Evan Snow: And welcome back to another episode of the Choose 954 Podcast, episode 92, with Ena at Picassito here in beautiful downtown Hollywood on Harrison Boulevard. If you didn’t know about Choose 954, myself, Evan Snow, and my business partner, Mr. Andrew Martino, started a social movement to cultivate culture and community here in Broward County, where I’m very proud to be born and raised. The goal is to keep people in the know with all the great things going on to make this a better place to live, not just a better place to vacation. The point of the podcast is to connect you with interesting people like Ena who do important things in the community. This is quite a treat. So without much further ado, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and where we are right now?
Ena Buich: Hi everyone, thank you for having me. My name is Ena Buich. I am an art therapist and fashion designer by degree, and I created this space just recently in Hollywood, in downtown Hollywood. I’m so glad I picked this space. This is an open studio for kids to come and play, explore art, explore different media, play with different textures, and make different crafts. We also do slime with kids so they can create and explore science, making it themselves. I let them pick all the colors, glitter, everything. They really enjoy it, and of course, they take home all the projects they make.
Evan Snow: Great, yeah, beautiful. How well before we get to how this space got started, what was your creative background with fashion design and art therapy? How did you arrive at this point?
Ena Buich: I always wanted to be a fashion designer since I was little. I always liked to draw clothes and create. It was just my dream. When I arrived in the USA, I fulfilled my dream—I even had my own line. But then kids happened, and there was a lot of moving around. When we came to Miami, there wasn't much in design, and I kind of had enough of that. Then when my second child was born, I was with kids a lot, doing all these crafts because I love crafts. We painted a lot, of course, and did a lot of art at home. All the moms will understand how frustrating it can be when you're a stay-at-home mom, having to entertain the kids—which I love—but then having to clean up the house, which I don't like. I was on the edge. I liked doing it, but I didn’t want the mess. I hated slime, but now I like it. Then the idea came to me when my daughter Sophie was born. I had this idea, but I wasn’t strong or brave enough to do it then. I thought it was a great idea and even got the name "Pacito" because that’s what my husband and I called the kids when they were all covered in paint. We’d say, "Oh, you're a little Pacito now." That’s what we called them. And now, as the kids got older, I thought it was the perfect time. I was like, "I want to do it now," and I started. It took me some time to find the place, but the idea was set. I’m doing it, and here we are.
Evan Snow: Yes, here we are. It’s like magic. It’s really a miracle for me. I’m really happy here. I feel great energy here. It’s been a little over a month, and we already have people coming in. We already had a birthday party here and are already doing classes. It’s all moving so quickly.
Evan Snow: Congratulations, and I commend you for following the idea and the dream and executing it. You’ve built a great space here.
Ena Buich: Thank you.
Evan Snow: It serves a great purpose, and you really picked a great location. We’re on Harrison Street in downtown Hollywood, right across from Aili, and across the street from Mystic Coffee. This is pretty much the center of the ArtWalk every third Saturday night of the month in downtown Hollywood, which runs from about 6:00 to 10:00 or 11:00 PM. If you didn’t know, we lead free tours of the ArtWalk every third Saturday night of the month at 7:00 and 9:00 PM, after the mural tour at 6:00 PM and before the free magic show at 10:00 PM by Magic Jack over at the cinema right across the street on Hollywood Boulevard. We were really glad when you reached out when our friend Liz from the yoga studio connected us. This is a really cool way to introduce kids, families, and parents to the arts. I wanted to show you some examples of things people can get into when they come here.
Ena Buich: I always ask them what they would like to do, and they always know. I don’t control them or tell them what to do. I just navigate, giving them the materials. This is all art for me. They love to explore the colors, textures, and mixing around. The process is what’s important. Sometimes, not everyone likes to paint, so they can choose different materials. That’s how I like kids to open up. They pick the materials here, and that’s the main thing. We don’t really have classes; it’s intentionally set up this way. It’s child-led, exploring. Some boys like fashion design, so we have fabrics for them to create something. Girls can make magnets, for instance. I just like to see how kids open up here and how they feel the freedom of choosing and developing their creativity.
Evan Snow: I don’t have kids, but I’m hearing more about these exploratory models, like the Montessori model, where kids can see what they like. My mom put me in band when I was a kid. I tried to play the tuba, but it didn’t really resonate with me. They would take us on field trips to museums, but traditional fine art didn’t resonate with me either. Maybe if I had been given the opportunity to explore, see what I liked, and play, things might have been different. Everything happened the way it was supposed to for me, but I think it’s great how you mentioned the therapeutic element. Tell us a little bit about your experience with art therapy and how you integrate that here for the kids.
