By Sarah Lombardo
Saratoga business owners are varied in their reactions to the news that negotiations for purchase of the Mountain Winery between the city of Saratoga and winery owner Ravi Kumra have ended.
"All I've heard is disappointment," said Sheila Arthur, executive director of the Saratoga Chamber of Commerce. "[The businesses] were really hoping that the music programs would continue."
Talks between the city and Kumra began months ago when city officials, hoping to revive the traditional Summer Concert Series at the winery amphitheater, approached the Monte Sereno resident. City officials said the end of the series since Kumra bought the property in 1994 resulted in a loss of revenues for local restaurants; the revival of the series, they hoped, would bring these revenues back. Negotiations came to an end abruptly two weeks ago over the issue of development on the winery property.
Bill Cooper, owner of Bella Saratoga restaurant in downtown Saratoga, said the summer series brought enough people to the downtown area to give businesses visual exposure, increasing the chances that people might consider those businesses as places to go in the future.
But many local businesses said they have learned to cope with the loss of the series.
Richard Milkovich, a manager at the Plumed Horse Restaurant on Big Basin Way, said the end of the concert series never affected that restaurant much in the first place.
"Certainly we would prefer the summer series be kept alive. It's a great venue, and it certainly added to business," Milkovich said. But, he added, "The series has been defunct and has not been run properly for many years, so I think it's kind of like water under the bridge now. I think everyone's just living on memories."
Carol Payne, owner of Carol's Gallery downtown, said she noticed her summer business had declined, but did not attribute it to the loss of the summer series.
"I didn't think about it until it was pointed out to me," she said. "But it was quiet all over."
Payne said she didn't think the return of the summer series would affect her business, but said it would be good for residents to enjoy. "It probably would be nice," she added. "But with the new owner, it's his property now to do with as he sees fit. The city gave its best shot and it didn't work out. That's life."
Some business owners have seen an increase in business since the end of the series. Mitch Cutler said he doesn't think the loss of a summer series affected his revenue, but the revival of the series could. Cutler, the owner of La Fondue Restaurant and Blue Rock Shoot coffeehouse, said business at La Fondue actually got better after the series ended.
"Business has increased probably about 50 percent in the last five months, so no impact there," Cutler said. He said La Fondue was not the kind of restaurant concert-goers stopped to eat at before a night at the winery.
On the other hand, "I suppose Blue Rock would probably have benefited dramatically," he said.
Regardless of the series' ability to bring potential shoppers into downtown, Arthur said she thought the winery purchase would have benefited the entire city.
"It's a Saratoga tradition," she said, "and I think it could have done a great deal to eventually have complemented the city's income. I'm very disappointed."
Many business owners said they would like to have seen the series revived purely for entertainment's sake.
"I kind of miss going up there myself," Milkovich said.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, September 18, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved