Downtown Tucsonan - February 2009 - (Page 8) Vital Signs S om e t h i n g Fo r A l mo st Ev e ryo n e By Jim Lipson f you are reading this and it’s still the beginning of the month, tucson’s annual Gem and Mineral show is in full swing. For two weeks (spread over three weekends), tucson hosts dozens of gem exhibits, dealer displays and special events throughout the city. the yearly gem shows and exhibits attract the world’s best minerals, jewelry, lapidary and publication dealers from across the usa and beyond. It should be noted however, that the Gem show is as much a local cultural phenomenon as it is a retail/wholesale marketplace, and with its epicenter squarely in the heart of downtown tucson. I photo by steve renzi of the mtcvb For many businesses in the area, the Gem show also acts as our own annual economic stimulus package. Hotel rates quadruple, with many rooms booked a year in advance. Restaurants are packed and area watering holes do a brisk business. Much of the action is focused on that part of the I-10 frontage road that runs between Grant Road and 22nd st./star Pass. Hotels along the strip are home to hundreds of booths located within huge tents, parking lots, outdoor pool areas and inside what many consider to be the most unique retail setting available, the motel room, which primarily serves as a utilitarian retail showroom. the weekends produce the most traffic but even throughout the week tucsonans make what for many, is an annual pilgrimage downtown. Because many dealers are here year after year, people have their favorite booths and vendors. “I love this time of year,” says sirena allen. a resident of Barrio Hollywood, she’s worked the show for the same out-oftown vendor for the past 13 years selling Peruvian beads. Her boss, Jeff Pines, is a wholesaler who brings at least two additional employees to set up at two locations for two weeks. “You not only see lots of friends come through but also people you’ve waited on before, some year after year. It’s also fun meeting people from all over the country and all over the world.” Parking and traffic of course are problematic at best—ride a bike if you can—but the show carries so much political weight that virtually all construction work on the interstate was halted last year for those first two weeks in February. (wow!) the city also offers the “Gem Ride,” a convenient shuttle service between venues. Go online to www.visittucson. org for more information. aside from the gemstones, minerals and fossils of almost every kind, the show also functions as a world bizarre of sorts. Imported fabrics and clothing from India, the Far East 8 downtown tucsonan.february.09 http://www.ethertongallery.com http://www.ethertongallery.com http://www.visittucson.org http://www.visittucson.org http://www.cityhighschool.org
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