Thursday, June 14, 2018
Revolutionary Grounds Coffee and Books, the small storefront on Fourth Avenue near the corner of Fifth Street, is closing its doors for good on Sunday, June 17. But a revival may be on the horizon.
Usually invisible to the average tourist, the store’s red brick walls housed a vibrant local community for the past decade. The place has a collection of leftist and progressive books that are sourced and sold by the owners, Joy Soler and her husband, attorney Paul Gattone.
You can find paperbacks about Marxism, sustainable food sourcing, feminist memoirs, the Civil Rights Movement and much more stacked on the shelves, adjacent to a comfy seating arrangement with faces of famous activists accenting the wooden tables.
Soler received a letter earlier this month from her landlord, Andy Fried, announcing that their rent has been increased, again. The monthly bill has risen to a point where her family can no longer afford it.
“Our landlord sent a letter saying that he had increased [the rent] back in January and we hadn’t been paying it, but he never told us he increased it back in January.” Soler said.
The letter Fried also said he will be increasing the rent again this month, and he expects back rent to be paid from January through May on top of this increased price.
“He wants us out, so he told us if we leave by the 30th he’ll forgive one month’s rent,” she said.
Soler and Gattone have spent the last decade building up their business at 606 N. Fourth Ave. She told me they have been paying on a month-to-month basis, and although Fried has been slowly raising the rent in the last couple of years, it has never been this drastic until now.
Fried, who also owns the connected buildings where Tallboys and Myztic Rootz are located, told the Weekly he increased the rent because Pima County increased the value of the property, and therefore his property tax.
Records from the Pima County Treasurer’s Office showed the property tax was $8,636 in 2017, compared to $7,856 in 2013.
Soler’s regular customers are understandably upset about this news, which she announced through the store’s Facebook page a few weeks ago. Revolutionary Grounds hosts a lot of niche community events and outreach activities that can’t be found elsewhere.
“A lot of people feel like [Revolutionary Grounds] is a safe space on the Avenue for folks who don’t have many safe spaces to go to,” she said.
Tags: Fourth Avenue , Revolutionary Grounds , The Rent Is Too Damn High , Tucson , Downtown , Image
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Bashas Supermarkets, the only grocery store in Tucson selling Paczkis, is donating 10 percent of the money from all sales of the fruity Polish pastries that are synonymous with Fat Tuesday and the Lenten season to The Society of St. Vincent de Paul—so gorge yourself silly on the delicacies for a good cause.
The pastries, which traditionally would be gobbled up by Polish families, are designed to use up all of the fat, sugar, eggs and fruit in the house (all of which were banned during Lenten season). The result: Sweet donuts with fruity custard filling.
You can pick up a half-dozen Paczkis for only $2.99, or buy them individually for 75 cents—though the deal is a Fat Tuesday-only offer.
Visit Bashas' Facebook page for more information.
Tags: Bashas , Fat Tuesday , Paczki , The Society of St. Vincent De Paul , Tucson , Food , Lenten , Image
Thursday, September 21, 2017
What do you get when you cross the UA career service center with JCPenney? For UA students with valid IDs, it’s some serious savings in the form of a 40 percent discount at a Suit Up event this Sunday, Sept. 24 from 6:30 to 10 p.m.
For guys, that means the opportunity to pick up a Stafford suit jacket and pants, and two each of shirts, ties, belts and shoes for under 200 bucks. For the ladies, a Worthington suit jacket, skirt, shirt and shoes will be under $80.
UA faculty, staff and alumni, along with JCPenney team members, will also be standing by with tips and tricks on what to wear to a job interview and even how to tie a tie.
The event will take place at the El Con Shopping Center JCPenney at 3501 E. Broadway after the store closes, so job seekers’ needs will be the only thing on the agenda for the evening. CatTran will be available to shuttle over interested students from 6:15 to 9 p.m.
Tags: jcpenney , ua , University of Arizona , Suit Up , suits , discounts savings , wildcats , bear down , bear down into the job market
Thursday, March 23, 2017
Isabella's Ice Cream (210 N. Fourth Ave.)
