Those of you who read my column know that I live downtown and write about where I live - about the businesses and the people, about what's down here and what's developing. And those of you who know me know that I spend a fair amount of time at Tooley's on Congress. And that's the main focus of this post.
Tooley's has been on the corner below for a few years now, and the current manager is a familiar face to downtown locals; David Aguirre is also the director of Dinnerware and Rocket galleries and oversees Central Arts gallery, and has been a downtown figure since 1987. His newest project is the Arts Incubator gallery, at 108 E. Congress, which will be a space that artists can lease on a monthly basis to exhibit their work.
"I took over the directorship of Dinnerware about five years ago, and recently started managing Tooley's. It's been a learning process for me, but I feel confident about the future of the cafe. I've put a lot of my own personal touches into the cafe, like the book collection, and I think people really respond to that," Aguirre says.
Rumors have been swirling downtown about the fate of Tooley's and its neighboring businesses in the face of new development, but at present it seems as if the cafe itself will be staying open. Business has been picking up lately, partly fueled by a "Save Tooley's!" mention by Pink Martini during their recent show at the Rialto Theatre.
According to Aguirre, the business is a limited partnership between himself and Patricia Schwabe (of Peach Properties), and both have put personal money into the business. Interestingly, Peach Properties is also the property manager for the business and represents the property owners, Scott Stiteler and Don Martin, who own the entire block of buildings west of Tooley's.
Stiteler and Martin also own the buildings on two other corners of Congress and 5th Ave - the Rialto building and One North Fifth. And on top of that, Stiteler is involved in the development of the property to the north of One North Fifth (on the southwest corner of 5th Ave and Toole), where construction crews continue building what will eventually become a parking garage and a six-story residential building.
Add all this to the fact that foothills restaurateur/developer/2008 Tucson Father of the Year K.C. An (of east-side sushi-spot Sakura) has been spotted downtown talking with Stiteler and Schwabe and checking out Tooley's and the adjacent spaces.
Sounds complicated, right? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what develops. In the meantime, I'm just happy I can still get my coffee at Tooley's - it's right between my apartment and my car, and they make a mean Ibarra mocha.
Tooley's has been on the corner below for a few years now, and the current manager is a familiar face to downtown locals; David Aguirre is also the director of Dinnerware and Rocket galleries and oversees Central Arts gallery, and has been a downtown figure since 1987. His newest project is the Arts Incubator gallery, at 108 E. Congress, which will be a space that artists can lease on a monthly basis to exhibit their work.
"I took over the directorship of Dinnerware about five years ago, and recently started managing Tooley's. It's been a learning process for me, but I feel confident about the future of the cafe. I've put a lot of my own personal touches into the cafe, like the book collection, and I think people really respond to that," Aguirre says.
Rumors have been swirling downtown about the fate of Tooley's and its neighboring businesses in the face of new development, but at present it seems as if the cafe itself will be staying open. Business has been picking up lately, partly fueled by a "Save Tooley's!" mention by Pink Martini during their recent show at the Rialto Theatre.
According to Aguirre, the business is a limited partnership between himself and Patricia Schwabe (of Peach Properties), and both have put personal money into the business. Interestingly, Peach Properties is also the property manager for the business and represents the property owners, Scott Stiteler and Don Martin, who own the entire block of buildings west of Tooley's.
Stiteler and Martin also own the buildings on two other corners of Congress and 5th Ave - the Rialto building and One North Fifth. And on top of that, Stiteler is involved in the development of the property to the north of One North Fifth (on the southwest corner of 5th Ave and Toole), where construction crews continue building what will eventually become a parking garage and a six-story residential building.
Add all this to the fact that foothills restaurateur/developer/2008 Tucson Father of the Year K.C. An (of east-side sushi-spot Sakura) has been spotted downtown talking with Stiteler and Schwabe and checking out Tooley's and the adjacent spaces.
Sounds complicated, right? I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what develops. In the meantime, I'm just happy I can still get my coffee at Tooley's - it's right between my apartment and my car, and they make a mean Ibarra mocha.
