MikeBolen.com

Has Napa finally found its way? Enter the Oxbow Public Market, directly next door to Copia. Modeled after the celebrated Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco, the Oxbow Public Market opened in mid-December, and does in a single stroke what neither Copia nor Napa Valley farmers’ markets accomplished in years of trying: It creates a must-visit destination for enjoying the food-wine synergy of Napa. On both of the last two weekends I witnessed throngs of tourists and locals standing in long lines at Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, a spin-off of the great little diner in St. Helena. Inside Oxbow its airy and beautifully designed food hall are vendors with everything we’ll ever need to eat and drink the way we want to eat and drink on Napa weekends: terrific seafood, all-natural meats, organic produce, and killer coffee from the ridiculously good Ritual Coffee Roasters. A Hog Island Oyster Bar is on the way. The Model Bakery, also based in St. Helena, is making great breads and desserts and full breakfast plates to be eaten on outdoor picnic tables. The most fantastic ice cream known to man Three Twins, say hi to my friend and store manager Noel Lopreore. A true cause for celebration is the Fatted Calf shop, offering first-class charcuterie and specialties like duck confit, along with raw pastured meats and pastured chicken and eggs from Soul Food Farm, the current favorite of many high-end restaurants.

One of the biggest attractions of all inside Oxbow, is the Oxbow Wine Merchant. In a big open space, with large windows and outdoor patio tables, this is much more than a wine shop. It’s a wine shop with a wine bar, a kitchen making wine-friendly light eats, and a first-rate cheese shop. Drop in for a bite and you can put together a sensational picnic, enjoying it on the spot.

The economics aren’t entirely there for Oxbow yet—it doesn’t have anything like the daily foot traffic of the Ferry Building. And it’ll need Napa locals to get serious about shopping there, which will put pressure on the alarmingly high prices (which are, no doubt, in turn driven by rents and by the sheer economics of Napa real estate). But the new Westin Verasa Napa—an upscale condo-hotel complex—will soon open across the street, as will a Ritz-Carlton resort. Throw in the wholesale redevelopment of downtown Napa, with the beautiful river walk promenade opening up, and this once-dowdy town, long the back-lot service center for the wine industry, will be on its way to becoming the center of retail gravity for the entire valley.

Now is the time to invest in Napa Valley real estate. If you are seeking a hotel, multifamily, office or retail real estate investment or even an ultra luxury home priced over $4,000,000 you should meet with my team and I for a private consultation. My office is located on 1st and Main on the busiest corner in Napa Valley. Here at the RE/MAX Napa Valley office RE/MAX Cornerstone my team specializes in off market hard to find investment real estate. Contact me, Mike Bolen at Mike@MikeBolen.com or 707-254-9999.