UA alumni Dominic and Kristel Johnson created Isabella’s in
“I love how many people walk in and discover it,” Kristel says of Isabella’s. “We’ve been here a few months so everyone is starting to figure out where the shop is now.”
Kristel has nothing but rave reviews for the area. It was her idea, after all, to move Isabella’s manufacturing to Fourth.
“It’s been wonderful,” Kristel says of the neighborhood. “We love the location and the people are super friendly.”
Kristel prepares the treats in the back of the shop and tries to locally source all of her ingredients. Isabella’s uses cream and milk only from Arizona.
“Everything is fresh, natural, and pure,” Kristel says.
In addition to their ice creams and vegan sorbets, Isabella’s offers ice cream tacos, milkshakes, sundaes, popsicles and Belgian chocolate bonbons. If you’re the indecisive or overindulgent type, it is highly recommended that you try one of each. This selection will be available in-store the entire weekend.
And another menu item that’s sure to be a hit among Street Fairgoers? The ever-so-scrumptious fro-nut. Since its recent introduction, this doughnut ice cream sandwich has become a customer favorite. The Johnsons will be serving fro-nuts and cookie ice cream sandwiches from their vintage ice cream truck this weekend.
Mabel’s on 4th (419 N. Fourth Ave.)
After you’ve gotten your ice cream fix, come visit Mabel’s on 4th. This kitchen boutique opened in November 2016 and sells decor,
“We don’t have any serious kitchen stuff like pots and pans and cutlery,” owner Nicole Carrillo says. “We only carry fun stuff.”
The pair relocated from Savannah, Georgia where Nicole’s husband, Johnny, served in the Marine Corps. Nicole believes Tucson, specifically the Fourth Avenue area, is a “perfect fit” for Mabel’s and appreciates the friendliness of her customers.
“Everybody is so welcoming and kind,” Nicole says. “We decided the day we visited that we were going to move here.”
Johnny designs all of the LOL tea towels, including textiles supporting each branch of the military. Mabel’s will be offering 20 new towel patterns at Mabel’s booth this weekend only.
“Our booth will be nothing but all these fun tea towels,” Nicole says. “You’re sure to find something for everyone.”
Nicole says Mabel’s products appeal to all kinds of people, from grandparents to drinking friends.
A great gift for the latter group? A beer bottle or wine glass-shaped cookie cutter. Other quirky cookie cutter options include a bikini top, baseball
Tags: Tucson , Fourth Avenue Spring Street Fair , Ice Cream , Shopping , Kitchen
Monday, January 30, 2017
Redbubble is an online marketplace that sells art designs from more than 400,000 independent artists. This artwork can be placed on your pick of clothing, phone cases, stickers, wall art, home decoration, stationery and bags for a relatively low price. With as many options as you have for artists, it is near impossible to not leave the site with items emptied from your shopping cart and on their way to your home.
My last order from Redbubble consisted of 10 laptop case stickers that encompass the essence of my personality and interests perfectly, and the entire order was only $15.66. The best part of the order, being so incredibly busy as many of us are, was that it took me approximately 20 minutes maximum to find all these unique designs and consequently fall in love with them. They were delivered in both a protective and aesthetically-pleasing envelope.
I can personally vouch for these stickers' high quality, too. My laptop has now ventured to school, home, work and a friend's apartment for about a week now with these new bad boys and I have noticed they seem to be scratch-resistant and won't be peeling
Personalize that phone case, laptop case, reusable water bottle or anything else your heart desires with this company. I'll definitely be a returning customer.
Tags: Redbubble , stickers , art , artists , online , personalization , creative
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
As the spring semester started to roll in, I figured a good way to stay sane through the 14 weeks of stress and pulling my hair out would be to purchase a Himalayan salt lamp.
I’ve heard from my peers that salt lamps have many natural benefits to staying calm, cool, and somewhat collected.
According to Natural Living Ideas' "10 Reasons To Have A Himalayan Salt Lamp In Every Room Of Your Home," the environmentally friendly lamps cleanse and deodorize the air, reduce allergy and asthma symptoms, ease coughing, increase energy, neutralize electromagnetic radiation, give you a better sleep, improve your mood, and treat seasonal affective disorder. What more could a student ask for?
