11th Monk3y Industries reopened on Grand Avenue last Friday after leaving Roosevelt Row due to space constraints and what the owner said was a return to his roots.
Like many artist-oriented shops, the open-source workshop and clothing store is involved in multiple ventures. Present in the new store at 1022 W. Grand Ave. are everything from T-shirts to customized bicycles, to bracelets made out of tire rubber. But there is more to the space than trendy apparel.
“Anything product-based that can be built by hand, we do it,” said Ruben Gonzales, owner of 11th Monk3y.
Behind the store is a fully equipped workshop for creating T-shirts, prints and other artistic merchandise. Anyone can walk in to use their tools, learn a craft and potentially sell their product in the storefront, Gonzales said.
Gonzales began selling personalized clothing on a small scale in 2006.
“I started as a T-shirt company, making shirts for the break dancing community,” Gonzales said. After joining Seed Spot, a non-profit incubator for entrepreneurs, he was able to grow into the multifaceted business he runs today.
“We’re proud to have him as one of our alumni,” said Courtney Klein, a co-founder of Seed Spot. “He’s got a really cool place for makers.”
Before Gonzales moved the business to Grand Avenue, 11th Monk3y sat along downtown Phoenix’s Arts District. There were several reasons why he made the transition to the more historic area of town.
“That area is changing and changing fast,” he said about Roosevelt Row. “There was a lot of structure that we wanted to stand apart from.”
Grand Avenue also had a very personal charm for Gonzales because of his days on Phoenix’s breakdancing scene.
“This is where I started,” he said. “It has a certain authenticity to it.”
11th Monk3y is one of several businesses that have opened along the historic street recently, according to Gonzales. Angela Riccobono has a shop beside Gonzales’ called Cherry Bombin Wear where she creates items including rubber bracelets, wallets and lingerie.
“We were pretty good friends even before we were neighbors,” Riccobono said. Her products are also displayed in his shop next to the custom T-shirts.
Places with similar artistic personality like Kooky Krafts and The Groove on Grand give the area a genuineness that is different from what Gonzales said is a “balance of corporation and art district meeting in the middle” in Roosevelt Row. Both Gonzales and Riccobono have a vision of Grand Avenue that brings in a similar crowd as the Arts District to their shops less than a mile away.
“It’s actually been an arts district for a long time,” Riccobono said. “It’s just not as trendy or well- known.”
With a recent grant from the city, Grand Avenue is being transformed into a more pedestrian-friendly area. The street is being cut down to two lanes with parking spaces and bicycle racks. The sidewalk and bike lanes are being painted in a rich assortment of colors instead of the usual white and yellow lines.
“I was impressed by the energy and vibrancy of the place,” Klein said after seeing the area during the reopening.
Gonzales said he plans to use the patio space in his lot for pop-up art shows every Third Friday. He said he wants 11th Monk3y to be the cultural hub of the arts and small business district.
Contact the reporter at jestable@asu.edu
