Discovering Tucson’s Treasures with Audrey Scheere of Old Pueblo Curiosities
Join us for a captivating journey through the streets of Tucson! In this episode, Tom Heath unravels the tales and mysteries behind the captivating Instagram page ‘Old Pueblo Curiosities’ with its brilliant creator, Audrey Scheere. Audrey’s passion for spotlighting Tucson’s lesser-known marvels shines through as she shares stories of local businesses, vibrant arts, and cultural intricacies that make our city stand out. Delve into her personal journey from a hard-hitting corporate world to finding purpose amidst Tucson’s rich tapestry.
Episode Highlights:
- Origins of Old Pueblo Curiosities: Audrey’s inspiration to start her Instagram journey and the meaning it brought to her life.
- Power of Storytelling: How Audrey harnesses the strength of narratives to amplify the voices of local businesses.
- Pandemic Beginnings: Launching a project in the midst of global chaos and finding hope in the heart of Tucson.
- Beyond Just Pictures: Evolution from picture-based accounts to engaging and high-quality video storytelling.
- Audrey’s Favorites: A sneak peek into some of Audrey’s most memorable interviews and her personal Tucson favorites.
We invite our listeners to experience the vibrant energy and tales Audrey brings to life through her content. Connect with Audrey on Instagram at Old Pueblo Curiosities and immerse yourself in the visual spectacle of Tucson’s treasures. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with friends and stay connected with us for more exciting stories from Life Along The Streetcar.
Transcript (Unedited)
Tom Heath
Good morning. It’s a beautiful Sunday in the Old Pueblo and you’re listening to KTDT Tucson. Thank you for spending a part of your lunch hour with us on your downtown Tucson community sponsored all volunteer powered rock and roll radio station. On this week’s show, we’re going to speak with Audrey Shiri. She’s the creator of the hot new Instagram page, Old Pueblo Curiosities. We’re going to learn how this concept came to her in the midst of COVID and how she continues to support local businesses and nonprofits. Today is September 17th, 2023. My name is Tom Heath, and you’re listening to Life Along the Streetcar. Each and every Sunday, our focus is on social, cultural, and economic impacts in Tucson’s urban core. And we shed light on hidden gems everyone should know about. From A Mountain to the University of Arizona and all stops in between. You get the inside track right here on 99 .1 FM, streaming on downtownradio .org. Also available on your iPhone or Android by using our very own Downtown
Tom Heath
Radio Tucson app. If you want to reach us on the show, Instagram and Facebook seems to be the best way to get ahold of us, but you can also email us or head over to our website, there’s a contact button there. And while on the website, you can check out past episodes, learn more about our book. And if you are so inclined to listen to the podcast as you’re out and about, check it out on Spotify, iTunes, all those cool little places there. Well, September, it’s flying by and something you might not want to miss coming up here. It started back in May, but it’s ending in September at the end of the month. And it’s the University of Arizona’s Museum of Art. They have something called the Vault Show, and it’s running through the end of this month. And it’s an opportunity for them to bring out things that they don’t always have out. They’ve got storage components back there, and they just bring things out. They also showcase their permanent collections a little bit differently. In this particular
Tom Heath
go, the staff, each one of them is selecting pieces that will be part of this display. So they’re looking for these different creativity pieces, displaying them in ways that are a little bit unique. Even if it’s part of their permanent collection, you might see it a little bit differently. That’s at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. You can check out their website for more details. And as always, we will link to that type of thing from our Facebook page. Well, the Vault Collection is a little bit of a curiosity to me. And our guest today knows all about curiosities. Her name is Audrey Sheery. And I first was introduced to her just randomly by seeing her on Instagram a couple of years ago as she was going out and talking to some of the same people that we were highlighting on the show. She was doing it with photos and videos through Instagram and just had a beautiful page. And then over the years, I’ve watched her and been connected to her on a couple of occasions by different guests
Tom Heath
that said we should chat. And we finally had a chance to meet. Her Instagram page is Old Pueblo Curiosities. And it’s been running for about three years. So we sat down, went down to the gallery, as a matter of fact, and sat down in the gallery studios, the Tucson Gallery Studios, and recorded an interview earlier this week. So we are with Old Pueblo Curiosities herself, Audrey Sheery. And I’m very excited about this. I’ve been trying to get Audrey on the show for, I don’t know, over a year, I think, at this point. And she keeps saying, you’re not big enough yet. You need more followers. And so my mom invited her friend. Now I doubled my followers. And Audrey said, okay, I will come on. Audrey, welcome.
