Andy Ekstrom's Facebook profile includes his favorite quote: "If everyone likes you, you aren't doing your job. However, if no one likes you, you can't do your job." Sounds good, even wise. But in fact, nearly everyone seemed to like Andy. So as the news of his death at the age of 35 circulated Tuesday afternoon and evening, the outpouring of emotion through Facebook, texts and Twitters soon became a flood. Ekstrom, who worked as a project manager for Heller Pacific, was instrumental in launching and filling developer Mike Heller, Jr.'s game-changing MARRS building on 20th Street between J and K, and his two-building Retro Lodge complex downtown at 11th and H. Ekstrom was a constant pre

The owners of the office complex called Retro Lodge are continuing bank negotiations in an effort to prevent the property's sale. The $2.5 million loan balance is now several months past due, which led Bank of America to schedule trustee sales at least twice this month. But developer Heller Pacific and partners haven't given up on trying to get a loan extension after converting a former downtown Travelodge into one of the city's most creative adaptive-reuse projects, a block away from Sacramento City Hall. The bank agreed to postpone a sale scheduled for Thursday while the partners are deep in talks with them. The project, which received no public subsidies, began taking tenants in 2008

The Naked Lounge, at 11th and H, opened its music venue last month with a bang. Since February, the locally-owned coffee shop has been serving joe from it's newest downtown location in the Retrolodge. But after fitting a stage and about 50 seats into the space next door and adding beer and music to the menu, it's now turned into Sacramento's newest late night destination. The Golden Cadillacs rocked a packed house on Oct. 15, and has since earned a spot as the venue's house band, a regularly appearing act. Saturday, Oct. 24, Chicago singer-songwriter Joe Pug and Davis musician Katie Jane performed. About 8 p.m., beer bottles began clanking in the darkened room as 25 people settled in f

The Naked Lounge is ready to turn it up a notch. On Oct. 15 at their Downtown location on the corner of H and 11th streets, the coffee shop will roll-up their garage doors for an all ages music venue.   "We opened this coffee house in February," said Jenn Fox, General Manager.  "We never wanted music inside the coffeehouse, we focus just on coffee. But then we got to thinking ... it's already next door, it's a great space, let's do a venue."  Over the next few months, the Naked Lounge music venue quickly started to form. The rented space, known as "Retrolodge," is aptly named after the Astro and Elroy motels. The style for both motels was modeled after the 1950s and 60s Palm Springs loo