TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A celebration of local art, style and other creations took over Tucson's Fourth Avenue on Sunday.
"I love how many businesses there are. They're all local. Everybody is super excited and showing off what they made," said Maria Jose Cortez.
The Made in Tucson Market was put on by the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition. It's one of few opportunities each year to shop solely local.
"Fourth Avenue isn't big enough to hold all the local creators that we have. To give them a space, at least twice a year, to connect with their shoppers and supporters, and find a bigger market, is really important," said Shanna Rosing with the Historic Fourth Avenue Coalition.
Mel Dominguez has been making art since the age of three and was one of around 160 business owners to set up along Fourth Avenue.
"The whole focus of creating art is to continue storytelling, about our culture, as a form of communication to others," said Dominguez.
Dominguez owns Galeria Mitotera in the City of South Tucson. Sunday's market gave them the opportunity to share their work in a different part of town.
"People help sustain us local artists, so we can continue to do what we love. They then get to share a special gift that you might not find in a mall or a store," said Domiguez.
After two years of online sales and virtual events, business owners are excited to reconnect with the community face-to-face.
"Everyone is super happy to exchange in-person with people. It's really nice to hand your product to somebody and see how happy they are when they have it," said Rosing.
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