Comstock's magazine 0619 - June 2019 | Page 81

special supplement Old Town business owners Allan Veto and Larry Baker have plans, too. Veto owns Bob’s Club, the oldest structure in Old Town, built in 1876. Baker has owned Sign Center, a sign shop, across the street for 32 years, as well as a vacant building nearby. They have partnered to open a bar in Baker’s unused building by mid-2020. While Bob’s Club is a neighborhood bar, the second site will be more upscale, with microbrews, craft cocktails and live music. Meanwhile, home brewer and Elk Grove native Brandon Smith and his part- ners have been waiting for construction to begin inside an empty industrial structure that will house Hungry Pecker Brewery on the eastern part of Old Town. The grand opening is anticipated by the end of the year. With four other breweries in the city, “Elk Grove could become the per- fect destination for a day of beer tasting,” Smith says. Current dining and drinking options include Brick House Restaurant & Lounge (Italian-American cuisine), Boulevard Bis- tro (American food), Lola’s Lounge (Latin cuisine) and Happy Garden (Chinese cui- sine). The Rat Pack-themed Babe’s Lounge specializes in classic cocktails, and Pinot’s Palette is a sip-and-paint franchise. Dennis Buscher of the Elk Grove His- torical Society counts 80 structures “of historical significance” on the main drag and adjacent streets. Fifty-one of them are featured in the “Old Town Elk Grove Walking Tour” pamphlet by Elk Grove historian Elizabeth Pinkerton, available at Old Town Elk Grove Foundation (www. oldtownelkgrove.com). It explains the buildings’ uses over the decades and what businesses occupy them now. For instance, the former Masonic Temple, built in 1893, now houses a half-dozen small businesses, including a hair salon and spa, a property-management firm and law office. “Strolling down Main Street is like taking a trip into the past,” says Pinker- ton, author of the two-volume south Sacramento County-focused “History Happened Here.” “You can envision what it was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s.” n Allen Pierleoni is a freelance writer in Sac- ramento. He worked for The Sacramento Bee as a writer and editor in the features department for 30 years. BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOLAR? Whether you are seeking relief from ever-increasing electric utility rates, or you just want to do your part to help stop global warming, there is great reason to install a solar system on your home with no money out of pocket (one year left on 30% Tax Credit). Why not take money that you invest with SMUD or PG&E and turn that into an instant cash flow the very first year? Let us show you how! We have an incentive plan that is unmatched in this industry. • • • • • • • • Reduce or eliminate your electric bill Fix your electricity cost Hedge against utility rate hikes Increase the value of your home without increasing property taxes [WOW] By 2020 all new homes must have SOLAR! Generate your own clean power on site [your home] Enjoy reliable energy — PV systems have no moving parts, 40-year design for life We are one of the only companies with a 30-year warranty — with 100% parts and labor. You own the policy! Transferable ownership! Zero deductibles! Backed by an “A” rated company! PEACE OF MIND CLSB Lic. 1039054 • www.dese.us • 916.541.3579 Average Cost of systems sometime vary. Up or Down in Cost … Amazing Prices! And if you PAY CASH! OMG. 1KW System $3,900 - 2KW System $7,200 – 3KW $11,900 4KW System $15,900 - 5KW $20,000 6KW System $23,900 – 7KW System $25,300 – 8KW $28,900 – 9KW System $32,500 – 10KW $36,100 June 2019 | comstocksmag.com 81