Ena Buich: As I said, I’m an art therapist by degree. I started working about three years ago, first with women. I created retreats where I take women to Orlando, and we do retreats in a house. My partner does yoga, and I do all the art activities. I noticed how many women are wounded and have a lot of problems and issues. Art really helps them relax and explore their feelings. Sometimes we can’t say we’re mad, and we don’t even know we’re mad, but when we’re given paint and just explore, just do it, without words, just movement, it helps so much. I saw it in women. I have Goosebumps talking about it because it’s amazing to watch them. I also started working with kids, the kids of those women. Women trusted me, and it naturally led to working with kids. I saw how impressive it is, how they gain confidence and release their emotions. When they come home from school, they might not be able to express their feelings, but with art, with simple drawings, it helps them explore their desires, problems, and feelings. We don’t really talk about it on a daily basis, but it’s important. Kids today are so busy with extracurricular activities and gadgets. I always say, “There are no gadgets here.” We drive them here and there, wanting them to do stuff, but when do we leave time to listen to ourselves and our feelings? That’s what art therapy is for. Here, I have a second space where I do art therapy classes for adults as well. I’m just watching the kids now and trying to incorporate a little bit of art therapy to help them explore. I always tell them, “If you don’t like it, that’s okay, you can try this.” There’s no right or wrong. If you don’t want to finish, don’t finish. If your bracelet looks like this with one bead, that’s okay—it’s your vision, your choice. I’m letting them just be, and they’re happy. They don’t want to leave. Parents have a hard time here.
Evan Snow: It’s a beautiful thing. We’ll show them the second space in a little bit. There’s definitely something to be said for putting the pen to paper or putting the brush to the canvas or easel. Creating new neural pathways and muscle memory is huge. Even just little things like writing something down instead of typing it. You’re able to make that bond and connection.
Ena Buich: Yes, writing is important because we have this small connection here. As you said, it’s called neurographic. It creates new neural pathways, and the kids love it. Usually, they paint on a table, but when they sit here, they feel like little artists. It’s so great to watch them. I was a bit surprised, but they really love it.
Evan Snow: I love your enthusiasm and energy. You can tell you’re in it for the right reasons. You saw how it had an impact on your children, and it can have an impact on any children. I also think it’s great how you mentioned that it’s more of an open studio. A buddy of mine, Scott Jeff, who works with people in recovery, calls it “open swim.” It takes a lot of pressure off when you don’t have to finish. You can try something, and if you don’t like it, you can try something else. You have fashion design, jewelry making, slime, painting, crayons—a lot of different things.
When somebody wants to bring their children here, what are the opportunities? Is it a drop-in? Do you have to schedule? Is there a membership? A summer camp? What does it look like for those who want to bring their kids here?
Ena Buich: Of course, I’m happy to explain. This is probably the first question I get asked. It’s an open studio, with drop-in available for all kids, usually older than four. With toddlers, parents usually stay. If you drop your child off or stay with them, it’s $25 per hour. We also have memberships. Memberships are a bit cheaper; you can get 10 hours or unlimited for a month. We have a lot of options. We also have a summer camp, and on no-school days, which happen often in Broward, we are open. As a mom, I know this is great for parents who work. They can bring their kids here for the whole day. We have a program for one-day camps and for summer camp. Until May 15th, we have an early bird discount, so don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re open from Wednesday to Sunday. Mondays and Tuesdays are off for now, but in summer, we’ll run the summer camp all week. Right now, Wednesday to Sunday, we always have a lot of people coming in. This is a great area, with many restaurants around. People often come after eating at a restaurant, and that’s another good thing—if you go to a restaurant, you can leave your kid with us, and we’ll entertain them.
Evan Snow: That’s good too, right? Well, not exactly child care, but kind of.
Ena Buich: It’s an arts and crafts space where they’re exploring. It’s great.
Evan Snow: What are your general hours?
Ena Buich: General hours are from 9:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and on weekends, it’s a little later. We’re catering to customers right now, so it’s from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. On ArtWalk nights, we’re open really late, and we had a lot of people at 8:00 PM, so yes, on ArtWalk, we’re open late. And for birthdays, it’s also sometimes late.
Evan Snow: Speaking of birthdays, your space is available for drop-in, but if someone wanted to book the whole venue for a birthday party or something like that, what are some other creative ways people might want to contact you and rent the space?
Ena Buich: Yes, we host birthdays. We do slime with all the kids, and we have one class of their choice. I send an email with all the classes, depending on the child’s age, so they pick the class, and we make it with them. If you want to rent out the studio for your class, I really encourage people like those in yoga or spiritual practices to do it because it’s a nice space. It’s really quiet here. I’ve already had one practice here. Yoga, meditation, sound baths—things like that happen here. You can just approach me; I have an hourly rate, and it’s not a lot. I’m always open for collaborations as well. If you want to collaborate or do some activities here, that could work too.
Evan Snow: And you have tons of materials and a really good-sized space.
Ena Buich: Thank you.
Evan Snow: Everything’s kind of set up.
