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Artist Daniel Fila, better known as Krave, holds one of the 8×8 pieces that\u2019ll be available at El Fresco\u2019s grand re-opening in Little Havana on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.<\/p>\n
Natu Tweh<\/p>\n
WLRN<\/p>\n
Miami artist Daniel Fila, better known as Krave, is giving El Fresco Art Space a new home.<\/p>\n
The independent gallery and creative hub for contemporary and urban artists has moved into the historic Optica Lopez building on Calle Ocho, a longtime Little Havana landmark.<\/p>\n
Optica Lopez was founded in Cuba in 1929 before opening its flagship store in Miami in 1962.<\/p>\n
New owners bought the original location on Southwest 12th Avenue, and Krave didn\u2019t like what they had planned for the property.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing against them, but they had a different vision for the building,\u201d he said. \u201cOf course, rent was going up a lot, but it wasn\u2019t that it wasn\u2019t worth it, it was more that the place was no longer what I wanted it to be. \u2026 It\u2019s an identity issue for me more than anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
A lack of foot traffic also hindered the original location. El Fresco\u2019s monthly \u201cVinyl Tuesdays\u201d was successful and brought plenty of visitors, but not enough to offset the lack of visitors on the other days.<\/p>\n
The opportunity to move into the former Optica Lopez building was something that the El Fresco team could not pass up. The location is steeped in history.<\/p>\n
The famed Cuban-American singer Celia Cruz has her star on the Calle Ocho Walk of Fame located right outside the building. She frequented the location for her optical appointments and to purchase glasses.<\/p>\n
The building is set to be demolished to make way for an affordable-housing project<\/a> sometime in the future.<\/p>\n \u201dWhen I found out about that, I thought, Hey, you know what? I\u2019ve always been on the chopping block not knowing how long we\u2019re gonna last. It\u2019ll be really special to do something there on Calle Ocho at this historical spot,\u201d he said. \u201cSo I put all, all my cards on this one. \u2026 We took the co-op, and with the help of all of them and volunteers, we moved in less than a month, got the place going, and expedited all of our permits.\u201d<\/p>\n The grand opening of El Fresco\u2019s new location at 1340 SW Eighth Street was to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday with another edition of Vinyl Tuesdays. These are themed events where artists only get a month to plan and create their pieces.<\/p>\n