Calaveras Enterprise

Collaboration makes it happen in Mokelumne Hill





Judy Brown, who owns Mokelumne Hill nuts withher husband, Steve, at her store on Main Street.

Judy Brown, who owns Mokelumne Hill nuts withher husband, Steve, at her store on Main Street.

 

 

The recession was just starting when Steve and Judy Brown opened a storefront for Mokelumne Hill Nuts on Main Street in Moke Hill.

“It was a good time to open,” said Judy at her store, which is filled with nuts, wasabi peas, chocolate-covered cherries and other edibles. After selling their products at area flea markets and street fairs, the couple decided to open the storefront in November 2008.

From Mokelumne Hill Nuts and the Hotel Leger, which has been under new ownership since May, down to the Reading Room and Jeff Tuttle’s Union House at Center and Main streets, little gems are popping up in the historic Gold Rush town.

“We have a lot of new restaurants,” said Tracy Zellers, co-owner of the Hotel Leger with her husband, Daryl. “Thomi’s, the Union House and myself opening a new restaurant (at the hotel) – I just want to see them thrive and do well.”

While foot traffic can be slow some days, the Browns said organizations and the relatively new businesses on Main Street work together to get the word out.

“We’re all working together now that there are more of us,” Steve said. He said the town does not have a business association like many other communities, but now that people are seeing more shops and restaurants – Petroglyphe Gallery opened this July and Jeff Tuttle’s Union House opened last year – it may be the right time for one.

“I think it’s getting to the point where we should have an association,” he said.

Even without a business association, collaboration and efforts from organizations like the Mokelumne Hill Community Historical Trust, which oversees the community website mokehill.com, help let people know what’s going on in town.

Tracy said she and her husband like to get more people interested in the historic element of the Hotel Leger.

“I don’t know if people even realize that the building is rich with history,” she said. “We both like to grab people out of the bar or restaurant and give them tours.”

Judy said word of mouth is important in a small town, so donating items to drawings and participating in events like A Taste of Calaveras, where they promoted their store in mid-September, helps business. She said mokehill.com does a good job letting people know what’s going on in town, and her business’ Calaveras Grown membership is another good resource.

Judy’s main advice is collaboration, and otherMoke Hill business owners seem to agree.

“Get together with the other businesses in the community and schedule events. Make sure your items are reasonably priced and that you have a variety,” she said.

Main Street businesses have gotten started with their collaborative effort to draw attention to the historic town. A few businesses pitched in to purchase lights to put around storefronts in town. The same group of businesses also teamed up on advertising space, taking out a full-page ad for Sutter Creek’s Ragtime Festival, which was held in August.

Marisa Chaffey, who owns Petroglyphe Gallery with her mother, Denise Ebbett, is a strong advocate for Moke Hill and said she’d like to see the town on the map as a destination.

“We’re working on the different options as far as signage (on Highway 49),” Chaffey said. “It’s our hope to gather the resources and create a historical sign … to give people an idea of where to go and what’s around.”

“We want to create more of a destination for visitors and for people who live in the community,” she said.

Petroglyphe Gallery, which displays work from California and Arizona artists, opened in July and offers painting workshops. The next painting demonstration will be led by painter Diana Boyd, who works primarily in oils.

“Mokelumne Hill has really seen a revitalization in the last couple of years,” Chaffey said. “Being on Main Street has been really fun – it’s such a small little town but it’s very community-centered. We’ve enjoyed being a part of that.”

 

Contact Kate Gonzales at kate@calaverasenterprise.com.

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