Discover Gilbert 2024 Official Guide

Kindness

Practiced Here

Visitors can enjoy these Gilbert businesses that give back to the community

By Nora Burba Trulsson
Photo courtesy of Agritopia
G

ilbert is a nice town—literally. Town officials took that message to heart in 2017 by launching the Gilbert Kindness campaign to celebrate kindness and giving back to the community. To underscore its position, the town council adopted “Kindness, USA” as the community’s official nickname and launched the annual spring Gilbert Kindness Week, which spotlights stories about especially kind individuals and businesses.

The next time you’re in Gilbert enjoying a dinner out, some shopping, or an adult beverage or two, check out a few of these visitor-friendly businesses with big hearts.

Art

Intersection

Photo Courtesy of
Art Intersection
Dragon's Eye,
by Crystal Huckey
A

t first glance, Alan Fitzgerald’s Art Intersection might seem like a “regular” gallery, with wall space dedicated to photography and other forms of fine art. But Fitzgerald wanted the space to be more engaging to the arts community, so he offers a fully outfitted photo lab and workshops for local photographers—be they beginners or professionals—to work on their art. Each spring, the gallery also hosts the “Emerge Student Photography Exhibition,” a four-week show that is juried by an emerging professional photographer and is open to Arizona students enrolled in high school or college—and beyond. “Our most recent show featured 80 images, picked from 670 submissions by 316 students,” Fitzgerald recalls. “We give prizes that are donated by local businesses and individuals. It’s a great way for us to support students and encourage photography.” And, if you spot an emerging Ansel Adams or Imogen Cunningham amid the students, the images are for sale.

A group of four women stand in a glass-encased computer lab in Gilbert, Arizona’s Art Intersection.
Art Intersection
Mark Lipczynski
“Black Fish,” by artist Jaria J. M. Zavala, is a black metal, found-object sculpture in the shape of a fish on display at Art Intersection in Gilbert, Arizona.
“Black Fish,” by Jaria J. M. Zavala, at Art Intersection
Courtesy of Art Intersection
Wall-mounted wooden bookshelves in the giftshop of Gilbert, Arizona’s Art Intersection display a collection of art books.
Art Intersection
Mark Lipczynski
“Distorted Perception,” by artist Tara Gamel, is a painting of a woman, painted in black and white, wearing red and blue 3-D glasses and standing in front of a colorful background and is on display at Art Intersection in Gilbert, Arizona.
“Distorted Perception,” by Tara Gamel, at Art Intersection
Courtesy of Art Intersection

Bergies Coffee

Roast House

Photo courtesy of
Gregg Mastorakos
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t’s easy to relax with a macchiato or a turmeric latté on Bergies’ sun-dappled patio, where flocks of feral lovebirds dart between palo verde trees and local musicians sing on weekends. This second-generation coffee shop and roastery, now owned by Linda and Brian Bergeson, opened in 2009 in a historic cottage and grounds that date to 1919. While serving up coffee by the pound, espresso drinks, and light bites is the Bergesons’ mainstay, the couple makes sure they connect with the community year-round by donating gift baskets to local school fundraisers and the Gilbert Historic Museum and, when time permits, letting Girl Scout troops sell cookies on the patio or making room for nonprofits to host events in the garden. “You have an obligation as a citizen and a human being to give back,” says Brian of their business philosophy. “If you’re blessed, pass it on.”

A Belgian waffle topped with fresh berries and a cup of coffee in a playful clay mug sit on a blue-and-white tile table on the patio of Bergies Coffee Roast House in Gilbert, Arizona.
Bergies Coffee Roast House
Courtesy of Bergies Coffee Roast House
Two men pack large cardboard boxes during a charity event at Bergies Coffee Roast House in Gilbert, Arizona.
Bergies Coffee Roast House
Courtesy of Bergies Coffee Roast House
A volunteer paints wooden flowers with yellow and blue paint during a charity event for Ben’s Bells at Bergies Coffee Roast House in Gilbert, Arizona.
Bergies Coffee Roast House
Courtesy of Bergies Coffee Roast House

Made With

Love Market

Photo courtesy of
Donna Peery/Wildlings Photo Co.
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hen pals Cody Waltz and Maribeth Sublette gave up teaching jobs to raise their families, they also launched home-based businesses, making infant and children’s clothing. “Being a ‘maker’ can be a lonely thing,” explains Waltz, “and we started exploring a way to bring these people together.” In 2018, they launched Made with Love Market, an outdoor market originally in Gilbert’s Heritage District but now expanded to the SanTan Village shopping center and host to some 70 vendors who offer everything from gourmet doughnuts and breakfast burritos to clothing, home decor, jewelry, and more. The market, held two Saturdays monthly from September through April, isn’t just about sales. Sublette and Waltz donate a booth as a space for nursing mothers and diaper changes, offer free fitness classes, and have activities for kids. They’ve also donated booths for dog rescue groups and school fundraising efforts—and many of their individual vendors also support local charities. “The market is our way of supporting each other and connecting to the community,” says Waltz.

