We’ve reached a critical point as a city. Now in our hundredth year, the city of Phoenix has a terrible habit of demolishing it’s own history. Most of our historic properties are gone. As a city we need to constantly work to preserve historic properties in Phoenix.

The Lugo Bakery and W.L. Bobo House are two historic sites, built between 1910 and 1920 looking for investors to save the structures from disrepair. Written assessments have been done on both structures, but they need willing buyers to rescue them.

The Luis Lugo Bakery known originally as the La Pantellera was constructed in 1917. It’s a 2,000 square foot commercial structure, complete with a basement, 1,300 square foot addition, and vacant lot for possible parking. Overall, the Lugo Bakery is in poor condition.

Poor design, haphazard construction techniques,weathering, neglect, and unsympathetic renovations have not been kind to certain exterior building elements which require immediate attention to prevent further deterioration and/or lost of historic fabric. This building is in need of some serious TLC, ranging just under $400,000 according to the Building Condition Assessment Report.

The building has strong potential as an office, art gallery, sandwich/coffee shop, or bakery (duh). The bakery and grocery store was in continuous use for
nearly 50 years. The Luis Lugo Bakery is a rare example of an early Hispanic commercial
property in downtown Phoenix and should be saved

The property has a two story private residence attached, which is also in disrepair. This update is estimated around $170,000

The W.L. Bobo House  is in the McKinley Park subdivision. The W. L. Bobo House, a charming Craftsman bungalow at the southwest corner of 13th & Roosevelt Streets, is threatened with demolition.  It’s on a double lot and has a porte cochere on the 13th Street side and a detached garage at the rear. The house has numerous architectural features that set it apart as an unique design. Character-defining features include:

• Medium-pitched intersecting gable roofs
• Gables with decoratively cut wood shingle siding
• Broad porch on stuccoed brick piers, supported on massive, tapered cobblestone bases
• Cobblestone foundation wall at porch, and battered cobblestone chimney mass
•  Trellised porte-cochere
• Double-hung and casement wood windows, some with leaded and beveled glass

It’s a true fixer upper, but the building is in pretty good shape considering it’s from 1912. The house needs new roofing, the foundation needs repair, and some window fixes and a fresh coat of paint would do it some good. The interior needs all new plumbing, heating, electric, and replacement woodwork. Most of the fixes are minor, and according to the  Building Condition Assessment Report the total updates would cost approximately $143,240.  This residence could have a future at a single family home or a business/art gallery depending on the buyer.

Despite the cost , rehabilitating the residence would undoubtedly broaden the historical setting of the Lugo Bakery and Bobo House and add charm to the street scape. Historic Properties like these are priceless to our community’s history and future.

16th Street Should Not Be Ignored

That is the message of Por Vida Gallery. Our January 2011 Get Your PHX was a celebration of 16th St. and we are going back to see what’s new.

Por Vida owners Pablo Luna, Thomas “Breeze” Marcus, and Lalo Cota have a foothold and a new statement that they want to share with you.

Lalo Cota tells us that 16th is the next logical step in art in Phoenix. First Friday, he says, can’t be about just 3rd and Roosevelt anymore. He tells us that space has become too much about food and artists are struggling. So it is time to expand.

Come see if the leading edge of art in Phoenix truly is making a move east and see Douglas Miles’ transfixing =Apacheria= show in which Miles challenges cliché images of Native American life through mixed media.

This will be the most engaging Get Your PHX that we’ve hosted for some time. So, don’t miss it!

Special sponsors to be announced soon!

Please join us and RSVP at our Facebook Fan Page.

March Get Your PHX
Thursday, March 22nd from 5:30 to 7:30pm.
2800 N. 16th St
Phoenix, AZ 85006 Map Here

This weekend marks the 11th annual M7 Street Fair. The fair and  classic car show features indie crafts, live music, food, cool cars, shopping, vintage trailers and fun for kids in Downtown Phoenix.

Every street fair that we have, every open market goes to building a better downtown. You just don’t get this sense of community in pre-planned developments. I’m just sayin’.

