Retail merchants on Fourth Avenue are locking their doors and setting up shop online—and on social media—in an attempt to salvage sales lost after the Fourth Avenue Merchants Association canceled the 50th Annual Fourth Avenue Street Fair on March 13, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fred Ronstadt, executive director of FAMA, said he was at a loss when it became clear the spring street fair would need to be canceled. The street fair, held twice a year, accounts for nearly half of the association’s revenue to maintain the avenue, Ronstadt said. But more importantly, he knows how much street fair season means to Fourth Avenue merchants before going into triple-digit weather.

“It’s the revenue we use to take care of the avenue, pick up trash, clean the streets and market events,” Ronstadt said. “But it’s especially tough on the merchants. This is the revenue they need to get through summer.”

Help came in the form of a street fair volunteer for the Ironhorse neighborhood’s beer tent. Daniel Dempsey, owner of local start-up coManage, developed the Fourth Avenue Virtual Street Fair’s page.

“When we saw the event was cancelled, we saw there was no way to easily find the vendors, it was all in a PDF. So we decided to take the data and throw together a simple, static website,” Dempsey said. “This is not even close to what we do. We went from idea on that Thursday to done by Friday.”

The virtual street fair highlights all the booths that would have participated this year, with links to peruse and purchase their crafts. The page has received over 25,000 click-thrus in under a week of going live, said Ronstadt.

“It lists all the artists that would’ve been in the fair plus all of the merchants that would’ve had booths, as well,” Ronstadt said. “All the links and sales go directly to the artists.”

But the virtual street fair isn’t the only thing individual Fourth Avenue merchants have planned for Friday. Lizzie Mead, owner of Silver Sea Jewelry, and her crew are also taking matters into their own hands since closing up shop due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Right when they decided street fair was not going to be a go, I realized I was super overstretched and I’ve dumped all my money into products for street fair,” Mead said. “So, I just tried to come up with a solution.”

Silver Sea Jewelry is hosting Merm-Aid on Facebook Live, showcasing their handmade jewelry in the style of the Home Shopping Network for eight hours, starting at 11 a.m. Friday morning.

“We’ve had a lot of juice for our live sale already on Facebook and that’s been great,” Mead said. “The most important thing right now is my employees because they’re my best friends.”
Mead said she hopes her live-streaming sale will help her be able to give street fair bonuses to her employees in addition to their hourly rate, as that’s something she’s done since moving to Fourth Avenue 11 years ago.

“My feeling was let’s do this live sale and try to get (her employees) what they would’ve made at street fair,” Mead said. “The goal of this sale is to help them pocket more money to get them solid.”

For Mead, having street fair canceled is especially hard. Not only do those three days account for over two months of income, she said, the jewelry maker also has to start making her inventory months in advance. Mead said she hopes to be able to recoup the money she's already spent.

“The best thing I can do at this point is come up with a way to at least try to make up the prep-money I spent for street fair,” Mead said. “Not try to make the money I would have made. I would just like to make-up what I invested.”

The following statement has come out from Target CEO Brian Cornell regarding the company's COVID-19 response:

An Update on How We’re Supporting our Guests and Team, from CEO Brian Cornell

Every day, for weeks now, you’ve turned to Target to stock up on supplies as you cope with the impact of the coronavirus. As we all continue to adapt to the country’s fast-changing needs, we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to keep our stores open and support our team.

We've announced a couple of changes that will go into effect today and last until further notice.

We’ll reduce hours and close all stores by 9 p.m. daily. This will help us as we replenish and deeply clean our stores for our guests. And it builds on measures we shared earlier this month, including enhanced cleaning and more staffing for in-demand services that support social distancing, like Order Pickup and Drive Up.

An event celebrating a healthy lifestyle will return for the second year to two area farmer's markets this November.

The Heirloom Farmers Markets’ second annual Healthy Living Expo will take place at the Green Valley Village Farmers & Artisans Market (101 S. La Cañada Dr., Green Valley) on Wednesday, Nov.6, and Rillito Park Farmers Market (4502 N. 1st Ave.) on Sunday, Nov. 10.

Both events start at 9 a.m. and will go on until 1 p.m.

The mission of the event is to provide visitors access to fresh produce, demos by chefs, healthcare services and resources through community health partners. They will also be doing hourly giveaways and providing healthcare enrollment assistance.

Some of the special activities will include free clinics for diabetes checks, flu shots and mammogram Screenings. Clinic services will be provided on a first come, first come basis and are free.

For those interested in a mammogram screening, it is recommended to contact Assured Imaging at 1-888-233-6121 to make an appointment.

For more information on the Healthy Living Expo, contact the Heirloom Farmers Markets at 520-882-2157 or visit www.heirloomfm.org.

As cooler nights set in during the summer, the Mercado San Agustin Annex invites you to their Summer Night Market. Every last Friday of the month through September, the annex is turned into an open-air market with local makers and vendors.

Come for the live music from DJ Herm, grab some Japanese food from Kukai and browse some rescued potted cactus from DIRT shop.  This family-friendly event features Now or Never boutique store, Why I Love Where I Live and MESA shop, among many others.

