Three weeks after Flora's Market Run abruptly closed on Jan. 6, a Tucson coffee shop and a restaurant are moving into the former historic Rincon Market building on East Sixth Street.
, a coffee shop and curated makers market that opened in August at , and the year-old in the former Sullivan's Eatery and Creamery at will share the 12,000-square-foot space.Â
Both will operate independently, with setting up its coffee/tea bar and retail offerings in the dining room area and Redbird taking over the kitchen.
“It’s such an iconic space," said Arianna Wilson, who owns with Courtney Bedient. "We grew up in Tucson and we went to Rincon Market. We went to the University of Arizona. We also spent a lot of time at Flora's Market Run in our planning stages for Sonoran House. We really didn’t want to pass up this opportunity."
Wilson and Bedient also own , an online store that sells kids’ shirts and baby onesies.
Redbird general manager and co-owner Sergio Pinon said Wilson and Bedient approached him and his partners — executive chef Rory Martin, marketing director Thomas McCarthy and managing partner Jon Plude — about sharing the space shortly after Flora's Market Run closed. They signed the lease last week and will begin renovations next week, he said.
Redbird Scratch Kitchen + Bar serves all kinds of elevated bar foods, like their pastor wings.
Pinon and Martin had worked together in the Tucson restaurant industry for 14 years before opening Redbird in December 2023, offering a of elevated bar fare including craft cocktails, classic burgers, loaded wings and tacos.
“I think we’ve done a fantastic job the first year as far as people liking the food and the service," Pinon said, pointing to the restaurant's consistent 4.5 Yelp ratings that include diners raving about the service and the hot towels provided at the end of the meal.Â
Sonoran House rates even higher — 4.8 stars — on the crowd-source website, where customers say they love the coffee and gush about the market's offerings, including handcrafted soaps, hot sauces, jewelry and clothing. Â
“We’ve built up a really awesome community in the Blenman-Elm neighborhood," Wilson said. "It is a leap but we’re just hopeful we can build that same community we felt at Blenman-Elm. We are just excited and hopeful."
Pinon said renovation work will begin next week and will include new kitchen equipment and design tweaks "to make sure when people go in there they think of Redbird."
The joint venture is expected to open in late May or early June, Pinon said.Â