The first fair was 11 years ago, when local vendors partnered up with the School of Architecture at ASU to revitalize phoenix and a deteriorating Melrose Curve. The merchants received grant money from the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Fight Back Program and with the support of the surrounding neighborhoods, the Melrose District began to rebound.  One year after the Seventh Avenue Merchants Association incorporated, they held a “street fair” to commemorate the building of the first lighted canopies on Seventh Avenue.

Just over a decade later, what started as a 6 vendor street fair has grown into a highly anticipated family event with over 140 booths, food, live music, over 200 classic cars, and almost 18,000+ visitors

Its happening this weekend, March 3, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 7th and W. Glenrosa Avenues

We’ll you there! I’ll be out there with Ru visiting the booths and all that fun stuff.

The following is an Op Ed piece from Kimber Lanning Published in the Downtown Phoenix Journal.

I really encourage y’all to read this and share it. Kimber is leading the discussion about how we need to protect our local businesses and how we need to reform our out-dated tax structure. The more we let on-line retailers get away without paying their fair share, the more we shift the tax burden to you and me.

Please read and share!!

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We are surrounded by small businesses in Downtown Phoenix, and we know much of Downtown’s success rests on the shoulders of these business owners. As we survey the current economic climate, it is critical to understand the impact a national retailer can have on the health of our local economy. Kimber Lanning, founder and executive director of Local First Arizona, provides insight on the ramifications of the current sales tax impasse between the State of Arizona and Amazon.

Last week at the Arizona State Senate subcommittee hearing Don Isaacson, the lead attorney for Amazon, took the podium to make the case that economies change over time. “We all remember the days of mom and pops,” he said, “and then there were the days of the big box retailers….” I surmise this to be a very honest glimpse into the world vision Amazon holds, but what does it mean for Arizona?

For the moment, let’s forget the fact that there are over 40,000 independent businesses operating in Arizona today, with a payroll of around 21 billion per year, and let’s focus on our state’s economy and what would be left of it if Amazon’s vision becomes reality.

Read the rest of the story here.

Arizona is a beautiful place full of fantastic neighborhoods and if you’re moving here, you’ll probably need a little help deciding what community is right for you.

Jeannie Bolger and I have created a guide for new home buyers with links for information about schools and attractions for different parts of the valley.

This guide will be really handy for people moving in to phoenix neighborhoods or for companies to have on hand for their employees.

If you know of somebody thinking to move to Phoenix, or a company that is expanding in Arizona, please share this resource with them.

Download it here and keep it on hand in your office. Ken Clark’s Relocation Guide

Of course, Jeannie and I are just a phone call away if you need anything.

Credit can be confusing. It’s this strange, omnipresent score board of your financial decisions that determines whether you’re a smart financial risk for lenders. But don’t worry. Having a little knowledge on your side will make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward when it comes to raising your credit score.

Did you know that the credit score you may have purchased from one credit bureau isn’t necessarily the one that your mortgage lender, credit card issuer or auto loan originator will see? There are several different credit scores, even within the same credit bureau. Each of the three credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) has its own proprietary credit score. 

Luckily, a few years ago Congress required that each of these three agencies to provide you with a free copy of your credit score once a year. Call 1.877.3322.8228 or visit their website to get your score. Hint: they will try to get you to pay for your score, but don’t buy that line. As a lender told me once, the most accurate scores you get when you buy a house are the ones the lender pulls as these are a good indicator of where you are.

Sick of getting preapproved credit cards. You can tell the credit bureau to stop selling your credit information by calling 888.567.8622

Speaking of credit cards, your credit score can be negatively impacted by a late credit card or loan payment, but it can also be affected by less obvious actions. If you close an old credit card account, you’ll reduce your available credit and shorten the length of your credit history, which can negatively affect your credit score. Additionally, applying for new credit can be beneficial to your credit score, but it can also decrease your credit score due to a hard inquiry. Make sure to keep your current credit balance less than 35% of your overall limit

Secure credit cards are a great way to build you credit because you deposit what you spend in advance. Just make sure they report to all three credit bureaus. MidFirst Bank is a great local option for these cards.

Please call Jeannie Bolger, Sr. Loan Officer for more information.

Or call me for more information about the market: 602-456-9388.

These piñatas are for viewing not for whacking. Let’s just get that out of the way first.

