With an investment of close to $40,000, opened Espacio Selenia in Río Piedras. It brings three brands together in one place: the personal care and home products store Selenia, the café Pausa, and the coworking space Saffra Cowork. Two jobs have been created so far.
Why does it matter? If you live, study or work in Río Piedras, you now have a place to buy products made in Puerto Rico, have a coffee or work by the hour. The opening, which took place on Oct. 10, adds to a group of entrepreneurs betting on returning economic activity to the area.
Who is behind it? Regina Bultrón created Selenia Beauty in 2018, a line of non-toxic nail polishes manufactured in Puerto Rico. The brand carries the name of her grandmother, Selenia Duprey López, from whom she inherited her passion for nails.
"Behind everything I do is preserving the legacy of all those women who have been here to pave the way so that all other women can also follow in their footsteps and keep expanding and building," Bultrón told Platea.
Espacio Selenia reúne tres marcas, entre ellas, la marca de productos de bienestar y del hogar Selenia. (Suministrada)
Regina Bultrón, creadora de Selenia, una marca de esmaltes no tóxicos, quería un espacio para crear comunidad. (Suministrada)
La tienda es un espacio pet-friendly. (Suministrada)
En la tienda de Espacio Selenia podrás encontrar los esmaltes de Selenia, así como otros productos de bienestar y del hogar. (Suministrada)
EL café Pausa es parte de Espacio Selenia. (Suministrada)
Además de café, Pausa ofrece pastelería y otros. (Suministrada)
La tercera marca en Espacio Selenia es Saffra Cowork, con lugares para trabajar desde $6. (Suministrada)
Además de la localidad en Espacio Selenia, Saffra Cowork está en la avenida Kennedy. (Suministrada)
How did Espacio Selenia come about?
From the market to a storefront. After years of selling at markets, Bultrón wanted a physical space to welcome people. In addition to the nail polishes, the store offers soaps, facial oils, shampoos, teas and herbal infusions, candles and incense made in Puerto Rico.
"What excites me most about this opening are the possibilities, the possibilities for continuing to take on more projects, more collaboration with groups of people, being able to give exposure to many local brands as well, brands that share a vision very aligned with what wellness is," she explained.
Pausa, the café. Pausa, a café that also offers pastries, operates in the same space. For Bultrón, food was part of the idea from the start. "For me, food is always like that nourishment for the soul and is always an excuse in our culture to sit down and talk," she said.
Saffra Cowork, for working. The coworking space belongs to Saffra Cowork, which supported Bultrón when she returned to Puerto Rico. It was in their spaces that she worked to reactivate her own brand.
It can be rented by membership or by the hour, starting at $6. Bultrón describes it as a space to meet, work and develop projects.
Why open in Río Piedras?
Betting on Río Piedras. For Bultrón, opening here is part of a movement of local entrepreneurs and business owners looking to restore Río Piedras' status as "an economic engine, which it was at one time."
"We all had stories of traveling to Río Piedras with our grandmothers, to buy buttons, fabrics, this and that, run errands, and it makes me very emotional, it really excites me to be able to return to Río Piedras now, as an adult, and be part of this movement," she said.
Building community. Bultrón's background is in social and community work, particularly in community-based organizations and projects. That experience shows in the project.
Selenia blends her passion for nails with "the need and affinity for creating spaces to drive movements, drive creative connections, collaborations and all of that," she explained.
What is Selenia ideal for?
Bultrón sums it up: "Pausing and connecting with yourself and with others."
If you go. Espacio Selenia is at #51 Calle Del Pilar, in Río Piedras. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
