Limos filled with celebrities lined J Street for the 2011 California Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony at the Memorial Auditorium Thursday. The first ceremony in Sacramento was in 2006. The prestigious event was established by former California first lady Maria Shriver. The event was created to honor legendary people in California who encapsulate California’s “innovative” spirit. Many of the inductees were no stranger to the limelight. Rob Lowe, Lucy Liu and previous inductee Clint Eastwood, among others, graced the red carpet this year. The crowd cheered for the diverse group of inductees as they made their way down the red carpet. The 2011 inductees were astronaut Buzz Aldrin, The Beach Bo

Editorial Note: This story has been updated since it was published. Newsbeat, a business that some called Sacramento’s last newsstand, closed over the weekend, leaving an empty space in the popular MARRS Building. “It’s a tragedy for our building. A tragedy,” said Pete Haynes, owner of the next-door Denim Spot. “They were a pillar of the Midtown and Sacramento community. We’ve definitely lost a piece of our culture.” The independently owned Newsbeat, 1050 20th St., sold hard-to-find magazines and candies, greeting cards and a mix of other goods. Terrence Lott, co-owner of the store, said that in comparison to his other Newsbeat location in Davis – which remains open – some of the “brea

From the Governor’s Mansion to the living rooms of DIY remodelers and commercial offices, Lofings Lighting has supplied light fixtures, supplies and repairs from its J Street location for 50 years. C.L. "Roy" Lofing started the business on Nov. 11, 1961 with his wife, Barbara, and son, Don. Even though he recently celebrated his 90th birthday, Roy Lofing said he is happy to come into the business regularly and be with his family, which now has three generations working at the store. “Words can hardly explain it,” he said. “It’s fabulous.” Lofing’s grandson, Max Lofing, said Tuesday that the upcoming 50th anniversary of the company’s founding is an exciting event he’s happy to witness.

Two historical downtown buildings are being refurbished, and they will soon house Blackbird Kitchen & Bar, a seafood restaurant that owner Carina Lampkin said will serve “gourmet food at hipster prices” and is expected to open in December. The approximately 3,500-square-foot building was formerly two separate buildings, 1013 and 1015 Ninth St., and both date back to the 1930s. “Blackbird is a compilation of all of my experience so far,” said the 30-year-old Lampkin. “I grew up on the East Coast and spent every summer in Maine. In 2003, I moved to San Francisco and went to culinary school.” After spending almost a decade cooking at restaurants in San Francisco, Lampkin made the move to S

A Mongolian barbecue restaurant will be moving into the building at 1830 J St., with owners saying they will bring cuisine with about 1,000 years of tradition to a spot that has recently seen two businesses close. Co-owner Jonathan Ng, 24, said Monday that he plans to open Mongo Mongo Mongolian BBQ with three business partners by early December, bringing to Midtown a restaurant type popular in Sacramento’s suburbs. “Once Garlic Shack fell through, I just jumped at it,” said Ng, who formerly co-owned Tamarind – a Vietnamese restaurant at 25th and J streets – and was a manager at Plum Blossom, the restaurant that occupied the space before Garlic Shack. Key to making the new business work

Over 100 people came to Capital Stage’s grand opening gala Friday night to celebrate and support the new theater space. Capital Stage, located on the Delta King for the past six years, has now moved into its own space at 2215 J St. The inside of the new theater is sophisticated and warm. The exterior wall facing J Street is crimson red and a modern metal sign that reads Capital Stage hangs next to the front entrance. On Oct. 7 Capital Stage received its occupancy permit from the city and its new sign arrived. Five days later they put on their first performance, and Friday was the official grand opening. Warm pumpkin-colored walls greet theatergoers as they enter the building, and large

This month is the one-year anniversary of the opening of the restaurant Muntean’s Soups, Salads, and Sandwiches at 1225 J St. George Muntean owns the restaurant with his wife, and while soup is the specialty, Muntean is no soup nazi. Entering the restaurant, a customer is likely to be surprised by a barrage of soup samples offered as he or she contemplates what to buy. Muntean said his generosity is a product of his Romanian heritage as well as his business philosophy. “Romanians are very friendly,” he said. “(This work) is my bread and butter. I offer the customer as much as I can if they are new here. I want them to choose something they like,” he said. Muntean’s offers 12-15 soups p

