Downtown St. Helena Welcomes New Businesses In 2023

Press release from the City of St. Helena:

ST. HELENA, CA — 2023 looks to be a year of exciting new offerings on Main Street downtown St. Helena, with renovations and new businesses expanding the boutique retail environment in addition to new wine and culinary options.

Tweed and Vine

Formerly located at the Vasconi Pharmacy building at Adams and Main Street, this upscale resort wear retailer is relocating to the currently vacant space at 1239 Main Street on February 15, 2023. Store owner Kenny Blenis could not be more excited about his future in St. Helena. “Tweed & Vine is unique because it’s a ‘lifestyle store’ that curates beautiful high quality classic clothing for men and women. We source mostly from smaller manufacturers in Italy, France, Spain and the UK and merchandise the clothing along with home goods, artwork and collectibles. We love giving personalized service to our customers, many of whom we have known from over 40 years in business at Button Down in San Francisco. We are so happy to make St. Helena our home and be part of a great community!”

NO|MA House Cafe & Collective

In the former restaurant space of Archetype which closed during the pandemic, is a fresh new eatery and wine bar slated to open this spring at 1429 Main St, St Helena. NO|MA House Café & Collective (short for “North Main” located at 1429 Main St, St Helena) is a café and retail collective that is deeply rooted in community. Energizing the north end of Main Street in downtown St. Helena., NO|MA House Café & Collective brings people together to eat, talk, work, learn, and find inspiration in a beautifully designed and welcoming space. The space will activate Main Street with an enchanting outdoor patio, near the downtown gateway. Owned, designed and operated by an all-female team, NO|MA House Café & Collective celebrates wholesome ingredients throughout the menu that are meant to nourish and satiate. The retail collective offers an alternative to fast-paced home, lifestyle, and fashion cycles. Guests can peruse intentionally sourced treasures, objects and furniture that are meant to support thoughtful consumerism, local artisans and makers. For more information on the retail shop, Café, or upcoming events visit nomahousecaféandcollective.com.

Orin Swift Tasting Room

Located in central downtown St. Helena at 1321-1325 Main Street, the new contemporary façade planned for this building is bold but respectful of the historic Main Street. Orin Swift cellars received City Design Review and Use Permit approvals to expand to a 62 seat wine tasting room. The renovations will also include a trendy shaded outdoor patio on the backside of the building. Construction will start in Q1 of 2023.

Elyse Walker

The popular women’s clothing and accessories boutique will relocate from its Adams Street location to the historic Vasconi building (prior location of Tweed and Vine) on the corner of Main Street and Adams Street. The builder, Mr. David Walker, recently received unanimous Planning Commission approval to update the 1960’s façade with a fresh new first floor façade that evokes the historic storefront character from the turn of the century. The renovation is anticipated to be complete in March 2022. The interior space will be completely renovated to provide a fresh space for the Elyse Walker retail store, anticipated opening in May 2023.

Houtskool Dumplings

Houtskool Dumplings is an artisan dumpling house, with a focus on sustainability. Set to open Spring-Summer 2023 at 1136 Main Street, they will be offering handcrafted dumplings, steamed-to-order for dine-in and takeout, along with frozen packaged dumplings for home preparation. Their farm fresh menu is created with thoughtfully-sourced ingredients and will be served in a minimalist environment. “We chose St. Helena as the location for our first brick & mortar so that we could continue to share our craft with the community, in heartfelt gratitude for the enthusiasm we felt during our pop up days at Carter and Co.” Syd Kato and Lucas Moderacki, Co-Founders www.houtskooldumplings.com

JCB Tasting Lounge

The world-renowned JCB winery has announced plans to expand to downtown St. Helena and renovate the space at 1320 Main Street, adjacent to the Chamber of Commerce. The design team is formulating the unique offerings and space design planned for St. Helena and permitting and approval process is expected to begin in 2023 with renovations in 2024.

Pizza Station

Food-wine entrepreneur and owner of The Station in St. Helena, Joel Gott, has acquired the space at 1149 Main Street and a renovation is underway to accommodate his newest food eatery, The Pizza Station.

“We are in the final phases of getting the system and menu together. We hope to open by the end of February,” Gott said.

Chamber Relocates

The St. Helena Chamber maintains its presence on Main Street with renovations underway to relocate to the space at 1136 Main Street which will make their current space available for the future home of the JCB Tasting Lounge.

Charlie’s Place

Elliott Bell, a 10-year veteran of Thomas Keller’s world-renowned The French Laundry, is set to open a restaurant of his own at 1327 Railroad Avenue (formerly Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen) in downtown St. Helena, named Charlie’s after his 2-year-old son. Opening in summer of 2023, Charlie’s will offer a full bar with cocktails, champagne and local wines that compliment a casual new American menu.

“Inspired by my son, I wanted to create a restaurant that shares his same tireless energy, and constant desire to learn and grow. As a family-run business, Charlie’s looks forward to building long-term, sustainable careers for our team and similarly enduring relationships with our vendors, purveyors, and community.”

As a member of the St. Helena Fire Department, where Bell has served as a volunteer firefighter for several years, few things are as important to him as community. As such, Charlie’s already has strong ties with local farmers, ranchers, winemakers, and craftspeople in the area, including Wolfe Ranch Quail, Wine Forest Mushrooms, Napa Wild, Regiis Ova Caviar, K and J Orchards, St. Helena Peach Farm, Mad Fritz Brewery, Napa Valley Land and Livestock, NBC Pottery, and Hog Island Oysters. The anticipated opening is summer of 2023. https://www.charliesnv.com/

This press release was produced by the City of St. Helena. The views expressed here are the author’s own.