A couple with plans to open a coffee shop in South Tucson are hosting one of five hubs at Sunday’s Cyclovia event, Tucson’s bi-annual open street celebration.

Selina and Abraham Barajas purchased the 40-year-old building at 137 West 29th Street in 2022 with plans to open their coffee shop, Luna y Sol Cafe, the following year.

Delays in construction have pushed the open date back to early 2025, but the Barajases don’t want to wait any longer to host the community space they envision. So they’re starting early at Cyclovia, with the help of some nonprofit partners.

On Sunday at 9 a.m., Luna y Sol’s parking lot will welcome several nonprofits, including Barrio Restoration, Make Way for Books, Tucson Audubon Society and Mini Poderosas.

Barrio Restoration will have “Cumbia y Communidad” in their area, and Make Way for Books will be giving away free books. Mini Poderosas will be dedicating a mini library to the space, and Tucson Audubon will be riding in on their “habitat on wheels” and giving out free native plants while supplies last. 

This is the 21st annual Cyclovia event and the seventh time the Downtown-South Tucson route has been activated since 2011.

“There is no excuse to not come and hang out,” Selina Barajas said.

 Luna y Sol will be hosting an area for the elders of the community on South 8th Avenue called “Nana’s Lounge,” with a canopy and chairs for older adults to sit and people watch. The Barajases hope that the elders' presence at this event will offer insight to the young community. 

“We need to bring the elders’ voices back and their stories. A lot of the youngsters don’t understand the richness of this community,” Selina Barajas said. “So my hope is that the elders are going to reminisce on how the old times were.”

The Luna y Sol Hub will be serving coffee from Little Waves Coffee Roasters, a Latina-owned and operated company based out of North Carolina. Selina Barajas was able to travel to North Carolina last September to the roasting facility, where she touched and smelled the beans.

She was also able to learn about the farms they originated from and the individual farmers. She said she found a new appreciation for the seed-to-cup process of coffee making and hopes to share that experience and knowledge at Cyclovia. 

“Everyone who drinks our coffee during the hub is going to know where it came from, who cultivated it, who roasted it, and what they are drinking.” she said.

Coffee has played an important part in the Barajas’ relationship.

“Coffee has always helped us have a conversation and reconnect.” she said. 

The pair have two daughters, Sofia Luna and Mia Sol, who the shop is named after. Selina Barajas said the moon has always provided guidance and the sun has given her energy and she finds these qualities mirrored in the personalities of her daughters.

For Selina, coffee is more than just a beverage, it is something that helps people get through every phase of the day.

“It just provides a lot of spark, innovation, and inspiration to a community and to an individual.” she said. 

Luna y Sol will be more than just a coffee shop, with the Barajases planning to split the 3,800-square-foot building into two parts. One part would serve as the coffee shop, with the other side serving as a flexible space that can host pop-up shops or serve as a meeting or presentation space for businesses. The open space will also have a kid zone where customers can entertain their children while they work.

The couple felt that South Tucson did not have enough meeting spaces, which led to the idea of opening up the second half for a multi-use space.

“I feel that this is a missed opportunity for our community,” she said. “The more conversations we have as a community, the more we can grow and learn and invest in each other.”

The Barajases are not only focusing on revamping the inside of the building, they also are hoping to activate the soil right in their backyard to help address the lack of green space in South Tucson.

They’re partnering with the Tucson Audubon Society, Barrio Restoration, and United Way to invest in the soil and create the green space at Luna y Sol. The Tucson Audubon Society recently received a $20,000 grant from Mrs. Myer’s Lots of Compassion Garden Grant that will be used to complete the Luna y Sol green space, which will eventually be an open habitat for birds and butterflies. 

“I want there to constantly be something happening here.” she said.

Monique Perez, the program manager for family education and literacy for the Tucson team for Make Way for Books is excited to partner with Luna y Sol for Cyclovia to share the importance of reading and show support for the City of South Tucson. 

“I not only thought it would be fun, but I also wanted to show support as Luna y Sol is opening and hopefully establish a partnership with them.” Perez said. 

The Barajases are looking forward to this historic moment for their business and to interact with the South Tucson community and beyond during this event. 

“Cyclovia is a day of activation of the streets,” she said. “Getting people walking, riding bikes, just reclaiming the streets.”

McKenna Manzo is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at mckennamanzo@arizona.edu.