The Buzz

Spotlight on Auburn Businesses Part I: Carpe Vino is No Compromise

This is the first in a Series of blogs where I will be highlighting new and old businesses unique to Auburn. This is my way of supporting our town's "Think Auburn First" campaign, which I read about in the Sentinel and was reminded of more recently in Gary Moffat's column, "Don't Drive to Roseville; Think Auburn First", a few months ago.

In his article, Gary mentioned several reasons why so many of us head down the hill to shop instead of buying locally. He talked about the supposedly lower prices offered by the big box and chain stores and the fact that many of us want what we perceive to be better price/selection/value from the bigger stores. Being a Bay Area transplant myself, I must admit that I used to be one of those weekend mall-goers and monthly Costco shoppers. However, lately the trips down the hill are few and far between for several reasons.

1) The sky-rocketing price of gasoline nullifies the few pennies I might save by driving down the hill to the big box stores.

2) What used to be a "quick trip" is now a bloody nightmare since I must drag four whiney children along. Yes, the exponential growth of my family makes car trips something I avoid at all cost.

3) I simply did not know what shopping opportunities were available to me here in Auburn.

This is a point that Gary also made reference to in his article. "Many Auburn residents are simply unaware of what is available in this town."

Personally, I have found this to be very true. After having lived here for nearly five years, I started making some of my own local discoveries when the AuburnBuzz was launched last year. I was pleasantly surprised to find so many lovely and unique shops and restaurants that I never knew existed. The Longhorn Meat Company, Creative Endeavors, Wild Flower, Winston Smith Books, Ultimate Beauty Supply and La Fornaretta Restaurant to name a few. Over the last year, I have made it a point to cut down on my trips down the hill, and instead take the time to discover more local businesses that can be found in the nooks and crannies of our historic town. I choose to support our local small-business owners whenever possible and I have found it is also a great way of connecting with people and getting to know our community better.

After being so inspired by Gary Moffat's article, which was completely on target in my humble opinion, I would be remiss not to mention the wine bar and restaurant, Carpe Vino, which is owned and run by Gary and his son, Drew, at the top of the list . I just had my first opportunity to check it out a few months ago and was not disappointed. (Yes, I realize it has been open for several years, but pregnant patients and nursing mothers are generally not allowed to partake at the wine bar). The ambiance created by the interior brick walls, low lighting, and local artwork displayed on an impressive cabling system was more than I expected. That is not to mention the terrific selection of wine and the most friendly and knowledgable staff you could ask for. Not being a wine conisseur myself, I rely heavily on the recommendations of the experts behind the counter. I can't wait to go back and try some of the Amador County varieties Gary recently added to his selection. I have been told by many the food is par excellence, but will have to discover that for myself the next time around. As Gary would say, see you in the wine bar!

While I found the service at the wine bar to be excellent, I must say that 'lack of customer service' is one reason that Gary forgot to mention in his previously-mentioned article that drives many of us down the hill. Unfortunately, both my husband and I have experienced sub-par customer service more times than we would like to remember at local Auburn businesses. Without mentioning any specific names, there have been numerous occasions we have felt the customer service was severely lacking and perhaps the help didn't try harder because they thought theirs was the only or best option in town. Au contrare. There is ALWAYS another option. We may give the business a second chance (everyone has an off day, right?), but if the service is bad two times in a row, forget it. We won't go back and would rather drive a longer distance for a better experience. We try to patronize those businesses that seem to appreciate their customers the most. Let me add that we are not extreme picky people, but we do expect common curtesy, friendliness, and just the slightest aire of helpfulness. Cheers to the Auburn businesses that already have this figured out!!!!!!

Bouncing around Old Town Auburn today was pleased to learn about all the changes taking place starting with the Gold Rush Mall where I learned Mimi of  The Silver Store will soon take the best location in the front of the mall; congrats to Mimi who has waited well over a decade for this opp.  Mahogany Gail moves to Tea Thyme up Sacramento Street as TT is now out of business.  Roseanne has opened a boutique in the back of the mall next to the veteran Sharon Stanley of  South of  The Border.  The Brookside eatery appears to be holding its own while Stan of  The Gold store is suffering with a serious injury and the Indian store has folded their tent.  I was very impressed with the scintillating lustre of  The OT Gallery and enjoyed my connection with the always enthusiastic Doreen Kidd who waxed joyously about the success of the Gallery.  Congrats to Kidd and all the creative artists.  Enjoyed a cup with Courthouse Coffee Owner Linda Lareau and daughter Lisa with her fashion-grooved daughter sitting outside on the sunny patio.  Headed over for a visit with good pal Syl Bruce who had her staff re-inventorying at the new location at the end of  High Street where Syl says she is happy in her new digs and will soon advertise a grand opening.   Plan on eating at Pasquale Ts next week at their new location next to the Downtown clock tower.  As a consumer, I'm pleased with all the changes and look forward to my shopping/dining choices in our happy hamlet.

