If walls could talk, the Citizen building would have stories to share.
The building, which was built in 1913, once housed reporters, editors and photographers who ran around town to ensure the day’s breaking news would be featured on the pages of the Tucson Daily Citizen, later known as the Tucson Citizen. Thousands of interviews with trusted sources, stories and newsroom meetings took place there, supplying the walls with the inside scoop.
Now, the walls of the Citizen building are dark blue and covered in luscious green plants, marking the beginning of a new story. This time, the story involves a unicorn zebra.
On Aug. 16, the Citizen building, located at 82. S. Stone Ave., will become home to the Unicorn Zebra lounge, where owners Sandy and Lourens du Plessis are bringing a taste of South Africa to downtown Tucson.
Sandy du Plessis, co-owner of Unicorn Zebra, is also opening a microbrewery on Tucson’s east side.
The couple are originally from South Africa where Sandy worked for years in Africa’s largest restaurant franchise. They eventually moved to Tucson for work and have been teaching students at the University of Arizona, helping them launch their own businesses.
Around two years ago, Sandy was ready to move on and become her own boss, so they began throwing around ideas for potential business ventures. Deciding that Tucson needed more fun spots for people to hang out, especially on the east side, they knew what they had to do: start a microbrewery.
While discussing the name for their new venture over dinner with friends, Sandy’s friend encouraged her to do something that was a nod to her South African roots. While throwing out ideas, someone mentioned “zebra.” That’s when Sandy’s daughter, who was going through a unicorn phase, chimed in.
“We were like, OK, that's so weird that it's cool and we went with it,” Sandy said. “So a nine-year-old named the business.”
Eventually, the Unicorn Zebra microbrewery will be taking over the old Kappy’s building at 2190 N. Wilmot Road, but with a project so big, it’s still in the works. In the meantime, another venture fell into the couple’s lap.
The Citizen building was empty and they thought it would be a perfect opportunity to expand the Unicorn Zebra brand with a downtown lounge first, highlighting other local breweries and giving Tucsonans a perfect date-night spot.
Unicorn Zebra is located inside of the Citizen building, 82 S. Stone Ave.
“Our brewery isn't up and running yet, so we're like, well, let's just celebrate the other local breweries,” Sandy said.
The couple has transformed the lounge into something that you’d see while visiting Cape Town. The walls are painted a deep blue, complete with green, leafy plants and a zebra mural.
There are spots on the floor that are see-through, which gives you a glimpse into the basement of the building. You can even see a giant white horse that Sandy bought at HomeGoods, kind of like the lounge’s mascot.
“You could transplant this thing and put it somewhere in Cape Town, and you totally feel like it was part of the scenery there,” Sandy said. “What we wanted to do was bring the essence of Cape Town to Tucson but merge it with local ingredients.”
Unicorn Zebra is bringing a taste of South Africa to downtown Tucson.
At the Unicorn Zebra lounge, you can enjoy a range of beer, wine and cocktail options. Sandy hired an experienced mixologist to make delicious cocktails that incorporate popular flavors of South Africa. Rooibos tea, a popular tea from the country, will be included in some of the drinks on the menu.
Another ingredient you’ll see in one of the cocktails is amarula, a creamy liqueur that is made of the fruit found on African marula trees.
“We’ll have quite a few South African wines,” Sandy said. “It's one of the things we miss the most about South Africa; they really have good wine and the price point is surprisingly good. So, we get to bring a lot of that in and a lot of mezcal, tequila and all that stuff. It’s going to be a really cool fusion between the two.”
As for the actual Unicorn Zebra microbrewery, it’s still a year out. The couple’s vision for the place is to transform the former Kappy’s space into a spot like the MSA Annex. In addition to the brewery on site, they also plan to feature about five little restaurants, making it a place where families can come, hang out and enjoy good drinks and good food.
While we patiently wait for the east-side brewery, we can pass the time while sipping on a cocktail in the Citizen building. The Unicorn Zebra lounge is expected to open Aug. 16.
“What's cool about the small space as a starting point is that we can use it to connect with customers and staff,” Sandy said. “We're really excited to see our little space come to life and really just figure out how to grow.”
