Business news from around the county.

Roll out the barrels

Give them cracker barrels out front and a couple of recently opened Northshore shops could just about qualify as village general stores.

Tina Dawn-Rubin's Mystic Barrel in Nice and Jerry and Gaylan Shepherd's addition to their Lucerne Pharmacy both stock an unusual variety of merchandise.

At the Lucerne shop (in the old Stitch 'n Sew space on Fifth Avenue) you'll find gift cards, "Lucerne Gourmet" jams (from Montana), T-shirts (mystical themes for women, wild animals for men), kids' toys and more. The pharmacy has long stocked gift items, so the expansion's a natural for the Shepherds, and a welcome gain in space for the pharmacy.

The Mystic Barrel, tucked in between the Marina Grill and Nice Grooming and Bathing pet spa, carries (of course) dog toys and apparel, plus jewelry from around the globe, imported Chinese pottery, Swarovski crystals, quality used books and much more, "3,000 items from 30 suppliers," said Dawn-Rubin.

The home and self security items look to become the staple sellers. They include stun batons, pepper spray, crossbows, knives and Airsoft guns.

Dawn-Rubin, who works part-time for Lake County's Environmental Health Department, and her husband, Nathan, a general contractor, came here in 2000 from Santa Cruz. In 2005 they started a gift Web site, "but we wanted to offer more," she said, so the store was born.

A little irony with that?

Tracy St. John's cuisine at Anthony's, 2509 Lakeshore Blvd., Lakeport, was just named among the top four in Lake County by The Mix, a tourism publication covering Lake and Mendocino counties. Then she lost her lease. Now she's looking for a new location, reportedly on the Northshore.

The other three top restaurants: Kelseyville's Saw Shop, Cobb's Rob Roy and Upper Lake's Blue Wing Saloon.

Garden for lease

Bruce Taylor has closed Taylor's Family Dining, which opened in August, at the former Alpine Cafe on Highway 20, and owner Scotty MacNeil is open to offers. The classic wrought-iron fence is once again fully visible, free of the garlands of beer signs.

The long-gone Pepper's Restaurant, once slated to become the site of a Northshore Redevelopment Agency project, reportedly also is being shown to possible tenants.

E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

{mos_sb_discuss:2}