During The Sacramento Press’ spot on Capital Public Radio’s “Insight” Tuesday morning, host Jeffrey Callison and I discussed the Occupy Sacramento movement, early turns in the upcoming City Council elections, a design competition for Capitol Mall and the arrival of a sailing vessel in Old Sacramento. With the Occupy Sacramento demonstration well into its second week, protesters are upset that Cesar Chavez Plaza is closed from 11 p.m. - 5 a.m. due to a city ordinance. Sacramento Police Department spokeswoman Laura Peck said Monday that 58 arrests have been made, and the City Council plans to decide whether to allow the protesters to stay in the park after hours, after they went to City Hal

A pair of restaurateurs are opening a restaurant and bar in the space that formerly housed Red Lotus in Midtown, which closed last month, and employees are being given a special incentive to do quality work – a share of the profits. “It’s going to be a simple, affordable neighborhood spot where families can come for a meal, and it’s welcoming of everyone,” said co-owner Matt Nurge. “It’s going to be rustic – a little like peasant food, and a little like street food.” While still in the early stages with a possible opening date of sometime in January, the as-yet-unnamed restaurant and bar at 2718 J St. will have its food planned by Executive Chef and co-owner John Bays. Both grew up in S

A 100-year-old building on the border of downtown and Midtown Sacramento officially reopened Wednesday after about a year of renovation work in what proponents said is an example of redevelopment at its best. More than 100 businesspeople, developers, city staff and government officials were present at the opening of the Maydestone building as Mayor Kevin Johnson cut a chain with bolt cutters in a twist on the traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony. “This is something that we’re very proud of in Sacramento,” Johnson said. “(In 1912, the building) had people that lived upstairs who were architects, it had small businesses, there were waiters and waitresses – it was affordable. You fast-forwar

A Midtown business owner is looking to add a second-floor patio area to her combination restaurant and lounge, but as the plans go to the Planning Commission for review Thursday, some neighbors say it will present a noise problem. Suleka Sun-Lindley owns Thai Basil and Level Up Lounge at 2431 J St., and with the lounge – which opened in 2007 – not making money, she said she hopes the addition of an open-air balcony will help it become profitable. “Thai Basil is doing well, but Level Up has been costing us money,” she said Tuesday afternoon. “I’m hoping that adding an area where people can go outside and smoke will make more people want to come.” The Thai restaurant, which opened in May

Authorities said 20 protesters were arrested at about 12:45 a.m. Friday when they refused to leave Cesar Chavez Plaza, the site of the Occupy Sacramento demonstration. Both police and protesters described the arrests as peaceful. “They went without any problems or issues,” said Sgt. Andrew Pettit, spokesman for the Sacramento Police Department. “They were booked for failure to disperse after a lawful order.” Anthony Bondi, a spokesman for Occupy Sacramento, agreed. “It was completely violence-free,” he said Friday afternoon. “The protesters laid down and chose to be arrested.” Despite what some protesters said they think was an overbearing police presence, Pettit said units involved w

When it opened at 25th and J streets on a December morning almost 28 years ago, Celestin’s Island Eats & Cajun Cuisine was an instant success in the area, long before it was widely known as Midtown. The restaurant, now located at 1815 K St., will close for the final time Sept. 30 as the Celestin family looks to relax and take a vacation. “It’s the right time,” co-owner Phoebe Celestin said. She and her husband are looking to get out of the business, and they will now rent the space to a Southern-themed restaurant called The Porch. She added that the closure is not financial. They handed it off to their son and his wife in 2006, but took it back in June, as the younger couple wanted to s

