August 22,2014More Development News In Downtown Visalia
(corrections added)
Locals who have a continuing thirst for Valley-brewed craft beer will get another chance soon as Fresno’s Sequoia Brewery plans to open a restaurant on Main Street in Visalia as soon as the holidays. The news is confirmed by both the brewery’s founder and a local development group who owns the property.
Developer Harvey May who heads up local investment group owns the former Mar Building at the corner of Main and Locust, 124 West Main.”We think it will bring in the kind of business that will keep Downtown exciting ”noting the church in the building now has had plans to relocate. That will make room for several months of remodeling work that will start once all permits are received.The group who also owns the building next door as well – relocated popular Tachibana there some two months ago.
Brewery owners Scott and Michele Kendall say they are ”excited” about opening in Downtown Visalia adding “the whole vibe is so much better than I thought it would be.” Scott, who launched the company in 2003 in Fresno’s Tower District, bought out Butterfield Brewery and changed the name,later adding a North Fresno location as well. “The Tower location is still where all the beer is made.”
“It’s sort of natural to be coming to Visalia with the Sequoia name attached.We always had Visalia in mind.”
Roll Out The Barrel
The craft beer movement is on a roll.”Craft beer production was up 9.6 percent in 2013, while overall beer production fell 1.4 percent,” according the finance news source – CNBC. Unlike the big boys, craft beer makers are small and above all independent – offering traditional beers with a local touch.
“Our own experience in Fresno is that business has been growing steadily at 10% to 15% every year” says Kendall, prompting the couple to open the Visalia location this year as well as a Santa Barbara tap room, on Helena St, near the Fess Parker, after the first of next year. Included in the plan is a large 1600ft outdoor patio.
The Visalia eatery will offer their award winning ales and lagers, a wide variety of food from pizza,pasta to burgers and a full bar, open for lunch and dinner and breakfast on Sunday. Look for acoustic music but not the loud stuff jokes Kendall.”We don’t want to turn it into a club.”
Besides offering their beer in their restaurants they have a different partnership that sells beer at retail and grocery locations. In 2010 Kevin Cox,former Butterfield brew master, and the Kendalls went to downtown Fresno to bottle and retail selected Sequoia beers, which is named Tioga-Sequoia. It is a separate company.
Kendall says about the expansion to the Central Coast that he is not worried about locking horns with other craft brewers like Paso Robles ‘805’ brand owner Firestone. “We have a good competitive relationship but it is always friendly.” Kendall says the Coast market tends of cater to a younger user who happily, like their parents, is excited about craft beers too.
Surplus City Bought
The Visalia development group called 120 W Main includes Visalia realtor Matt Graham, farmer and developer Fred Lagomarsino, farmer and industry owner Tommy Elliott and developer May. The group, just last week, completed the purchase of the former Surplus City property on east Main in Downtown,a larger 9500sf building. Surplus City closed their doors after many years in early 2014 and its owner put the property up for sale. A major remodel is planned.
“We hope to lease it out to two retail users” explains May.”We already have a letter of intent from a well known retailer for half the space.”
The group purchased the Mars pharmacy building at 124 W Main a few years ago and did a major remodel. Now they will getting the kind of user they were waiting for. ”We want to help rejuvenate these older properties.“ May adds the Surplus City building is well placed close to the corner of Bridge and Main where the 10-plex movie theater is as well as the newer constructed Crawdaddy’s.
Downtown retail vacancy is extremely low says chair of the Downtown Visalia merchants group, Don Sharp.
“Besides the Surplus City space,I cant think of any other Main St space available on the ground floor” says Sharp. Property owner Sam Sciacca has said with the former Links space he bought is now spoken for – with a salon and wine-bar moving in and 4 apartments in the works upstairs.
Speaking of upper levels on Main property owner George Ouzounian says he will install an elevator by the first of the year at his building on the corner on Main and Willis to help lease second story office space in the building.
Some years back May with another investment group rejuvenated the old Togni building Downtown – now fully leased including a second story apartment.