Look for a playful, inviting window filled with colorful cat-themed art and crafts, and a big "garros" sign that’s hard to miss-just follow the trail of quirky feline designs calling to you from inside!
Welcome, cat lovers and curious wanderers alike, to Garros Galería, the only art gallery in all of Mexico dedicated entirely to cats! Picture it: You’re stepping into a space filled with every possible kind of feline fanfare-handmade crafts, pillows, paintings, jewelry, cups, T-shirts-if you can dream it with whiskers, it’s here. The story of this pawsitively unique place starts with siblings Joel and María del Carmen Nava Polina and their friend Rodrigo Moreno González. When they realized there were cat museums in places as far-flung as the Bahamas, but not a single one in Mexico, well, they pounced right on the opportunity. You know you’re in for a treat when the founders themselves come from a family with fifteen cats. No wonder their collection of cat treasures outgrew their living room!
Back in 2006, they gathered artists and friends, everyone pitching in an artwork or two for the grand opening. No one really knew what to expect, but cat lovers are a peculiar, dedicated bunch. Soon, the gallery was swamped-not just with people from Mexico City, but with orders from Europe pinging in through the internet. Suddenly, owning a handmade cat sculpture from Garros Galería was the cat’s pajamas. This little corner of Colonia Roma-which, by the way, is famous for its hip galleries and specialty shops-became a magnet for feline aficionados and the simply curious. Even TV crews, from TV Azteca to Once TV, couldn’t resist stopping by to sniff out the story.
Inside, your senses are delighted by more than 5,000 pieces of art from over one hundred creators-imagine the rainbow of colors and hundreds of styles, all echoing with the mischief and mystery of cats. Some artists, like Daniel Soler or Ana Karen Allende, add their own flavor, while the gallery’s logo, “El gato Dedrita,” grins down at you with playful promise. Prices range from a humble lollipop to a whopping oil painting. It’s like walking into a treasure chest that purrs-every item’s an original, no copycats here!
Don’t miss the secretive “Gato Sombra,” a painting nestled in its own little niche. Legend has it, if you leave a handwritten wish, you just might find a bit of feline magic coming your way. Some say even the skeptics end up believing after a visit. And just when you think it’s all cats and cuddles, the gallery surprises you with exhibits from up-and-coming artists, often from the city’s Japanese community, like Fumiko Nakashima. Even if you don’t have a cat at home, by the time you leave, you’ll have caught a little bit of their charm. After all, Garros Galería is proof that in Mexico City, cats aren’t just pets-they’re a way of life!
