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It was just a month ago that I reported on Pop the Soda Shop’s move out of its longtime retail storefront in Scottsdale — where it stocked all kinds of craft soda and old-timey favorites like Moxie — to a new home base at The Duce, the funky Downtown warehouse at Central and Lincoln that features a restaurant, bar, clothing shop, and even a boxing ring.
Now, it turns out that soda guru Jeff Guarino has left the premises and it’s unclear where he’ll take his business now.
The Duce owner Steve Rosenstein tells me he’s not sure about Guarino’s overall business situation, and that things hadn’t been going well since Guarino got on board at The Duce. Rosenstein says he and his wife Andi always tried to help out as much as they could.
“I still believe that nobody knows soda pop like Jeff,” he adds, calling Guarino’s departure “unfortunate.”
Meanwhile, Rosenstein still has the soda fountain and has new staff who’ll be on the premises regularly.
