Downtown Phoenix, we have found your new hang out spot. A literal ode to being local, The Churchill on Roosevelt Row is open for business.
Kell Duncan and business partner Hartley Rodie re-imagined local with an indoor-outdoor courtyard designed for local biz and community interaction.
“It was important for us to focus on local and Phoenix. We just need more of it,” said Duncan.
Named after General Churchill who brought the railway through Phoenix, ten businesses make up The Churchill.
Even the tables and chairs are made by local shops, and the building itself is made out of repurposed shipping containers.
“These spaces are easier to get into for a small business that will hopefully grow and expand into a bigger space,” said Duncan.
Every tenant pays a “social fee.” That means every month each business has to volunteer for a minimum of four hours.
“To hear that they want to hold us accountable and to give back is heartwarming… and makes me so thrilled to be a part of it,” said Julie Oberholtzer, owner of Cosas, a gift store at The Churchill.
“I think it’s so cool that all the tenants are so on board with that and that’s why we do what we do,” said Cameo Wilson, owner and founder of Foxy Fruit Bowls, a restaurant at The Churchill.
The Churchill has also partnered with ten local charities and will hold monthly events for those nonprofits,” said Duncan.
“You can do a business, run it effectively, and still do good for the community for where you’re doing business rather than coming, working and leaving,” said Duncan. “Which is a lot of what downtown does.”
