The end of an era | Saying goodbye is never easy
Updated: Jun 10
"Don't cry because its over, smile because it happened"-
If these walls could talk, they’d never shut up. The walls of unit 103 & 104 would sit with you all night, after business hours, before business hours, during holidays, during tough times and during good times. They’d laugh with you, cry with you, smoke with you, dance with you, yell, scold and hold space for you. You’d never be lonely as long as you’re in here.
The initial buildout of Herb 'N Legend 2009
Many of you grew up around here and always knew about Herb n Legend. Some of you were here during and even before Melt Lounge when it was 'HNL Glass' and some of you didn’t find us until Herb N Grinds opened. But it doesn’t matter, every single person and encounter we’ve had, has meant everything to us. We have worked so hard and made so many sacrifices to have these businesses open for you guys and it’s been absolutely wonderful to be here for so long. This is the hardest news to break, we feel like we are grieving the loss of a close family member and have to break the news and let down a whole community of people who rely on us to be there for them.
Tim Martin, Owner with The Expanders 2015
Herb n legend is quite literally Tim Martin's whole life. Not a part of his life, not a career choice, but his whole life. He has eaten, breathed and slept this business for 14 years, it is quite literally his everything.
Tim opened the location on 5950 W McDowell Rd. in 2009, and it has been an iconic business in the Maryvale community ever since. Patrons commend Herb n Legend for their customer service, honesty and their empathy. Everyday, there is at least one person who thanks us for being here. Saying goodbye is no easy feat.
Tim with Ital Vibes, 2017
In 2012 Tim acquired the unit right next door to Herb 'N Legend, which turned into a space for his glass production line, 'HNL GLASS'. Its held space for some of the most iconic glass artists and reggae artists and he continued to manufacture glass inside for some time until he came up with the idea for 'Melt Lounge'.
The construction of the glass blowing studio inside 'Melt Lounge'
Melt Lounge started in 2020. Still equipped with the glassblowing studio inside, It was described as a "private" event venue or a "cannabis speakeasy", where underground parties, sesh's, and raves happened. There was some smaller events, and some larger ones, where over 300 people were in attendance. It was definitely an iconic time, and we made some waves in the cannabis, glass and EDM community.
Dj 2SOON, pic from Melt Lounge event 'Holidazed' 2022
The 'Melt Lounge' hosted over 120 published events and hosted even more private events, seshes and get togethers. From blunt brunches to all night ragers with a dj set over 15 names long. It was definitely a fun time, but not sustainable in the long run, so being the creative artists that we are, we decided it was time to add a tangible item to the space.
Indoor shot from event 'Holidazed' 2022
After we decided to move to a different field of service, we chose to add the beautiful addition of our espresso machine. What was initially supposed to be a 'Coffee Bar' for patrons to enjoy a beverage at special events, turned into something much more. As we built the bar out and added all the equipment to run a beverage bar, we soon came to the realization that we needed to open to the public and allow the whole community to enjoy our space.
As long as Tim has had Unit 103, it has never been opened to the public, so in August 2022, we did something drastic and finally opened our doors to the public, allowing everyone and anyone to enter our 'home'. The vibration as a whole changed, the clientele completely changed and to our surprise we finally felt complete. Herb 'N Grinds was now a "thing".
Tim holding his newborn son, Koa while taking a quick break from installing coffee shop equipment. 2022
We opened the doors to Herb 'N Grinds early August, after what felt like forever doing the buildout. But like any new business, there's always doubts at first and it takes a while to gain popularity. After a couple months of being open, we still felt doubtful, but we pushed through like the badass motherf***ers we are.
We quickly gained popularity in the neighborhood. Being praised for being "Urban", "Artistic" and "Chill" in a part of town that was anything but.
Band spray Allen, performing during Herb 'N Grinds grand opening, 2022
After making waves in the neighborhood, we finally started to get the recognition we deserved. People were rolling in and our drinks became more and more popular. (Shoutout to Danny for the famous Mazapan Haze)
It's simple, we love what we do, and we show up every day passionate and ready to take on the day.
In June 2023, we got a letter in the mail asking us to vacate the building and it shook our whole world. In fact, our world is still shaking. Herb 'N Legend is a staple in this community and Herb 'N Grinds was just starting to take off and gain the recognition it deserved, so receiving this news was devastating and breaking the news to the community is even harder to do.
So i'm writing this article to quickly summarize what this space has meant to us, and everything these walls have seen. From birthday parties, to baby showers, to business meetings. This was our home.
Construction of the outdoor smoking patio, 2023
This is NOT the end of Herb 'N Legend or Herb 'N Grinds, this is just us saying goodbye to 5950 W McDowell Rd. Phoenix, AZ.
We will relocate to a better place and become more legendary than ever. We all know that this is not the end for us.
Thank you to everyone for supporting us at this location for so long, we appreciate you all and couldn't have done it without our customers support. See you all at the new spot!
'Melt Lounge' Era, before 'Herb 'n Grinds' 2020
Baby Koa exploring the outdoor patio, 2023
Tim with close friend and resident glass artist Chase, 2015
Herb 'N Legend Interior, 2009