SingleThread Leases Former Film Center

SPECIFIC PLANS REMAIN UNSPOKEN FOR 15,000-SQ. FT. CINEMA BUILDING

By Christian Kallen

Even as the new threescreen Plaza Cinema Center gained approval for a downtown Healdsburg location, the fate of the former Raven Film Center has remained uncertain, a 15,000-square foot question mark at the south end of the Mitchell Plaza shopping center.

It now appears that the film center may be headed in an entirely unexpected direction. Vertice Hospitality, known for their management of the Michelin-starred SingleThread Restaurant, signed a 25-year lease to redevelop the former fourscreen movie house in an “adaptive reuse” project that will house “multiple new hospitality concepts.”

The project will be led by SingleThread’s “next generation of hospitality and culinary leaders,” according to a July 14 press release from Vertice. However, a spokesperson shied away from making any specific predictions on what those “new hospitality concepts” could be. “As the space is quite expansive, they are considering many possibilities,” said a representative of Vertice Hospitality.

Given the multi-room layout of the former multiplex, it’s possible a Napa Oxbow-style adaptation could host several business endeavors under one roof. Or the wide recognition of SingleThread, combined with its relatively small seating capacity, suggests the added, larger space could accommodate demand. But absent some concrete evidence or reliable information, any speculation would be simply that.

There are two other dining establishments now in the Center Street strip mall, including Flakey Cream Donuts and El Taco Grande.

Vertice Hospitality is co-owned by real estate developer and CEO Tony Greenberg, along with restaurant chef Kyle Connaughton and Katina Connaughton, who manages the SingleThread Farm. The trio launched the successful SingleThread Restaurant in 2016, which soon earned three Michelin stars to cement its reputation as one of the best restaurants in the North Bay, if not the state.

415 Center Street was built in 1956 as part of the Mitchell Center. The building was at one time a JC Penny’s store, but that closed down in the early 1980s as Coddingtown became a regional shopping hub.

The Mitchell Center has been owned and managed by the same family for three generations. Though CVS Pharmacy currently anchors the northern end of the shopping center, a number of large retail businesses have also been

DOWNTOWN VICTORIAN-ERA HOME TO BECOME VACATION RENTAL AND WINE BAR

By Christian Kallen

There’s only one block between the popular corner restaurants on Center and North to the residential district that begins at East Street. But soon pedestrians will realize that the transition block is part of the Downtown Commercial zone after all. A new wine bar and tasting room that will specialize in Champagne and other sparkling wines was unanimously approved by the Planning Commission located there, including Ace Hardware, Molsberry’s and Longs Drugs. There are two other dining establishments now in the Center Street strip mall, including Flakey Cream Donuts (possibly the oldest still-serving restaurant in town) and El Taco Grande. Flying Goat Coffee has a small café there, as well as its roasting facilities. The coworking business CraftWork is also in the mall, last week. It will open in a former office space tacked on to a 1900-era residence, at 134 North St.

The building was purchased in March of this year for $1.475 million by Sara Quider. She immediately applied for and received a vacation rental permit for the residential portion of the property. The vacation rental could open in a matter of months—a two-bedroom flat with dining area and small kitchen, already furnished.

The timeline is a bit longer for the tasting room: It requires significant remodeling, including ADA-compliant bathrooms, which

A Calendar Of Upcoming Events In Healdsburg

Healdsburg

Museum

The new exhibit at the Healdsburg Museum, “We Are Not Strangers Here: African-American Histories in California and Healdsburg,” opens on Thursday, July 20, at 11am. The museum is located at 221 Matheson St., and open Wednesdays through Sundays from 11am to 4pm.

Indie Rock

Dad Country discoveries show up at Little Saint (25 North St.) on Thursdays at 7pm. On July 20, see singer/songwriter Conor McLaren, described by his fans as

“Bob Dylan doing a line of Oasis with a shot of Sublime.”

The One About…

Comedy writer and teacher Jesse Fernandez headlines this month’s Comedy Night at Coyote Sonoma. He’s joined by funsters Jeanette Martin and Marcus Williams. It’s on Friday, July 21 from 8-10pm, $15 presale, $20 at the door, 44 Mill St.

Cycle Tour

Formerly known as the Annual Healdsburg Bicycle Tour, this year’s Giro Vigneti Healdsburg gets on the road from the Mill District starting at 6:30am on Saturday, July 22. Sponsored by Rotary Club of Healdsburg Sunrise, the 36th year of this “health and wellness cycling tour” offers four distance routes, from

19.3 to 102.5 miles, each through the landscapes of the wine country. Sign up at girovignetihealdsburg.org.

Farmers’ Market

Healdsburg Certified Farmers’ Market will be held Saturday, July 22 from 8:30am-noon at the West Plaza lot. Live music and lots to shop for from local producers.

Sunday in the Plaza Groove with the tunes of Nate Lopez from the Gazebo stage while experiencing the relaxed picnic atmosphere of the Healdsburg Plaza, from 1 to 3pm on Sunday, July 23.

Samba Sounds

Hard-working jazz combo Samba Noma plays the Furthermore Wines room on Sunday, July 23, from 5-8pm. Features

Christian Foley-Beining on guitar and Ruth Ahlers on flute and sax, with Jim Passerell on bass and Kendrick Freeman on drums. Furthermore is at 328A Healdsburg Ave.

Saxophonics

Terry Hauck brings saxophone blues to the Elephant in the Room on Saturday, July 22, 8pm. 177 Healdsburg Ave., $10. Visit elephantintheroompub.com for all listings.

Tuesday at the Plaza Certified Farmers’ Market from 9am-12:30pm, Tuesday, July 25, at Healdsburg Plaza. Later, the park is taken over by the city’s Tuesday in the Plaza music program, this week with the Afro-Latin jazz fusion of the John Santos Sextet, 6-8pm.

GHG Open House

The City of Healdsburg’s developing Climate Mobilization Strategy will focus on key measures and actions most impactful in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

An Open House will be held Wednesday, July 26, from 6-7:30pm at the Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Ave. More information at Healdsburg.gov/CMS.

Art After Dark

The community-wide street fair and art celebration returns on Friday, July 28, from 5-9pm. Various street art vendors, live performances and activity booths enliven Center Street from the Plaza to North. It’s free. healdsburgcenterforthearts.org.

Shakespeare

This year’s Theater in the Park show is The Comedy of Errors, a “madcap romp” (as the Bard didn’t say) with not one but two sets of twins. The Raven Players set the show in modern-day New Orleans during Mardi Gras. Performances in West Plaza Park at 7:30pm on Thursdays through Saturdays, July 27-29, Aug. 3-5, Aug. 10-12. Free.

STEAM Festival

Healdsburg Community Services partners with Corazon Healdsburg to support the children in the community, to prepare for the new school year through hands-onactivities and demonstrations for youth in grades K-12. Saturday, July 29, 7am-3pm at Healdsburg Community Center, 1557 Healdsburg Ave. Free.