Store closing due to fires, lack of affordable housing
Note: To pick up your chili at the Jimtown party on Dec. 27, you must pre-order the chili by Dec. 23. The chili at the party will be for pick up only. Light appetizers will be served.
After 28 years, the historic Jimtown Store that has served as a community staple and a place for good food and friendly gatherings, will be closing its doors Dec. 30.
The announcement was made last week, Dec. 4, in a letter to the Geyserville and Healdsburg community from store owner Carrie Brown.
Brown cited loss of income from three years of fires, most recently the Kincade Fire, and lack of affordable housing for employees as the main reason for shuttering the doors of the country store.
“There are many factors that have brought me to this decision, but the rising expense of running a business to the loss of income at prime season due to the fires of the past three years have tipped the balance,” Brown said in the letter.
In an interview with the Tribune, Brown said a lot of income also comes from the store’s catering services, which has experienced a loss in sales.
“If we have catering, some people just don’t want to reschedule,” she said. “The same goes for tourism.”
September and October is usually the store’s busiest time of year. Brown said that in recent years, however, the fires have dampened business and tourism despite local chamber marketing campaigns telling the public that Healdsburg and Geyserville are open.
“We had three years in a row (of fires) during the busiest time,” Brown said.
She noted that the lack of affordable housing and the transition of housing stock to vacation homes has also made it difficult to attract and retain employees.
“Jimtown closing should be another wake-up call, another example, of the fact that the employee pool is very small,” she said. For instance, last year, the Jimtown kitchen manager left for a restaurant job, and since then, they were not able to find a replacement.
When asked what she thought community members will miss the most about the store, Brown said it is the fact that Jimtown has been a place to gather and a “warm and safe harbor.”
“I feel so bad,” she said about closing. “I’m a people pleaser; I do not like to disappoint.”
Brown recalled how happy people were 30 years ago when she bought the store with her late husband John Werner. Prior to that, it had been shuttered. According to the Jimtown website, Brown and Werner came across the building while travelling to Sonoma County in 1989. They restored it and reopened the store in 1991.
The Jimtown Store was first opened in 1895, where it served as a general store, post office and meeting place.
She described the store as a social hub and a gathering place.
“I imagine it will be sorely missed again for that same reason,” Brown said. “Jimtown spoke to people.”
When you walk into the cozy store, it’s easy to understand why it will be missed.
The small dining area with twinkling lights and rustic round tables offers a relaxed and well-lived-in atmosphere, and when patrons walk in, they are greeted by name.
A server who was working behind the counter ringing up orders said he will miss the customers.
“Everyone knows everyone,” he said. “It is kind of like ‘Cheers.’”
The feeling of Jimtown is that same comforting feeling you get when you walk into the home of a loved one or a friend.
“It is a great casual place with really good, quality food. It is not a chi-chi place. It has always been down to earth and friendly,” said John Santoro, who has lived in the area for 30 years and has been coming to the store since then.
Santoro used to bring his nieces and nephews to the store when they were young where they could enjoy the heaping jars of candy and toys.
“It is a fun place, and my family remembers it because they’ve been coming here since they were 4- or 5-years-old,” Santoro said. “It is a super sweet family … and it is super sad. They do great things for the community.”
Another local, Maria Behan, echoed Santoro’s thoughts.
“I am so saddened to hear this news. Carrie and her staff always treated my family, friends and I wonderfully — and fed us even better. The Jimtown Store is a huge asset to the community, and I mourn losing it,” Behan said.
Brown said she plans to be at the store every day (during the store’s regular hours, Monday and Thursday through Sunday) to be able to say hello and goodbye to folks.
“Everyday I interact with people, and when I fall asleep at night, I like to reflect on the meaningful interactions with people. That is what makes life rich,” Brown said. “It has been incredibly fulfilling and rewarding.”
She said she has enjoyed being a part of the community for so long.
Farewell condiments
Store patrons will also have to say goodbye to the Jimtown fresh condiment line of fig and olive, chopped olive, artichoke, olive oil and caper spreads and the spicer pepper jam products. According to Brown, the brand has lost its manufacturing facility.
What’s next
Brown said she does not have a succession plan, but she hopes to find a lessee or buyer “with a deep commitment to the community, someone who would like to create the next vision for this iconic place.”
For the store employees, she said she will play an active role in helping everyone find new jobs.
“It is really important to me to help my employees find really great jobs,” Brown said.
On Dec. 27 the store will have a chili party from 5 to 7 p.m.
People can take home quarts of Jimtown’s famous “Chain Gang Chili.”
The Chang Gang or Black & White Chili must be ordered in advance by December 23, limit 2 quarts per customer. 25. Quart. Light appetizers will be served along with local wine.
“I thought it would be fun for people to come up and have an open house and have the opportunity for people to say goodbye,” she said.
In January and February 2020, the store will have a series of sales of store equipment and anything that is left over.
She added that she plans on remaining in Alexander Valley, where she will continue to live on the property.
“All said, the Alexander Valley is one of the most stunning places on the planet; our Jimtown view is priceless,” Brown said in the letter she released last week. “This singular sense of place feeds my soul.”
To read Brown’s letter in its entirety visit: https://jimtown.com/.
