Strictly Business: Discount movies, teen job opportunities, business help

All business all the time from around Sonoma Valley.|

Cheap flicks

Prime Cinema opened in the midst of a pandemic, resurrecting the Siesta Way theater that prior owner Cinema West shuttered in March 2020. After opening on Memorial Day, 2021, under the leadership of new owner Brian Young cultivated a hometown theater experience with salty, fresh popcorn, an array of screens, and regular discounts.

On Jan. 28, they launched a $5 kid’s movie series, featuring old-school classics like “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda.” Now, they’ve extended the discount to any movie buff in town. Starting Feb. 14, movies on Mondays will be $6.50 for all screens and all showtimes, making the magic of cinema more accessible to the masses.

Stage a dream job

Best known for its over-the-top showcases called “Broadway Under the Stars,” Transcendence Theatre Company has made a name for itself in the Bay Area theater scene.

Teens and young adults pursuing their education goals can apple to the company’s apprenticeship program, which is hiring now. The 12 to 15 week summer program invites young professionals to learn about the industry with a hands-on experience.

The available positions include: costumes and props, performance, technical theater, marketing, music, house management, box office, sound, stage management and development. Apply at transcendencetheatre.org.

Rent by the Hooker House

The historic General Joseph Hooker House is full of stories. The wooden house came pre-cut from Sweden and was erected in the 1850s by Joseph Hooker, an Army Lieutenant Colonel who was stationed in Sonoma at that time. He soon sold it to Catherine Vasquez, and her husband Pedro, who lived in it for the next 50 years.

In 1973, the house was owned by the Lynch family, former owners of the Index-Tribune, who gave it to the League for Historic Preservation, who moved it from 117 First St. West to 404 First St. E. The house opened as the Vasquez House in 1976 and housed both historic records and a public tea room. In 2009, the tea room was closed, and the name was changed to the General Joseph Hooker House. During its subsequent years, it served as a small museum.

Today, it houses Bedrock Wine Co., which offers tastings of wine and caviar by appointment. Across the El Paseo courtyard, according to propertyshark.com, there are two spots for rent in the unique property. Both described as “freestanding,” one is a 1,160-square-feet unit that rents for $4,500 a month. The other is 407 square feet and rents for $2,400 a month. For more details, contact listing agent Ryan Snow at 707-360-7370.

According to propertyshark.com, “The retail space availability for the 95476 zip code is 13,379 square feet, in 10 retail spaces. The average asking retail rent in Sonoma is $37.48 per square foot per year.”

EnviroLeader

The Sonoma Ecology Center is looking for a new crop of EnviroLeaders.

Spring term applications are open for Sonoma Valley teens between the ages of 14 to 18 for the paid internship program that offers hands-on education in the fields of sustainable agriculture and restoration.

EnviroLeaders are mentored by Sonoma Ecology Center educators and other professionals in the environmental field. They meet twice a week, at the Sonoma Garden Park and other sites around the Valley. To learn more, or send in an application, visit sonomaecologycenter.org/enviroleaders.

Business webinar

The county’s Economic Development Board will join county health leaders and the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 3 p.m., for a joint webinar to discuss questions from the business community and address COVID-related impacts.

The webinar will be streamed live in English on the county’s Facebook page. A Spanish version will be streamed live on Feb. 10 at 3 p.m.

For more details, visit the county’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CountyofSonoma.

Pandemic-related information and resources for businesses is available at sonomaedb.org/Business-Assistance/Coronavirus-Business-Resources.

Gymnastics

Sonoma Gymnastic Academy is opening public registration for the March/April season. Owned by Mary Jambon-Corzine, parents can sign their children up at sonomagymnasticsacademy.com. The deadline is Feb. 11.

Emily is always looking for business news at emily.charrier@sonomanews.com.

This version clarifies the rentals at the Hooker House, which are next door, not within the building.

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