In downtown Tucson, a husband and wife have turned one shared space into three businesses, a barbershop, an art gallery and a coffee cart, built around family, flexibility and community.

Daniel and Adriana Valenzuela have been together for 10 years and have three children. They run their businesses, Jireh Collective Barber Shop and Rosita Coffee Co., in the same building at 143 N. Stone Ave.

Daniel Valenzuela has been cutting hair for 15 years and opened the Jireh Collective last June.

Adriana Valenzuela launched her mobile coffee cart business last year, starting with pop-ups and curbside pickups before eventually moving into the space they now share.

Having both businesses under the same roof has benefited the Valenzuelas and their customers alike.

Clients can come in for a haircut and check out the work of local artists lining the walls before heading to their chair for a fresh fade or taper. Daniel Valenzuela prioritizes diverse artists, letting them use the wall space to tell unheard stories.

With pieces ranging from abstract paintings to tufted rugs, Daniel Valenzuela has given up-and-coming artists in the community an outlet to showcase their work.

“If they've ever felt like maybe their art didn't belong in a gallery, I wanted to give them the opportunity and kind of support them, motivate them to know that their art did belong and had a place,” Daniel Valenzuela said.

Daniel Valenzuela got his start working as a barber in other shops before opening his own space, where he's learned the responsibility that comes with tracking his employees' duties and becoming "the boss."

“When I put my clippers down and then I go home, I think about everything I need to be doing to help my barbers accomplish or be successful in the business,” Daniel Valenzuela said. “I feel like I fail as a business owner if I can't help them, so I take that home with me, too.”

Rosita Coffee Co. became a permanent part of the Jireh Collective over the summer.

Every Thursday, Adriana Valenzuela can be found in the lobby behind her pink coffee cart making her signature drinks.

Customer favorites include the "Golden Girl," the first recipe she ever made, with flavors of caramel, vanilla and cinnamon. Regulars of both businesses can often be seen sipping coffee in the waiting area before their appointments.

The husband and wife's shared space lets them work together while independently running their own businesses.

“It's cool for her to come into the world that I've been a part of for so long,” Daniel Valenzuela said. “When I would get home, she'd ask, ‘How was work?' And now she gets to experience it firsthand.”

Adriana Valenzuela decided to open her own coffee business after realizing her corporate job felt draining and was causing her to miss too much of her children's lives.

With the barbershop's loyal following and the coffee company gaining traction, the couple's careers have given them the flexibility to balance work with family time.

“(If) the kids have an event at school, I can easily say, ‘I'm not available at that time can we move things,'” Adriana Valenzuela said. “Whereas in any other job I don't really have that flexibility, or if I do, it's sacrificing something else. I want to be present, so being able to do that with what I've chosen for my business, that's what means the most to me.”

Working in the same space also allows the Valenzuelas to support one another in ways they previously couldn't, and the two have developed a system for attending to clients when the coffee cart gets busy.

“Knowing each other for so long, we figured out the barista dance, how to make it work without bumping into each other,” Adriana Valenzuela said.

Being an entrepreneur comes with both perks and added responsibilities.

Describing herself as a "type B" person, Adriana Valenzuela has worked on her organizational and management skills to become a leader and bring her vision to life. That mindset has helped her learn to pivot when things don't go as planned.

For community members thinking about launching their own small businesses, the Valenzuelas recommend using whatever they have at their disposal and starting from there.

Adriana Valenzuela said she knew success would mean starting small and focusing on making today work, rather than getting caught up in the future.

“Give yourself grace in the process because it starts to add up once you start looking at all the requirements, and you start thinking about the small things and getting into details it can be really overwhelming,” Adriana Valenzuela said. “A lot of people will see that and be scared, but being patient and just trusting each step that you take will help.”

Last year, the couple served as a donation site for a Thanksgiving food drive called Harvest of Hope, benefiting Visionary House Collective, and helped organize the effort. They provided 50 families with full Thanksgiving meals, including turkeys, sides and desserts, and saw firsthand the impact on families who received a meal for the holiday.

The couple plans to make the food drive an annual event. In the meantime, they'll continue hosting public events at the space, including markets, fundraisers, girls' nights and Bible studies.

Kenia Licea is a University of Arizona journalism student and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at klicea2004@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.