The March Get Your PHX with “F.U.N” story telling is a first for us, and we are pretty excited to bring it to you.

But, first, let’s get this out of the way. “F.U.N” is an acronym that we can’t really spell out on a G-rated website. It stands for f***-Up Nights. (Go ask your parents to explain.)

“F.U.N.” Phoenix, made its debut October 13 (The International Day For Failure). It is part of a global movement where stories of failed business and projects are told, questioned and celebrated. “F.U.N.” began in Mexico City in September 2012, and now as many as 200 cities in 70 countries participate in sharing the failure.

It has become an event where entrepreneurs, soon-to-be “f***-upreneurs” and others gather to listen to three or four stories about failure. It is something between a party and a casual business conference. The purpose of the event is to break free from the stigmas surrounding failure and to see it as a positive step everyone must overcome on the road to success. Especially since the majority of professionals don’t create the project of the year in their first attempt. Moreover, we can learn more from stories of failure than from stories of success.

We ask you to sign up for this even for a free “ticket” via this link, so we can have a reliable RSVP list. Watch for updates on our Facebook event page.

Where: Trunk Space. 1124 n 3rd st, Phoenix, Arizona 85004
When: March 23rd starting at 5:30.

The February Get Your PHX at the Dressing Room as been a long time coming. monOrchid owner, Wayne Rainey, has been dreaming of turning this structure in to a micro restaurant for years. After lots of hard work and a few set-backs, he’s finally done it.

Of course, it would not be what it is without the people behind the restaurant itself. You will have a chance to meet Kyu Otsunomiya and Troy Watkins, the brains behind the venture. The two have been friends for 20 years and have worked some of the top restaurants and hotels in the world. They will tell us how they used Kickstarter to launch the Dressing room, and their vision for the future.

The Dressing Room is designed to serve “Global Street Food” from a Micro Restaurant that also has a respectable craft cocktail list, wine & beer. The will be a full service, fast causal restaurant.  

They have also activated the back alley to include a 40 seat patio, designed around a full grown Native Mesquite Tree and a converted construction dumpster, which had been turned into a full fledged prep kitchen.

So, there you go: adaptive reuse.

They will be open Mon – Thurs:11am to 11pm; Fri – Sat: 11am – Midnight & Sun – 11am to 10pm. They will also have a happy hour every day (Half-off all specialty drinks, beer & wine from 11am to 6pm).

So, there you go: day drinking on Sundays!

The dressing room has a storied history, in case you don’t know. Decades ago there was a bar where the apartment building is now next door. You may have known that building at Greenhaus boutique. That bar had an original piece of art on the wall by Ettore DeGrazia, which was destroyed when the developer put up the apartments. (tisk, tisk).

Anyway, when that building was a bar, local drag artists would put on shows for adoring crowds. Because the bar was so small, the performers had to go to the little structure across the dark alley to get ready to go on, then scoot back in time for their next performance. It was their dressing room.

The current owners have kept the name in honor of the performers. At a time when downtown Phoenix was a little dangerous and in an era when performing in drag could put you in real danger (even more than today), these artists really put themselves out there for their craft.

When: February 16th at 5:30 pm
Where: 220 East Roosevelt.
Sign up at this link to reserve your spot.

Our January Get Your PHX will be at JoBot….the reincarnated Jobot, that is.

And we want to take this opportunity to start a conversation with you about how you see the future of Roosevelt Row.

When Jobot announced that they were closing their doors on 5^th and Roosevelt Streets, I think we can agree that a shock a shock ran through our downtown community. It wasn’t just that we were losing another local business, or that 5^th Street was changing faster than we were ready for. No, it was that we felt the fate of the Roosevelt Row’s future was sealed because a giant had been brought down.

For many, Jobot represented a haven. Stories flooded the comments section of owner John Sagasta’s post about when they first came to Jobot. How it was the only place they felt they fit and that it represented a community of artists, welcomed resident ‘derelicts’ and changemakers alike… it was the hub for people who love Phoenix and are Roosevelt Row lifers, for better or worse.

The future seemed grim indeed…

But the storm has now cleared and Jobot has made a triumphant return. Now in its new location at the 3^rd Street split inside the Roosevelt Point high-rise, John Sagasta and his crew have retained the feel of Jobot in the industrial space with high-ceiling space. Behind the counter is an enormous art piece of the view from the patio of the former location taken from a photo by a fan. The new patio features the tilted red and white striped umbrellas we all know to be a Jobot exclusive.

