"We will have a small temporary office space in Carefree and also partner with The Desert Foothills Gallery to showcase our members' original art until we find a new space for the gallery," Sonoran Arts League president Nick Mancusi said, as reported by City Sun Times. He was speaking after a significant rent increase pushed the League's Carefree gallery to close at the end of January.
The League found that space, and it is on Easy Street. Over the same few months Local Finds, the artisan co-op, also moved to a new Easy Street address. Both are on the participant list for the 2026–27 season of Carefree Art Night, so two stops on the third-Thursday walk now have new Easy Street addresses.
The Gallery Came Back at 30 Easy Street
The Sonoran Arts League Gallery now sits at 30 Easy Street, Suite A, next to Venues Cafe. It's open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Carefree Cave Creek Chamber of Commerce listed its grand-opening ribbon cutting for October 13 and described the address as the organization's new location.
While the League had no gallery, its members' work went to the Desert Foothills Gallery inside the Desert Foothills Library at 38443 N. School House Road in Cave Creek. The juried show "Threshold: New Work by Juried Artists," first planned for a January opening, was moved to March at that space. The new Easy Street storefront brings the exhibition calendar back to Carefree. The League says it presents juried shows there every two months, featuring member artists from Arizona and other states. The show listed now is "The Artistic Kaleidoscope: A Symphony of Color."
On an Art Night Thursday the gallery's regular hours cover the first two hours of the 4 to 7 p.m. window. It's also on the Town's list of Art Night participants.
Local Finds Moved Into the Post Office Building
Local Finds is a co-op-style boutique run collaboratively by about a dozen local women artists and artisans, selling handmade jewelry, woodworking and home décor. Over Labor Day weekend its original store split into two. The Carefree shop moved into Seared Living at 100 Easy Street, in the Carefree Post Office building. A second, Western-themed shop opened at Frontier Town, 6245 E. Cave Creek Road in Cave Creek, as the Cave Creek / Carefree Independent reported.
The two businesses share the space but sell different things. Seared Living is a gourmet marketplace for cooking and entertaining: olive oils, balsamic vinegars, meat and cheese, wine, spices and kitchenware. Seared Living posts hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. The Local Finds shop inside is listed as open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. On those posted schedules both close for the day at 4 p.m., exactly when Art Night starts. The Town's participant list includes both, with separate entries at the same 100 Easy Street address.
Eight of Fourteen Stops Now Line One Street
The Town lists 14 participating galleries and businesses for the season. Sorted by street, the route breaks into three clusters, and the largest is Easy Street, which now includes the two new arrivals.
- Easy Street, eight stops: Sonoran Arts League Gallery at 30 Easy Street; Steve Stento Gallery at 34 Easy Street; Ancient Walls, Carefree Pop-Up Boutique and Jewelry Arts in Carefree at 42 Easy Street; Seared Living and Local Finds at 100 Easy Street; Modernly Mindful at 201 Easy Street
- Ho Road and Ho Hum Drive, four stops: Adelante Art Gallery at 7212 E. Ho Hum Drive; Grace Renee Gallery in Spanish Village at 7212 E. Ho Road; Thunderbird Artists Gallery at 7202 E. Ho Road; Zuva Gallery at 7211 E. Ho Road
- Tom Darlington Drive, two stops: Bella Fine Goods and Sue Bickerdyke Interiors, both at 36889 N. Tom Darlington Drive
The 42 Easy Street building alone holds three participants. The stops at 30 Easy and 100 Easy both changed addresses this year, and the Easy Street stops now run from 30 to 201. The Town's description calls it a stroll through galleries, artist-run shops and studios, with no pressure to buy. It adds that many locations serve wine, small bites or handheld treats.
Pizzicata Reopened at the Spanish Village End
The Ho Road cluster now has a newly remodeled dinner stop. Pizzicata, in Carefree's Spanish Village, reopened October 12 after a four-week renovation of its dining rooms, bar, kitchen and outdoor patios, The Foothills Focus reported. Owners Federico Venturini and Viola Tagliaferri opened the restaurant seven years ago, and it was their first in Arizona. The remodel added custom porcelain tables imported from Italy, new booths, an expanded black-and-gold bar, a bigger kitchen and improved outdoor seating. The recipes did not change.
"Everything started at the Carefree location where I built this restaurant with my hands. After seven years, it was time to do a complete remodel."
Venturini told The Foothills Focus that the remodel is "a way that we say thanks to our loyal customers."
Pizzicata's own site lists the restaurant at 7212 East Hum Road, open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. When Art Night ends at 7, the kitchen has two more hours of service, and Grace Renee Gallery is in the same Spanish Village complex.
Two November Events Share 101 Easy Street
Next month, two other Town Center events are listed at 101 Easy Street, one street number away from Seared Living and Local Finds at 100 Easy Street.
| Date | Event | Where | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat–Sun, Nov. 7–8 | 33rd Fall Carefree Garden Art Experience | Carefree Desert Gardens, 101 Easy Street | 10 a.m.–5 p.m. |
| Thu, Nov. 19 | Carefree Art Night | Carefree Town Center | 4–7 p.m. |
| Sat, Nov. 28 | Carefree Lights Up! | Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion, 101 Easy Street | 5–7 p.m. |
The Garden Art Experience listing calls it a Town of Carefree signature event, first held in 1994. Admission is free. A $30 souvenir wine glass with tasting tickets is sold through Thunderbird Artists, the same name as the gallery on Ho Road. The Lights Up! listing gives a date and a place, but its program hasn't been posted yet.
The pavilion stays busy into December. Chanukah in Carefree runs nightly December 5 through 11, 5:30 to 9 p.m., at Sanderson Lincoln Pavilion. Art Night returns December 17, then continues on January 21, February 18, March 18, April 15 and May 20.
One Way to Walk November 19
With eight stops on Easy Street, one loop in the three-hour window can reach most of the list:
- Start at 4 p.m. at the Sonoran Arts League Gallery, 30 Easy Street, while its regular hours are still running.
- Continue to Steve Stento Gallery at 34 Easy Street, then the three stops inside 42 Easy Street.
- Continue to 100 Easy Street for Seared Living and Local Finds, and to Modernly Mindful at 201 Easy Street.
- Cross over to the Ho Road cluster for Thunderbird Artists, Zuva, Adelante and Grace Renee.
- Finish at Pizzicata in Spanish Village, where the kitchen is open until 9.
Bella Fine Goods and Sue Bickerdyke Interiors share an address on Tom Darlington Drive, so they make a good pair for another month, and the season has six more Art Nights after November.
I love seeing which Easy Street storefronts change from one season to the next, because it's part of knowing Carefree address by address. If those shifts have you wondering what your own Carefree home would bring in today's market, Desert Living Properties can show you. Get Your Home Valuation, and I'll go over the numbers with you in person.
