Local Business

Healdsburg’s new wine bar, Maison, opened its doors in early June and quickly established its place in the order of things in town. Situated at 210 Healdsburg Ave., just north of the roundabout, Maison is without signage, but an inviting hand-painted sandwich board beckons...

One quiet morning last week, the long-closed corner store at Matheson and Center took down their plywood walls and threw open the doors of 300 Center St.—the newest incarnation of Healdsburg’s longtime favorite coffee bar, the Flying Goat.  First in, tentative singles, then couples, then...

What makes Healdsburg’s market particularly unique is the continued dominance of non-primary residence purchases. In 2024, 61% of all purchases were for second homes or investment properties, with rural properties showing an even higher rate at 76%. This tracks with 2023 when 64% of properties were purchased as non-primary residences, writes a local realtor.

El Farolito, the popular Mexican restaurant at 128 Plaza St., underwent an overnight name change recently to Gallina D’Oro, or the Hen of Gold. The new name partners well with El Gallo Negro, owner Pedro Diaz’s increasingly popular restaurant in Windsor. Hours, menu and...

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The welcome mat for Sonoma County’s wine country was rolled up several weeks ago in the midst of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place, and there is no prediction of when it might be rolled out again. Only a little over one quarter (27.8%) of the county’s 7,000 lodging rooms were occupied at the beginning of this month, down from an average occupancy rate of 78% from a year ago.

The new proposal was to expand the formula-free zone one block further into the Downtown Commercial district. McDowell showed a map where a red line marked the border of the proposed formula-free zone; it surrounds most of seven city blocks adjacent to the Plaza, marking a significant expansion of the prohibition zone.

Here are the latest business openings, closings and other goings-on, from a new place to get a fresh juice or smoothie, a hot old winery and a hot new bakery, plus a new fire station to cool things down if it gets too hot for Healdsburg.

After two hours of discussion on Sep. 23, the commission voted 5-1 to approve the conditional use permit for the property as a “luxurious 13 bed Substance Use Disorder Facility,” to be renamed The Ruse Treatment...

After 20-plus years in the wine industry, I can admit that I am guilty of writing off a winery or brand or assuming I know it well enough, only to later realize that it has been so long since I’ve actually visited the winery,...