Bubble Bar

are now up a narrow flight of stairs.

Promising a diverse selection of sparkling wines, including some affordable quaffs for the casual imbiber, applicant Quider made her pitch to the commission for the Healdsburg Bubble Bar.

“I want it to be a special place for Healdsburg, for residents and tourists to come in and to celebrate,” she told the commission. “Weddings, retirement, a new job, a Wednesday, whatever they would like to come and just celebrate.”

She clarified she was not asking for any event allowance for the business, just anticipating the sort of “event” when people like to drink Champagne.

Quider has been in the wine business for 28 years, and was for many years a winemaker for Ferrari-Carano under previous owners Don and Rhonda Carano. She now serves as VP of winemaking for the tri-state portfolio of its new owners, Foley Family Wines.

But she affirms that in her enthusiasm for sparkling wine, and in her long-standing interest in opening a room to feature its effervescent qualities, she acts alone without Foley’s support. (FerraiCarano has no sparklers in its cellars.)

She told the commission she envisions a “French bistro” styling for the otherwise neutral street-side space, most previously occupied by Licoco’s offices, whose tasting room remains on Matheson.

According to the application, the bar will be open six days per week, from 11am to 6pm (closed on Tuesdays). Interior improvements within the building will include a new bar with four seats, a lounge area with 10 seats and an outdoor patio with six seats. The concrete landing outside the front door will be remodeled and fenced, to allow for extra outdoor socializing.

The Healdsburg Bubble Bar will showcase and serve sparkling wines from around the world (Champagne, crémant, cava, prosecco, etc.). The shop will also offer tasting flights, beer sales and retail sales of bottles of the wines served at the bar, as well as non-alcoholic sparklers such as kombucha.

But for Tom Rackerby, the opening of a Champagne bar across the street from his business could be a problem.

A CPA who has long had an office at 133 North St., he expressed his concern that yet another alcohol establishment in town is not conducive to the neighborhood.

“This project is encroaching on our neighborhoods. It’s encroaching on established businesses, and it’s going to be nothing but a big party time in downtown,” he said. He also questioned the impact on parking in the area, already severely limited by Valette’s parklet dining addition.

Thomas

Francis Weso

July 16, 1953 - July 14, 2023

Virgil Junior “JR” Cowan

July 9, 1942 - June 29, 2023

Known as JR Cowan, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle, passed away peacefully at home sitting on his back patio enjoying the view of his property. Work was JR’s middle name. He started at a young age working for Idaco, which became Boise Cascade and then RJW. After his daily job, he would cut and deliver firewood, which eventually developed into Cowans Healdsburg Tree Service. Cowan Healdsburg Tree Service was built on JR’s outgoing personality, respect for all people and his desire to help anyone in need. JR was so proud of his son Bill Chaney for taking over the business and continuing with the dedication and respect that JR had established. JR was known for being one of the most generous human beings and was always offering help to all. Jr was known by all for his wit and valued treasures that he collected from his tree jobs throughout the years. He had a love for hunting and spending time at his cabin up at the Geysers.

JR is survived by his wife of 43 years Patricia Cowan, daughters Charlene Wilson and Tami McPherson (Rob McPherson), son Bill Chaney, sister Emily Debenham (Dennis Debenham) and multiple nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great grandchildren. He will be deeply missed by all.

A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 6, 2023, 12:00pm at Johnson’s Alexander Valley Wines, 8333 HWY-128, Healdsburg, Ca.

Another potential problem was discussed by cautious commissioners themselves, who brought up the 2017 “dispersion” component of downtown zoning that allows only one tasting room (or wine bar) per block face, meaning each side of the street.

The policy was initiated in 2017 to put the brakes on runaway wine commerce of the Downtown Commercial and Plaza District zones. According to its terms, the goal of the ordinance is to “maintain a mix of retail services and uses within the downtown area to encourage economic diversity and services for residents and visitors.”

Thomas Francis Weso, born July 16, 1953, in Neopit, Wisconsin, died July 14, 2023, in Healdsburg. He is survived by his wife Denise (Dotson) Low-Weso; daughter PEmecewan (Fleuker) Meisel (Joshua) of Lawrence, KS; stepsons David Low (Allison), of Healdsburg and Daniel Low (Meiling) of Washington D.C.; and adopted daughter Diane Willie of Albuquerque; grandchildren Curtis Fleuker, Frances Meisel, Natalie Low, and Aidan Low. Other survivors are his sister Mary Walker-Sanapaw (Al Dick), brother Donovan Walker, and aunt, Nita Perez (Bobby). Other survivors are sister-in-law Jane Ciabattari (Mark) and brother-in-law David Dotson (Ginny). He was born on the Menominee Indian reservation in Wisconsin. He worked over fifteen years in Madison. He attended Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and the University of Kansas, where he received a degree in anthropology and a master’s degree in Indigenous Global Studies. He taught social sciences at Kansas City area colleges for 20 years. He wrote Good Seeds: A Menominee Indian Food Memoir (Wisconsin Historical Society Press), and Survival Food: North Woods Stories by a Menominee Cook, forthcoming, which will be launched at The 222, November 12, 2023. His Native American Stories for Kids won a Kansas Notable Book Award. He was known for his humor and political insights, especially on social media. Celebration of life at First Congregational Church of Santa Rosa at 2pm on July 23, 2023.

Fisher estimated that prior to the 2017 dispersion policy, about 30% of the Planning and Building Department’s applications related to tasting rooms; that number has now dropped to one or two a month, planning director Scott Duiven said.

But restaurants are not included in the dispersion allowance, assistant planner Jeff Fisher said. Neither Valette nor SingleThread across the street, both restaurants that serve alcohol, counts against the Bubble Bar’s plan.

Fisher also pointed out there are now very few block faces remaining in downtown Healdsburg that are available for a tasting room, likely making this location one of the last to be added.

It’s also notable that most tasting rooms get a conditional use permit that “runs with the land,” meaning it’s transferable not only to another leasee, but another property owner as well. Quider confirmed that if her Bubble Bar idea doesn’t pan out, she can lease the already-licensed tasting room to another tenant.

Following the discussion, and lacking any real reason to deny the application, the commission voted unanimously to approve it. Next stops for Quider will be to get a building permit for the interior improvements, a signage permit, a city business license and a Type 42 (bar, tavern) license from the ABC, Alcohol Beverage Control. “I'm very, very thrilled to have the support of the commission,” said Quider. “It'll be a nice addition to the town of Healdsburg.”

When the meeting was adjourned and Quider’s plans assured, she turned to the half-dozen friends who joined her at the meeting and said, “Let’s go have some Champagne!”

The meeting also saw the re-election of Phil Luks as the commission’s chair and the election of Conor McKay as the cochair for the coming year.

Luks himself had nominated Tom Gerlach as the new chair, given that vice-chair Vesna Breznikar declined to take over the seat. Gerlach returned the favor, saying while he would be happy to serve at some point, he would rather see Luks continue in the role for the coming year.

With the vote, Luks turned his attention to the agenda, saying, “We’re off and running for another year.”