St. Philip’s Plaza instead of Ukraine support

I mistakenly thought that the downtown Tucson demonstration in support of Ukraine was on Saturday. Instead, it was scheduled for Sunday when I had a conflicting event to attend.

So on Saturday I put on my Ukraine sunflower socks and went to St. Philip’s Plaza, a shopping/dining venue nearby, to wander around–finally maskless–and see the vendors at the craft fair that’s held there every weekend, year ’round.

The plaza buildings have Spanish Revival details, like arched entries, ironwork, and ceramic tiles in the stair risers like the ones at the top of this post. There are also a couple of murals and a very large plaza that serves as a dining area for 3 restaurants. A DJ was keeping everyone entertained.

Taxes and rows of hand craft sellers

The number of participants in the craft faire was greater than I’d ever seen at St. Philp’s where I had been a couple of times before. Perhaps there were so many sellers because it is peak tourist season here. Adjacent to St. Philip’s is a large Homewood extended stay hotel which gave the tourists something to do close by on a weekend afternoon. Historically, snow birds who spend a month or two or more in Tucson are a major annual source of income for businesses and tax revenue for the city and Pima County.

New stuff at the fair

I’m jaded about craft fairs and farmers’ markets. I’ve participated in dozens in California and visited dozens more. Not much new at St. Philip’s except for two sellers. On the left is a woman who custom makes pretty lingerie from an owner’s old dresses and even from T-shirts! Her company is Applause lingerie. In another part of the market was Northmen Beard Company which sold everything a guy needs to keep that beard looking spiffy. As a plus: it’s a local, veteran-owned business.

And for your appreciation — two distinctive t-shirts I saw at the market

But the best thing was the blue sky with a scatter of fluffy white clouds high above us. (And yes, the sky really is that blue!) While the rest of the country is snowbound and freezing, it’s early March in Tucson–mildly warm and sunny. I love it!