Two-Lane Tucson: Stories Behind Local Businesses

What keeps a Tucson business alive when the margins are thin, the summers are brutal, and survival is never guaranteed? In this Season 3 finale of Two Lane Tucson, Elaine Bulawin reflects on the stories behind Arizona Hatters, Baja Cafe, Pivot Produce, The Loft Cinema, Kingfisher, and Maya Tea Company — six businesses that reveal something bigger about Tucson itself. This episode explores the them...

Most people in Tucson have probably had Maya Tea without realizing it. What started as homemade chai and a four-foot table at a farmer’s market grew into a company serving more than 2,500 restaurants and coffee shops across the country — all built from Tucson. In this episode, Elaine sits down with Manish Shah to talk about: – starting Maya Tea in the 1990s while working at Dillard’s – surviving y...

When chefs in Tucson wanted true farmers-market quality ingredients, the big distributors couldn’t deliver. Erik Stanford saw the problem firsthand while working in restaurant kitchens. In 2015, he started Pivot Produce to connect local farms directly with restaurants across Southern Arizona. What began with just four farms and four restaurants has grown into a regional food hub supplying kitchens...

The The Loft Cinema has been part of Tucson’s film culture for more than 50 years. But it almost didn’t survive. In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson , Elaine sits down with Jeff Yanc, program director at the Loft, to talk about how an independent theater stays alive when the movie industry keeps changing. They talk about the early days of the Loft in the 1970s, the moment it nearly closed before be...

Restaurants open and close in Tucson every year. Margins are thin. Costs change constantly. And even long-standing places sometimes disappear. But Kingfisher has been part of Tucson’s dining scene since 1993. In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson, Elaine sits down with Chef Jacki Kuder to talk about the history behind the restaurant, why seafood works in the desert, and what it really takes to keep a...

Baja Café opened in Tucson in 2014 and quickly became one of the city’s busiest breakfast spots. In this episode, we talk about how the restaurant started, how the menu evolved, and what it takes to run a high-volume breakfast restaurant in Tucson. We also get into the pressure behind the scenes: long hours, tight margins, and the realities of building a restaurant people line up for. Two-Lane Tuc...

Step inside one of Tucson’s most unusual businesses. Arizona Hatters has been shaping, repairing, and restoring hats since 1935. In a small shop filled wall-to-wall with felt and straw, hats aren’t just sold; they’re rebuilt. A hat can be taken apart, cleaned, reshaped, and put back together again. Sometimes the work brings a hat back after sixty or seventy years. In this conversation, owner Max L...

After six conversations with Tucson businesses and nonprofits this season, a few themes kept appearing. How do you carry forward a company with decades of history? How do organizations grow without losing their culture? What role do businesses play in shaping the community around them? This Season Two reflection revisits the ideas that surfaced across these conversations, with short clips from eac...

If you’ve spent time in Tucson, you’ve probably seen one of the green “Be Kind” bells hanging somewhere in the community. What many people don’t know is the story behind them. Ben’s Bells began more than two decades ago after the unexpected loss of a young boy named Ben. In the year that followed, his family and friends gathered in a backyard clay studio to create ceramic bells in his memory. On t...

Pop Cycle has been part of Tucson’s Fourth Avenue scene since 2008. What started as a small studio and storefront for a few local makers has grown into a shop featuring work from more than 100 Tucson artists. In this episode, Libby Tobey shares the story behind Pop Cycle — how the store first opened, why supporting local artists became central to the business, and what it actually takes to run an...

Tucson Botanical Gardens started as a small community garden tucked into a neighborhood in midtown Tucson. Today it’s one of the city’s most respected cultural institutions — a place where desert plants, art, education, and conservation come together. In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson , I sit down with CEO Michelle Conklin to talk about how the Gardens grew from a local horticulture project into...

Beyond Bread began as a small bakery on Campbell Avenue with a short menu, no seating, and lines that regularly stretched out the door. Over the years it grew into one of Tucson’s most recognizable locally owned food institutions. In this episode, Jane Overbey shares what it takes to operate and scale a scratch-kitchen restaurant across multiple locations while maintaining the consistency customer...

Truly Nolen has been serving Tucson for more than 80 years, but the story starts in the Great Depression — cleaning outhouses in Miami Beach and solving whatever problem showed up next. In this episode, Michelle Nolen shares how the company grew from humble beginnings into a multi-state operation headquartered in Tucson — and why culture is the first thing that can break when a company scales. We...

In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson, Christian Beltran, CEO of BB Hill Landscaping, shares what it really takes to lead and grow a commercial landscaping company in Tucson for more than two decades. Christian talks about the parts of his story most people don’t see — struggling in school, questioning his own abilities, and never imagining he would one day oversee major commercial projects across th...

Season One of Two Lane Tucson brought together seven local business owners across different industries and stages of growth. From a therapeutic ranch to a mobile tire service, from a pie shop to a 30-year appliance company, each conversation revealed something deeper than tactics. In this closing reflection, I share the themes that surfaced repeatedly: • Reputation over hype • Growing carefully wi...

For more than 30 years, Chris Edwards has run Tucson Appliance Company in direct competition with big box retailers. In this episode, we talk about what’s changed in the appliance industry, the pressure of operating in a low-margin business, and why reputation and service matter more than ever. Chris shares how he’s built over 1,000 authentic Google reviews, what it takes to lead a team of 40+, an...

In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson, I’m joined by Carter Dircks , owner of Tucson Mobile Tires , a locally owned business bringing tire service directly to customers across Tucson. Carter shares how his mobile tire business works, why the on-site model makes sense for busy drivers, and what it actually looks like to run a service business that operates out in the field instead of a traditional sto...

Sydney Adams , owner of Sydney’s Sweet Shoppe , shares what it actually takes to grow a small, specialty food business in Tucson. What started as learning her grandmother’s pie crust recipe turned into a standalone pie shop built on craft, consistency, and community. In this conversation, Sydney talks about the less visible side of growth: mastering technique, setting boundaries around customizati...

What happens when a veteran is days away from starting a new job and their car breaks down? In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson, I sit down with Bernie Colonna , a Tucson native, U.S. Army veteran, and founder of Honor Charity —a local nonprofit built to move fast when veterans and their families are in crisis. We talk about why Honor Charity was created in response to frustration with large nation...

What does acupuncture really look like in practice—not just in theory? In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson , I sit down with Tucson acupuncturist Jessica Breton to talk about long-term, whole-body care. We cover how she found her way into acupuncture, what convinced her the work actually helps people, and why most of her practice has grown through word of mouth. Jessica shares what surprises new pa...

In this episode of Two-Lane Tucson, I sit down with John Harings of Excelsior Associates to talk about real estate, relationships, and how the Tucson market has changed over time. We talk about why he stayed in real estate through the 2008 crash, how referrals actually drive long-term business, and what buyers often don’t see behind the scenes. This is a grounded conversation about experience, ada...

I sit down with McKinley Madril from Therapeutic Ranch for Animals and Kids (TRAK) to talk about how the ranch began, what it makes possible for the people they serve, and what daily life looks like behind the scenes in Tucson. Full episode page: https://www.desertskieslocalseo.com/episode-1-mckinley-madril-trak.html

This is Two-Lane Tucson, a show about the people who build and run the businesses that keep this city moving. Tucson isn’t a four-lane metropolis. Things grow differently here. Slower, steadier, more personal. That’s the point of this podcast. Two-Lane Tucson is where the real stories behind Tucson’s businesses finally get told. I’m Elaine Bulawin, and I work with local businesses every day. I see...