Mover and Shakers: Business news across the Valley, June 30

Springs burger joint update, businesses for sale, tattoos, wine and more|

Burgers in the Springs: Co-owners Garrett Sathre and Nicole Benjamin are still hard at work on West-Handmade Burger joint planned at 18375 Sonoma Highway in the Springs. Benjamin said they have had to do a complete rebuild of the kitchen and ADA access so the plans are on the third type of engineer before they head to the County for final approval. They have their fingers crossed for late September... You can follow them on Facebook for updates.

New(ish) tattoo spot: Mike Hughes, the owner of Electric Monk Tattoo, opened his first Sonoma location in April, at 17551 Sonoma Highway. They offer tattoos for appointment or walk-in; piercing by appointment only. They offer predrawn as well as custom designs. Emtattoo.com

Wine industry news: The Wine Business Institute at Sonoma State will host the 10th annual Academy of Wine Business Research (AWBR) conference from July 25 to 28, with program activities taking place on its Rohnert Park campus and throughout Sonoma and Napa counties. AWBR is an international society of academics and scholars with research focused on economic, social, and management issues related to the global wine industry.

Vineyard supply store: Sonoma City Councilmember David Cook is moving Cook Vineyard Management, the company he has owned since 1995, to the Granary’s old spot on Eighth Street East, and he’s adding a new retail operation to his business. He relocated his office and shop May 15 and hopes to have the CVM store open by July 1. “No company here in Sonoma offers viticulture supplies,” Cook said. “Now you won’t have to go to Santa Rosa or Napa.”

Buildings/businesses for sale: The building that houses the Fitness Factory at 18315 Sonoma Highway in Boyes Hot Springs is for sale for $589,000. Also for sale is the Magical Massage business and gift shop in Glen Ellen. The business, which is located in a vintage 22 foot wine barrel, is priced at $250,000. Also for sale is a 14,000-square-foot warehouse and 3,000-square-foot office/showroom at 1225 E. MacArthur St., at a price tag of $3.4 million.

The entire Flahive Building at 1051 Broadway is for sale for $1.65 million. There are currently six tenants and two small vacant spaces. It’s a single story 4,254-square-foot office building on 7,000 square feet. The Sonoma Valley Sun and Valpack are among the current tenants.

Aventine for sale: While it is definitely still open, Aventine in Glen Ellen is listed on commercial real estate sites as for sale for $699,000. The restaurant features a full bar and an onsite brewery facility. The building is approximately 4,000 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating/event capacity for approximately 330. It is the business for sale, not the building.

Want to fly to SFO?: A new five-year agreement was made recently with United Airlines to provide flights between the Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport and San Francisco International Airport. Three roundtrip United Express flights per week began last week.

Wine and weed: The Wine Industry Network is accepting registration now for the inaugural Wine & Weed Symposium, to be held on Aug. 3, from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa.

Online concierge: A new phone system dubbed “Alice” is being used by MacArthur Place and a few other local hotels. With “Alice,” a guest can book a table at restaurants, get tickets to shows, or request a massage or spa services. They can also make any requests of the hotel staff, including room service and housekeeping.

Job search news: Google is getting into the job listing business as part of its Google for Jobs initiative. Instead of trolling various job listing sites, job seekers can just type “retail jobs” or “product manager jobs in California” directly into the search field. Google will display a list of openings. Click and you’ll be taken to the company’s career site or the original listing where you can apply online.

Sonoma Springs news: The Picazo Food Truck is at the Sonoma Springs Brewery on West Napa Street most Thursday nights, and the brewery has new summer hours. In additional to offering beer flights, kegs to go and being available for private parties, they may also soon offer tours. The brew bar is open from 1 to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Market news: Beyond Sonoma’s popular downtown farmers market on Tuesday nights, the new Springs farmers market in Larson Park will open for the season on Sunday, July 7. The Kenwood Farmers Market, which is run by the same group, has opened its weekly Sunday farmers market in Kenwood at 9000 Sonoma Highway.

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