Audrey Scheere
Thanks for having me. And that is not how it happened, but thank you.
Tom Heath
Well, we have been trying to get together for a while. I saw, I mean, how long have you been doing Old Pueblo Curiosities?
Audrey Scheere
For three years now.
Tom Heath
Okay. And I guess maybe there might be one or two people that don’t know what it is. So can you kind of explain what you do?
Audrey Scheere
Absolutely. So Old Pueblo Curiosities is a Tucson exploration account showcasing local businesses and kind of the why behind them, reasons people should stop in and support them, along with curiosities around Tucson. So having a general sense of curiosity, questions, and also the weird and fun and odd things you can find in town.
Tom Heath
So imagine life along the streetcar, but not constrained by the artificial boundaries that I created. Right. And imagine it being much more visual, because I think that’s what really attracts me and others to it is it’s on Instagram and, you know, this is great. The podcast, I enjoy this, but you have videos and you’re in the shops and just do really cool things to highlight them visually.
Audrey Scheere
It’s been fun.
Tom Heath
You got in at a very interesting time. Three years ago, we were going through some kind of a health thing. I think it was a pandemic or something.
Audrey Scheere
Absolutely. So, you know, I think some people are starting to forget the sense of emotion we had in mid 2020. It was just a great reckoning of what is our purpose? Why are we here? You know, in the middle of a huge pandemic. And so at that time for me, I was a vice president of marketing at a business consultancy. I had a newborn and a three year old and I wasn’t sleeping, you know, working around the clock. I was co -authoring a book that was about to come out in the business world and really just up at night thinking, why am I not happy? Why? What’s next? What’s my purpose? And around that time, I came across an incredible book called The Power of Meaning. The subtitle is Finding Fulfillment in a World Obsessed by Happiness by Emily S. Fahani Smith, if you’re interested. And basically what you can glean from that title is we’re looking for the wrong thing. It’s not about happiness. It’s about finding meaning and purpose. And so this book kind of outlined some, some pillars for how you
Audrey Scheere
could do that. That brought me to how can I find meaning? So with a lot of introspection and a certain tarot card, I figured out, you know, maybe I can help tell stories, help explore my community, get out and build relationships, and I would find more meaning. And I absolutely have. So it kind of started off, I had a little notepad, I would go out and ask questions. And the more I did that intentionally and got really curious, the more curious I became and kind of just started building this account with stories and videos, hoping to help local businesses out at the time, because, you know, mid pandemic, small businesses really questioned, are we going to shut down? What can we do? And I have a special love for small business owners wearing all the hats, I understand what it’s like to work in a small business. And the marketing side is not easy. So I thought, hey, I’ll get out there and do some creative storytelling. I’ve worked in marketing for so long. And here we are.
Tom Heath
Wow. So and so you started in the midst of COVID. How did you find the response? Were people like willing to talk to you? Were they afraid to talk to you? Did you go and meet with them?
Audrey Scheere
Yeah, for the most part, they were willing. I would reach out beforehand, say, hey, just I’m starting this project. Can I come interview you and take some pictures? It was picture based at the time. And for the most part, I would say 99%. It was a yes. And I just came in and I started to learn so much about these businesses. I started at this, this shop that’s closed now, but it was a little vegan chocolate shop out at Wilmot and Speedway. And I just felt like I could help tell their story.
Tom Heath
And how many have you do you know how many like interviews you’ve done over the three years?
Audrey Scheere
A couple, at least a hundred. Yeah.
Tom Heath
I joke about this, but there’s truth behind it. When I started this show, there was so much I wanted to learn and calling some up and saying, hey, I really love your project. Let’s meet. They don’t have time for that. Right. But you call up and say, hey, I’m doing this marketing. I’ve got this radio show. I want to I want to tell help you tell your story, but I need to know more. And people are so willing and ready to give that information. And and so I just I mean, I just use this platform to, you know, for selfish reasons.