Two women model cloth face masks at Gilbert, Arizona’s Made with Love Market.
Made with Love Market
Courtesy of Donna Peery/Wildlings Photo Co.
A collection of made-in-Arizona clothing and home products—including an Arizona T-shirt, a white woven keychain, and silver teardrop earrings—are displayed on a table at Gilbert, Arizona’s Made with Love Market.
Made with Love Market
Courtesy of Donna Peery/Wildlings Photo Co.
An artist holds her black-and-white dog as she sits in front of her display of pet paintings at Gilbert, Arizona’s Made with Love Market.
Made with Love Market
Courtesy of Donna Peery/Wildlings Photo Co.

Not Your

Typical Deli

Photo by Mark Lipczynski
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hen Pam and Chuck DePalma’s son—who has autism—took a culinary arts class, the couple discovered that his teacher, Chef W Rieth, always wanted to open a restaurant to train and employ young adults with developmental disabilities. In 2016, the DePalmas, Rieth, and his wife, Chef Vanessa Luna, opened Not Your Typical Deli, where employees with developmental disabilities handle everything from dishwashing and serving to cashiering and cooking. “These young people do really well here and learn so many skills,” explains Pam. “We have a real-life, integrated staff.” Not that you will necessarily focus on the staff once you order one of their gigantic lunch sandwiches, loaded with housemade pastrami, Italian beef, or juicy meatballs. Save room for their award-winning chocolate chip cookies—made on-site—or the newest treats, half-pound cookies stuffed with peanut butter cups or s’mores fixings. The cookies, like everything else at this eatery, are not “typical.”

A server at Not Your Typical Deli in Gilbert, Arizona, presents a plate holding a golden brown, double-layered slice of cake topped with a dollop of chocolate frosting and chocolate chips.
Not Your Typical Deli
Mark Lipczynski
The chef at Gilbert, Arizona’s Not Your Typical Deli builds a sandwich in the restaurant kitchen.
Not Your Typical Deli
Mark Lipczynski
A worker at Not Your Typical Deli in Gilbert, Arizona, takes a customer’s payment at the counter in front of the restaurant’s giant chalkboard menu.
Not Your Typical Deli
Mark Lipczynski

Arizona Wilderness

Brewing Co.

Photo courtesy of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
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Chiricahua Mountains hiking trip—and maybe a few craft beers in his backpack—inspired Jonathan Buford to launch a brewery that celebrates Arizona’s natural beauty. Together with business partner Patrick Ware, he opened Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in northwest Gilbert in 2013, dedicated not only to offering great beer and food, but also to emphasizing sustainability and supporting environmental and social justice causes. So when you’re having, say, their Pine Mountain sour pale ale, know that the spruce tips were sustainably foraged and the process helps to thin the forest, and that the malted barley comes from Camp Verde. A burger? It’s sourced from Arizona Grass Raised Beef Co. In addition to championing local farmers and producers, the brewery also supports organizations like The Nature Conservancy, ACLU, Audubon Arizona, and the Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters. Keeping it very local, the brewery recently launched the Gilbert Centennial Lager, celebrating 100 years of town history. “It’s all about partnerships, awareness, and protecting our natural resources,” says Buford. “That’s the blueprint for our business.”

A face-masked server delivers a curbside order of canned beer to a car at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. in Gilbert, Arizona.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Courtesy of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Several cans of Gilbert, Arizona’s Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co. craft beers are displayed on rocks at the edge of a pond.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Courtesy of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
A burger, loaded with bacon and sprouts, is served in a basket with French fries alongside cans of craft beer at Gilbert, Arizona’s Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Courtesy of Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co.
Discover More

Gilbert Markets

Like to shop in an open-air setting? Check out these outdoor markets for local goods.

Agritopia Farm Night
Wednesday nights from October through June, urban dwellers can buy organic produce and check out the wares of local vendors in the courtyard of this farm-centric community. If you miss the farm night, pop into the self-serve Farm Store, with many of the same farm-fresh offerings available daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Gilbert Farmers Market
Up to 100 vendors offer up everything from organic produce and fresh eggs to artisan products at this year-round, Saturday-morning gathering in the Heritage District.

Made with Love Market
Autumn through spring, creative types gather at this twice-monthly market to sell handmade clothing, jewelry, home decor, sweet treats, and more.

Baskets of colorful heirloom tomatoes fill a table during an Agritopia Farm Night in Gilbert, Arizona.
Courtesy of Agritopia
Agritopia Farm Night
A man rotates the cylinder on a chile roaster as he toasts fresh Anaheim chiles for sale at the Gilbert Farmers market in Gilbert, Arizona.
Courtesy of Gilbert Farmers Market
Gilbert Farmers Market
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