The new location at the corner of a row of retailers inside Roosevelt Point’s ground level is also triumphant. The longtime success of Roosevelt Row is arguably due to the funky uniqueness created by the galleries, restaurants, bars, bike shops, tattoo shops, etc. In a word it has been the businesses that have created the community and will keep the community thriving.

So raise your pint with us this month as we congratulate John Sagasta and toast to their long future on RoRo!

When: Thursday, January 19^th from 5:30-7:30PM
Where: Jobot: 333 E. Roosevelt St.
Details: Free raffle ticket for each attendee, more to be announced!
RSVP: Click here and see our Facebook invite here.

You are not going to want to miss this month’s Get Your PHX event. I know many of you have been watching the FOUND:RE, downtown’s newly-opened boutique lifestyle hotel, being built over the last couple years, right along side the second phase of Portland on the Park.

The old hotel stood for years in disrepair and developer Tim Sprague has put together a concept that is perfect for the urban art core that we’ve been working toward for decades in Phoenix. Found:re makes art its core mission, from original art in every room to the way the beds, lights and room dividers are constructed.

Almost everything you see is locally-sourced and locally made. We are not going to publish pictures here of the rooms because you have to see these yourself to believe it.

We will get a tour of the rooms, a suite, the conference facilities, the new restaurant Match, the the pool-side lounge. Each of these features original art that is curated by Mike Oleskow, in constant rotation. You won’t see chintzy paintings of the ocean, still hanging around from the 1960s, passing as artwork. You will see original art from local artists, some of whom also work in the hotel. In fact, most of the art that you see on the walls is also for sale; either in original form or as prints that you can see hung in the guest rooms.

The hotel’s restaurant, MATCH Cuisine & Cocktails, offers Executive Chef Akos Szabos’ take on shareable plates with an international twist, and a creative, thoughtful bar program.

I had a chance to eat at Match during a soft opening a few weeks ago. The food was amazing and beautifully presented. We were told during our tour that Match is going to start hosting Sunday brunches, which I’m particularly excited about since I’ll be able to walk there from my home.

So, this month, you are going to get a very exclusive tour (yes, we are capping attendance at this event at 100 participants) of the hotel, the rooms and the facilities. You will hear from Tim Sprague personally about his vision and the road he traveled to make this a reality. You will get to meet the art curator, Mike Oleskow and you will get to taste samples of the restaurants new menu.

You can’t just drop in on this one. We need you to sign up through our Google spreadsheet because attendance is limited on this one!

Please sign up at this free ticket link.

What: Get Your PHX at the The FOUND:RE
When: November 17th at 5:30 to about 7:30
Where: 1100 N Central in Phoenix
Facebook Invite Page

From time to time, we get the chance to tour something really special. Something that very few people get to see. Such is the case with the October Get Your PHX. On October 20th we will be at the ASU Collaboratory at the Westward Ho.

But if that were not enough, we have an extra special treat. We will follow that guided tour with a visit to the much-anticipated SoSoBa noodle shop on Roosevelt and 2nd Ave.

First, the first part of our tour.

We all know the iconic former resort at Central and McKinley. For several decades the Westward Ho was THE premium resort in Phoenix, and was the site of visits from former presidents, stars of stage and screen, and countless tourists.

For so many years its been off limits –a closed-up like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory in our city core.

That’s because its been a home for about 300 low income elderly residents for decades and the staff have been been particularly guarded of their privacy.

As a result, the many space and rooms on the ground floor have been off limits to the general public.

But now that is changing, with a unique collaboration with ASU and Cathedral Development Group, the company that holds the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contract to house its residents. There is about 15,000 square feet of clinic, office space and event space at the bottom of the Westward Ho, situated such as not to disturb the tenants.

We will get a tour from Michael Shafer, director of the ASU Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy in the College of Public Service and Community Solutions. The new clinic and space will give tenants access to health care which staff hopes will improve their quality of life, allow ASU students hands-on experience and reduce the large number of 911 calls that have plagued the building.

This property uplift was collaboration costing ASU and Cathedral about $16 million, including plumbing, appliance and energy efficiency upgrades in each unit.

Then, after we’ve toured the Collaboratory, we will mosey up to SoSoBa, on Roosevelt, where owner Tyler Christensen will have some specials and menu samples for us.

If you’ve never heard of SoSoBa, you are going to be glad you join us this month. I’m a fan of the one in Flagstaff and I’m excited to have one down the street from my home here in Phoenix.

