These two artists are installing vending machines filled with local art and uncommon finds

Teryn Thress made the move to Los Angeles when she was 17, trading the Sonoran Desert where she grew up for the sandy beaches of the coastal state.

“I went to the beach and thought, ‘Why aren’t there vending machines on the beach selling beach balls and sunscreen?’” she says.

It was a fleeting thought — nothing the 17-year-old was prepared to do anything about.

But now years later, she’s building an entire business around the idea.

Thress and co-owner Marcy Ellis are bringing Bun Bun Vending to Tucson, a creative take on the timeless vending machine. The name was inspired by the pair’s four bunnies: Lupita, Chiquita, Peanut and Mayo.

Bun Bun’s first vending machine made its official debut at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 7, at Tucson Hop Shop, 3230 N. Dodge Blvd. It’s filled with items from local makers — Tucson-themed pens from Creative Kind, bunny-themed bracelets from Sigfus Designs, a tiny coloring book from Cactus Clouds Art, a flower bundle from Sonoran Rosie, candy from Dirty T Tamarindo, creosote salves from Wildroot Horticultural and temporary tattoos designed by Ellis herself.

The goal is to have multiple vending machines around town, each tailored to each business. For example, Tucson Hop Shop is dog-friendly and positioned near The Loop, so Thress and Ellis included pet treats and bike repair kits inside the machine.

There are also fun additions that you definitely won’t find in your standard vending machine: a disposable camera, a candle that looks like a tin of fish, Bob Ross bandages. There are also 10 golden envelopes hidden in the machine, holding Tucson Hop Shop gift cards.

“For a lack of a better word, we really hopped into the fun and playfulness of it,” Thress says.

“We definitely were thinking of pulling on nostalgia and those sweet memories of going to the beach and wanting a vending machine. To me, my vending machine, I’m always thinking of my art school 2 a.m. Hot Cheetos date,” Ellis says. “We took those ideas and thought this would be a sweet twist.”

Beyond Bun Bun Vending, Thress owns Remedes + Richewels, handcrafting soap bars and bath bombs. Ellis is known for her feminine and earthy designs on prints, cards and notebooks. The two met in the bathroom during Tucson’s beloved Cultivate artisan market several years ago and eventually shared a studio.

During the pandemic, Thress stumbled upon The Venderia, headed by Taylor Valdés in Portland, Oregon. She’s known for starting what’s now called the creative vending revolution and offers classes on how to bring the concept to your own community.

“That was during COVID and I had a baby and it laid to rest,” Thress says. “Then Marcy and I moved back into a studio together and I was like, ‘Marcy, let’s do this.’ And I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”

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“We were looking for a way to connect with the community in a different way,” Ellis says. “We’ve done all the markets and we love that, but there’s something about this opportunity to offer the community. It’s a different taste of a market.”

The two revisited the concept in January — eventually developing an entire five-year plan for Bun Bun Vending — and purchased a secondhand vending machine on Facebook Marketplace in May.

The machine is decorated with Ellis’ signature florals, but the inside is a lot more technical. The process to get the machine up and running was filled with lots of measuring and repackaging, countless checking to be sure nothing became stuck on the coils and had an easy drop down to the pickup door.

Both Thress and Ellis will be in charge of the entire process — they’ll install the machines and keep them stocked, hoping that you’ll never see an empty coil. Along with refurbishing secondhand machines, they're also incorporating eco-friendly packaging. 

“We, as people and in our businesses, want to think of the Earth as much as possible. We’re super eco-conscious in what we do,” Thress says. “It was big for us with the packaging in there to use compostable sleeves because this type of business can get wasteful.”

Tucson Hop Shop is a natural fit for Bun Bun’s debut machine. They both agree: the midtown bar and bottle shop was a no-brainer.

“We love how Jessie, the owner, designed this whole space,” Ellis says. “Her whole thing is every time you turn a corner, you see something new. We were like, we can help you with that.”

While Thress and Ellis aren’t sure where the next machine will go, they hope to eventually install one at the airport. But what they are certain of is that the next vending machine will be different from this one, and the next one after that won’t be the same either.

“What we learned a lot through the class with Taylor was to really go to the businesses and hang out there and support them and see the type of customers that go in, finding your demographic and your customer or people you don’t know yet,” Ellis says. “There’s so much potential and so many people we can collaborate with. We have a shared notes app and it’s like 3 a.m. and we’re thinking of ideas.”

“A lot of credit goes to Taylor — she teaches you how to do it but there was still a lot of trial and error,” Thress says. “I hadn’t even used a vending machine since this came, but we knew we wanted it to be local (and curated). The local aspect of it is the most important to us because we want to highlight what’s unique to Tucson.”