Audrey Scheere
Well, and the selfish side for me is I’m looking for meaning and purpose. The connections I’ve built have absolutely given me a purpose in life. Nothing on my account is paid or monetized. I I really just want to help. And that’s fulfilling to me. But I do find that the response is excellent and people are willing to let me come behind the scenes, which is really gratifying.
Tom Heath
Are you are you a Tucson native?
Audrey Scheere
I’m not a Tucson native. I’ve been here since about 2011. I did leave for the Peace Corps, but so solid 10 years plus now.
Tom Heath
OK, so and were you in exploration mode prior to this or were you just so focused on your career and your family?
Audrey Scheere
Yes. Not at all. So I was grinding with the career and the kids 24 hours a day, and I would wonder about things like I’d see a pop up of small businesses or just drive by places and wonder what was inside. And this was really the turning point to say, I’ve been driving, driving by this place for years, a decade now. I need to go in and see what’s in there. And then I thought other people would like to see that, too, which they have. I mean, for example, there’s a piano store around Broadway in Columbus that I just look at the sign every day on my commute. And then finally, I went and said, oh, wow, you can rent a piano for like thirty five dollars a month. How amazing.
Tom Heath
Wow. I didn’t. I’ve driven by there many times. I’ve never thought to go in because I don’t I don’t want a piano, but someone might someone might. And so you get in there and you do you start with pictures. But now in the in the hashtag of the Instagram is old Pueblo Curiosities. I was just kind of doing some research last night and I’ve seen them bits and pieces, but I was kind of going through a lot of your recent videos. They’re like like professional quality, like you’re like really getting in there and and giving them a marketing piece.
Audrey Scheere
I absolutely burn the midnight oil with this, but I love it. I love creativity and making things. So if I go in and chat with a business, I will give it my absolute best effort to make them look top tier.
Tom Heath
How much do you think you spend maybe on a on a project?
Audrey Scheere
It’s a labor of love. I would say, you know, for the bigger interview style ones, it could go upwards of 20 hours. I mean, with the prep and going out to talk and film and then process the video.
Tom Heath
And wow, that is tremendous. That is tremendous. And that is because I’ve seen it’s not just you showcasing a business. In some case, it is you like you had Chris Carlone with Tale of Two Houses, which he was on our show a month or so ago. And then I saw your interview with him and that was fun because you you got to see him and you got to interact with him. And it was really it was casual but professional at the same time as fun.
Audrey Scheere
Yeah. And, you know, most of the time I’m dodging to talk with someone between work and daycare in my 20 minutes just running in and out. So the chat with Chris was actually really quick and we just stopped at the house. It was probably under an hour. I ran out here, ran back to to help my husband with the kids and the rest is at midnight.
Tom Heath
Well, it’s a it’s a fabulous project and I’m excited to have you on because we we share so many similar interests. I think we have the same desire to highlight Tucson and it makes us feel good. And I definitely, definitely get that feeling. And I appreciate that, that you’re doing it all over Tucson and it’s not limited to like a shop or a business, it’s arts, it’s culture. You’re hitting everything.
Audrey Scheere
Absolutely. So I’ve started this account so intentionally, I didn’t participate on social media previously because it just felt unnatural. And so coming into this, being on social media, I always wanted to do something somewhat giving back or just using my power wisely was something that I aimed to do. And so I love to showcase fantastic, hardworking people, nonprofits, great causes and kind of tips and tricks for helping people and helping with life in Tucson.
Tom Heath
Helping with life in Tucson. We’ll go back to that second half of the interview with Audrey Sherry of Old Pueblo Curiosities in just a moment. But first, I want to remind you that you’re listening to Life Along the Streetcar. We’re on Downtown Radio 99 .1 FM. We’re streaming on downtownradio .org. You’re also available on your iPhone or Android.
