For our 4th Anniversary, we are celebrating the type of businesses that inspired us in the first place: small, locally owned by people putting it all on the line.

We love that!

We’ve all seen the many businesses going in at 7th Ave and McDowell. Unfortunately, so many of them are not locally owned and thus don’t contribute as much to our local economy.

This month, we celebrate these six businesses*, all on the Northeast corner of 7th Ave and McDowell aka, “The My Florist Plaza.”:

Boutique Solie – This is not a new introduction to many women downtown. Owner Beth Soliere is delivering something that many women downtown have been seeking for a long time: a unique fashion boutique. (I’m lobbying her to start a haberdashery so the guys can get in on the action.)
Community Florist – Shelli Walker is braving it in a very tough industry. But you begin to see the helpful coincidence that she is located next to a bridal salon, a beauty salon, a boutique.
Olivastro Oils – Specialty olive oils and aged balsamics are really coming in to their own in Arizona now and owners Aubrie and Shane West are right on top of it. It makes sense, as we have over 60 wineries in the state now. Its time to expand our repertoire of food pairings! You will get a chance to taste test some of these creations.
NYPD Pizza – NYPD Pizza has 11 locations around the valley and most folks don’t even know its a locally-owned restaurant. People swear by this pizza and we want to highlight that you have choices when you are craving that late night pizza. Why send your money out of state to those big multi-glomerates when you can get your pizza right here?
Salon D’ Shayn – Owner D’Lisa Shayn is getting gobs of attention for her award winning salon. This is a business that is definitely trending up. I’m not sure exactly what they do in there, but all my female friends love it and could probably tell you more.
Strut Bridal Salon – Like our other friends this month, Strut is offering Phoenicians choices. Owner Ann Campeau is taking a big risk on an intersection dominated by franchises. She remained open and survived all throughout the renovations and we want to acknowledge that strength.

Between now and January 24th watch for special offers, updates and announcements and then please join us to experience and say thanks to all the business owners who have taken such a personal risk to bring us things that we like, right in our neighborhood.

Date
Time
Location

*We would have included Vovo Mena on the Southeast corner, but we feared the excessive street crossing.

Thanks again to our host AND sponsor in February, Core Crossfit –in their new location at 9th St. and McKinley. Kim Flores and her team have created something truly unique in the neighborhood. It will drive revitalization and community health. I can’t encourage you enough to drop by and give them a try. You don’t have to be a beefcake to do Crossfit. This is a method of work that will help you build your core strength, which is crucial to over-all fitness, regardless of your age or current fitness level. 

This March, Get Your PHX is headed to Groove on Grand to celebrate the re-birth of Grand Ave. It’s a beautiful patio spot with music and a cold brew. 

Groove on Grand is a shared property with an art gallery facing Grand Avenue and behind it outside is an eclectic array of small cabins lining the back wall. The small shops are home to Red House Pub, Kustumz Hairshop, Grand Ol’ Optics, Muse Gallery Boutique, ib2 Chocolate, and even a coffee roaster. 

Some of you probably remember that these small cabins now occupied by businesses once served as German POW housing for soldiers during WWII.  Built in 1888, Grand Avenue was vital in connecting commuters to the West and even helped establish much of the West Valley as we know it today.

Post recession, we are seeing the artists starting to return and efforts to revitalize the area in a more sustainable way encouraged the formation of the Grand Avenue Merchants Association, or GAMA.

Owners Laurie and Tom Carmody fell in love with the look and feel of Phoenix early on and at some time or another have owned many recognizable locations in Downtown Phoenix. These include what are now Modified Arts Gallery, Made Art Boutique, Shine Coffee, Carly’s Bistro, Eye Lounge, Oasis on Grand, as well as currently owning Groove on Grand. They envision Grand Avenue growing as an integral piece to the arts district in Downtown Phoenix. 

Laurie and Tom wanted to activate the space by adding food and drinks and brought in Red House Pub, which opened its doors in October offering local brewery favorites and wine that continue to fill the patio every Tuesday through Saturday. 

