TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Flora's Market Run, the Midtown restaurant and grocer spearheaded by the folks behind Prep & Pastry has closed its doors.
Restaurant owner, Nathan Ares, confirms Flora’s is permanently closed and refers to this moment as “the end of a chapter”.
“We’re sad to be leaving but excited to see what happens next," said Ares.
Flora's closed its doors for the last time Monday afternoon.
“We’d just like to thank everyone for the opportunity, the past three plus years. You know, thank you to the sam hughes community and the overall tucson community for supporting us this long," Ares said.
Customers like Lydia Piñon attempted to open the doors but were left surprised and confused by the closure.
“I pulled on the door and it was locked and then I pulled on the there door and it was locked," described Piñon. "I was very surprised, but also not entirely.”
Piñon says there was chatter online about a possible closure, but didn’t think it could be true.
“A couple days ago actually I was looking up Flora’s to see what their hours were and saw a rumor on Reddit that they were apparently closing," said Ares.
As far as the future of the building, customers agree the location is ideal for gaining strong community support.
“I feel like this is a beautiful building, it’s a beautiful little strip of land right here. The community really shows up for people which is I think probably the biggest surprising thing about Flora’s," Piñon said.
Ares says customers can still get a taste of Flora’s at his other restaurants, Commoner and Co and Prep & Pastry.
In a message posted to social media, owner Nathan Ares said:
"I opened Flora’s Market Run with the same excitement of a kid on Christmas morning.
Sadly, I also opened Flora’s Market Run during a trying time in groceries. It started with supply chain issues and ended with price increases. As a small independently owned market I had no way to compete with the buying power of the big guys.
So, I pivoted. I downsized the market, added a juice bar. When that didn’t take off, I pivoted again. Turning the market into an event space.
But given the climate of the economy, nothing quite landed.
And so here I am, finding myself walking away from what was once my passion project.
I learned a lot along the way! You won’t find me opening a market again. But rather sticking with what I know, restaurants.
You’ll find homage to Flora’s Market Run at Commoner & Co with the spinach artichoke dip and The Rachel at Prep & Pastry.
So, I close the doors to Flora’s. Grateful for the many memories that have filled the walls and the support of our amazing local Tucson community.
As they say, when one door closes, another door opens."
Flora's opened at 2513 E. Sixth St. in 2021, in 12,000 square feet of space that was previously occupied by Rincon Market. Rincon, which was open for decades, closed in 2020, a casualty of the global pandemic.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