Temple Coffee, a fixture on 10th Street since 2005, moved a block on Wednesday to Ninth Street, where it will have a more open, modern feel, but little else will change. The move from 1014 10th St. to 1010 Ninth St. was something owner Sean Kohmescher said he had been looking to do for some time, saying the old space didn’t fit the needs of the coffee bar. “The design of the (new) space is set up much more for conversations and engagement,” Kohmescher said, adding that the old space felt cramped. Also bigger, at about 2,000 square feet compared to the old location’s 1,450 square feet, the newer one gives a more open feel. Both  seat about 60 people, but the feeling in the new building i

With three weeks until the historic Maydestone apartment building opens for an art show downtown, the fences have come down, the façade has been painted and several units have been staged as residences even as final work is completed. The $7 million affordable housing project at the corner of 15th and J streets received $6.1 million in loans from the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency. Presentation Development, LLC – set up by D&S Development, Inc. – contributed $900,000, according to Bay Miry of D&S Development. “We’re trying to design it more like a European residential unit,” Miry said. “(Europeans) like to live where there’s a lot of interaction with people, and they don’t

BarWest Burgers & Wings on J Street opened Thursday after a soft opening the previous weekend, filling a space that previously housed Aura and G.V. Hurley’s . “We were really busy (on Thursday),” said co-owner Trevor Shults. “You can tell people in this area were really looking for something like this.” The restaurant and bar located at 2724 J St. features a menu heavy on burgers and wings, with some salads and other items, such as deep-fried Ding-Dongs and buffalo fries as well. Burgers include a variety of types, with the Capitol Classic (a step up from the BarWest burger with the addition of the “secret sauce”) and the J Street Bleu (a burger with bleu cheese). Shults said the main

The owners of Dad’s Sandwiches recently bought a longtime downtown eatery and plan to add some of their signature sandwiches and rename it Dad’s on J by the beginning of next year. Mick Stevenson, co-owner of Dad’s Sandwiches at 13th and S streets, said he and his business partner, DJ Rogers, have been looking for a second location for several months. When J’s Cafe, 1004 J St., went up on Craigslist about four weeks ago, they had the keys within a few days. “We bought Dad’s two years ago, and we made money on the first day we were open,” Stevenson said in J’s Cafe Wednesday morning. “It’s the same with this place. Those turnkey businesses are great in this economy.” The J’s Cafe menu wi

Two longtime friends, with a passion for art and fashion, decided it was time to take a chance on opening a business and will open the doors of Forum Boutique Monday, adding to the Midtown style. Forum Boutique, which took the place of Lululemon Athletica, a sportswear store, will offer a little bit of everything for women – from handcrafted jewelry to apparel, handmade organic soaps and artwork. “We asked ourselves, what did we, as consumers or shoppers, want from a shop in Sacramento?” said Nerina Edwards, 30, co-owner of Forum Boutique. “This is what we came up with.” Forum will open at 11 a.m. Monday. The grand opening will be Aug. 13 and will coincide with the Second Saturday Art W

The owners of a contested bar with a mixed martial arts fighting concept withdrew their application earlier this month, but neighboring residents are still concerned that new plans for the Midtown space will be the same operation by another name. The MMA Fight Bar concept was planned by the owners of Luck’s BBQ, which at 2502 J St. is next door to the vacant space the fight bar would have taken. The application for an alcohol license for Fight Bar was withdrawn by owners in mid-July, and the Alcoholic Beverage Control office confirmed Friday that no new application has been filed yet. “They’ve decided to change their format there,” said Midtown Business Association Executive Director Ro

A new Midtown art gallery is looking to stand out with live art demonstrations and a high-end, contemporary feel while still offering art in all price ranges. J27 Gallery, 2728 J St., opened June 1 and is owned by artists Michael Shane and Susan Rabinovitz, who previously showed their art at the Sacramento Art Complex/Gallery 2110 at 2110 K St. This is the first time either artist has opened a gallery. “We’d been thinking about it for about two and a half months, and when we saw this place, it was a no-brainer,” Shane said. The approximately 1,000-square-foot gallery was previously a pizza-by-the-slice restaurant called Papi's Pizza. Shane, 43, sticks mostly to acrylic on canvas artwor