About
The initial vision began in 2003 with with Rio Development and focused on single-family homes and commercial lots eat of Avendida Del Convento.
Just a few miles West of I-10, in the downtown Mercado District, the Mercado San Agustin (MSA) can be found. MSA opened in 2010 as the first and only public market in Tucson, AZ and as part of the plans to revitalize downtown1. A Mercado, traditionally brings different food purveyors, art and goods artisans, as well as shoppers to one place, and that is what MSA does. As such, the Mercado is home to different locally owned eateries and businesses.
“The mission of the MSA is to support local business entrepreneurs with a focus on local foods and artisan made goods”2. For this reason, Mercado San Agustin has established the Mercado San Agustin Philanthropic Fund to help provide education and support to local aspiring entrepreneurs. This also helps the goal of the Mercado District, which is to create a mixed community of homes and local retailers close to one another3.
Design
The design and construction of the MSA was meticulously thought out, keeping the ethics of the Mercado district front and center. The Mercado district requires the buildings to be all masonry constructions, which will then be subjected to a design review process. MSA strives to earn the LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold status from the United States Green Build Council, by conducting practices such as water harvesting, the use of solar panels, and the use of rastra block walls, which are made of a sustainable concrete mix3. MSA’s design draws inspiration from large courtyard home styles, where the main structure of the building surrounds a central courtyard which is set up with benches, patio tables and chairs. The different businesses are homed inside the building, and while some of the eateries do have seating within their businesses, the outside courtyard is where most people choose to spend their time and congregate.
The Shops
Bloom Maven
La Cabaña
The last stop on the SunLink Streetcar, Mercado San Agustin has quickly become one of Tucson’s popular hubs. As a result, MSA is constantly bringing in new businesses into the market such as:
Bloom Maven, a fresh pant and flower boutique. It offers services such as special event flower arrangements, weekly corporate florals, and plant styling; as well as different plant tutorials throughout the year.
La Cabaña, collects and sells different antique and contemporary décor and furniture specializing in Spanish, Colonial, and Native American styles by local artists.
Mast, a lifestyle shop which specializes in handmade accessories and furniture. The majority of the items in the shop are created by the three owners of the shop, but they also feature collections by different local designers and artisans.
San Agustin Trading Co., focuses on handcrafting traditional southwest moccasins by honoring the traditional craft, the shop also sells handcrafted jewelry and clothing.
Transit, is a premier bicycle shop which offers a wide selection of bikes, accessories, as well as a full servicing of bikes.
The Eateries
La Estrella Bakery
Presta Coffee Roasters
Mercado San Agustin started with a commercial or community kitchen which served to help local small businesses grown and develop their concepts to full businesses. Some of the businesses include Seis Curbside, Isabella’s Ice Cream, and SAAF. Now the kitchen has become a rentable space for a new restaurant to join:
Aka Deli & Bakeshop, which specializes in European style baked goods, cakes, and homemade bagels.
Agustin Kitchen, combines New American and classic French cuisine with a strong emphasis on sourcing local ingredients including: beef, produce, break, flour, cheeses, wines, and spirits.
Dolce Pastello, makes homemade Mexican style cakes, tamales and sweets.
La Estrella Bakery, is a Tucson favorite for traditional Mexican pan dulce.
Presta Coffee Roasters, specializes in bringing coffee from farmer to roaster to barista. A coffee shop that offers different coffee drinks as well as a selection of locally brewed beers.
Seis, offers Mexican style cuisine drawing inspiration from seis (six) different regions of México: Northern México, Oaxaca, Mexico City, Baja, Yucatan, and Western México.
Sonoran Sno-Cones, brings one of México’s most classic refreshments to the Mercado: the raspados, as well as fruit salads and fresh squeezed juices.
The Future
Mercado San Agustin has further plans of expansion to accommodate more local businesses. This includes adding an annex behind the current structure made up of modified shipping containers, the plans for the annex include adding at least ten more restaurants and businesses. In addition to this, the new structure will also feature a festival grounds with a maximum occupancy of 500 people to be used for community events4.
Sources
1 http://3storymagazine.com/mercado-tucson/
2. http://mercadosanagustin.com/about/
3 https://agustinkitchen.com/about/
