Makayla and Cody
Sip, Makayla & Cody
Meet Makayla and Cody Raudio, both Fort Bragg born and bred. Mahkayla, as owner of La Tre at the corner of Franklin and Redwood Streets, has her finger tightly on the pulse of Downtown Fort Bragg. She saw a need for a different kind of drinking establishment, and filled it with SIP Wine Bar, at 142 E. Laurel Street. SIP offers mostly local vintages, with some from further afield, and also features local beers. She practices some mixology applied to craft cocktails with sake-infused spirits, and always has a monthly featured special.
SIP does the wine bar thing a little differently.
The wine is self-serve from sleek auto dispensers that unlock pours of particular sizes (from taste to half-glass to full-glass). It’s super simple: they hand you a card at the bar to use for the self service which keeps track of what you pour in your glass. You pay at the end by handing in your card. You can also opt to do things the old-fashioned way with your belly up to the wine bar.
Local Tip:
There is a refrigerator case filled with locally sourced cheeses and charcuterie, bread, bottles of wine and non-alcoholic bevs, perfect for picnicing or for taking the party back to your place.
The gorgeous bar is hewn from an old growth redwood found in the river on a family property in the region. Additionally, the space is appointed with a number of beautiful hand made wood fixtures that add warmth to the clean design lines of the interior.
Greg, Steve & The Roundmans
Greg, Steve & Roundman’s
Roundman’s Smokehouse and Butcher shop is co-owned by an ex-aerospace instructor from Silicon Valley and an ex-private chef with local food knowledge. This might actually be the magic combination of talent for a perfect balance between logistics, butchery skills, and culinary creativity. Steve Rasmussen has been running Roundman’s for years, having moved to Fort Bragg which he fell in love with when vacationing here. Greg Braden, who has past business ties to Covelo beef sources, is the new ingredient to the business and comes to Roundman’s with fresh ideas for new recipes and delicacies.
Bringing Home the Bacon
Don’t be fooled by the relatively modest storefront. As Mendocino County’s only USDA-approved and inspected meat processing company, Roundman’s is a substantial operation and a local institution. They offer a wide selection of fresh meats, all of which are hung for aging and butchered at the shop on Main Street across from the train depot. According to Steve, “We source meat out of Covelo Valley which is a few valleys over, and we do our own smoking of sausages, fish, poultry, cheese and hams. It’s very oldschool.” Roundman’s also offers a rotating selection of sausages made by an employee named JB who Steve calls a “sausage artist.” But then, ultimately, it’s going to come back to the bacon. “Our bacon is very basic,” says Steve. “Just salt and sugar, we use celery for curing, it doesn’t overpower, there aren’t a lot of chemicals so you can actually taste the pork.”
“I just love the area. The people and the businesses. It’s such a wonderful place. People say thank you, and they smile and they hold the door for you. There’s no better place in the world.”
– Steve Rasmussen
Local Tip:
Roundman’s offers custom cut and wrap processing for pork, lamb, goat, elk and deer (but not bear). Plus ask about Covelo beef liver treats and smoked or fresh bones for your dog.
Lia and The Murals
Lia &
The Murals
Lia Morsell started The Alleyway Art Project in Fort Bragg with the dual purposes of bringing public art to the fore and dressing up some of the overlooked corners of the Downtown area, namely the alleys which are a signature element in the Fort Bragg built landscape. As founder and director of the project, she connects local businesses and organizations with local artists to create murals inspired by local life, landscape, culture, and history. Currently numbering 12 murals, an Alleyway art walk is one of the best ways to spend a morning or afternoon in Fort Bragg.
Inspiration in the Alleys
Lia, with her husband and young son, moved to Fort Bragg from the Bay Area in 2016 and have not looked back, enjoying being closer to family, the small town life, and the inspiration that comes from being part of a thriving creative community. In 2018, Lia, with a partner, founded The Red House Co-Working Space, now an essential business support and networking hub for freelancers independent contractors, creatives and anyone passing through that needs a spot to get a little work done.
Local Tip:
An Alleyway Art Walk map is in the works. Check their website before you head up this summer.
"You walk on the headlands trail, you walk down Franklin Street, you do a little shopping, you get a cup of coffee. You know, you go visit the gardens, you go on the art walk, and by then you're exhausted and you go to dinner and crash out for the night."
