New businesses and renovations have San Francisco Street’s Southside energized with a chic urban revival buzz.
“It’s a pretty exciting part of town,” said Kevin Heinonen, co-owner, with cousin Scott Heinonen, of The Tourist Home Urban Market. “It’s coming alive right now. We made a commitment in 2009 to Southside,” Kevin Heinonen added, noting that commitment has taken shape in three tangible places. Since 2009, the Heinonens opened Tinder Box, the Annex and now The Tourist Home Urban Market.
This, their newest project, may be their boldest yet. The Tourist Home Urban Market is converted from a building originally built by Jesus Garcia in 1926 and for decades served Basque sheepherder immigrants.
“We have people going back 40 years who can’t remember it being productive, to it being in use,” said Heinonen. The Tourist Home Urban Market brochure features that intriguing history and helps so many newcomers and Flagstaff residents know a little about the rich Basque roots of this particular stretch of San Francisco Street.
The Tourist Home Urban Market has been transformed, basically down to its foundation and frame into an attractive, clean, well-lighted, often-open market with breakfast and lunch options. The clientele is as diverse as Flagstaff’s citizens and visitors, including road bikers in cycling apparel, university professors and international tourists.
“It’s everything; that’s the point,” said Heinonen, describing The Tourist Home Urban Market’s target market. “It caters to all. There’s no one demographic. Locals certainly support us,” he said, adding that that is key in this town. But, he noted, “Tourism drives this town. It always has and it always will. We are trying to “create something everyone is comfortable in.” He also pointed out that he and his cousin set out to continue what they have been trying to do since 2009. They also intentionally set out to offer something different to help serve an underserved population from NAU: professional staff, graduate students and faculty.
A block down the street is another new place, Proper Meats + Provisions on 110 South San Francisco, in a former bar and strip club. Proper Meats has been open since mid September and has a full selection of Arizona-sourced fresh meats as well as an ample menu of sandwiches to order. This new store, like its neighbor, The Tourist Home Urban Market, is already attracting a variety of customers and is also shining in Southside sunlight.
“To me, this is much more of a community-oriented business,” said owner Paul Moir. “By nature, it’s a local butcher shop. Our customers are coming in three or four days a week. It’s designed for that.”
Moir, who is also a proprietor of Criollo and Brix restaurants further north on Flagstaff’s San Francisco Street, says Proper Meats is designed to operate as a wholesale plus retail combination. FBN
Visit Proper Meats + Provisions at ProperMeats.com and The Tourist Home Urban Market at TouristHomeUrbanMarket.com.
Steele Wotkyns is principal of WotkynsPRplus, a public relations firm serving clients in Flagstaff and throughout Northern Arizona.
By Steele Wotkyns
Flagstaff Business News