The third time’s the charm. Just ask Gracie Soto, owner of Anita Street Market.
After closing twice, Soto is giving it another go, feeding customers just like her grandparents did.
“I knew (opening again) was going to be hard, it’s been hard,” she said. “I don’t even know how I’m still here.”
Soto is not complaining, though. She is not afraid of hard work and has a couple of new ideas that she believes will help her succeed, beginning with a tortilla subscription.
“I think it’s a pretty good deal,” Soto said.
Anita Street Market may appear a bit different inside; there are no groceries besides Mexican soda, agua frescas, fresh pan dulce on Wednesdays, and a few other desserts. However, those craving a handmade tortilla will be fulfilled.
Soto provides a tortilla service that ships five dozen medium tortillas monthly to subscribers nationwide. The cost, including tax and shipping, is about $45.
“How can I reach my customers out of state?” she asked. “(The subscription) is a win-win situation. This little bit of cash flow will help me keep the store open.”
Tortillas are a family legacy, a talent she inherited from her grandparents.
“I was born here; my mom was pregnant with me when she first learned how to make tortillas,” Soto said. “Learning how to walk and crawl on these floors and spending my first birthday in this building, it is more than just a market to me.”
Soto has assistance with the tortillas from Gloria Valdez, who was hesitant to speak. Ask her about the tortillas, however, and she has a quick answer.
“They’re good,” she said as she hurried back to the kitchen.
It’s the aroma that gets Soto where she lives.
“When I walk into the store and I smell tortillas and chorizo every day, that is the most beautiful smell to me because it’s home,” Soto said.
She has also added coffee to her menu. Customers may get the usual black, or with cream and sugar, but Soto has created her own recipes that are unique to Anita Avenue. She said her late grandmother inspired the coffee.
“Drinking coffee with my nana, it was the best drink; it was just good,” she said. “I just remember her loving her coffee. My tata loved his coffee black… We’re not Starbucks. I’m dedicated to it being in my culture, making it Mexican style or Sonoran style.”
Even with these changes, however, what remains is the tried and true: breakfast burritos, tacos, enchiladas and the one staple that connects Soto to her grandmother: red chili sauce.
“If I didn’t know how to make the red chili with all my love like my nana said, do you think people would still love it? I don’t think so.”
Soto knows that it requires courage and strength to continue on.
“Owning a small business is not for the weak,” Soto said. “May God be with all these small businesses. But if you have it in you, you will do it.”
But it does have its rewards.
“A son brought in his mom a couple of months ago,” she said. “She was sick. Sick, sick. Has cancer… This is the thing that people don’t know. You actually have conversations and relationships with your customers. They become friends and family.
“He was telling me the story about his mom. She loved the red chili so much and this was her favorite spot.”
The mother had been following the saga of Anita Street Market, and wanted to have one more taste of Soto’s red chili.
Meanwhile, the son was worried because he knew it couldn’t be good for his mom, who was undergoing chemotherapy.
“She said, ‘Son, I’m going to die anyway. If I’m going to die let me enjoy and I want to have a red chili burro at least one more time.’” Soto said. “She came and she grabbed me by the hand and said, ‘Si, se puede.’”
Anita Street Market
849 N. Anita Avenue, Tucson
facebook.com/anitasstmarket
