Bud's Glass Joint Will Open Second Location on Grand Avenue

Bud’s Glass Joint is adding a second location in February, opening a new shop inside Bragg’s Pie Factory on Grand Avenue. It’ll be called Bud’s on Grand.

Business partners Greg Centrone and Andrew Meister first launched Bud’s Glass Joint in 2012, on First Street just north of Roosevelt Street. They’ve since relocated to Fifth Street, just south of Roosevelt. So they’re still right at the hub of the Roosevelt Row arts district. (Disclosure: Both Andrew Meister and his wife, Jennifer Meister, work for Phoenix New Times.)

But lately they’ve been wanting to branch out a bit more, and help bring more attention to Phoenix-based glass artists. The Grand Avenue space, located next to Lady Luck Tattoo, will give them more room to make that happen.

They looked at the space back in May 2018, and knew it would make a great fit. “We fell in love as soon as we saw it,” Centrone recalls. But someone else was eyeing the space too, so they started looking at other options. “We just weren’t finding another space with everything we needed.”

Their luck changed around October 2018, when they ran into Mark Allred, a luthier whose guitar shop is located inside Bragg’s. He’d heard the space was still open, so they approached Beatrice Moore about renting the space. She’s an artist and preservation activist who owns several Grand Avenue area properties with her partner Tony Zahn.

Now, it’s a done deal. They’ve signed a fiveyear lease for the space, which runs just over 1,600 square feet. They’ve got just under 1,000 square feet in Roosevelt Row, so having the extra location on Grand Avenue will give them a lot more room for exhibiting artwork. They’ll also be using that extra space to expand their health and wellness lines.

“We’ve always wanted to have part of a gallery and showcase the local arts scene, including local glass artists.” The new space comes with portable gallery walls, which will help with future exhibitions in the space. First up will be a First Friday show on February 1, featuring paintings by Tato Caraveo, JB Snyder, Lalo Cota, and other staples of the downtown arts scene. That's the first day Bud's on Grand will be open.

“We’re going to do a different show each month, with openings on First Fridays and Third Friday receptions,” Centrone says. Often they’ll also feature live music or performance, he says. Expect to see one side of the shop dedicated to retail, and other side dedicated to art. Retail offerings will range from jewelry to functional art. “The plan is to create a gallery within the space at some point.”

Basically, they’re rolling with the flow, and taking in all the positive energy they can find. “I love the arts community down here; you get that comfortable feeling like being in a small town,” Centrone says of their new location. “There’s just something about the industry, and Arizona has so many amazing glass artists.”