Otherwise, attention artists, non-artist, children, adults, people who love candy, and community members at large! The annual Mutant Piñata Show is back and I encourage all of you to enter your best piñata for the ultimate grand prize of having your work displayed to the local Phoenix community to view. The Bragg’s Pie Factory is hosting the ever so popular annul Mutant Piñata Show for the 5^th year now.

This exhibit is to display the creativity that lies within Phoenix; the exhibit will be comprised of whimsical and wacky piñatas created by locals. If your work is sold, you will receive 70% of the purchase price. Come down to the Bragg’s Pie Factory the first and third Friday of March and April to see this vivid spectacle for yourself, the best part is there is absolutely no entry cost so the more the merrier. Last year there were over 100 entries and the Bragg’s Pie Factory is hoping to exceed that number this year.

All entries must be in by March 1^st, 2012 so start getting in touch with your inner piñata artist and spreading the word to your friends and family.

Y’all might remember my listing at 90 West Virginia. It is the 1930s Fairhope School, newly renovated to a 4,100 square foot home. This is the flagship property in the famous Willo Historic Neighborhood.

Here is the original blog post about it.

Well, the price has just dropped to $750,000! This is an incredible price for a luxury home of this historic significance and quality. This home was awarded best historic restoration of 2009 by the Phoenix New Times.

Stay tuned for notices about open houses. We don’t open this house to the public often, so please drop by to see it!

Mix 60% road race and 40% Joseph’s Technicolor Dream Coat (minus Donny Osmond) and what do you get?

The Color Run!

This weekend, just a hop and a skip from downtown phoenix,  the annual Color Run 5k will be happening in Tempe.

Don’t worry non-runners, the 5k is a fun run for all levels of athleticism. Runners will receive custom Color Run race shirts, a bag of Color, race number, “Color Runner” finisher sweat band, donation to local charity, and Sponsor Goodies. There’s only one rule, wear white. Why? Oh because you get covered in paint along the way! Each kilometer of the event has a designated color.   As the runners/walkers hit the KILOMETER COLOR ZONE, they will be dusted with COLOR.

Don’t worry, it’s for a good cause. All the proceeds from the 5k go to Cardon Children’s Medical Center in Mesa. After you cross the finish line you be invited to a post-5k party with bands, food, and more. Non-runners can join too, but be warned, there’s a good chance of walking away covered in paint dust.

The annual Color Run is going down at Tempe Beach Park in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday, 28 January 2012.

Insert “woe is me moment”: I’m soooo bummed I can’t run this. I’m still nursing an injury from my Grand Canyon run in November!

Derek Slife at the Downtown Public Market

So, I’ve been a member of a food co-op for about 4 years now. Great idea, you know. You skip the grocery store and just pick up an order of fruits and veggies.

Interestingly enough, the biggest drawback was also the biggest opportunity. Each order consists of just what the co-op organizers happen to get in bulk that week. That’s a pain if you don’t know what to do with 50 Russian Babushka Radishes. But I found that getting an order of food that was unfamiliar pushed me to cook with things that I thought I would never use.

As a result, I’m a master chef….. just ask my dog.

But another drawback I’ve noticed is that the food I get with Bountiful Baskets is not grown locally. Although, you can order organic options, much of food comes from California.

Enter Chow Locally, stage left.

Founders Christopher Wharton and Derek Slife believe that we do just as much for our country by sourcing food locally, reducing carbon emissions and keeping money in our community.

To that end, they have a business model that is really quite unique. Using their website you can choose what you want during the week and pick it up on Saturday or Sunday from any one of several farmers’ markets. Check out this link to see how it works.

Warton and Slife actually won the Arizona’s Next Great Business award by National Bank of Arizona for this model. Ordering ahead of time certainly does solve the problem of getting little food surprises in your order, like Scandanavian Dwarf Bananas.

Each box comes with useful recipes, etc.

Now, if you are worried about cost, I would not be. I compared both food co-ops. While Chow Locally is a couple dollars ($19) more than Bountiful Baskets ($16.50) and you get only about 80% of what comes in a Bountiful Baskets order, it is still much more than you could buy at Safeway for the same amount of money. Either way, you still get enough food to last for two weeks.

I enjoyed trying this and I enjoy having the excuse to visit the public market every other Saturday (twist my arm).

Give it a shot and let me know what you think.