Comstock's magazine 0919 - September 2019 | Page 35

After it closed, the village suddenly grew
quiet.
Then Gary Juels came along in 2015
and opened the Fair Oaks Brew Pub at
what once was a doctor’s office. The pub
quickly attracted a crowd. Gov. Gavin
Newsom and his family, who live nearby,
are frequent visitors. “It created an envi-
ronment people wanted to be a part of,”
says Keith Wright, director of the Oran-
gevale-Fair Oaks Food Bank and honor-
ary mayor of Fair Oaks, a title designated
by the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce.
“And that’s exactly what Fair Oaks Vil-
lage needed.”
Juels, who has lived in Fair Oaks since
1995, recognized the potential. A former
Marine who brewed ales and pilsners in
his garage and earned his master brew-
ers certificate from UC Davis, he didn’t
like driving to downtown Sacramento to
visit breweries or restaurants. Growing
up in a small town in Minnesota, he had
fond memories of walking to the corner
bar, where friends and families gath-
ered. He wanted to recreate that atmo-
sphere in Fair Oaks.
When the doctor’s office became
available in 2015, Juels snapped it up. “I
wanted a place where people can go to
and have fun ... and have a kick-back at-
mosphere,” he says.
Juels and friends built the bar from
100-year-old railroad wood found on
the property and decorated a wall with
vintage Sacramento newspapers from
the doctor’s office. His wife, Wei, is often
serving customers, giving them samples
of beers, including some brewed by Juels.
The brew pub is undergoing an expan-
sion; while the bar area — with its small
tables — is lively, Juels wants more inti-
mate seating for patrons to enjoy a quiet
dinner.
Now Juels is taking on an even big-
ger task. He bought the former Slocum
House next door in 2018. The historic
building, built in 1924 for local business-
man Charles Slocum, operated from 1976
to 2011. Juels plans to keep the name and
restore Slocum House as a restaurant
with landscaped grounds where patrons
can walk around with a glass of wine.
He’s started working on the neglect-
ed interior, but must follow strict guide-
lines for color paint and wood because
the building is on the National Regis-
ter of Historic Places. “I’m cleaning it,
scrubbing it, some paint, trying to bring
it back to life,” Juels says. “The bones are
in really good shape.”
Fair Oaks Village has undergone a revitaliza-
tion recently due to several restaurants open-
ing and a full calendar of events at the park.
“(Fair Oaks Brew Pub) created an environment people
wanted to be a part of. And that’s exactly what Fair
Oaks Village needed.”
Keith Wright, honorary mayor, Fair Oaks
Just around the corner on Winding
Way, Shangri-la opened this summer.
Owner Sommer Peterson grew up in Fair
Oaks before moving to San Francisco,
where in 2012 she opened the popular
Mission Bowling Club, which features
artisan beer and comfort food. She re-
turned to Fair Oaks in late 2016 to be
closer to family. (Peterson has a 5-year-
old daughter, Olivia.)
September 2019 | comstocksmag.com
35