Documentary
“Solo Vine a Decir Hola”
I had driven by Raquel’s Partyland one too many times on my way to get some tacos on Cesar Chavez St. in Austin, TX. That was something I missed about the valley: piñatas on my birthday. I wanted to do this project to showcase a company that is hanging on to a changing demographic in East Austin. Gentrification is causing businesses to close because they can no longer afford to pay the taxes and rent for their office. East Austin is a predominantly Black and Latino neighborhood. In this documentary, Isaias and his wife, Raquel, discuss how their business has changed with the changing area and the affect it has had on their future with their business. The crew and I all spoke Spanish, so getting to talk to them was a very comforting experience as I think it reminded us of where we come from: families of immigrants. Our relationship with their family grew throughout filming and sometimes we’d stop by just to keep talking and we’d say “solo vine a decir hola,” which means “I’m only dropping by to say hi.”