The Future of Philly DIY is in the Kitchen

House venues are a testament to how much music means to people. Opening your living space up to the public and hosting bands from other cities is not a small undertaking; much responsibility and commitment are involved. Despite all this, DIY concerts have been a staple of the Philadelphia music scene for years, and a certain duo is currently making (sound) waves loud enough to be heard from surrounding cities with their work at a house venue called Minimart.

Founded in late 2023, Minimart is now run by roommates Nati Botero and Julia Cooke, who have collaboratively booked some of the hottest alternative rock bands in the region, such as 22° Halo, Fib, A Country Western, @, They Are Gutting A Body of Water, and Bleary Eyed. Some of these shows have generated lines of people down the block, praying that the house doesn’t cap before they reach the door.

“It’s so hard whenever you have to say no to friends who come, I had to do that with the Good Flying Birds show… it was just a matter of safety and the sustainability of this house,” Botero explained.

House venues commonly stage shows in their basement, but the Minimart building is a one-of-a-kind setup that feels destined to host concerts. Upon entering, attendees are met with a difficult choice: enter the living room equipped with a pool table and couches, walk straight into the spacious kitchen where the band plays, or take the stairs up to a literal balcony overlooking the concert. Through the kitchen lies a beautiful backyard with trees and benches, allowing for even more folks to attend the shows, and listen from outside. If this layout sounds familiar, you have probably been here before, as this specific house has a rich history of throwing shows.

“There’s a picture on Facebook of somebody like, holding somebody up from their shoulders, walking on [the under-side of the balcony],” Cooke said. “I think everyone was a little more wild in those days.”

While neither Botero or Cooke have been in Philadelphia for that long, they state the house’s history as a huge inspiration for how they run Minimart. Both women have done stints in show houses before — Botero at The Firehouse in Worcester, Mass., and Cooke at Peas and Carrots in College Park, Md. — but the scene in Philly won them over.

“Philly has been such a special place to me, I’ve lived at a house venue before but… it didn’t feel like anything long term and this feels like I could be here a while,” Botero, originally from Miami, said. “Minimart, as a place to live, materialized very soon before I moved here. I was just hanging out here, and [Botero] came over in the same outfit as me; I was like ‘Who the hell are you in my house right now?’ She got her hair cut upstairs… she dressed exactly like me, she must be cool.” They both laughed.

After growing up in Baltimore and engaging with its hardcore scene, Cooke was introduced to a bunch of Philly-based bands and thought, “all these bands that I like are from Philly…why are they all from Philly?” and moved immediately after finishing college. “I think it’s the best scene in the world,” she claimed.

Aside from curating top-tier bills, hospitality and safety are top priorities for Botero and Cooke. A strategy for controlling shows with bigger-name acts — such as TAGABOW or Greg Mendez — is to initially list a “special guest,” and announce the headliner on the day of the show. Capping popular shows, keeping people off the neighbor’s stoops, and watching the capacity of the balcony are aspects of the operation that are essential for maintaining the longevity of Minimart as a venue.

“I love doing this shit, I wanna keep doing this shit but there are certain responsibilities that come with it since you don’t have the support that other ‘real’ venues have,” Botero said.

It was clear that the duo were relishing the idea of Minimart being run by women, too.

“The dude houses are always like trashed… they’re messy, they smell bad, there’s always something like ‘oh, that’s the piss couch,’” Cooke joked. “I like being nasty; I wouldn’t live in a show house if I wasn’t a little nasty but, like, I try to clean the place.”

The goal to create a welcoming environment includes hosting touring bands as well. Many of their shows feature at least one band from out of town; Good Flying Birds from Indianapolis played Minimart in March of this year, Nashville’s Total Wife played in September 2025, and Aunt Katrina came from DC in early 2024, just to name a few.

Both Botero and Cooke hope to expand the range of genres that are represented at Minimart, while upholding the house’s reputation as a hub for heavier subgenres of rock.

“I feel like Philly has a lot of shoegaze and art rock bands… I do like that (type of music) a lot and that’s kind of what we’re known for… but I wanna bring in some completely different genres sometimes,” Cooke said.

On top of that, they plan to host art markets or even film screenings eventually. Many of Cooke’s paintings are already on display around the house.

When asked about personal highlights at the house, Botero responded with “any show where my friends have gotten to play here has been really special.”

Cooke reflected on getting the pool table for free, which inspired a few weeks of constant pool matches between the roommates.

“I played pool by myself when I first moved in here. I think when I first met Cooke, she was playing a game of pool against herself,” Botero said.

“And then obviously stage diving in my own kitchen… literally something that nobody ever gets to do. Definitely a highlight,” Cooke added.

With goals of taking their DIY events even farther, the Minimart folks as well as we at WXPN ask for your respect in keeping any sensitive details of this place private.

“I don’t wanna be rude… but this house has to be a venue. Throwing shows is important,” Cooke declared early in our conversation.

The ability to connect and interact with musicians, bookers, and like-minded individuals at house shows is unmatched, and the communities that form around them help make cities like Philadelphia such fertile grounds for amazing music. There is a good reason why shows have been thrown at this house for decades; Botero and Cooke hope to continue this tradition until the next generation moves in.