The Lagunitas Store, the last stop for nourishment before the forested vale of Samuel P. Taylor, has changed hands after nearly three decades. Loring Jones, a former drummer in the San Francisco acid jazz scene, hopes to serve new culinary offerings and spruce up the establishment’s visual and acoustic ambiance.
Mr. Jones, who has lived in Woodacre for the last four years, patronized the store long before he entertained thoughts of buying it. A year ago, he was looking to purchase a retail business in Fairfax and casually mentioned to Hanna Anki and his wife, Maire, that his plan had fallen through. When Mr. Anki, who had owned the store for 28 years, asked him to step to the back of the store to discuss something, Mr. Jones worried he had somehow racked up a tab for sandwiches and beer. Instead, Mr. Anki offered to sell.
“I was shocked,” Mr. Jones said. “I didn’t know what to think except, ‘Absolutely, of course, but can I make it happen?’” On Jan. 2, he became the store’s official owner.
Running a food business has been a lifelong dream for Mr. Jones. His father, who died in 2013, had a restaurant in Berkeley, and the two often talked about going into the food business together. “I always was scared to try to do it as a start-up by myself,” Mr. Jones said. “This was really kind of a turnkey: [taking] it over instead of trying to start from the ground up.”
The Ankis, along with their daughter, still own the Woodacre Deli. They said the decision to sell—mainly motivated by a desire to do less and spend more time with their six grandchildren—was made easier by the man to whom they were selling.
“We did want to sell, but did not have it on the market, and then we met this wonderful person, Loring, and thought he’d be a good fit because he’s got a great personality and is not too yuppie,” Ms. Anki said. “He’s going to hopefully keep it somewhat how we have it, and have some nice new stuff for everybody to enjoy.”
Mr. Jones is balancing the business’s grocery section with its deli and kitchen offerings, hoping to serve both locals and the hikers, bikers and campers heading up to Samuel P. Taylor State Park. “A lot of the stuff is camp-based for Samuel P. Taylor, so there’s a lot of stuff I’d like to keep, and then we have a real following locally,” Mr. Jones explained. “There’s a lot of people who come here to get a carton of milk and some eggs.”
He has purchased new kitchen equipment—a stove, a fryer, a pizza oven, a steam table—and plans to offer more Mexican food, an idea heavily supported by head chef Jose Lopez who, along with his brother Oscar, has worked at the store for nearly two decades. They currently serve enchiladas on Tuesdays, but Mr. Lopez is hoping to offer tacos, burritos and tortas on a regular basis.
“I don’t want to do too much at once, but there’s a lot of requests for Mexican food here,” Mr. Jones said. “I’d also like to have more organic stuff, too.”
Erin Harms, a friend of Mr. Jones who is helping with ordering and organization, added that requests for gluten-free breads and pizzas have also become a priority.
As with any change of ownership of a community staple, Mr. Jones wants to make sure he doesn’t alter too much, too fast. The ambiance of the building, which Ms. Anki said has functioned as a store for over 100 years, has “an old feel, community-oriented,” said Daniel Ross, a Lagunitas resident and a customer for 15 years. Mr. Ross said that under Mr. Loring, he hopes to see an expansion of food choices, including organic options.
In an attempt to make the changes seem less overwhelming for longtime patrons, Mr. Jones plans to install a suggestion box—partly for “anxiety relief, but a lot of people are like O.M.G., we need a change,” he said. “Our teenage employees say, ‘This place hasn’t changed my entire life.’”
Mr. Jones plans to replace the floor and blinds, and add a counter by the window. As a nod to his musical past and present—he is currently a drummer for the band Stymie—he also hopes to bring in live music. “We have a saloon in town that does live music, but it’s more of a drinking environment,” he said. “I’d like to have a place you can have a cup of tea or a coffee, bring your laptop or book, listen to jazz or acoustic music: an evening café vibe.”
Mr. Jones initially moved to West Marin for the natural beauty, and because he wanted his two children, who attend Lagunitas School, to hike and climb trees. He said he hopes being a Woodacre resident will endear him to locals; it certainly was one reason Mr. Anki decided to pass on the business to him. “We really wanted somebody from the valley to buy it—we don’t want strange people nobody knows,” Mr. Anki said.
Ms. Harms said they have been working hard to get to know the store’s regulars, quizzing each other during downtime about the names of the “American Spirit guy with the hat” and the “girl who always gets Nutella on a bagel.”
“I just quizzed him!” Ms. Harms said as a customer paid for his beer. Mr. Jones knew exactly who it was.