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For decades, South Tucson went without a local coffee shop.
Selina Barajas is a fourth-generation Tucsonan whose parents, grandparents and great-grandparents were from South Tucson. Growing up on the southwest side, Selina remembers how busy Starbucks at the Spectrum shopping plaza always was.
She later left Tucson for Los Angeles, where she attended grad school and started a family with her now husband Abraham Barajas.
“I’m happiest when I’m drinking coffee. I got to see a lot of Black- and Brown-owned coffee shops while living in Los Angeles, specifically in the city of Inglewood,” Selina says. “When we started dating, Abraham was actually trying to stop drinking coffee, but I brought him back to it. I loved going to coffee shops, I had to drink coffee every morning and I feel like our marriage really revolved around coffee. It held us together.”
While living in LA, Selina would often find herself on Google, trying to figure out if any locally-owned coffee shops had opened in Tucson south of 22nd Street. At the time, the answer was always no.
Separately and together, Selina and Abraham have long had a vision to open a cafe of their own. When they moved back to Tucson, they started to think about it more seriously.
“I said, ‘Why don’t we open up a coffee shop?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it. Let’s take the risk,’” Selina says. “Both of us kind of had similar dreams and we really started to think about investing. I was tired of not having something in South Tucson.”
This week, Selina and Abraham opened one of the only local coffee shops south of 22nd Street. Luna y Sol celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 1 at 137 W. 29th St.
Years of history and coffee
Selina knew she wanted to invest in South Tucson, the small city that covers 1.2 square miles surrounded by metro Tucson.
“This is where my great-grandparents and my grandparents raised their families,” Selina says. “If Abraham and I had the power to invest, I wanted to invest in the city that helped raise my roots and my family. This is an area that has seen a lack of investment and is on the brink of gentrification all the time. We decided very intentionally to create something in South Tucson. We know the love and culture this city has.”
Selina remembers being part of Cholla High School’s Student Council, making visits to South Tucson party store Balloon Land to buy supplies for pep rallies and prom. The historic building was constructed by Ray Medrano more than 50 years ago — it was first Ray & Sons Tire Shop, then Ray sold movies and music, then the store became Balloon Land.
Selina started to hear murmurs about Gabi Reyes, the store’s owner and Ray’s daughter, potentially selling the building. Selina and Abraham had looked at other locations prior, but nothing felt right.
“I went into Balloon Land before it was listed and she said, ‘Make me an offer,’” Selina says. “In the development world, this is very rare — not just to sell property (owner to owner) but to not be greedy about it. She was willing to help us out and still does. She’s become like family. When she passed the key to Abraham and I, we all cried because it was very meaningful for her to pass this legacy building to us.”
Selina and Abraham hoped to open Luna y Sol, named after their daughters Sofia Luna and Mia Sol, in 2023 — but that was before they realized they had to put in a new water line, install new plumbing and update the electricity.
“We just went in there so happy and so proud that we had this building. This was the first time Abraham and I were building something of this capacity and we didn’t know (what it entailed). We had to get permits, an architect, a contractor,” Selina says. “But we also didn’t have the capital to do it fast. A lot of the people who helped us build what you walk into today are folks who are family to us — my dad, my brother, their elders, students of my dad because he used to teach at Desert View. These people we respect and love really helped us along the way.”
In that same time, Selina ran for a seat in Tucson City Council and was elected as Ward 5 Council Member last year.
“That was something I never had on my bingo card — I didn’t think I would run for City Council,” Selina says. “Campaigning took all my energy last year.”
Selina and Abraham know they could have opened Luna y Sol sooner — with a cheaper espresso machine, with less equipment training, with harsh lighting — but they also know their community deserves more than that.
“We wanted to make sure people in our community not only had quality coffee, but a quality building to walk into because that’s what they deserve,” Selina says. “They deserve not just any cup of coffee. I grew up going to Starbucks on the south side and we didn’t have quality coffee shops. The first experience for many of us on the south side is Dutch Bros or Starbucks and still is.”
Selina and Abraham spent a lot of time working with a coffee consultant on menu development and equipment training. They also researched and met with coffee roasters, hoping to find someone who treated their workers and farmers well — Selina and Abraham selected Little Waves Coffee Roasters, a Latina-owned business in North Carolina.
Currently, Selina has two favorites on the Luna y Sol menu — El Sol, which is cafe de olla with a slice of orange peel; and the cold brew. Luna y Sol also has a mazapan cold foam and an horchata cold foam. Selina is also a fan of the breakfast torta.
A space meant for connection and community
For both Selina and Abraham, Luna y Sol has always been about more than coffee.
When you walk into the cafe, you’ll see a large art piece created by local artist Jessica Wolff, who grew up chasing her sister down the aisles of Balloon Land. Jessica’s collage beautifully illustrates the history of the building, as does a second wall filled with photos of the building’s past life.
“Everything you see at Luna y Sol is out of love. We always talk about community conversation and connection and building a place for us by us. I really believe in the power of conversation and connection and if a community doesn’t have that, it’s very unstable,” Selina says. “We want to bring in community — young professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, grad students, elementary-school students. It’s really cool for me as a native Tucsonan to have people my mom’s age come or nanas from down the street come by who have never had an iced latte before. This is creating a space and an opportunity because we haven’t had that in the city of South Tucson unless you wanted to go to a rec center or meet at a restaurant.”
A habitat built outside of Luna y Sol is meant to foster that community.
“At that time, I was working with a (University of Arizona College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture) class and a lot of the students helped me envision what could go in the dirt lot outside of Luna y Sol,” Selina says. “I also knew the ZIP code 85713 (where Luna y Sol is) is one of the hottest ZIP codes in Pima County. Knowing that, and knowing this community battles with addiction, depression and anxiety, I know coffee brings community together but we thought a green space would complement that.”
Selina and Abraham worked with the Tucson Bird Alliance to create a grant-funded habitat with native plants, garden beds, a little free library and hopefully a lot of connection among community members. One of Selina’s family members wants to create a “nana’s lounge” in the outdoor area, where she plans to bring South Tucson elders into the space to talk about family, culture and the history of the city.
“I want people to feel love in the coffee we’re pouring, love in the intentionality, love in watching a butterfly fly across the habitat area. I really hope that Luna y Sol brings a lot of hope, inspiration and manifestation for this community. I feel like by being here and reminding people of everything that’s come before us — there’s so much history and I want to remind our community of how beautiful the city of South Tucson is and its culture and its art and its food and its music. If we don’t have these spaces, we forget that,” Selina says.
“Sometimes you walk into a space and you feel like it’s not for you. You want to belong somewhere — and I hope we created that space.”
☕️ Luna y Sol is located at 137 W. 29th St. and is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Visit Luna y Sol’s website or Instagram for more information. ☕️
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