Of the inspiration for SoSoBa, Christensen says this is, “not the standard ‘traditional’ ramen shop. This is a full-service restaurant serving uniquely inspired noodle dishes, craft cocktails, beer, wine, and sake.”

“There is no such thing as traditional ramen. There is, however, regional styles of Ramen depending on where and by whom it is made.  Each ‘prefecture‘ in Japan has their own unique and delicious style of Ramen.  Even within a prefecture, there are vendor-specific interpretations of regional Ramen dishes.”

So, this gives Christensen license to innovate and explore new things.

He has reserved the entire outdoor patio for us, which is a special treat in the perfect October Phoenix weather.

I can’t wait!

———

When: Oct 20th at 5:30.
Where: ASU Collaboratory.
Central and Fillmore.
More: We will move to Sosoba at about 6:30 for treats, etc.
Please note that you will probably want to park on the street or paid lot on the east side of Central.
Please get your free ticket here.

Applications for Phoestivus Vendors are now being accepted. It seems like every year the slots are gone in a week or so, then somebody comes to us in late November wondering why they can’t be a vendor.

Yep. Its a popular event, so please share this with your friends who’ve always wanted to sell their locally-made goods at Phoestivus.

Phoestivus at the Phoenix Public Market will be returning once again for two fun evenings of holiday cheer on Thursday, December 8 and 15, 2016 from 5:00 pm to 10:00 pm.

Shop local at Phoestivus this Holiday Season when selecting holiday gifts or preparing holiday meals! Attendees will have the opportunity to shop over 130 local vendors, showcasing a unique variety of locally grown, produced and prepared foods as well as hand-crafted gift items, jewelry and holiday decorations made by local artisans.

Interested in being a vendor? APPLY HERE

Applicants will be notified by October 15th.

Until then, please be patient to hear back from us.

The event is hosted by Get Your PHX and the Phoenix Public Market, a program of Community Food Connections. This is an all ages event. As always we offer free parking just north of our market. Bike on over or hop on the light rail, accessible via the Roosevelt light rail stop.  Find us on facebook or instagram to stay up to date on who is coming to Phoestivus!

There is a new coffee shop on Central, which aims to be a little more, er, well, grand than the average java house, Grand Central Coffee Company.

With decor reminiscent of an old Victorian train station —when times were slower, more polite and refined— Grand Central Coffee Company is owner Steven Rogers’ answer to the present day impersonal dystopia created by the Internet.

Rogers has designed, built, and operated clubs and restaurants in several countries during his 40 year career.  He worked with many of the vanguards of New York City culture during the 70s and 80s before his arrival in Phoenix. Locally, he is responsible for a dozen establishments, most notably the Works and Amsterdam.

Because Grand Central Coffee Company used to be a number of bars (remember when Amsterdam was the only hopping place downtown at night?), the staff has a huge pallet to work from. The staff, Jeffrey Lazos-Ferns, Juli Myers and Chef Marissa Delgado are constantly experimenting with liquors, brews, bitters, coffee beans, teas, and food.

Rogers’ goal is to create a space that is accessible to the community for many uses.  Grand Central Coffee Company is a coffee shop, bistro, bar, and market surrounded by spaces both open and intimate, including extensive patio areas. This is a space to meet with friends, have an impromptu business meeting, or just hang out.

The station was always open, moments away from a light rail stop. It is a place to start or place to end up. In the spirit of the grand dame of train stations, Grand Central, this could be a place for those going nowhere just to be somewhere.

At this coming Get Your PHX, meet the staff, hear about his vision, taste some samples and have a cool drink in the waning days of summer.

We have another world premier movie at the August Get Your PHX.

NOTE: We are starting this event later than our usual events. We will start this event at 7:30.

A few months ago, we highlighted a local filmmaker, Matty Steinkamp, and a the documentary that he has produced called Play, The Documentary.

So, naturally, we called dibs on hosting one of his two upcoming premiers for the August Get Your PHX event on the 18th. Since seating is limited, we are asking you to buy your tickets right away.

Play The Documentary is a  film created in hopes of inspiring more people to play music. The documentary was shot in locations all over the US, in addition to captivating footage from Ireland, over the course of two years and features over 40 musicians each playing their particular instrument and discussing their perception of the personal impact of playing music.  The film also touches on US budget cuts to music education in recent years and what is being done to combat the cuts. In particular, the film delves into the work of game-changing national nonprofit Little Kids Rock program.