- Lia Morsell
The Writers
THE WRITERS
"There are more good poets per capita in Mendocino County than in any other"
Joe Smith – Writer
Joe Smith
A former resident alien of Greece (where much of his body of work was composed), Joe Smith currently resides in Fort Bragg. His body of work features hundreds of stories, essays, articles, poems and translations. Chopsticks, a collection of the author’s stories, was recently published by Pygmy Forest Press.
Larry Felson
Larry Felson moved to Fort Bragg six years ago, having previously lived in Oakland, Berkeley and San Francisco, where he was a high school teacher and social justice activist. His most recent poetry collection is Dawn Out of Order, published in 2022.
Tia Ballantine
A writer and painter, born in Peru, Tia Ballantine has lived on the East Coast, in the desert at the Mexican border, and most recently here in Fort Bragg. Ballantine is a self-proclaimed atheist, pacifist, and feminist who believes in the power of art and the grace of tolerance, all of which is reflected in her poetry collections.
Malcolm Macdonald
Meet Malcolm Macdonald, Fort Bragg author and local historian. Malcolm lives on the same ranch settled by his Scottish immigrant family in the 1800’s. As a longtime local and historian, he has some tales to tell, some fact and some fiction. Mendocino History Exposed is a historical romp from the Pomo to 19th century UFO’s, through murders and the lawmen who solved them, on to the Tire Baby. His latest book is fiction and titled The Mendocino Outlaws. Look for it, along with his other works at The Bookstore and Windsong Books in downtown Fort Bragg.
C.V. Starr Center
The C.V. Starr Community Center
The C.V. Starr Community Center, located on the Southeast edge of town is a Fort Bragg resource available to locals and visitors alike. Day passes are available for individuals and families, so whether you are looking for some exercise or some play time with the family, the C.V. Starr Center has something for everyone.
Cornelius Vander Starr was an American businessman born in Fort Bragg in 1892 to a family in the logging industry. During his successful career in the Insurance industry, he traveled the world and lived in New York, but his birthplace always held a special place in his heart. His success led him to starting The Starr Foundation, which today continues to generously fund the C.V. Starr Community Center, and also provides scholarships to Fort Bragg High School graduating seniors who have demonstrated academic, social, athletic and moral leadership.
Exercise and Swim Center
An olympic-size swimming pool and adjacent shallow kids pool with a waterpark-worthy slide make up the indoor swim center at C.V. Starr. There are locker rooms for changing and showering. Also available: a weight room with stationary bikes and a group exercise room. An array of classes are offered weekly that include water aerobics, dance, strength training and beginner kayaking skills. See schedule
Local Tip:
Take a class with C.V. Starr Center favorite, Aimee! Family day passes are just $33.
CA skate park
life is ruff here
The C.V. Starr Dog Park is as popular with the humans as it is with their dogs. And a regular crowd is there mid-morning most days. Cleverly it is set up with two adjoining options for your dog’s size personality: 1) For Small and Shy dogs, and 2) For Large dogs (or small dogs that think they are big). Entry is free.
Meredith & TC Space
Meredith &
TC Space
In a previous incarnation, Meredith Frederick was a high school teacher in San Diego with a passion for printmaking, especially intaglio and lithography. Meredith was always a risk taker. So, when a mentor encouraged her to start painting in 2016, she embraced the challenge, developing a unique style influenced by California’s wild landscapes that tapped her knowledge of stenciling and employed spray paints, colored pencils, and acrylics to explore nature and the environment.
She Can Hang
Eventually Meredith made her way to Fort Bragg and found a dynamic and welcoming local art scene. When friend, fellow artist and gallery owner Tim Carmody had to give up his gallery, Meredith was asked take over, rebranding the space as TC (for Traffic Cone) and showcasing local artists in a way that would honor the community Tim had for so long supported.
Local Tip:
Stop in and take a minute to see who is hanging on the wall, it will improve your day.
At TC, Meredith employs an aesthetic she’s been working toward for years—telling a visual story with art hung in a professional way, where a deft use of light, placement and negative space ensure continuity and create excitement and drama. TC displays a variety of local, working artists who are masters of their craft. Artists appreciate a space that honors their work while communicating a cohesive story.