Ever since I was in high school, I’ve felt anxious for no reason at all. When I entered college, the anxiety got worse with the build up on my daily responsibilities and stress, which in turn lead to sleepless night, never being able to clear my mind, and feeling I couldn’t breathe.
I know I’m not the only one whose had this never-ending feeling, so I did some research on ways to help me keep my head above the water. I’ve resorted to yoga, aromatherapy, and currently have an obsession with candles. I know it sounds a bit odd, but I personally feel like these changes in my life have helped my anxiety, lifted my mood and has lead to better performance in my everyday studies.
Just as I was scrolling through my daily Tasty cooking videos on Facebook, I came across a video advertising these lamps. It told me everything I wanted to hear.
I looked into some lamps on the cheaper side of the cost spectrum, only to find out that there was a recall on the product reported this month.
According to USAToday, Michael’s recalled 80,000 lamps because customers complained the dimmer switch and outlet plug overheated.
80,000? That is a lot of lamps that clearly didn’t work for customers and enough to let me know the purchase isn’t worth it. Also, environmentally friendly? Sure, the base of the lamps are made of wood, but I think causing fires in people’s homes cancels that out. I’ll be sure to check that off my list of products not to buy.
Now that I’m thinking about the lamps as a whole, how would I really know if this lamp is working and how would I know if it’s just a placebo effect? If I think it’s working, then it’s working, but if I’m still extremely stressed and have reckless sleeping nights, my poor bank account will haunt me forever.
So, thank you U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for keeping me safe and saving me from wasting about $50.
Tags: shopping , salt , lamps , salt lamps , Himalayan , rant , recall , safety , fire , anxiety
Friday, April 29, 2016
This year, though, MSA’s spring market fest has a little something special for the food crowd too. The Seed + Feed culinary showcase will add an extra layer to the all-local event with food-centric panels and demos. On Saturday, April 30, Gary Nabhan of Native Seeds/SEARCH and the newly-founded UA Center for Regional Food Studies will present on the city’s new UNESCO City of Gastronomy designation beginning at 1 p.m. The following day, beginning at 11 a.m., Don Guerra of Barrio Bread will lead a “Seed to Bread” workshop.
The full Spring Bazaar takes place Saturday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information on this and other Mercado San Agustin events, visit the Mercado's website.
Tags: mercado san agustin , spring bazaar , tucson , artisan , market , local , shopping , events , barrio bread , gary nabhan , unesco , Image
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
Have next Monday off? Well, it's time to lace up your walkin' shoes because Saguaro National Park is waiving entrance fees for MLK Day.
That sounds nice on its own, but those looking to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in a more community-service driven way will also have their moment:
The park is seeking volunteers to help us pick up trash and litter along S. Freeman Road and S. Old Spanish Trail. This service event will be taking place on Monday, Jan. 18 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday. Tools, equipment, and protective wear will be provided to volunteers. Please come prepared wearing long pants, sun-screen, hats, and close-toed shoes, with personal snacks and a bottle of water. Additional water will be available for refilling bottles. Parking is available.But wait, there's more!
To sign up for this day of service, please email or call the park’s Centennial Volunteer Ambassador, Corina Yeh, at [email protected] or 733-8603 by Jan. 15.
In addition to this volunteer project, the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona will also be joining park staff in a service event removing invasive buffelgrass from park lands.
Tags: MLK Day tucson , national parks arizona , tucson desert , sonoran desert , go outside , support national parks , saguaro national park
Monday, December 21, 2015
Whether you're looking for hand-crafted jewelry, Hopi katsinas or Zuni fetishes, Bahti Indian Arts is the place to shop. In business for more than six decades, Bahti is located at 4330 N. Campbell Ave in St. Philip's Plaza. Or check them out online.
Friday, December 18, 2015
You'll find a wide range of toys, puzzles, clothes, legos, books, games and so much more at Kid's Center. Just walking it will make you feel like a kid again. Stop by the shop, 1725 N. Swan Road, to pick something up for someone you love or to make a last-minute donation to one of the toy drives around town. Check them out online here.