Tom Heath
We are back to finish up our interview with Audrey Sherry. We recorded it a few days ago at the Tucson Gallery Studios and I’m going to dive a little bit more deeply into her motivations and kind of how things have been going. I think it gives a nice variety and a clear understanding of what Tucson, the fabric of Tucson. I do think if you’re new here or if you’re thinking about Tucson, you get maybe a sense of who we are and like every other city, there’s a different reality when you actually get in there. But Old Public Curiosities, I think because of the visual component, really helps people get more deeply into that community. So congratulations on that too.
Audrey Scheere
Thank you. Yeah, I think we absolutely have it all here. I almost feel like kind of a backup visual support for things like This is Tucson or the news because they’ll do a story on a small business and then two years go by and people kind of forget about it, but it’s just another, hey, hello, I’m here, kind of visual plug.
Tom Heath
You mentioned your husband and your kids, so there’s got to be a support factor here. I mean, there’s got to be a lot of time. I’m assuming they’re supportive of you in this, at least to some degree.
Audrey Scheere
Absolutely. I appreciate my husband all the times I can just jump out of the house for 30 minutes and go talk to someone. I also do tend to bring a child along just so it’s a little more balanced. So probably 75 % of the videos you see, they’re not as good as they could be because I’m holding my three -year -old on my hip and just taking really tiny clips here and there.
Tom Heath
That’s all right. He’ll be four soon. Maybe he can start, maybe they can become the camera person for you soon.
Audrey Scheere
The production assistant. We’ll try.
Tom Heath
At five, I think they’re officially a computer and technology savvy, so you should be good with that. So you talked about your piano store and your first one, your vegan, the Chocolatier. What are some others? I always hate this question, so I’m going to ask you, but which ones stand out for you?
Audrey Scheere
Which ones stand out? So many. I think as I scroll back over the three years, there’s something special about each one. Someone I like to talk about a lot is Zach with High Desert Sauce Co. because he was somebody, one of the first people who invited me in to kind of see the behind the scenes process and make me feel like I was really doing something. So he invited me in to see his sauce making process, and he’s definitely blown up. His sauce has been on Hot Ones and lots of other things.
Tom Heath
Did he blow up after being on Ol Povo Curiosity? Oh, it’s because of me. I absolutely give myself credit now. That’s what I figured. It’s a little sleepy little company, and then they hit your airwaves.
Audrey Scheere
No, he was getting momentum.
Tom Heath
How about one, because reflection is very important, and you do 100 interviews, and not that they’re not all wonderful, but some, you forget that you’ve done these. I mean, have you gone back and just been, oh my gosh, I forgot about this one, and how fun that was?
Audrey Scheere
Something that stands out to me about the ones I’ve done is just how many nonprofits we have. And you may not realize that these businesses or cultural centers are nonprofits. And so one time I did a post just saying, hey, did you know these are nonprofits? And something that many people don’t realize is the gift shops that are nonprofits, that you can buy things and support their mission. So some of my favorites of those that I remember that may be new to people are things like the Southern Arizona Animal Food Bank at Wilmot and Speedway. You buy there, and you support owners being able to keep their animals and being able to feed them if they need support. There’s the Teal Saguaro run by TMC volunteers, and all of the profits from that gift shop go back to TMC initiatives. The Tucson Audubon Society has a gift shop, a lot of people don’t realize. So you can go buy something and support the birds. I love all those.
Tom Heath
And I didn’t know about any of those. So that’s – There you go. That’s phenomenal. How do you get your stories? Do people recommend things to you, or are you just driving around like, oh, there’s a piano store, I’m going to go in?
Audrey Scheere
All of the above. So at this point, I do have people reaching out to point things out. Sometimes I’ll just zoom in on the map in the area of town where I’m parked and say, wait, what is that? And then I’ll go check it out.
Tom Heath
That’s awesome. And you started with Old Public Curiosities three years ago, and you’ve gotten a pretty strong following. What was the last count I saw on Instagram? It was like 5 ,000 or 6 ,000?
Audrey Scheere
It’s over 5 ,000, not the numbers matter. I think that really it’s just whoever wants to follow me along for this journey, I’m exploring. I’m finding meaning and purpose and finding some really neat stuff in our town.
