For more than four decades, the Pinata Party Palace, located on Cesar Chavez Street in East Austin, has remained steadfastly anchored to the past while the world around it has changed. Glassy office buildings and trendy, upscale eateries have flooded the neighborhood, but the beat-up looking, one-story warehouse—bright yellow and covered in sun-bleached advertisements for party supplies—has continued to delight its loyal customers. That sort of proud history might be a cause for preservation. But in East Austin, which remains the throes of a dramatic transformation fueled by gentrification, legacy can often feel like a liability. The shop’s owner, Jorge Salazar, a 50-year-old veteran who served during the Gulf War, grew up in a Victorian-style home a few blocks away from his store. Salazar is warm,…
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