There are plans to construct a useable kitchen in the main building facing Grand Avenue. Until then food trucks are welcome to park and feed the crowds. 

Join Get Your PHX + Local First Arizona March 20^th for a laid back hang-out with food, drinks and a great patio. Street parking is available along 11^th Ave. and along Grand Avenue, but we encourage everyone to take advantage of the new bike lanes too! 

Please RSVP here: March at Groove on Grand. There is sign up form posted so we can get a head count to provide enough food and drinks for everyone. And while we love having your support on Facebook, if you cannot make it, please leave that spot open for someone else. 

You can still find the event on Facebook. But, we’ve learned that you can’t trust the RSVP numbers on there.  

Here is the photo album for Groove on Grand, too.

Thanks again to Josh Parry of Side Bar for hosting our 5th Anniversary last month. We had a great time and a lot of great memories.

This month’s Get Your PHX will celebrate Core Crossfit in its new location because it represents the growth of a downtown business as well as adaptive re-use of a historic structure.

You may have heard that Core Crossfit is changing locations –but there’s no way they’re planning on leaving the Phoenix they call home. 

In the beginning, as owner Kim Flores and her team conducted exercises outdoors, huffing and puffing around the Garfield District, they began gaining popularity among youngsters in the area. 

When one young fan asked about the possibility of working out at the gym, Kim was inspired to create Kids@Core, a free fitness program for the Garfield neighborhood youth. 

Since then Core Crossfit has developed deep roots and feels connected to the neighborhood and Downtown PHX community. So when the time came to find a location with more space, they knew they weren’t going very far. 

Core Crossfit is moving from 7th St. to the historic church off of 9th St. and McKinley, just around the corner. In its former location will be Mother Bunch Brewing, owned and operated by Julie Meeker and her husband.

The church itself is a beautiful piece of history –established in 1928 as the First Missionary Church. Property owner, Richard Melikian, plays an active role in preserving historic Downtown Phoenix buildings like the McKinley church and has supported the idea of relocating the Crossfit Gym and Kids@Core to the spot since its inception. 

Renovations have been made to the interior of the church and along with the main gym, there’s plenty of new space for wellness professionals, physical therapists, nutrition experts, and even a yoga studio. The kitchen will remain intact to serve as an area for nutrition classes and to prepare healthy snacks for their Kids@Core members.

Check out the before and after photos on our Facebook album!

Come see the new digs Thursday, February 20th from 5:30p.m. – 7:30p.m. at their new location on the corner of 9th St. and McKinley.

Special thanks goes to our sponsor and host, Core Crossfit! 

Please RSVP here on Facebook –otherwise we might run out of food and drinks!

February, 2014 Get Your PHX
Core Crossfit
5:30 to about 7:30 or so.
9th Ave and McKinley. (Map It)

Thank you again to all of the people who made the 2013 Phoestivus Market great. Our sponsors, volunteers and planning committee were amazing, as usual. We raised over $7,000 for Community Food Connections. We are guessing that we had about 2,000 visitors the first night and somewhere over 3,000 the second night. I’m so proud of the work that this group does to promote community, create local shopping alternatives and support local business. On to next year!

I’m also very proud to announce the Get Your PHX 5th Anniversary Party. We started back in January of 2009 as an idea to just get people out to celebrate what we have in CenPho.

Take yourself back to January, 2009. Lehman Brothers had tanked, along with the economy, a few months before. Home prices dropped faster than Mile Cyrus’ clothes. People might have been inclined to hide at home and ride out the storm than come out and support locally-owned businesses.

I wanted to celebrate those people who put their time and savings on the line to create something new in Phoenix –a city that so many others around the country dismiss. I wanted to remind folks that these new businesses don’t stay unless we get out and patronize them.

Our first event started small –about 30 people. Since then, every month for 5 years (sixty, unbroken months), we have hosted an event. Some times we had 200 people. A couple times we had 10. But we were consistent.

