An adventure at First Friday with my Art Crew at SNOH Ice Shavery

This post is about...shock...the ARTS! I cannot stress it to you enough how important the arts are in our community. The art classes in schools are being fazed out and made smaller and less important. Art is the most powerful form of self expression, it can heal us, harm us, frighten us, lift us up and so much more! I myself am a writer and I love to draw. This has helped me to find a voice within myself that was hiding. This has also helped me to find strength that I never knew that I had. I have faced fears, expressed myself and healed myself from it.
This past Friday, I had the pleasure of supporting and hanging out with some amazing artists. The gathering was in downtown Phoenix at SNOH Ice Shavery for the monthly First Friday event. SNOH Ice Shavery has been a great supporter of local businesses, local artists, local chefs, musicians and so much more! Ireally love the vibe there as it is a positive environment, family friendly, upbeat and lively place to be. It does not hurt that they offer BOMB desserts and Boba and Tea and more desserts.
In attendance at the event this month I accompanied my friends and fantastic local talent to keep the art scene alive in Phoenix. My friend Durokski set up the line up and it was fantastic! Durok had graffiti art, canvas art and photos. My friends Siek, Julio and Mario aka 3S were set up with T shirts, Original Artwork and stickers that feature original artwork. My friend Ray aka Primo Craftworks was set up with his custom handmade canvases. Just a little background information on the artists that I just named. Durok is an amazing DJ, blogwriter and artist and all around talented, approachable guy. Rey is from South Phoenix and his canvases are affordable and great quality. Siek, Julio and Mario are from South Phoenix as well and all have amazing talent. The best thing about these guys is that they believe in community, quality craftsmanship, giving back and supporting each other and others to be the best that they can be.
Also as I meandered around the event I met some amazing local artists that I had previously only seen around town but had never had the pleasure of meeting. I purchased a shirt from Imagine Thread Co which was designed by local artist ark9one, and it is HOT! It is Pennywise the clown, so dope! Ark9One was painting live and what a production indeed. Chuck the Rippa painted live and did a great rendition of Cuphead. Local artist Enuf was also painting live. LetterJunkies was set up with stickers, apparel and more! And wow...the lettering is phenomenal! There were food vendors and one was serving up some awesome Elote in a cup, the best I have had in forever! Also, had to get the hook up with Thai Tea and Boba from Snoh, best stuff around!
Now that I have filled you in on all the great talent, I just want to touch a little bit more on how important it is to support our local artists. They are family, friends, members of our community, neighbors and people from all over our great city of Phoenix. I wholeheartedly support my local artists. They have provided me with not only great artwork to fill my home but they have become some of my most dear friends.
All of the above mentioned can be found on social media such as Instagram and Facebook. siek_von_doom, durokism, _mario_3s, primocraftworks, letterjunkies, ark9one, imaginethreadco, snohiceshavery. Check them out, if you see something you like let them know. Support local everything!! Peace out my fine people!

An Adventure With Bicycles in Downtown Phoenix

Hello there amazing people! I am back after a minor respite. After the previous emotional post, I figured that I would come back with some fun! And as always promoting a wonderful new local business.
Let's hear it for Phoenix Bike Company...wooohoooo!!! Welcome to the downtown Phoenix area! This amazing new shop officially opened up on Saturday, December 16th and is in a fantastic area of downtown, right close to the stadium.
The shop is easy to access and located at 816 E Washington Street Phoenix AZ 85034 near the Northwest Corner of 9th Street and Washington, across the street from the beloved Luna Culture Lab. Juan, the owner is an awesome dude! His vision to blend vintage bikes with newer models and antiques strewn throughout the shop is amazing and gives this shop a wonderful, homey appeal. The shop is loaded with nostalgic items and filled with beautiful, rare bikes. When you walk in it is bright and colorful with music playing and RAD the movie showing on the TV, or possible a documentary on bicycles. There are racks of vintage BMX bikes with their chrome shining bright and rows of some of the coolest Schwinn bikes that I have ever seen! He also carries apparel and hats, tools and accessories for the bikes, stickers, tire tubes, grips, bells, lights and so much more! As I was walking through the aisles I saw a rare Schwinn Sneaker bike which was the last of the Schwinn Stingray bikes. It is beautiful! There is a signed BMX mini bike signed by famous BMX'er Eddie Fiola. He also has a really cool vintage Schwinn Tandem family bike that will be available for renting on one of the bike rides that will be hosted by the shop. The store had a soft opening on Saturday, December 16th. There were people who just came in after skateboarding by the shop and we had people come in that were so excited to see a bike shop open up in the area, they kept saying how cool it was inside. The shirts were flying off the racks. And let me tell you about the shirts....they are wicked cool! Printed by Sol Prints (another local business from the West Side), they are high quality, soft, affordable and come with a sticker attached! They feature some really cool designs and of course there are ones with the store logo to represent while cruising through the Phoenix streets. This past Saturday the 23rd he hosted a Family Holiday Bike Ride. It was so amazing to see how many people came out and showed support. They brought their whole family for a ride to local businesses and had a blast! It was so nice to see people come together and show support and bring the family for quality time together. After all, making memories and spreading positive vibes is what it is all about. When you get a moment stop in and check out the shop, you will not be disappointed. James the shop manager is very helpful and always has a smile on his face. Juan is more than happy to share stories and knowledge on all things BIKE. This shop is so cool that it might even bring back nostalgic childhood memories and make you dust off your old bike that has been sitting in the garage. Many thanks and much love!

Phoenix Bike Company HOURS: Tues- Sun 10am to 6pm, closed Mondays
816 E Washington Street
Phoenix, AZ 85034
623-255-5985