Martha of Miami Opens Her First Brick-and-Mortar Store

In an unassuming shopping center on Bird Road near SW 87th Avenue in Westchester sits a store hidden from view behind thick brown paper. Martha Valdes — better known by her brand name, Martha of Miami — wears her classic pineapple-and-colada tee neatly tucked into high-waisted jeans as she flits about the space. She moves boxes, folds T-shirts, and rearranges furniture. Four years after starting her online shop, marthaofmiami.com, the 30-year-old designer is gearing up to open her first brick-and-mortar store.

Although the store is still undergoing a redesign, Valdes shows New Times the space and discusses her vision for La Tiendecita by Martha of Miami. Expect to find some Miami essentials, such a traditional espresso cafetera, dominoes, and even the Cuban T-mop, throughout the space.

Taking a deep breath as she looks around, Valdes says, “It’s about time. It’s about time that I finally open up a shop of my own and take this next step of adulthood and growing up and being una mujer... It’s scary, but I know it’s going to be fun.”

At the far back of the store, there’s a window-shaped cutout that Valdes plans to turn into a makeshift coffee ventanita. And, yes, shoppers can expect free cafecito at certain times of the day.

In late June, Valdes saw a “Now Leasing” sign on a space next to a "La Vaquita" Farm Stores drive-thru and a pawnshop on her way home from her sister's house. A boutique once occupied the space. It’s also about two minutes from a Sedano’s and Arbetter’s Hot Dogs. The location couldn't be any more Miami if she tried.

She wasn’t actively looking for a place, but she called the number. “The fact that I saw this place [was] available, I just knew my first store had to be on Bird Road,” she says. Within a week, she had signed the papers and received the keys.
“It’s a little overwhelming,” Valdes says of putting together the store in less sthan six weeks. “As Martha of Miami, I feel like I have a lot to live up to... I want people to be able to walk in here and feel like they’re walking into exactly what they’d envision the Martha of Miami brand to be. I want La Tiendecita to be an experience, not a boutique.”

The young entrepreneur's store decor will be Miami art deco-inspired, with teal and pink hues. Guests can snag souvenir stickers from a supermarket ticket dispenser she painted pink to match the store's aesthetic.

In the spirit of supporting small businesses, Valdes is working with local vendors to display their products at her store. So far, she’s recruited Erika Rodriguez of La Succulenta to sell her upcycled planters and Silvia Maria of Love Love Goose to peddle her Miami-inspired prints.

Valdes also plans to film content at the store and is deciding between launching a podcast or talk show tentatively titled En la Ventanita.

No Martha of Miami grand opening would be complete without a pachanga. Valdes plans to release three new T-shirt designs to mark with the store’s debut. Fans can celebrate with her at the grand-opening block party Sunday, August 18. Guests can expect music, food, drinks, and plenty of opportunities to shop.

“Hopefully, the Martha of Miami storefront becomes the new La Carreta, where you come and do your celebratory pots and pans on this side of 87th,” Valdes says with a laugh.

La Tiendecita by Martha of Miami. 8827 Bird Rd., Miami; marthaofmiami.com. Grand opening at noon Sunday, August 18. Admission is free.