From Get Your PHX came the Phoestivus Market. Over the years, we’ve split our time between new restaurants, bars, public spaces and just really cool things you should see. We’ve always tried to get their right when they open so you can be part of the energy. I think we’ve done okay.

Here’s the Big List of where we’ve been since January 2009, chronologically:

Side Bar, Hanny’s, The Brockway House, The Clarendon, monOrchid, R&R Surplus, Paisley Town, After Hours Creative, NINE05, Phoenix Public Market, Hula’s Modern Tiki, Phoenix Metro Retro, AmenZone, Luhrs Tower, Braggs Pie Factory, Noble Beast, Practical Art, UofA College of Medicine, Co+Hoots, MacAlpines, Bliss/Rebar, The Duce, Ultra Fit Clinic, Phoestivus Market #1, The Hive, Rum Bar at Breadfruit, Modified Arts, UFO & BoomBoom LaRue, Indie Arthouse, Urban Beans, La Picolla Cucina, Rice Paper, Padre’s, The Audubon Center, Indian School Dog Park, Phoestivus Market #2, Oasis on Grand, Picnic at Wesley Bolin Park, Por Vida Gallery, Treehouse Bakery, Haven Boutique, Songbird, 180 Degree Automotive, Phoenix Brewery, Angels Trumpet and Film Bar, Camelback Packers Hostel, Thanksgiving at Hob Nobs, Phoestivus Market #3, My Florist Shops, Tertio, Last Exit Live, 9 Gallery, Scratch French Pastry, Public Market Café, Short Leash, Pomo Pizzaria, The Vig Fillmore, Hance Dog Park, Thanksgiving in the Community Gardens, Phoestivus Market #4

Kinda impressive when I group them up like that, huh?

And here we are at the 5th Anniversary. This month in 2009 Josh Parry had just opened SideBar. He must have been biting his nails watching the news. Josh and his crew have survived on a tough corner all this time. They are an establishment now. We want to celebrate Josh and everything that he represents in all of the businesses that have tried (and failed) in downtown.

We are proud to have known all of them and honored to have spent the time with you all.

So, join us on January 23rd for a good old fashioned party. There will be drink specials (see below), Get Your PHX Free Raffle Items and mercifully brief speeches.

See you there!

As usual, please RSVP on Facebook.

January, 2013 Get Your PHX
5th Anniversary
SideBar
5:30 to about 7:30 or so.
1514 N 7th Ave,
Phoenix, AZ 85007 (Map It)

SPECIALS FOR THE NIGHT:

$4.25 well drinks, $1 off Beers, $2 off Wine, $8 off bottles, $1.50 off flatbread pizzas and $2 off appetizer dips. And, for the first time ever $1.50 off specialty cocktails.

Great Food Good Neighbors (GFGN) filmed its pilot episode on Nov. 7, 2013 in Phoenix. The new TV show highlights local businesses and restaurants (not unlike what Get Your PHX does) and is scheduled to air on AZTV in early 2014.

The production will focus on great places to eat around Arizona and will be hosted by local television personalities Tray Goodman and Lisa Acquafredda.

Great Food Good Neighbors isn’t a traditional cooking show because it will go beyond the kitchen and highlight how each business is unique and gives back to the Arizona community. It is produced entirely using local resources and will highlight places around the state that make Arizona one-of-a-kind.

            ~ Tray Goodman, host for GNGN and producer/director of previous local creative shows like ‘Inside Creative Minds’ (The show has featured such diverse talent as Local First AZ’s Kimber Lanning, sous-chef Dominic Zumpano and tattoo artist Erik Weir.)

Each Great Food Good Neighbors episode will be five to six minutes long and will be part of AZTV’s Morning Scramble show on a weekly basis starting in February, with the goal of shooting 20 episodes in the first season.

