Iconic Tempe psychic home of Gin Blossoms fame selling for $2.9M

PHOENIX — A long-familiar sight in Tempe may soon be disappearing after Mrs. Rita’s Spiritual Center was put on the market for $2.9 million.

The listing said the site near University Drive and Mill Avenue was “set and prime for redevelopment” and would be vacated by Mrs. Rita’s should the property sell.

The business, which offers pyschic and tarot card readings, first opened in 1969.

Though it had long been a fixture near Arizona State University and the city’s downtown area, Mrs. Rita’s became nationally known after the Gin Blossoms wrote a song about it.

The Tempe-based band’s song, “Mrs. Rita,” debuted in 1992. The chorus included the line, “Tell me Mrs. Rita, what’s it say in my tarot? Read my palm and tell me why do lovers come and go.”

The band posted about the sale on its Facebook page. Several fans bemoaned the potential sale, while others suggested it be purchased and turned into a museum of some of Tempe’s great music acts from the 1990s.

However, that option didn’t seem like it was in the cards.

The home, which was built in 1920, sits on land that is zoned for commercial use and it could be bulldozed to make room for a larger development. The listing said it was “a great opportunity to couple this property with adjacent properties.”

A large complex that includes a Whole Foods grocery store was being built across the street.

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