TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Looking for a new place to meet friends, try something different, or connect with your Tucson community? A new tap and bottle room opening on the Eastside hopes to offer just that.
Apothecurious, located at 8554 E. Broadway Blvd. near Broadway and Camino Seco, is the vision of Anissa Guzman and her husband, who first came up with the idea while living on the East Coast.
After moving to Tucson a few years ago, the couple saw an opportunity to bring something different to the Eastside.
“We were really thinking an apothecary because of my background in health care, and we felt like when we were going to different places that it was sort of healing in some ways because we were new to the area, we met people.”
When you first enter, you'll notice the mural painted on the wall. Guzman says, "The mural came from the beautiful murals here in Tucson. We love those. I love the downtown murals, and really everywhere you go now in Tucson has them, so we really felt inspired to try to incorporate something like that." Guzman says she wanted to bring something different to the Eastside.
“There isn't a lot of this kind of space here on the Eastside," Guzman explains.
But turning their idea into a business has been a learning experience. This is the couple's first small business.
“When you come in, and you see people opening businesses,” Guzman explains, “you don't see everything that happened in the background.”
Like any new business, the road to opening hasn't always been smooth.
“There are just so many little nuances along the way," Guzman explains, "We've learned a lot, you know, good and bad things.”
The couple says they leaned on community resources, including Startup Tucson, a nonprofit that supports local entrepreneurs.
Now, after years of planning and working through the challenges, they're getting ready to welcome customers.
The tap and bottle room will offer a variety of drinks, including nitro on tap, kombucha, hard seltzer, hard cider, and beer ranging from light lagers to fruited sours. There will also be gluten-free options, mocktails, and light hors d'oeuvres.
But Guzman says the goal is about more than what's on the menu. She hopes the space becomes a place where people can connect and discover something new.
“We want people to feel like they could meet new people, try new things, learn new things, and for it to be an engaging spot.”
Apothecurious plans to hold a soft opening the weekend of Nov. 13, with a limited menu. Its official grand opening is scheduled for the weekend of Dec. 4.
For Guzman and her husband, creating a welcoming space is also a way to give back to the community they've come to call home.
“We love Tucson, and we really want people to connect and be able to share with each other all the really awesome things about Tucson,” Guzman says.
Hours are still being finalized as the business gets started. Guzman says Apothecurious is initially testing hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week, with Friday and Saturday hours extending to 11 p.m. Sunday will close at 8 p.m. The owners plan to see how customers respond before deciding whether to adjust closing times.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
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