Resilience and a Red Ribbon ReOpening Tour in Downtown Globe
The fall flooding devastated downtown Globe. Resilience prevails with the reopening of nine businesses.
The Flooding in Globe wreaked havoc on the historical downtown, decimating buildings and closing more than a dozen businesses, which are vital to the health and well-being of the region. Between Globe and its close neighboring town of Miami—an area known as the Copper Corridor—there is a population of around 10,000 people who rely on the businesses for food, service, and to make a living.
Downtown Globe serves as a hub for community gatherings at events including First Fridays, Apache Jii, Farmers Markets, and many parades—such as the notorious upcoming Buggy Parade. This hub is a vital part of connecting the community and keeping the Copper Corridor alive within a region that is otherwise isolated, nestled between National Forest, BLM, and Reservation land. The damage caused by the series of floods was not just a byproduct of catastrophe, but a devastating blow to the daily lives of the people within the region, who depend on the small selection of businesses for survival. Several restaurants, salons, service centers, small businesses, and more faced extensive damage in the late September floods, with October flooding furthering the extent of the destruction.
With astonishing volumes of volunteer support, donations, and hands-on rebuilding from Arizonans far and wide, downtown Globe has been able to rebuild into a functional town once more. Portions of downtown Globe are still under repair, and a handful of businesses will need more time to return to full functionality, but the resilience of this historical area is both remarkable and inspirational. Two months after the floods, The Globe-Miami Chamber of Commerce was able to host a Red Ribbon tour, celebrating the grand re-opening of nine Globe businesses.
Beginning promptly at 10 am on Friday, Dec. 5, the tour lasted roughly two hours and left a little wiggle room for attendees to enjoy local cups of coffee, steaming burros, and the decor donning downtown in preparation for holiday festivities. The celebration of resilience was complemented by the celebration of good eats in the charming, historical downtown. Here are the nine businesses recognized in the Red Ribbon Tour.
Vamp Salon
Location: 160 S. N Pine St.
Tucked behind the 1916 Train Depot of downtown Globe, Vamp Salon has been serving the community for the better part of a decade. In a heavy flood zone, this salon needed several hands—pun intended—to get back to the craft. With a focus on manicures and pedicures, this business is back and ready to beautify the residents of the Copper Corridor once more.
Earth Mover Tire Sales Inc.
Location: 491 N Broad Street
Commuters, ranchers, commercial drivers, and anyone passing through the area may find a need for Earth Mover Tire Sales. This company has two locations—one in the heart of downtown Globe and the other along the 60 in Miami—and offers a service vital to the area. Earth Mover sells tires for passenger, commercial, and industrial vehicles, and even offers mobile tire repair services. For a locale that sees over 10,000 drivers daily, this business continues to be an important part of the culture in the region.
La Casita Café
Location: 470 N Broad Street
La Casita is a comeback story that has a great deal of meaning to the community. La Casita is a staple that sees a consistently full dining room with a lively hustle and bustle. On the night of the first round of floods, diners found themselves standing on tables to keep their heads above water. In order to get them out of the quickly filling building, a good Samaritan broke a window to decrease water pressure, thus allowing the inward-swinging doors to open.
The broken windows let in water and muck that wiped out tables, walls, art, and more. Devastation quickly turned into proactivity through various fundraising campaigns—such as the table sponsor program that sold out in 30 minutes—and volunteer help. In under two months, La Casita once again opens doors to a pristine dining room full of chatter, joy, and the aroma of rich sauces and burros. If any business is the face of resilience within a community, this is it.
Kino Floors & Interior
Location: 401 N Broad Street
For nearly 50 years, Kino Floors & Interior has been beautifying homes in Globe, Miami, and the surrounding community. Inventory includes a large selection of low-priced, name-brand furniture, wall fixtures, rugs, and more, while also providing floor installation and cabinetry services. Kino Floors opened in downtown Globe in the 70s and has been a legacy within the family, offering employment to its now third generation. Located across from La Casita, Kino was also in the heart of a major flood zone, but it is a clean and welcoming business today.
Courtesy Ford–Service
Location: 910 N Broad Street
Seeing the new cars of Courtesy Ford floating will forever serve as a symbol for the severity of the storm. Cars from the new lot were found miles down the road, in front of gas stations, inside of businesses, and beyond. The service center might not have had new cars floating down the road, but the lower point on N Broad Street, where the building sits, ushered in mud, muck, and water, damaging the front entryway and creating cleanup within the bay. It is now open with a modified, temporary entrance while the front is under repair. Customers can walk up to the service bay or call in for appointments. Be aware, though, that current online phone numbers are incorrect. Those looking for service may call 928-425-4491.
Anna’s Petals
Location: 610 N Broad Street
Across from Courtesy Ford Service, Anna’s Petals is back and ready to help locals stop and smell the flowers. With decades of expertise in flower arranging, Anna’s Petals is the community’s high-quality florist. With arrangements, bouquets, house plants, and decor, this is the go-to shop for sending flowers on special occasions, or “just because.” Back open and ready to serve, the holidays are a perfect excuse to send flowers to a loved one while supporting a resilient business.
Land of Wild Designs
Location: 610 N Broad Street
Through the same entry door as Anna’s Petals, but off to the right, is Land of Wild Designs Photography. This studio offers portrait photography for all of life’s special moments, from engagements to graduations to newborns and beyond. Multiple backdrops grace the floor, inspiring many moments captured. The grand reopening happened just in time to open doors for family photos that can be used on annual Christmas cards, or for photos to be framed and gifted to loving grandparents and friends alike.
Salinas Smoke Street, LLC
Location: 999 N Broad Street
Salinas Smoke Street saw a grand opening at the start of the year, with the owners going brick and mortar after successful food truck ventures. Tons of money went into renovating and decorating the space, which sits along the 60 in front of a water channel. When the storm hit, the channel overflowed, damaging the indoor and backyard space that was just recently redone. Despite the devastating blow, the community stepped up, offering manual labor, construction expertise, and donations to get Salinas back in tip-top shape to serve the decadent ribs, juicy brisket, spicy mac and cheese, delectable corn bread, and “Texas Twinkies” to the hungry patrons who frequent this spot every Tuesday through Saturday. Now reopened, smoke and the scent of Texas BBQ grace the senses once more, a welcome return and a reminder of resilience that can only form through tragedy.
El Ranchito
Location: 999 N Broad Street
El Ranchito sits in a solitary orange pueblo-esque building near the start of downtown. The inside boasts hand-painted art, a strong aroma of spicy salsa and warm rice and beans, and is the epicenter for friendly chatter and merriment. At one of the lowest points of Broad St, El Ranchito was washed away with the storm, leaving a standing building but an interior that showed no promise of quick return. Owned and operated by a large family, and loved at large by the community, this Mexican food staple defied all odds and was one of the first downtown businesses to reopen. It also set up make-shift stations to serve food to volunteers who helped the entirety of downtown Globe recover. With a grand reopening and fresh membership to the Chamber of Commerce, El Ranchito will continue to welcome newcomers and familiar faces to Broad for years to come.
All of these businesses were able to bounce back quickly thanks to not only the community of the area, but also to the volunteers from across the state that took time out of their lives to care for a region that could have otherwise crumbled. It is because of the Arizona community at large that locals can once again seek beauty services, send flowers, eat good food, and earn a living. With deep gratitude and humility, the Copper Corridor will continue to rise and recover from a catastrophe that nearly washed it away.
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