Ena Buich: Yes, everything’s set up and pretty easy.
Evan Snow: Let’s show them the other space, which is equally as beautiful, if not more beautiful. You did a really great job. Everything you can imagine is real at Pacito.
Ena Buich: Yes, of course.
Evan Snow: Awesome. Now, we’re moving to the back here, where there’s a beautiful space. What takes place back here?
Ena Buich: This is a boho-style hall, as I call it. We have our birthday parties here, so parents can relax and party here while the kids do arts and crafts in the main room. I also do classes for adults here. I do art therapy and neurographic classes. Tomorrow, for example, I’m going to have a workshop with yoga, sound bath, and art therapy. It’s a great way for women to relax. We also did Rosa massage here—I don’t know if you know it. It’s a South American practice with rebozo scarves, where they cover you and do massages on the floor. That happened here. We can do that and more. You can rent the space for whatever you need—games, evening parties. We have oils, candles, plants, dreamcatchers. Everything is just in this vibe where you can relax and enjoy. It’s really quiet; you can close all the doors, and it’s like a little nook space. I love it myself, so I welcome everyone.
Evan Snow: You did a great job. If people want to find you on social media and the internet, where can they find you?
Ena Buich: The website is pacito.com. On social media, we are Pacito Studio. It’s pretty easy, and I welcome everyone to follow us, like us, and come to the studio to see it for yourself. It’s a very nice and artistic space, and I really hope we can do more here.
Evan Snow: Amen. I want to come get creative here. If you haven’t done yoga and sound baths before, it’s a treat for those who haven’t. That would be a great opportunity to get into the space, surrounded by art, good energy, good design, and good lighting. I want to commend you for doing a great job with the beautiful buildout and beautiful finishes. It’s a great addition here to beautiful Hollywood, which is growing. There are a lot of new families and new people moving here, and hopefully, we’ll help some people discover this and realize it’s an option.
The last question we always like to end with here on the podcast is: Why do you choose the 954?
Ena Buich: I moved here from California, from Los Angeles. I was looking for a quieter family-oriented city with some entertainment—not Miami, but something more family-focused. I really like Hollywood. I live a little further away, where it’s calm, but I like to come here and enjoy the new restaurants. I like the artsy vibe and the people here. The families are really nice, open-minded, and polite. I like this vibe. And it’s close to everything—Aventura, Hard Rock. We have so much going on here now. I’m like, "Do I live in Miami now?" because there’s so much happening, like Formula 1 and other events. I was amazed by how much is happening here.
Evan Snow: Good, glad to hear that. Thank you, Ena. We appreciate you coming to the community and bringing your energy, ideas, and space. I’ve seen a lot of creative spaces, but I haven’t seen any like this. It’s a really cool thing. There’s a lot going on here. Unfortunately, some places closed, but new ones are opening. Just on Harrison Street recently, there’s Thanks to Harrison, which is a very cool bar, coffee shop, and restaurant. There’s a vintage wine bar on Harrison, which is brand new as well. Actually, all those people, the owners of those restaurants, bring their kids here on Sundays. We have all this community with Mystic Coffee, and they’re all here.
If you haven’t been to Mystic Coffee, it’s undoubtedly one of the fan favorites of Hollywood and probably one of the better go-to coffee shops in Broward County, right here on Harrison Street. Harrison Street is one block south of Hollywood Boulevard in downtown Hollywood. You can join us here on the corner of Harrison and 20th every third Saturday night of the month at 7:00 and 9:00 PM for the free tours. The ArtWalk goes from 6:00 to 10:00, sometimes until 11:00. There’s a free magic show with Magic Jack at 10:00 PM in Cinema Paradiso. I went last month for the fifth time, and I still don’t know how he does it. It’s inside, air-conditioned, and has seating. He’s really good, funny, and always changing, coming up with new tricks. It’s late, but it is family-friendly.
There’s a lot to explore here—Dream Car Classic Car Show every first Sunday, concerts at the Arts Park. Downtown Hollywood has undergone some streetscape improvements to widen the sidewalks, make them curbless, and make the street more pedestrian-friendly. If you haven’t been, there are some of the best parades and festivals here—St. Patrick’s Day, Halloween, and more. St. Patrick’s Day has an amazing, proper parade. Halloween, which is a nighttime event, has a family component and is one of the best Halloweens anywhere. It’s family-friendly, and after hours, it’s more adult-focused.
We’d love to hear why you choose 954. Feel free to reach out, tag us in your posts, and tag us in your stories. We’re glad to repost and reshare. Hopefully, you’ll join us at the ArtWalk, here in the studio, and hopefully, this inspires you to be more creative because the world needs everybody’s creativity. We’re so grateful that you brought this to the world here and to our community in Hollywood. Thank you very much.
Ena Buich: Thank you so much.
Evan Snow: Namaste.
Ena Buich: Namaste.
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