Downtown Phoenix is filled with places and activities that may be too expensive for some college students to fully reap the benefits of. Fortunately, in between bustling stores and pricey stops are locally owned, affordable shops prepared for Sun Devils looking to enjoy the city.
Stemistry
Located by the ASU Mercado in Heritage Square, Stemistry is a coffee and flower shop that students can visit between classes for energy drinks, coffee and grab-and-go pastries.
Stemistry currently has two locations, setting up shop in the Teeter-Carriage House in Downtown Phoenix near the Rosson House and the Arizona Science Center and housing another location in Scottsdale.
Stemistry offers students coffee, tea, energy drinks and pastries such as croissants. There’s also a corner where the store sells water and light snacks for students in a rush.
The Scottsdale and Downtown Phoenix shops uniquely sell flowers, setting them apart from other cafes in the Valley. However, these two locations serve different demographics, with the Downtown Phoenix location catering more to college students.
"(Scottsdale is) promoting primarily a flower shop," Trevor Moffet, a manager at Stemistry, said. "They go through hundreds of flowers each week. We try to bring a little bit of that here, but the customer base is a little different. College students that are running between classes aren't necessarily the people that are going to be buying flowers."
Instead, Moffet emphasizes the demand he's seen for energy drinks and caffeinated beverages from college students.
"A lot of them are like, ‘I need something,'" said Moffet. "So they'll run in here, grab an energy drink, grab a cookie and then run back to class."
Stemistry is in the Teeter-Carriage House on 618 E Adams St., open Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday. 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Ziggy's Magic Pizza Shop
Ziggy’s Magic Pizza Shop is a necessary stop in Downtown Phoenix for any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan or the average pizza lover.
The pizza shop, which lies next to the Van Buren, offers slices, whole pizzas, sandwiches and other items customers can eat outside under red and white plaid umbrellas or inside, where they are met with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles-themed decor. Complete with unique charm and New York-style pizza, the shop offering a nostalgic atmosphere and unconventional pies.
Ziggy's also offers a special pizza of the week, combining ingredients not usually found on a pie. According to Isaiah Williams, a floor manager at Ziggy’s Magic Pizza Shop, the slice for Valentine's week offered mashed potatoes, corn and gravy.
Williams said the shop also has a speakeasy in the back, where there are about 12 pinball arcade games and a DJ who plays every night.
The shop is on 401 W Van Buren St., Suite B, and is open Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 12 a.m., Friday and Saturday 12 p.m. to 2 a.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
Welcome Diner
If students are looking for an old-fashioned eating spot under neon lights in the Valley, Welcome Diner is an embodiment of southwestern American diner aesthetic.
"We're a well-known local spot, scratch-made, locally sourced," said Broc Carter, the bar lead at Welcome Diner. "I make all the syrups, juices and drinks behind the bar. It’s easy here to be a part of helping people and having a good time."
The Welcome Diner offers lunch and dinner items as well as brunch on Saturday and Sunday mornings. The restaurant has an outside serving area and an old-fashioned interior where customers can dine.
The diner’s happy hour is from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every day, offering $2 off chicken biscuits and fries. Their all-day menu lists sandwiches, mac and cheese, pie, lemonade and signature burgers like the "Welcome Burger" and the "No Way Jose" – a southwest-style burger with chipotle ranch and smoked gouda that, according to Carter, is his personal favorite.
The Welcome Diner is on 929 E Pierce St. and is open on Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Heard Museum
Within the heart of Phoenix, the Heard Museum is filled with Indigenous artwork, culture and history.
The museum owns collections of baskets, beadwork, drawings, Hopi Katsina dolls, jewelry, paintings, film, pottery and textiles.
The Heard Museum also has several exhibitions that present a chance for an audience to connect with someone else’s artwork, such as "The North Star Changes: Works by Brenda Mallory." This particular exhibition features sculptures created from reclaimed and found objects and runs until March 31, 2024.
The Heard Museum hosts events all year. On February 17-18, the museum hosted the World Champion Hoop Dance Contest, which includes 100 contestants from around North America who compete in a Hoop Dance, a method of storytelling.
The Heard Museum is located at 2301 N Central Ave. and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. ASU students with a student ID can buy general public tickets for $9.
Edited by Katrina Michalak, Walker Smith and Sadie Buggle.
Reach the reporters at gheadle@asu.edu and sjames51@asu.edu and follow @George_Headley7 and @sennajames_ on X.
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