Power Plant, a new cafe and plant nursery, opened its doors to the Albuquerque community on Saturday, Jan. 15. With a large emphasis on collaborating with artists, the shop aims to become a local hub for young artists to gather and show art.
The space is co-operated by Tytianna Harris and Juan Jimenez. They strive to continue having a studio space in the shop that artists can rent to showcase their art, similar to how the space was used before Power Plant started up.
“We've had, actually, photographers, videographers or different business owners who just come in and use it like a photo studio,” Harris said.
Jimenez hopes the shop will become a place for younger artists specifically to learn and grow because they are a group that can sometimes be closed out of different art spaces while still new and still growing.
“I'm very, very grateful for this space and I'm just excited to just create a new hub for the community, for the younger people. That's what I'm mainly focused on, whether it's having them showcase their art or whatever it is … I think that youth is obviously the future,” Jimenez said.
The cafe serves juice from Harris’ juicing company, Untitled Juice Bar, along with coffee developed organically.
Harris has a background in food, and saw a need for healthy food and its accessibility as a Navajo woman. This inspired her to create Untitled Juice Bar, which she is hoping to some day expand to the part of the reservation where her family is from.
“There's a need for not only good education, but also just access to clean healthy foods. So, you know, in my background with food, and just being a creative person, I really want to bridge that … (I) just (want to) do something that is more attainable for my community,” Harris said.
Jimenez, a self-described “avid collector of plants,” is the force behind the plant nursery at the cafe. They saw a big market selling them, particularly with young people. Jimenez called the intersection of coffee and plants “its own little scene.”
“It all kind of just started with plants … I've always been super into that, just bringing nature inside, and then not only that, but also just nurturing something else that isn’t yourself and just kind of slowing down a little bit,” Jimenez said.
Power Plant is available to be rented out and the owners hope to host more art installations, live music and events. Harris said she feels like Albuquerque is evolving and changing with new businesses opening up and is “excited for all of the opportunities and growth.”
“We're just young entrepreneurs pursuing our different visions. I just tried to make Albuquerque a more fun, better place — you know, just trying to build community and creating these really cool communal spaces that we feel are necessary,” Harris said.
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Maddie Pukite is a beat reporter at the Daily Lobo. They can be contacted at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @madelinepukite