GFGN will be different from other food shows on television. Each episode will take the viewer behind-the-scenes to see why each location is known for their great food. Viewers will be able to learn the history of each restaurant and how they give back to the community surrounding them. The pilot episode was shot at Armadillo Grill in Phoenix.

Starting on December 1, GFGN will launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for production costs, with the goal of raising $50,000. GFGN is looking for sponsorship opportunities to eventually turn the segment into a half hour show.

To donate to GFGN or to find out more information about the show, visit the website at GFGNTV.com.

Special thanks to our hosts for our last Get Your PHX at the new Hance Dog Park, Noble Beast, a natural pet supply store on Camelback and 10th Street. We were so impressed by the work that the newly-formed Friends of Hance Dog Park have done to put in place a permanent support system for the park. We also want to recognize Short Leash Hot Dogs for sending out a truck just for this event.

Now, on to this year’s second annual Get Your PHX Family Thanksgiving. This year in the gardens!

Have y’all noticed all that work going on at the northwest corner of Indian School and Central  –all the art and garden plots that are going in? Well, that is being built for you. Did you know that? This is the PHX Renews project, created by Keep Phoenix Beautiful.

In addition to appreciating their use of “PHX” in their name, we were blown away by the size of this project. Check out the map. They call it a community garden. We think is is more of an urban community farm.

By the time this is finished, there will be hundreds of plots that you can rent FREE for your own garden, along with education and participation projects directed by more than a dozen community partners. See the image, far below.

Best of all, we get to spend and early Thanksgiving together there.

We will provide the lighting, heaters, tours of the gardens, information, some beverages and, of course, raffle prizes. Please bring your favorite dish and we will spend the evening together in a good old fashioned Thanksgiving pot luck!

Just to be clear, this event is NOT on Thanksgiving, but the week prior. So, we are not asking you to skip out on your annual Family gathering and gorge-fest. 

You are our Get Your PHX family, and we want to give thanks with YOU!

Other than Phoestivus, this will probably be our biggest event of the year. So, don’t miss it.

There will be updates on our Facebook invite page and the PHX Renews Facebook page, so please stay tuned. Please RSVP if you are certain you will make it. While we appreciate your support for our events, we really need an accurate count of who will attend.

Also, please be aware that there is no parking at the community garden. Please take light rail and enter the garden off of the Central and Indian School light rail station or park in the parking lot at Indian School Park from the Central Ave. entrance. 

If you’ve been following my posts recently, you know I’ve taken to finding people I admire in CenPho and doing profiles of them. Nicole Gaskell came to a Get Your PHX event a few months ago and I learned about her inspiring story.

Nicole Gaskell lives in Central Phoenix and is the President & Executive Director of Alert Aware!, a non-profit organization she founded in 2011 which trains students from pre-school to high-school in self defense techniques, believing that every student should have an opportunity to learn self-defense tactics and awareness training.

Nicole has trained under many legends in the industry: people like Guro Dan Inosanto (student of the late Bruce Lee), Ajarn Surachai Sirisute (founder and President of the Thai Boxing Association of the USA), Erik Paulson (first American to win the Japan World Light-Heavy Weight Shooto Title), Sifu Francis Fong (one of the top Wing Chun instructors and martial artists in the world) and many others. How many self-defense techniques does she know? Jun Fan Gung Fu, Muay Thai Boxing, Western Boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wing Chun, Shooto Wrestling. 

Alert Aware! works directly with schools and community organizations, providing self-defense and awareness training at all levels. Nicole’s passion for teaching, combined with her extensive background in martial arts is what led her and her colleagues to start Alert Aware! Their mission is to bring world-class training to kids where it’s more convenient—in their schools.

Nicole was raised in upstate New York, where she attended the Martial Arts Academy at the initiation of her mother as a child. She loved it so much she took classes almost every day until it became part of her lifestyle. After college at Niagara University, she took her Bachelor’s Degree in marketing and military science and joined the military and they took her to Germany for a few years.

