New Foothills small businesses hope to give neighborhood an economic boost [Video]

CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — After a customer asked Es Teran for a beer to drink, Teran, owner of Borderlands Brewing, asked him, “Have you been here before?”

Borderlands expanded to its latest location a few weeks ago. Inside the large storefront at the plaza on River and Craycroft in the Catalina Foothills, Teran designed the bar with arcade games, pool tables, a turf-covered balcony and colorful, eclectic art.“We love the casual environment that Borderlands brings to the community,” Teran said, “and that’s something that we wanted to replicate at this location.”

Teran admitted, though, his business and many others in Tucson have endured challenges in trying to grow these past four years.

From Oct. 2023 to Oct. 2024, the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics said U.S. total inflation on all goods had fallen from 3.2 percent to 2.6 percent. At the time Teran said he wanted to start expanding, Jun. 2022, national inflation peaked at 9.1 percent.

“Construction …