When: Friday, August 30

6 – 10:00 p.m.

Where: MSA Annex

267 S Avenida del Convento

Next Night Market:

Friday, September 27

6 p.m. – 10 p.m.

On Saturday, May 25, 2019, Jellywink Boutique made its return to Tucson and celebrated with their "Grand Opening" event. 

Previously owned by Ally Booker, new-owner Erin Voss stepped in and has brought back the welcoming, inclusive vibe of this unique sex toy shop.

Those 18 and up can walk in and find educational books, attire and of course, sex toys!

Shop-owner Voss offers uplifting words and knowledge.

The store can be found on 416 E. 7th Street.

Choosing where you spend your money is kind of like casting a ballot every time you make a purchase. Yes, your dollars do make a difference; a difference that could mean life or death for many retail stores as we know them.

Opting out of a trip to the mall to shop online is nothing new, neither is the shifting of the retail scene, but the growing trend that favors FedEx over Forever 21, could mark the end of physical shopping experience: the 'retail apocalypse.'

"The difference this time is how much power consumers now have in affecting change through their choices and the feedback they're able to provide retailers online," said Sabrina Helm, a UA associate professor in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

Helm and her colleagues decided to survey over 400 consumers about their shopping habits and perceptions of today's retail environment. They also "analyzed over 1,600 comments made on online news articles written about store closures or the evolving retail environment," according to the press release.

The results were published in the Journal of Retailing and Customer Services Navigating the 'retail apocalypse': A framework of consumer evaluations of the new retail landscape.

According to the press release, respondents who preferred online shopping report not liking poor customer service, long lines, and items being out of stock. Some even admit that they avoid the social interaction.

On the other hand, some like shopping in stores for the social experience that they like to share with family and friends. Some even like interacting with strangers, unlike their online shopping opposites. "Others even said that shopping was important to their physical health, as it was their primary source of exercise," the press release reported. 

"There's a sense that brick-and-mortar stores are part of the social fabric of our society. If they disappear, many are concerned about the economy and what this will do for jobs and revenue for communities. Many people also said stores were vital to their quality of life. There are also fears that come from the closure of store spaces: What happens with all that empty space? Is crime going to increase because now we have all these empty areas? Crime rate was also a concern with regard to increased online shopping: Are there going to be more home invasions because there are all these packages on door fronts?" Helm wrote. 

The study concluded that closing all retail would be bad for society; so really, when it comes to the fate of our society as consumers, have more power than ever.

The Tucson Woman's Club will feature a sale of crafted miniatures from across the country including exhibits of miniatures, silent auctions, raffles and project workshops for children.

The showcase is sponsored by The Mini Time Machine League, a committee of the Mini Time Machine, Inc. and the Southern Arizona Miniature Enthusiasts social club. All the proceeds from the show will go towards The Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures.   

The Pima Animal Care Center in partnership with Friends of the PACC nonprofit has opened a pet supply store in the lobby of PACC.

The store, named “Central Pet: Adopt. Shop. Give,” sells treats, bones, food, leashes, collars and everything else your new pet might need.

The shop's prices are competitive with other pet shops in the area, and the best part is that 50 percent of the profits will go towards Friends of the PACC, a nonprofit partner of PACC that is dedicated to saving animals lives and helping find them loving homes.

PACC is the largest animal adoption agency in Southern Arizona, caring for 17,000 animals each year.

Whether you're buying for your newly adopted pet or your longtime friend, your purchase will benefit the animals at PACC; better yet, buy a treat for your pet and one for a PACC animal.

For the second year in a row, the Mercado Flea Market located near Mercado San Agustin and the Mercado Annex, will be vending a wide variety of vintage and antique items.

Check out a sizable selection of vintage items up for grabs including furniture, collectibles, clothing and more.

The Mercado Flea market will be running on the second Sunday of each month from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m and the market will be open to the public on Sunday, Sept. 9 through May, 2019 at 100 South Avenida del Convento.

If interested in being a vendor, visit the Mercado District website for more information.

Another Fourth Avenue bummer: Ordinary Bike Shop, a regular contender in Best of Tucson™, is shuttering its doors. From the bike store's Facebook page:

I want to thank the Tucson community for the opportunity to serve your bicycle needs over the past 24 years. I am beyond grateful to personally have served the downtown/4th Ave area for more than a decade, and will cherish the experiences and relationships made along the way.

It is my duty, with a heavy heart, to announce Ordinary Bike Shop will be closing its physical retail location next week, and will lock the doors at 6pm on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Until then, my staff and I will still be happy to repair your bike, answer any questions, give bike advice, and will have discounts on all remaining inventory until our last day. Feel free to come by during business hours, or shoot an email to [email protected].

Sincerely,
David and the OBS Crew

*Deposits and gift cards will be eligible for refund (excluding any promotional cards, raffle prizes, etc).

*Any special orders will be cancelled, unless previously arranged.

*Any repairs left past 7/26/18 will be held for 10 days.

*ALL SALES FINAL.