More new businesses land at Target center. Shasta Lake's big project ready to roll
Nav Kandola is making a market in Redding.
Since opening Pete’s Brewhouse & Restaurant on Hilltop Drive in late 2020, the Scottish-born businessman has expanded his portfolio to include Sourdough Bread Company in the Save Mart shopping center and soon-to-open Mister Peri Peri’s Grill in Discovery Village.
But recently Kandola pivoted from restaurants to open Salon @ Eleven 50 in the Target shopping center, moving into the former Supercuts space, the national haircut chain the closed around the time of the pandemic.
Salon @ Eleven 50 is one of two business that opened this month — both on New Year’s Day — in the shopping center.
The husband-and-wife team of Jenna Rodriguez and Michael Long opened Sweet Fitness Kickboxing with their business partner Cody Sweet on the north side of the shopping center between Vitamin Shoppe and Blimpie America’s Sub Shop.
Salon @ Eleven 50 and Sweet Fitness Kickboxing have brought new life to sections of the strip mall that have been marred by vacant storefronts.
Here’s the “Buzz” behind the two businesses.
‘Great place’ for business
Kandola opened Pete’s in the teeth of a global pandemic. But while it was a challenge, he said he’s developed a steady clientele and the experience has only made him hungrier to invest more in Redding.
“I think Redding is a great place to open a business,” said Kandola, who splits his time between Sacramento and Redding. “The image in Sacramento, before I opened Pete’s, was ‘Oh, Redding?’ But I think it should be known it’s a lot nicer here. Redding is growing and I want to be a part of that.”
His vision for Salon @ Eleven 50 is a full-service place that is welcoming and doesn’t make customers wait too long for a haircut and styling.
“Customers want that experience, they want to feel wanted,” he said.
General Manager Vanessa Selsor has been cutting hair for seven years.
“We take anyone — kids, men, women, we do perms, waxing. We are excited to be open and hopefully we can reach a lot of people,” she said.
The salon has five stylists and is open 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
Salon @ Eleven 50 also offers customers complementary beverages, including beer and wine.
“We just want to make our customers happy,” Kandola said.
‘Beginner-friendly’ workout
Rodriguez started going to kickboxing workout classes about five years ago at Sweet Fitness Kickboxing’s Chico location.
She eventually worked as a coach and then was asked if she wanted to manage the location.
“I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll give it a try.’ We did that with the expectation that I could potentially own a gym with him (Cody Sweet) one day, and I just wanted to make sure it was something that I was really going to enjoy,” she said. “And so, after my first couple months of management, I knew that I really loved it and it was something that I wanted to make into a life for me and my family.”
Rodriguez managed the Chico gym until last April, then she and her husband, Long, started looking for spots to open a Sweet Fitness gym. They considered Sacramento and the Yuba City-Marysville area, but always came back to Redding.
They love the outdoor opportunities that Redding offers and natural beauty of the region.
In August, they signed their lease for the Target center location and opened Jan. 1. Rodriguez said the first six days they were open, they signed up 129 members.
“Ninety percent of the people who come to us have never done any kind of kickboxing or boxing, so we are very beginner-friendly. We will teach you everything that you need to know and there’s always a coach on the mat with you, helping you with new techniques,” Rodriguez said.
The gym has 32 kickboxing bags that weigh about 150 pounds. Each bag has a sensor that allows kickboxers to track and monitor their workout — how many times they hit the bag and how hard they hit it.
“That will give them an overall score that is displayed on one of our TV screens during the class, so they can look up at any point in time,” Rodriguez said.
The gym doesn’t hold competitions or kickboxing matches. Workout classes are held Monday through Saturday and each class is 45 minutes. Memberships (https://sfkredding.com/) are $125 a month for seven months or a year for $99 a month. Rodriguez said that anyone who comes in can get a seven-day free pass to try it out.
“We like to focus on the fun aspect and then if you are able to have fun and stick to the process, that’s when you’re really going to reach your fitness goals,” Rodriguez said.
Work starts on big Shasta Lake redevelopment project
The fencing is up on both sides of Shasta Dam Boulevard.
Which means prep work recently kicked off for one of the largest redevelopment projects in the history of this community — a $36.5 million face-lift that will feature affordable housing and commercial retail space.
“It’s definitely been a long time coming. We are excited to see some new development on the boulevard,” Shasta Lake City Manager Jessaca Lugo recently told me.
Soon, city and community leaders will gather for the official groundbreaking that will launch what is expected to be an 18- to 21-month buildout. When I spoke to Lugo, the date for the groundbreaking had not been finalized, but there is a good chance it will happen before the end of January.
Cascade Village is a team effort that includes the city, K2 Development Companies, Redding Rancheria and the Community Revitalization & Development Corp. (CRDC).
K2 is building this portion of the project that encompasses 53,000 square feet and includes 49 affordable apartments and 7,5000 square feet of commercial space. It spans both the north and south sides of Shasta Dam Boulevard.
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When I visited the site recently, Richard Olson, who’s project manager, was gracious enough to give me a tour. The fencing stretches from Grand River Avenue to Median Avenue on the north side of Shasta Dam Boulevard, and between Dan’s Optical and Central Valley Feed on the south side. The optical shop and feed store are not part of the project and will remain.
Olson said what was the old crafts and gifts store on the north side of the boulevard is being gutted and will get new stucco siding to become the construction office. When the project is complete, the space will be available for retail.
Next to the crafts and gift store, the old Blvd Thrift Shop and former From the Hearth coffee kiosk are being demolished to make room for the new development.
The public parking lot at the corner of Grand River and Shasta Dam Boulevard will be reconfigured and include EV charging stations.
“Our intent here is to be collaborative with the city of Shasta Lake, take their ideas and their input as well,” Olson said.
The Redding Rancheria's contribution will be east of Cascade Village, where it plans to build a 120-room hotel, retail/commercial center and a drive-thru coffee kiosk on 11 acres near the corner of Shasta Dam and Cascade boulevards.
Stay tuned.
David Benda covers business, development and anything else that comes up for the USA TODAY Network in Redding. He also writes the weekly "Buzz on the Street" column. He’s part of a team of dedicated reporters that investigate wrongdoing, cover breaking news and tell other stories about your community. Reach him on X, formerly Twitter, @DavidBenda_RS or by phone at 1-530-338-8323. To support and sustain this work, please subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: Which new local businesses landed in Redding's Target center?