Erin, Hanneke and the Collective
Erin, Hanneke
& the Coast Collective
Coast Collective founders Erin Irber and Hanneke Lourens share a passion for fine woodworking. They met at the Krenov School of Fine Furniture in Fort Bragg, an institution that cultivates a reverence for quality and excellence. Both Erin and Hanneke—and all the Collective artisans who attended—emerged from hundreds of hours of intense study understanding that, as often as not, the nature of a piece is revealed in the handling, a slow process of discovery that requires patience, precision, an affinity for power tools and a love affair with wood.
As the name implies, Coast Collective has gathered a group of artisan woodworkers who share a commitment to quality craftsmanship and a desire to create furniture that performs and delights. All the Collective’s designs are now in stock with new furniture collections released several times a year. And unlike fast furniture destined for the landfill, members of the Collective design and build furniture meant to last and be passed on for generations.
Fast furniture isn’t better. In fact, with supply chain disruptions, often it isn’t even fast.
Local Tip:
Bespoke pieces can be made to order.
Pacific Textile & The Weavers
Pacific Textile &
The Weavers
Since the dawn of civilization, textiles have kept us warm, signaled our cultural identity and offered a canvas on which to explore and describe the world. Textile artists Lolli Jacobsen, Jackie Wollenberg and Elaine Todd understood the value of keeping the ancient art of weaving alive and with the support of their fellow Fort Bragg weavers, created a vibrant space where the local community can explore the fabric arts.
The House That Weavers Built
Established in 1993, for the last 17 years, the Pacific Textile Arts campus on Alger Street has functioned as a hybrid gallery, art school, studio space, and museum with exhibits that showcase textiles from around the world and offer classes and groups that explore a variety of disciplines from Japanese paper weaving to spinning and calligraphy. The Brockschmidt Sutherland lending library for members is an inspiring collection of over 3000 textile-related books, articles and videos.
Local Tip:
Check out the Pacific Textile Arts website to learn more about this vibrant and welcoming community and for the latest information on upcoming shows, classes and exhibits.
Kiersten & The Braggadoon
Kiersten &
The Braggadoon
If you spot a beautiful sign somewhere in Fort Brag, chances are Kiersten and her team had something to do with it.
As Owner and Creative Director of Fort Bragg creative services agency, Braggadoon, Kiersten Hanna is a central figure in the Fort Bragg and Mendocino County art and culture scene. Her agency’s wide array of creative offerings includes art direction, logo design, archival quality print production and creative signage. “Being a graphics shop in a town on the edge of nowhere, Braggadoon has to be a little bit of everything for everyone in the community,” says Kiersten. From business signage to props for local theater productions, Kiersten and Braggadoon truly can be said to influence the entire look of the town.
“There’s something about this area, I’m never in want of things to do, new experiences, interesting people, and creative endeavors. Plus, it is beautiful!”
- Kiersten Hanna
Local Tip:
Those amazing murals you see around Fort Bragg. Many of them were created by artists who work for Kiersten at Bragadoon.
Ryan & The Amazing Murals
Ryan & The
Amazing Murals
Part artist, part engineer, part craftsman, Ryan possesses a skillset that is at once highly creative, analytical and practical.
Ryan’s co-workers at Braggadoon Signs & Graphics gave him the moniker Mentalist for his otherworldly ability to pull off extraordinary feats of technical prowess. But less supernatural, though no less wonderful is Ryan’s artwork. Trained in oil painting and adept at large canvases and murals, his painting style evokes imagery that is at once classical and surreal. Inspired by surrounding seascapes and forest vistas, the spirit of Fort Bragg and the North Coast bubble to the surface in Ryan’s current work. And yet, it’s also his technical skills that allow him to move easily from conception through production to installation. It’s a rare and sometimes seemingly otherworldly combination that makes him such a valuable member of the team at Braggadoon, an accomplished artist and has earned him a position at the very the center of the artistic community in Fort Bragg. ryangrossman.com
Rise
Local Tip:
Ryan’s downtown Fort Bragg murals can be seen at the corner of Redwood Avenue and HWY 1, and his latest at 301 Redwood Avenue at the corner of Redwood and McPherson.
