Eighth Street East, a burgeoning hub for business

On the Eighth Street East corridor that makes up the outer edge of Sonoma there are mansions and a Montessori school; fitness studios and a small airport; a mix of plumbers, painters, welders, winemakers and mechanics. And, of course, Pets Lifeline.

And while cats and dogs and their owners are still lamenting the recent closure of Eighth Street pet-food icon the Granary, mom-and-pop grape growers and home brewers have reason to smile because viticulture equipment and wine and beer making supplies will soon be for sale at that location.

Sonoma City Councilmember David Cook is moving Cook Vineyard Management, the company he has owned since 1995, to the Granary’s old spot in the Sonoma Industrial Park and adding a new retail operation to his business. He relocated his office and shop May 15 and plans 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.”

Cook had been looking for a new location for two years and is very pleased that his new spot allows him to expand into retail. “It should be fun.” He said employees already with the company “will get promotions to work in retail.”

The industrial park’s site manager Steve Wolf said that there is rarely space available in this park or anywhere else along the entire length of Eighth Street East. “I think it is a really unique in that it is immune to the general economy. In good times and bad it maintains 100 percent occupancy.” He said there is always a waiting list for Sonoma Industrial Park, which is anchored by World Products located at the back of the property in newer buildings that were built in the mid-1980s. The rest of the complex was built in 1975. There are 16 buildings totaling 98,000 square feet. Chris Hougie, who lives in St. Helena and previously owned Cornerstone at the South end of the Valley, currently owns the park.

Caretakers live on the property full time for security and maintain a large vegetable garden that adds a pop of green to the industrial setting. The oldest tenant is Patrick Arend, a cabinetmaker who’s been onsite almost 30 years. A brass plaque on one of the buildings honors longtime tenant and upholsterer Richard Beliveau, who died in 2003. It reads “A kind and gentle man. A master of his craft,” and adds to the folksy sense of the place, as do the long line of country-style mailboxes at the entrance. And the basketball hoop.

There are interesting sculptures made of recycled materials created by tenant Martin Munson of Munson Design, and other tenants include Patterson Painting, Closet Connection and All American Arborists and Lumberjacks.

Sharon Ivanoff just marked the one-year anniversary of her business, Reclaimed Antiques and Consignments, which she describes as a warehouse full of treasures. “Everyone here gets along really well,” she said of the wide range of endeavors represented in the complex. Ivanoff sells vintage collectibles and antiques on consignment, keeping 40 percent. There are also seven vendors with nooks in her store, each with its unique offerings, from art made out of wood pallets to Emily’s Cottage oilcloth creations to Aloha Sonoma, which specializes in tropically inspired collectibles and jewelry.

Aloha Sonoma owner Gillian Zed travels to Hawaii several times a year to find her merchandise. “I’m a picker in the true sense,” she said, explaining that she finds many vintage Polynesian items at garage sales on Oahu.

How do customers find Ivanoff’s shop, which pops up somewhat unexpectedly on the busy corridor? She said her customers are a mix of locals and tourists who find her store through Instagram, Pinterest and her webpage. “And some people see the sign, slam on the brakes and pull in.”

A long list of positives reviews on Yelp about Pinocchio Furniture, a furniture restoration and repair company located in the industrial park, includes one that says, “Excellent quality work. Well worth getting lost in Sonoma for.” Because, as anyone who’s lived in Sonoma long knows, you almost always drive right past the entryway you’re looking for on Eighth Street East – at least once.