Flora’s Market Run, the grocery store and restaurant that replaced the historic Rincon Market on East Sixth Street in mid-2021, abruptly closed Tuesday.
A note on the front door announced that the business was closing at 3 p.m. Monday, but there was no indication that the closure was permanent. The company also made no formal announcement on social media.
A sign posted on Flora’s Market Run that reads, “We will be closing at 3:00 p.m. on Monday," gave no indication the restaurant and grocery store had closed for good.
Owner Nathan Ares of Ares Collective (Prep & Pastry, Commoner & Co.) said the decision to close came after months of handwringing as the store tried to find its niche.
Over the 3½ years that it was open, Ares said he pivoted to ideas that included reducing the grocery footprint and expanding the restaurant and grab-and-go options.
“I even did a juice bar and a bunch of other items, and nothing just seemed to really stick with the climate of the economy,” he said. “Nothing was landing so I just had to make the hard decision. I find myself walking away from what was a really fun passion project.”
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Ares said he notified the store’s employees a week ago about the closing and found them jobs with his company’s other restaurants.
Flora’s Market Run abruptly closed on Tuesday after 3½ years in the historic Rincon Market space east of the University of Arizona at East Sixth Street and North Tucson Boulevard.
Ares Collective took over the former Rincon Market space at 2513 E. Sixth St. in October 2020, months after the market closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rincon Market was one of Tucson’s oldest neighborhood grocery stores, going back to 1926. It had been in the Sixth Street building since the early 1960s.
When he announced plans for Flora’s Run in late 2020, Ares imagined the 12,000-square-foot store would be akin to “a small local Sam Hughes-driven Whole Foods.” But the reality of the grocery business quickly set in not long after it opened, he said.
Employees help clear out Flora’s Market Run, Tuesday after it closed, ending 3½ years in the former location of Rincon Market.
“I opened Flora’s during a time in groceries that was really challenging with supply chain issues and price increases,” he said. “As a small independent grocery market, my buying power against the big guys just wasn’t there.”
Ares said he is leaving behind all of the restaurant and market equipment to help the landlord entice a new tenant to take over the space.
Ares Collective has two Prep & Pastry locations in Tucson — 6450 E. Grant Road and 2660 N. Campbell Ave. — and two Phoenix locations.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
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