Tom Heath
Well, it wasn’t just the numbers of followers. It was the reactions to the videos, the comments like, that’s so cool. I didn’t know this existed. Thanks for sharing. And you really are doing exactly what you intended to do and highlighting these, what we call hidden gems around Tucson that maybe a group of Tucsonans know all about this and support it and love it, and they can’t believe everyone else doesn’t. But the majority of Tucson doesn’t know about the majority of the things that we’re all talking about.
Audrey Scheere
I do feel like the more I can build this platform, the more good I can do. That’s one way I’m looking at it. Something that is important for me to instill in my kids and the people I interact with is cross -cultural understanding and awareness. So having been a Peace Corps volunteer, I understand how important it is to know your neighbors, build empathy and awareness around their culture. And so as I build this following, I would love to highlight things that people may not necessarily come across on social media. It’s an echo chamber. It’s very divisive right now. But if you look at my social media, you’ll find things like, you know, different tiny little groceries that have things from other cultures that you might never have found out about. So I encourage folks to go in any kind of grocery they come across. There’s a new one called Kabul Market, which is Afghan food and restaurant. There’s Pamilihan Pinoy Asian that’s new on 22nd Street, Kimpo, all the other ones, Nure Market, Albasha,
Audrey Scheere
Babylon, India Dukhan. Just go in there and explore. It’ll help you build understanding, awareness, empathy, and also it’s fun to try new things and new foods. So if I get on my soapbox, that’s one thing I would say. If you’re hearing this, please go out and try a new grocery store.
Tom Heath
Nice, nice. And all the connections that come from that, again, I think we kind of gloss over and say, oh, that’s not, I don’t need anything from that store versus making an experience in what you’re going to go and sort of immerse yourself temporarily or briefly into that culture. I think that’s a great, a great idea. And so you’re on Instagram. Are you on any other platforms?
Audrey Scheere
I’m not. You know, I think Instagram is on a slow decline. I think it’s really heading south. And I had a blog for a while. I really don’t want to be on TikTok, but we’ll see. We’ll see where this takes me next. I’m so grateful for having found some purpose here that I think I’ve solidified a direction as a creative storyteller in town. And I know how I want to help our community and build relationships. I don’t really know if Instagram, you know, kicks the bucket. We’ll see.
Tom Heath
Wow. I do not know. I just, the breaking news, Instagram is on the decline, people. You’ve heard it here first.
Audrey Scheere
Well, and for a lot of small businesses, it is a rough patch because they took away something called recent hashtags. So you, it’s harder to connect with small businesses in your area and keep up with current events because they’ve wiped out that feature.
Tom Heath
Okay. Being so inexperienced with Instagram, I never had that feature. So until now, I didn’t feel sad about losing it, but I, I do. Anything that we didn’t cover that you thought we should have?
Audrey Scheere
Yeah. You know, I think clearly there are people who are not lost on their quest for meaning and purpose, but if, if there’s someone who is lonely, you know, the pandemic and just closing everything down, there was a huge loneliness epidemic as we grapple with how to use social media and how to make real human connections. It is tough. But if you’re someone struggling with that, I do have a list of clubs that I put out because there’s a club for that is what it’s called. And I do feel like everyone can stake a claim and say, I belong here. There’s a club for me. There’s a group and get connected in our community. And so there are some really neat finds for clubs in Tucson. There’s everything. Just for example, there’s a juggling group, recorder society, a letter writing society called Arizona Correspondent Society, Tucson Women’s Shredders is a mountain biking group. The Miniature Society, Model Builders, Beekeepers Association, it goes on and on. I’m endlessly fascinated by this. But I
Audrey Scheere
would love to feel like somewhat of a matchmaker with this. So if you need your group of humans to interact with, connect with, feel less lonely, check out that list.
Tom Heath
Where’s the list?
Audrey Scheere
Well, there’s, I’m thinking of putting out one main list, but right now scroll back and there’s about seven lists of clubs to look at.
Tom Heath
On Instagram.
Audrey Scheere
On my Instagram. Yeah.