First time filmmaker Matty Steinkamp is excited to see the impact the film is having locally and looks forward to seeing similar impact in other cities across the US.  Steinkamp says, “I want to help create a positive change in my community, and throughout the world if possible. This film, I hope can achieve that change.”

The screenings will help raise funds for Arizona School of the Arts and there will be a silent auction with proceeds directly benefiting Phoenix-based music and arts programs.  Tickets for the screenings are $12 and are on sale now.

What: August Get Your PHX
When: August 18th, 2016 at 7:30pm
Where: FilmBar at 815 N 2nd St., Phoenix
Tickets: Please purchase your tickets directly from FilmBar for this one.

You’ve probably seen the north east corner of Camelback and Central transforming, with new restaurants, and such.

But have you noticed the changes on the west side of the street, as more businesses move in?

Modern home décor shop For the People just snagged a spot there, along with local favorites like Stinkweeds, Frances, Practical Art, the Upwards Project Concepts, Curious Nature Shop and Cowtown Skateboards. The new shop offers functional home furnishings and unique one-of-a-kind pieces.

Rows of handmade products line walls and tables and is just enough to make even the most experienced window shopper step inside for a purchase. Pillows, photography, jewelry, and mid-century style furniture are neatly grouped together and there’s even an interesting reading area near the back of the store.

For the People first launched their small business at the Union inside the Biltmore Fashion Park in 2012. Although the 500 sq. ft. space gave owners Shawn Silberblatt and Chad Campbell a great start, their new space offers 2500 sq. ft, which is a massive upgrade that opens the door for more local artists and collections.

“I think we went from about 13 [local artists] at our old space to about 20, or 21, and that’s just in a month,” boasts Campbell.

Shawn and Chad feel right at home in their new space, which is centered on community, walkability and local with neighboring businesses that have helped to transform the once abandoned area into a flourishing destination.

Says Campbell, “We didn’t think a bike rack would be one of the first things we would need to have, but we need a bike rack. You don’t realize how neighborly this area is until you’re actually here every day.”

Step inside the newest creative space to hit downtown Phoenix this month! As always, sign up below.

Date: Thursday, July 21st
Time: 5:30PM – 7:30PM
Location: For the People: 5102 North Central Avenue
RSVP HERE

Look for us on Facebook here.

The June Get Your PHX at Tuft & Needle is just a few weeks away. I’m excited to tour an actual manufacturing facility in downtown Phoenix –in an era when manufacturing seems to happen only in other countries.

Tuft & Needle has just moved into the historic O.S. Stapley building on Grand Avenue and Get Your PHX will be one of the first to take a look inside and tour the new headquarters.

Daehee Park and JT Marino met in college and were hired at the same startup company in Silicon Valley. The two were working long hours, barely seeing their families and yet even with all of their time and effort, the business was barely eking by.

“We worked more hours per week than what seemed humanly possible. One colleague joked that we were “burning vats of midnight oil”—and this was a boast, not a complaint,” says Park & Marino.

Amid exhaustion and striving for success at work, JT and his wife began shopping for their first piece of furniture together – a new mattress. Pushy salesmen, unnecessary upgrades and a $3,300 mattress later, the newlyweds were stuck with an uncomfortable mattress they couldn’t even return. JT along Daehee decided to do something about it and in 2012 they launched Tuft & Needle.

Since then, T&N has grown into one of the most successful businesses in the market. In just nearly four years they’ve grown their initial investment of $6,000 to over $100 million in revenue while employing over 100 people.

The decision to move their headquarters to Phoenix was not only an easy choice, but also one that has helped their company continue to reach new goals. From the cost of living to business climate, Park and Marino have found Phoenix and its residents the perfect place to raise a business.

“… It’s been our experience that people here want to build careers and businesses—not resumes. They aren’t hopscotching around, waiting for the latest startup to close a round so they can go off and join the next big thing. No, they’re committed: When equity vests, it’s not time to leave. It’s time to continue to make that equity worth something. They’re fighters, and they’re in it for the long haul. If you’re a founder, you can’t put a price on that kind of loyalty.”

Join Get Your PHX and Local First Arizona for tours inside Tuft & Needle’s new space! As always, please RSVP below.

Date: Thursday, June 23^rd
Time: 6:00PM – 8:00PM*
Location: 735 Grand Ave., 85007
RSVP Here
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