Tempe business Total Wine and More presented a $10,000 check to the Tempe Center for the Arts during its grand opening on Wednesday.
The donation will help the arts center fund events like Walk-in Wednesdays and a new program called Tempe Songwriters’ Showcase.
Walk-in Wednesdays is a free event at which local performers can showcase their talents at the Tempe Center for the Arts.
The Tempe Songwriters’ Showcase is a new addition to the Tempe Center for the Arts and will showcase selected performers from previous Walk-in Wednesday events.
The wine, beer and spirits retailer is the newest addition to the Emerald Center on the 8500 block of South Emerald Drive.
Walk-in Wednesday host Walter Richardson said the donation by Total Wine and More was helping to fund the costs of producing the Songwriters’ Showcase, which will be taped and broadcasted Dec. 2.
“[The showcase will] capture how music and culture is alive in Tempe and give people outside the community and the state the opportunity to see it and enjoy it,” Richardson said.
Kris Baxter, a community development and marketing specialist for the city of Tempe, praised Total Wine and More for its donation and involvement in the community, calling the company “a good community partner [that] goes beyond the business requirements and wants to be a part of what makes Tempe great.”
Anthony Damato, assistant manager for Total Wine and More, said the company values community involvement and wanted the opportunity to give back to the community.
“It grows ties to the community. People know we’re here to support the community and know that we’re not just here for business,” he said.
Mary Fowler, spokeswoman for Tempe Center for the Arts, said that Total Wine and Mores’ contribution helps to establish Tempe’s culture.
“Businesses want to establish a sense of community. And when you look at community, it’s a quality of life people are looking for,” she said.
“When businesses work in tangent with art and culture it really enhances the community and being part of enhancing that quality of life.”
Richardson said Total Wine was helping to spread the culture of Tempe to others.
“It helps vitalize the community,” he said. “This small investment is going to tell the story of a city through the artists living here, who are able, through their lyrics, to tell a story of the city and then that song travels around the world.”
Richardson said he believed the donation was also a business opportunity, and hoped the added attention from a showcase would bring people to the city of Tempe and increase revenue.
Total Wine and More owner David Trone said he hoped being involved in the community would draw more customers into his store as well.
“We’re going to build our business,” Trone said. “We hope to gain more customers through being associated with events in the community.”
Reach the reporter at michelle.parks@asu.edu.