Tom Heath
Okay. So again, you got to do a little homework and scroll back a little bit, but you’ll have fun doing it because you’re going to see all these cool stories that you wouldn’t have otherwise seen. So I think that’s a great idea. Well, I appreciate what you’re doing in the community. I’m happy that you have found purpose and I’m thankful that we finally got a chance to talk about it.
Audrey Scheere
Thanks very much for having me.
Tom Heath
Audrey Sherry of Old Pueblo Curiosities. Super fun energy. I can only imagine how interesting her interviews are. She’s got one of her kids in tow there and doing the recording and everything else while she’s out and about trying to promote small businesses. And I know she says it’s not monetized. So it’s really a labor of love. And as someone that appreciates Tucson and is really coming to terms with how amazing the city really is, I’m so appreciative of the things that she covers and I love checking out her page. It’s Old Pueblo Curiosities on Instagram. And you’re listening to Life Along the Streetcar. We’re on Downtown Radio 99 .1 FM and we’re always streaming on downtownradio .org.
Tom Heath
Well we are coming to a rapid close here to episode number 265 and again thank you to Audrey Sheery. I hope you get a chance to check out her Instagram page, Old Pueblo Curiosities. She takes what we do here and this show, Life Along the Streetcar, she expands that all over Tucson. And there is something really nice about the visual and audio or the video components that she puts together. I know she said she spends upwards of 20 hours on one segment and I think when you see the quality of her videos you’ll know why. Speaking of quality, how about this guy named Joe Pagic. He is a muralist that’s all over Tucson. Just finished a project at the YMCA, you might have seen it on the cover of the Daily Star a few weeks ago. And in honor of that, we thought for next week’s show we would air an interview we did with him. It was actually done as part of Meet the Artist, which is a podcast I do through the Tucson Gallery. And it was recorded probably earlier in the year. But it’s about his history
Tom Heath
and kind of his influence, how he got started and all that good stuff. So it’s very relevant. It’s not been aired yet on Life Along the Streetcar so we thought we would share that with this audience because it’s a very good story. Of course, that’s coming up next week, that’ll be September 24th. And if you’re thinking there’s an episode we should be covering, something out there in the world that you know about, that you think other people should, what we call a hidden gem, well tell us. And best way to do that is Instagram and Facebook. If you are so inclined to do the old fashioned email, you can contact at lifealongthestreetcar .org. Our website has a contact button on there as well. And speaking of websites, look how I’m making all these segues. These segues are really good today. Speaking of websites, have you checked out Downtown Radio recently? It’s got the full lineup of all of the really cool shows that are happening and the fabulous volunteer DJs. And I bring this up periodically
Tom Heath
because I just want to remind you, if you listen to Downtown Radio, you’re cool. And you are probably impressed with the quality of programming. And there isn’t a single person that gets paid. It’s volunteer run. The board is volunteer. What we would call a staff, the people that keep things running are volunteer. Paleo Dave does a show every day. The morning drive there from seven to nine as a volunteer. And you just heard Brother Mock talking about Radio Club Crawl. He does a few different shows. It’s high quality and it’s community driven. So we do need a little help. So on our website, as you’re checking out all these cool programs and looking for new music to fill your ears with, there’s a donate button. We invite you to click that button and complete the following steps once you’ve clicked it. We like those donations. It helps keep things running here on Downtown Radio. And it does go to programming. Makes the station better. Makes the quality better because there is no staff to pay.
Tom Heath
So click that button. And if you are even feeling a little more generous, do the ongoing monthly donations. All of a sudden we give the team something to budget with, oh, watch out. Watch out. Anyway, it’s good stuff. And I hope you do get a chance to find some new music. Make it a point to go in there and find a show you haven’t listened to. Well, as we wrap up today, I’d always like to thank Ryan Hood. They give us the use of their song, Dill and Drew Days, to launch our show. And we’ve been doing that for six years with them. And in honor of our guest today, who’s the host of her own program with Old Pueblo Curiosities, we’re going to leave you with a band called Little Champion. It’s from an album with the same name as the song, and the song’s called Curiosity. I hope you have a great weekend. And tune in next Sunday for more life along the streetcar.
