In what felt like a shrewd tactical move, my companions and I started with dessert. Once we’d picked up our Taste of Main Street passes, it was only a block’s walk to Living the Dream Ice Cream, where miniature scoops spiked with shards of waffle cone were on offer and the line hadn’t yet extended out the door. Then it was off to hit the places offering booze so we could walk off whatever we sampled or purchased over the next couple of hours.
The last Taste of Main Street event was in 2019, pre-pandemic. It returned this year with a shorter roster of restaurants but no apparent lack of enthusiasm from the roving pairs and clusters of itinerant diners. For $35, some 300 ticketholders received a map and stamp card, and joined the zig-zagging between 14 purveyors to sample tacos, boozy slushies, pastries, salad, crostini, sushi and pizza.
“Taste of Main Street was originally designed to be a kick-off for the Redwood Coast Music Festival,” says Economic Development Coordinator Amanda Krucshke, and it was again this year. The timing was geared toward introducing visitors in town for the weekend of jazz and blues to local restaurants. But over time, the evening out on the town sampling and snacking — with the element of a race for those determined to hit all the stops — grew into a favorite among locals. Either way, the goal is to “get people out and spend money … and enjoy what we have downtown.”
The COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 shut down the event and even when restaurants began selling takeout and then returning to dine-in service, Taste of Main Street still wasn’t viable. “The restaurants were struggling so hard that it was hard to bring it back,” says Krucshke, who notes that the final decision to go ahead this year didn’t come down until July. “So, it’s been quick and dirty,” she says of organizing and getting restaurants on board. Many, she says, are still struggling and not ready to jump in. Still, she says it’s exciting to see new businesses — and new owners of existing businesses — taking advantage of the chance to pull in new customers.
After sips of Humboldt Craft Spirits’ gin, vodka, rye and Dick Taylor Chocolate liqueur, we angled back to the former Local Cider Co. Taproom, reopened as the Kaptain’s Quarters in September. Some of the old murals still adorn the walls, but a cluster of purple, gold and green balloons signal the shift in aesthetics. “I’m just going for fun, funky New Orleans,” says owner Kirk Radomski, who went to school in the city and hopes to bring the festive vibe to the bar and music venue. The theme was evident, too, in the miniature Hurricane slushies and root beer slushies folks were bellying up to the bar for.
“Wow, we had at least 200 to 300 people come through,” estimates Radomski. “It seemed to be a good thing,” he says of the evening, noting the slushies ran out before the crowd did. “It’s a great help because it’s a tough location.” And the outlay for all the free drinks, miniature though they were, wasn’t too bad, he says. “Considering the traffic, I thought it was well worth it.”
Over at Familia Coffee, manager Kelly Bellegante says much the same of passing out almond cake, Cafe Miel, cookies and vegan cheesecake. The café didn’t make many sales that night but, she says, “I think people were just interested in their samples and just kept it moving … but I do think it was beneficial.” That’s because she says first-time visitors got a sense of the menu’s range beyond coffee drinks. “It was really fun. People were happy and they were getting to try things and people were gracious.”
Lea Strickland, owner of Sweet Greens Juice Bar, says she and her husband, Kyle, “both feel that we had so many new faces come in,” not only during Taste of Main Street, but in the days following, many of whom only learned about the shop that evening when they stopped in for mini açai bowls. Kyle says they were “slammed” with more foot traffic than they’ve seen during Friday Night Markets or Arts Alive nights. “We’re a small business and there’s a couple shops empty on the street,” says Lea Strickland, noting that since the Ritz shuttered and the Cal Poly Humboldt store is relocating, they’ll be the only occupied storefront on their row. “So, we want to make sure people know we’re here.”
Alas, only the aroma of crab Rangoon and chow mein remained at Wok In Wok Out Asian Eatery by the time we straggled in from nearly empty streets. That’s what we get for lingering over a side order of pupusa at Guatamayan Yum Yums. But we’re locals, not just in town for the festival; we can always go back for what we missed.
Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the arts and features editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400, extension 320, or jennifer@northcoastjournal.com. Follow her on Instagram @JFumikoCahill.
This article appears in Combating the Barred Owl Invasion.
