The Clark Report
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News, Culture and the Good Times
June 2011
In This Issue
June Get Your PHX
In Other Market News...
It's Alive!!!!
CenPho Community
June Get Your PHX: Wine Pairing at Urban Beans

 

Urban Beans

The goal of Get Your PHX is to show up, en masse, to support those who pioneer new restaurants, stores, bars and event spaces. We want to provide them a boost as they put their sweat, tears and wealth on the line to make life great downtown. Plus, we want to provide a chance for you to meet others like you, who want to get the most out of Phoenix.


Thanks again to everybody at the Indie ArtHouse. Joseph and the gang showed us a great time. Thanks also to The Bikini Lounge for offering drink specials and thanks to food truck Hey Joe for providing tasty comestibles. We raised a little money to benefit Free Arts of Arizona, and bought some great local original art.

  

I'm particularly excited about the June Get Your PHX because I've been wanting to do a wine pairing for a looooong time. Thanks to Virginia Senior over at Urban Beans, we will have special presentation from a professional wine sommelier who will guide us in how to pair wines with different types of food. Watch for an announcement soon about who our celebrity sommelier will be.  

 

How better to start the summer than by refining your knowledge of which wine to pair with which meat, cheese, chocolate or desert?

 

With this knowledge you can impress your friends at the next 4th of July back yard barbeque: "No, really I think these Hebrew National Hot dogs would be best with an Albert Mann, cremant d'Alsace, brut."

 

To round out my wine pairing dream team, Lisa Reinhardt of The Wei of Chocolate will provide the chocolate for the wine pairing. Have you ever had their citrus infused dark chocolate? I can't wait to try this out! This is going to be a real treat. 

 

Virginia at Urban Beans is completing a major expansion. She has a liquor license now, so she is serving all new meals: Sunday brunch with her famous French toast from 9am to 1pm are $15.95 and include an entree, scones, coffee and a cocktail. She is also doing special 5-course dinners, coming soon and she is expanding her desert menu.  

 

Everything she is doing is based on a Eurocafe model of a seamless integration of coffee, food and wine.

 

Here's the best part: the wine pairing is regularly a $15 deal and you are going to get it for FREE! So, join us, won't you? 


Keep an eye on our Facebook Fan Page for updates. As you know, there are always surprises.
 
June Get Your PHX
Thursday, June 23rd from 5:30 to 8:30.
3508 N. 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85014  Map here

Please RSVP to me via email or through Facebook so I can get an accurate count.   
In Other Market News..

Anecdotal Evidence

I have a client who was looking for a home from out of state. In the two weeks we were looking before she came in person, half of the listings went pending. Plus there were multiple offers. See how this story ends at the link, above. 

 

Beat the Investors
You have two days left to buy this $40,000 2br/1.75 bath condo before the investors are eligible to buy it. If you are an owner-occupant, you can get priority on buying this. As you probably know, I live in this complex and love it. I don't represent this seller, but I can help you get it.

Nonpareil 


Finally, They Admit it!

The Arizona Republic last weekend finally admitted what we in the industry have known for a while: "Foreclosure homes are selling fast in the Valley as investors jump at the low prices, and experts don't think the area's shadow inventory will suppress prices further."


sales chart

"Redistrict Arizona" Prize Money!

Redistrict Arizona 

 

The Arizona Competitive Districts Coalition launched an incredible new, free mapping tool that has already revolutionized the redistricting process in Arizona. We are also hosting a contest to see who can do the best job mapping. 

 

We are proud to announce that each of the four best maps (2 congressional and 2 legislative) will be awarded $500. This prize money is provided by the League of Women Voters and private donors.

 

We are also proud to announce that there will be a student category, in which Arizona High School students can win $300 (one each for congressional and legislative maps). This prize money is provided by the Arizona Education Association, and its members. Students will also win gift certificates to Stinkweeds Records in Phoenix, thanks to Kimber Lanning.

 
So, we are dishing out over $2,600 in prizes to see who can build the best maps! You can enter as a team or as an individual. If you are entering as a student, you cannot also enter for the regular prizes.

To help you get a start using the mapping tool so you can win the prize money, we host weekly Map-a-Thons --in Tucson and Phoenix for now-- until the contest deadline on June 22nd.

We had huge groups of folks at the last events --some novice and some experts on Redistrict Arizona. If you are hoping for a chance at the prize money for the best maps, these events are essential!

Join us in an opportunity to build your district maps, meet other mappers, collaborate and learn. ACDC volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and help you be a better mapper.

These Map-a-Thons are not reserved for Tucson or Phoenix, only. Please stay tuned for opportunities all over the state. If you would like to host a Map-a-Thon in your city, please contact us at azcompetitivedistricts@gmail.com
 
Tucson
June 7th, 14th and 21st
6th Ward City Council Office
6pm to 9pm
3202 E. 1st Street
Tucson, AZ 85707
Lead by Rick Graap
Map it
RSVP on Facebook here or at azcompetitivedistricts@gmail.com.
 
Phoenix
June 7th, 14th and 21st
Urban Beans Coffee Shop
6pm to 9pm
3508 North 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85012
Map it
RSVP on Facebook here or at azcompetitivedistricts@gmail.com
 
If you missed the first events, now is your chance! Please spread the word and join in!

 

While this mapping tool is free to the public, it is not free to build. Please support this incredible opportunity here. 


CenPho Community 

Grand Ave is About to Explode
I don't mean really explode. But you get that.

Grand is about to get a new lease on life. I love Grand Ave already. When First Friday at 3rd St gets too crowded I head on over to Grand for an off-the-beaten-path experience.

Certainly over the years we've seen things come and go: the Paper Heart, The Che Nois. Every time we thought we would see lots of new foot traffic, but it did not come. I've been hoping that Robert Graham can get traction for his trolly dream on Grand. But its not quite there yet.

We know what we don't want. We don't want a repeat of Mill Avenue, where funky business spaces were turned over to and then abandoned by national franchises. We want a real live/play/creative experience that grows organically.

That is why I am excited about the fact that Tim Sprague's Habitat Metro firm has started work on the Oasis Hotel. This will result in 60 rental units that will also double as gallery space for its residents --likely artists.

Why is this significant, outside of being just a cool renovation of a mid-century hotel? It is significant because it is a foothold for honesty. If we have artists living and working on Grand, it will be much more difficult some day in the future to try to turn the place in to a Mill Avenue-style mecca of franchises.

It is also significant because it will be an anchor for new business development up and down Grand.

Congrats to everybody involved with this project. Bravo!

 

 Mayoral Candidate Forum Next Week
I've been impressed with the number of mayoral candidate forums this year. If you've not been to one yet, I strongly encourage you to go. The next one I know of is June 9th at the Lexington Hotel on Central and Portland.

 

Look for more recent posts on www.GetYourPHX.com.

 
Final Words, Compliance and Other Legal Stuff

As always, I respect your right not to be bothered with annoying spam email. If you would like to be removed from my email list, just let me know. Thanks!


Sincerely,
 
Ken Clark

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