Regional
Downtown Nevada City Has New Businesses Opening, Others Reinvent Themselves
Author: Dixie Redfearn, YubaNet
Published on May 14, 2009 - 6:01:21 AM

NEVADA CITY, Calif. May 13, 2009 - Despite the economic downturn, new businesses are opening in downtown Nevada City and the mood is upbeat around town. At least two new businesses are working hard to open their doors next month, another established business has changed hands and one merchant has reinvented her Broad Street retail shop.

Matteo's Public

Matt Margulies is opening a family-friendly beer and wine pub where Country Rose used to be, at 300 Commercial Street. He plans a "Cheers" type atmosphere and wants to cater to Nevada County locals. The public in the name is intentional, he says.

"A public house is where people go to gather," Margulies said. "I have lots of ideas for this place besides the food. I want to show movies outside in the summertime, and I plan to have games and books inside. There will be a card that says 'If you like this game, you can buy it at (insert name of local business)'."

The bar is under construction and he just stained the concrete floor mocha and jade. There will be tables and chairs inside and out. There will be a large salad bar and Margulies plans to stay local for everything he needs.

"I will support local farmers, artists and musicians. I really want this to be a place to sustain our local economy." He will fill the walls with art by Nevada County artists and hold openings for them as well.

The menu is also under construction, but will be what people consider pub fare: burgers, fish and chips, sausages, cheese trays and more. He plans to feature craft beers and affordable wines. He also plans to compost his vegetable waste, recycle the pub's used oil, and use earth-friendly cleaning products. The patio will be chemical free, including paraffin free candles with natural wicks.

Matteo's Public will probably open in early June. He plans to stay open until 11 p.m. on the weekends.

33 Degree and The Fix

This is 2 businesses located in the old horse barn next to the New Moon parking lot. They are being run by the Strong Family: Mom Lisa, and siblings Stephanie, Arianna and Evan. The business that is open now, 33 Degree, is an eclectic mix of clothing (all natural and organic), household items, art, renewed furniture, jewelry and more.

In one corner you will find a surfboard, covered in what looks like a piece of art; in another, necklaces that have names, such as "You Have No Idea."

Stephanie Strong describes her mom and siblings as a "family of artists." She says they all love beauty and try to bring it to the world. She says the family relocated from Maui, and Nevada City reminds them of a "Maui in the Mountains." They deliberately chose a location "a little off the beaten path" because they like the atmosphere better.

Brother Evan is working on The Fix, which is his baby. It will be a raw food, macrobiotic cafe featuring "Superfood" smoothies, an organic juice bar, and everything from pizza to tacos to cakes, pies and pastries. How that can all be raw food sounds like a mystery, but Evan says they sprout grains, put them in a food processor and then a dehydrator to make crust or tortillas.

He says his move to a mostly raw food diet was "transformational, exceptional." In came in part because of a traffic accident that happened when he was 18. His left leg had to be amputated and he took it upon himself to use nutrition and diet as a way to restore his health. He now works with the Challenged Athletes Foundation and has resumed snowboarding. He took a Gold Medal in the adaptive national games in the super pipe and another in snowboarding slope style.

Evan Strong hopes to open The Fix (located inside 33 Degree) by mid-June.

Sandy B Salon and Boutique

Sandy Braden, another Hawaii resident who moved here from Kauai, opened a retail shop 2 years ago at 421 Broad Street. She loved doing retail, but the economy changed and she knew she needed to change with it. A hairdresser for 22 years, Braden added a salon chair in the back of the shop and started cutting hair.

"I wanted a little European salon, and we live downstairs in this building," Braden said. Soon a customer of the retail shop asked if she could work in the back and cut and color hair, and Braden knew she was on the right track with her change-of-business plan. Soon, she turned the front part of the shop into 3 additional hair stations.

But beauty salon furniture didn't suit Braden's artistic bent. She found vintage dresses with large mirrors (all mismatched) to serve as the salon's stations. "It all just sort of happened," Braden says of the transformation. "I wanted the stations to be charming and different." She still carries some retails items, and has an inviting coffee and tea bar for customers. The salon uses organic-type products and tries to be as environmentally sensitive as possible.

In addition to Braden, Missy Grimes and Nicole ("NYX") Tristani, the salon needs to hire a manicurist and another hair dresser.

Hot Dog Heaven

Now gone Dos Banditos used to run the open air hot dog business in the New York Hotel parking lot on Broad Street, but now it is owned by Suzie and George Dyer, who own 2 South Pine Cafes in Nevada City and Grass Valley and Hot Dog Heaven in Grass Valley, on the corner of East Main Street and Dorsey Drive.

It's been open under the new management just 3 weeks, and features the popular menu items From the Grass Valley Hot Dog Heaven like all kinds of speciality hot dogs, homemade tamales, soup of the day and super nachos.

It's now open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days of the week and will stay open later when there are special events in Nevada City.

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