In Germany, she was in the 72^nd Signal Command, where she used her marketing and project management expertise to organize concerts with bands like Aerosmith when they’d perform for the troops. 

I was really impressed with the way Nicole is integrating life lessons like these directly into our Phoenix schools and community.

If you want to buy or sell near a school or community organization where Nicole teachers, or just to buy or sell in Central Phoenix, please give me a call at 602-456-9388 or email me at ken@getyourphx.com.

Special thanks to the staff of The Vig Fillmore for hosting a HUGE Get Your PHX in September. Co-owner Tucker Woodbury made a special appearance to tell us about the massive renovations they undertook at The Vig Fillmore. General Manager Logan Purser and  Cesar Crampton put together a great show for us, with drink samples and food samples from  Executive Chef Jorge Gomez.

In October, we are celebrating something that has been a long time coming: a public Dog Park at Margaret T. Hance Park.  As the City’s first urban dog park, it was the subject of over two years’ extensive engagement by the central Phoenix community and AZ Dept. of Transportation regarding its location.

Through the process, a group of involved citizens formed, Friends of Hance Dog Park, to harness the community’s interest in the park, liaise with the government stakeholders and enhance the park for the users and neighbors.

Once construction began in May, Friends of HDP engaged the active support of the four historic neighborhood associations, local home owners, the Hance Park Conservancy and even the dog park’s construction contractor, Valley Rain, to make improvements to the City’s budgeted design.

In the few months leading up to the opening, Friends of HDP has implemented over $10,000 in improvements to the parks.  As ongoing stewards, Friends of HDP has “adopted” the dog park and is organizing monthly clean-up events.  Members of Friends of HDP will be on hand to discuss upcoming special events and activities, and how individuals can become involved.

We’ll have folks from the Parks department on hand to discuss the unique history and design of this park.  Designers included a gabion-style rock wall, which was built with the type of river rock that underlays the downtown area, as well as plexiglass panels and picnic tables orientation designed to integrate the park with the surrounding historic neighborhood.

The Hance Dog Park GYP is sponsored by Noble Beast, a natural pet supply store on Camelback and 10th Street. Locally-owned and operated since 2007, the shop specializes in personalized pet nutrition consultations and carries a variety of natural, organic and holistic foods for dogs, cats and chickens.

Noble Beast also carries a wide assortment of natural supplements and remedies, as well as treats, toys, beds and accessories.  Owners Alison and Marsha are proud to partner in the community and host animal rescue fundraisers, puppy play dates, educational lectures, doggie dental clinics, obedience classes and holiday events. Pets are always welcome at Noble Beast. Healthy nutrition at great prices!

The Dog Park Grand Opening is scheduled for Saturday, October 5 from 8 a.m. – 10 a.m.  Regular park hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., every day unless closed for wet weather or maintenance.

Oh, and see below for more photos and don’t forget to RSVP on Facebook so our kind hosts can plan ahead.

Why does Phoenix still have such a shortage of properties?

As we learned from my previous posts on this series (part 1 and part 2) this inward migration from the east coast and midwest into Phoenix is one of the key reasons home prices will continue to rise for the foreseeable future. There’s a logical explanation for the shortage of properties.

Look first at the motivation for out-of-state companies to come here in the first place:

It started when California changed their tax code and started to tax the Internet retailers. So when those Internet retailers started coming into Phoenix, they began by taking up our warehouse spaces. At the same time the Arizona legislature restructured our tax codes so that we were more competitive with states like California, Texas, and New Mexico. ~ Tina Timboer, Cromford Report

Notice our standard of living here compared to other major cities. Those companies coming here don’t have to pay their employees as much money. Why pay them a six figure salary, when they can get the same middle class life out here, but for much less? You can get a 2,400 sq ft, four-bedroom, two bath home out here for very affordable prices. Compare us against New York, San Francisco, even Texas. Plus, GPEC (Greater Phoenix Economic Council) has just done a great job to attract those out of state businesses, too.