at hand. To be closer to the where I garden. For me, the tree pits are little memorial gardens for people in my life who have passed away. I’m originally from NYC, and when I came to Buffalo, Allentown reminded me a lot of where I once lived. Back then, the café was Teasel, and then Taza, then Intersection. When there was only tea available, I would go get my coffee at Mocha and then come back to the tea shop [laughing]. There was a time for tea, but I was a coffee drinker. I lived across the street from the café, so I have a personal connection with this specific spot and corner. I’m an Allentowner at heart.”
You might say that guerrilla gardening was how Lola got her foot in the door of her new shop, but once she had that foot firmly planted, she knew that there were other opportunities at hand. Her affinity for art led her to adding a gallery component to the plant-storage concept. With the gallery concept added to the mix, she knew that naming the unusual micro-enterprise was next. She settled on The Pushy (Plant Lady) Art Gallery… or Pushy Art Gallery.
“On Facebook I’m known as the Pushy Plant Lady, by people who follow my gardening. The store concept was 90% so that I could keep my gardening equipment there [laughing]. I’m also a collector of costume jewelry, and then there’s the gallery. I’m calling it a junk boutique gallery. There will be a different show each month, featuring artists that might not be able to get into more mainstream galleries. They have never had a professional show. Neighbors have been asking for vintage and thrift. I’m learning, and I’m teaching. There’s room for both. It will be an evolving concept. The upcoming show will feature the works of Mariah Scritchfield-Brunetto. Then, in June there will be a collaborative group show for Pride. But typically there will be one artist featured, as it’s not a big space. Gay Pride and Halloween will be the only group months.”
Lola told me that she will be testing the market, to see what people in the neighborhood want. She’s going to keep it flexible and fluid – ever-changing and ever-growing, with upcycled and repurposed items. As she curates the shop/gallery (her home away from home), she will also spend some time working in the food and beverage industry – something that she says that she loves, and could never leave behind.
“I’m excited to hang out and have a coffee (or tea) at the gallery,” said Lola. “I’ll be gardening, and hosting First Friday parties. I love how low-fi Allentown was in the early 2000’s – I loved that energy, where everyone was welcome – Latina, bi-sexual… very open… Bohemian. That’s the vibe that I want to embrace. I will be here on hot days to take care of the gardens – the gardens come first. I’m bossy and pushy when it comes to my plants. But I love art too. I never dreamed that I would have a little art gallery. And my Yorkie ‘Taz’ will have AC! Me? I’m a sassy sassy gal who is excited to do whatever I want with the space. I might change things up in the future – you never know. I’ll keep people guessing. I’m so excited to see what comes next.”
The Pushy (Plant Lady) Art Gallery | 104 Elmwood Avenue | Buffalo NY 14201 | (716) 235-3573 | pushyplantlady@gmail.com | Facebook |