2018 March PASO Magazine

ROUND TOWN
GROWING plans
Atascadero. The folks at various
customer service centers can rarely
pronounce it — then again, we
could all take classes on pronouncing
‘Atascadero’ from SLO County
Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia, seriously
— even less people seem to agree on what the
name means, but thanks to the City of Atascadero
marketing efforts and the endeavors of local
businesses and nonprofits, the name is getting
attention by a wider audience lately.
In January, the third annual Tamale Festival
brought thousands of people to Sunken Gardens
park, with a backdrop of the historic Colony Administration
Building, where the upstart downtown
business had a chance to open doors and show off
their wares and services. Since the planned development
of the Zappas’ family La Plaza has been
underway, a sense of revival and hope has flowed
down El Camino Real, through Traffic Way, Entrada
Avenue, and East and West Mall.
Could Atascadero’s downtown be on the verge
of a renaissance? There are plenty of new and old
businesses downtown who are banking on it. If
you haven’t been downtown Atascadero lately,
here is what you can expect to see.
Hope Chest Emporium
The most attractive and entertaining new
feature downtown Atascadero is Mr. Putter’s
Putt Putt. The nine-hole miniature golf course
on El Camino Real, just north of Traffic Way.
On a sunny spring day as the cool breeze blows
through, taking time out to tap the putter on
Dirk Dole’s unique family activity is just what
the doctor ordered.
“We did a lot of road trips growing up, and had
fun on miniature golf courses all over the place,”
Dirk’s son Grayson said, “We wanted to bring
that to Atascadero and give them something they
can have fun and be proud of.”
Opening up in summer of 2017, the course
was a hit and is more than just golf. Coming out
of winter and back into the warmer days, the
course expects to see a lot more action.
“We get lots of positive feedback, people are
really excited to see something like that come
into town. We have birthday party packages that
offer two hours of golf as well as access to the
gem stone and fossil digs. We also have programs
set up for fundraisers or company outings.”
Being the only miniature golf course in San
Luis Obispo County gives people a reason to head
into downtown Atascadero. From there, they can
find some new and old faces around the area.
Of course, there is no missing the beautiful
and historic Carlton Hotel, and the managers
Deana Alexander and Annie Weyrich are working
to bring a restaurant back to the corner of
Traffic Way and ECR.
Down Traffic way, 805 Boardshop serves a
wide variety of styles and accessories for the skater
in your life. If your feeling out of balance, take
a few more steps and find North County Pilates,
where Melissa Barton is ready to put things back
in order, starting with your body.
Another longtime business is still serving
tea, crumpets and antiques on Entrada. Wendy
Richardson of the Tea Trolley is an on-again-offagain
advertiser with PASO Magazine and has
watched Entrada run through phases. Wendy
had long-since been the only place for delectables
on Entrada until recently Templeton’s Dark
Nectar Roasting opened a second location serving
food, wine, beer, and of course the coffee on
Entrada. Next door to Dark Nectar, Dead Oak
Brewing Company opened, serving their own
specialty beers. Both businesses work to bring in
music to make the atmosphere more enjoyable,
and can be found on Facebook for more info.
Up around the corner from Entrada, connect-
Mr. Putters Putt Putt
ed to the Carlton is one of the more popular
places in Atascadero to get a bite and a beer —
Street Side Ale House — and that begins what
can be seen as a theme … beer, coffee, and antique
boutiques.
Following ECR north you will find Hope
Chest Emporium filled with fine old ranch and
rustic flavored furniture and decor by a number of
artisans and sellers in the area. Karen McNamara
opened the new location this year, revitalizing
the former space of Golden State Goods and
brings a couple thousand square feet to life with
unique and one-of-a-kind pieces. Karen is also
the president of Atascadero Printery Foundation,
and when finding yourself downtown Atascadero,
it might be worth going an extra block to look
at the work the foundation has done to clean up
the historic building.
Next to Hope Chest is Bru Coffeehouse, and
up a few steps from Bru, you can find Gatherings
Thrift, the sister store to Gatherings Emporium
here on Park Street in Paso. Alesen Corella expanded
her footprint based off a “pay it forward”
philosophy that started in downtown Atascadero.
And of course, not to be missed is the
third-generation family-owned Arlyne’s Flowers
and Gifts on Palma and Entrada. The cute cottage
is filled with an imaginative array of gifts
for loved ones run by Jaynie Orcutt, who fosters
the principles of “Going the Extra Mile, Superior
Quality, Creative Floral Designs, Value & Affordability,
and Professional Service,” as Arlyne’s
Flowers’ keys to success.
38 PASO Magazine, March 2018