Downtown Auburn refers to itself as "The heart of Auburn"; so we will refer to South West Silver owner Syl Bruce as the Queen of Hearts who is presently cashing out her 20-year-plus business.   As I witnessed--on a crazy Saturday-- the flood of stunned customers integrate the news that this long-standing business owner is  closing her business, I am struck by the feeling that because of high rents, small business owners can no longer sustain their businesses and landlords truly rule.  Good-bye Syl Bruce, you have serviced your community in a truly memorable way and to say you will be missed is understating reality.  We wish you well wherever you may land for the likes of your service we may not see again.  Farewell.  And, sterling silver lovers:  You have until the end of the year to scoop up the gems at bargain prices, and to wish Syl Bruce a fond goodbye. 

Mondays can be challenging after a lazy Sunday; but the bounce factor worked today as I discovered a new store on Highway 49 in the Dry Creek Plaza:  The Clothing Rack offers gently used clothing/accessories  with designer labels for the family and Husband Jack scored with difficult-to-find rugby shirts.   A fan of traditional/vintage sportswear, I'll return for another search as The Clothing Rack is on my circuit traveling home.   I finally made it out to Combie Rd. to Double Cuts Salon where the capable Toni sheared away some of the summer growth and I headed out to The Ridge for some putting practice as the Fall season has shortened the range practice.  As I say, those of us who adapt, are less frustrated.   All-in-all, today rates as a productive one as I even managed to fit in some grocery shopping and fended off frustration with a computer snag by calling that whiz-kid Cristina, co-owner of Dr. PC Repair.  I'm more than ready to attack Tuesday and what with this great weather, it's all win/win.   Smile.

Enjoyed the scene with friends Donna Arz and Syl Bruce while dining at Monkey Cat on Lincoln Way Downtown.  I partook of the piquant omelette while Arz experienced  the tasty fish tacos.   Syl was on a limited timetable and enjoyed her coffee and girl talk.  Arz and I topped off our meal with a devilishly tasty lemon concoction, split in half,  all served up by Server Sierra.  All that was missing from the experience was connecting with the hospitable owner Jim Bril.  After the dining experience,  Donna and I walked off a few cals by heading over to South West Silver where we dove into the trove of sterling treasures.  Finished up the shopping experience and headed over to Court House Coffee where I chatted with the friendly server Jennifer who trumped me by sharing with me the fact that her Conure voices the words "baby" and "potty".  Paco, my boy, speak to me.

The new Safeway (in the building that used to be Pak N Save) is shaping up into a very nice store. It is still under remodel but the Bakery & Deli departments had their grand opening today. The displays are very well-done as they invite you to select something scrumptious-looking. This makes for a pleasant shopping experience as long as you don't have two wiggley-whiney kids like I do. The presentation of all the cakes, cookies, pastries, salads, entertaining platters, cheeses, etc. is beautiful. There is a specialty olive kiosk including sicilian, kalamata and other varieties of marinated olives and mushrooms. There is also a huge Chinese food buffet (I was there at 8:30 a.m. so I didn't actually get to see how all the food looked). This seems to be a fairly high-end store carrying lots of gourmet cheeses and in-store baked breads.  The major bonus? There is a new Starbucks right inside the store (on the left-hand side as you walk in). There were only two negatives I noticed during my 1 hour shopping adventure. 1) They only had one check out line open that was not an express line. 2) In many cases the prices seemed extremely high unless an item was on sale. I was not a frequent shopper of Pak N Save, but I would be willing to bet Safeway's prices are significantly higher. Although the store is very nice, I'm not sure I will be going there too often for that reason. They are charging $5.68 for a half gallon of OJ. Ouch! At any rate, the store is a nice addition to our grocery shopping options in Auburn.  However, it still needs more time to ramp up the customer service.

Recently, it was reported in the Auburn Journal that Trader Joe's is planning a store in Auburn, California.

If true, this is really great news! If the rumors are true, the new Trader Joe's location will be in the old Ralph's Supermarket at the corner of Highway 49 and Bell Road.

Some of the great products that Trader Joe's carries include their very famous "Charles Shaw" wines for only $2 a bottle. Commonly referred to as "Two Buck Chuck"....Charles Shaw wines have won Gold Medals in wine competitions, most recently at the Orange County Fair.

Another thing Trader Joe's does well is dried fruits and nuts. They have great frozen foods, even a good line of pet foods too. If they choose the old "Ralphs" spot, they'll have plenty of space for a "Flagship" store.

Hopefully this is not a pipe dream, and will actually happen in our lifetimes!

Whats next? Costco or Home Depot? (wishes do come true!!!)