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Cheron Taylor’s path has been, in her words, a lifetime in books. When that path led her from Reno, Nevada, to Tucson 18 years ago, what she’d expected to be a one-year sabbatical turned into a permanent residency. She fell in love, she says, with the vibrant art and music scenes and the profound history embedded in the Sonoran Desert. “When I drove into town and saw this beautiful little dusty basin surrounded by mountain ranges, it just immediately reminded me of home,” she says.

The scenery of the Sonoita area includes the Mustang and Whetstone mountains, along with panoramic views of high-desert grasslands dotted with yuccas. Those views are what drew James Callahan (above, left), winemaker and owner of Rune Wines, to literally put down roots in the area, opening his off-grid, solar-powered tasting room focused on celebrating the unique topography of Southern Arizona.

When Amy Valdés Schwemm unearthed a stone pestle in her great-aunt’s kitchen drawer years ago, she had no idea she was uncovering the foundation of her future business. That smooth volcanic rock, once part of her great-grandmother’s metate, had been used for grinding corn, chiles and spices into the dense, rich sauces known as mole.

It’s a real possibility that Ty Fitzmorris’ house may one day collapse from a critical mass of books. He’s concerned about it. So says Peregrine Book Co.’s website.

“To the detriment of wherever I’m living, I’ve always had too many books,” Fitzmorris admits. His wife, Michaela Carter, agrees: “We have a lot of books.”

Between marshmallow fights and perfecting their famous French mint chocolates, the Cerreta family knows how to keep a business alive — even 57 years after its founding.

Tony Cerreta (pictured), who’s the president of Cerreta Candy Co. and grandson of founder Jim Cerreta, grew up in the company’s factory. By age 12, he was behind the counter decorating candy, and by 22, he was a full-time employee.

J‌enna Majchrzak likes taking things apart. She always has.

Before she was the owner and service manager at Transit Cycles, a bike repair shop in Tucson’s Mercado San Agustín district, Majchrzak (pictured) rode her bicycle with neighborhood kids in Buffalo, New York, where she grew up. More than once, she ran into maintenance issues that sent her to repair shops — until her father told her that instead of a repair shop, they’d be visiting the library.

Prescott’s Cortez Street is a whirlwind of sound and color as the Toyful toy shop disgorges a gaggle of schoolkids, swirling around co-owner Brad James and yo-yo instructor Caleb Furneri, onto the sidewalk. Tall and lean, Furneri listens with interest to each child in turn, then leans down to one boy to say, “You haven’t been here since the first session, so we’ve got some catching up to do.”

“I’m not very good,” the boy says. “I can only do up, down, up, down.”

Ryan Elewaut, founder of Flagstaff’s Solstice Guitars, first picked up a six-string when he was 13 — and became obsessed. It was the perfect muse for a kid growing up in California’s Orange County, consuming music that ranged from classical and acoustic to the polemical sounds of Southern California’s 1990s punk scene. “Music is one of the most incredible art forms that humans participate in,” he says. “It’s one of the most emotive.”

Like many business ideas, the inspiration for Pindrop Travel Trailers came from necessity. Tim Elinski (pictured) and his family had been using a vintage camper for their trips, but it was no longer a safe option. That was when Elinski told his wife, Ruth Ellen, he was going to build his own teardrop trailer for the family’s trip to Montana.

“I locked myself in my shop and came up with a solar-powered, self-contained micro camper,” Elinski says. “On the road, it turned a lot of heads and people wanted to purchase it, so my wife and I started thinking about starting a company.”

There are many things that come to Arizona by way of Minnesota, including Wheaties, Scotch tape and Red Wing boots. And, on a mom-and-pop level, there are homemade jams and jellies from Kassi Rahman (pictured with her daughter, Piper) and her husband, Tarik, who are sharing their family recipes with condiment connoisseurs all over the Sonoran Desert.