Loma Brewing, Second Time are becoming a member of native enterprise neighborhood – The Mercury Information
Craft beer lovers will be happy to hear that the long-awaited opening of the Loma Brewing Company is just around the corner, hopefully by Aug. 12 or shortly thereafter.
Brothers Scott and Kevin Youkilis purchased the former Los Gatos Brewing Company, 130 N. Santa Cruz Ave., in early 2015. Scott is a San Francisco restaurateur and Kevin is a retired Major League Baseball player who lives in Monte Sereno.
Loma will feature 14 craft beers on tap, many of which will be brewed on site. The menu is described as “casual comfort food” and includes burgers, seasonal salads and chicken wings with “Youk’s Hot Sauce.” The Loma Brewing Company will initially be open Sundays through Thursdays from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 5:30 p.m. to midnight. Plans to offer lunch and weekend brunch are in the works.
Visit lomabrew.com.
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On the other side of town, a children’s resale store called Second Time’s a Charm recently opened in the Walgreens Shopping Center at the corner of Blossom Hill and Harwood roads. Store owners Kristen and David Wasson initially stocked the shop with items from garage sales and flea markets, but now they’re buying directly from customers.
“We buy toys, clothes, shoes and small items like that,” Kristen said. “We also take larger items like strollers and bassinets on consignment.” Consignment fees are 35 percent.
The store has clothes galore and lots of fun items, including a Minnie Mouse toy vacuum for $11.99–that’s less than half the retail price. For adventurous children, there are Jedi Unleashed and Minecraft games.
The Wassons, who have two daughters, are acutely aware of how quickly children grow out of clothes and toys, so the resale store made sense from that point of view.
“A lot of people stock up on stuff, and this lets them recycle it back into the community,” David said. “Plus, our customers don’t have to spend a fortune buying good-quality stuff. We like the whole green thing.”
Visit facebook.com/2xacharm.
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Back downtown, Rootstock Wine Bar, 217 N. Santa Cruz Ave., has received the Los Gatos Community Foundation’s annual Beautification Award.
“For the five years they have been in business, their patio area has been a beautiful addition to the downtown,” beautification committee member Nancy Walker said in an email.
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It will still technically be summer when the Los Gatos Fall Wine Walk is held downtown on Sept. 10 from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $45 through Aug. 5, $50 through Sept. 9 at losgatoschamber.com.
Wine walkers will be greeted that day by Los Gatos resident Catherine Somers, the new executive director of the Chamber of Commerce. Somers has lived in town for five years and has three children, so she’s been active with home and school clubs and the high school’s New Millennium Foundation. Prior to coming to Los Gatos, Somers worked with the San Francisco, Lafayette, Seattle and Boston chambers, and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame.
“I want to develop strong partnerships with Los Gatos service clubs and beef up the visitors’ bureau,” Somers said. “I have lots of ideas to attract tourists and reinvigorate the town’s spirit for locals, too.”
Off hours, Somers is an avid gardener who until recently worked at the Green Thumb Nursery as a hobby.
