Hallmark Inn renovations a month from completion

By Tom Sakash
From page A1 | January 06, 2013 | Leave Comment

It’s just about coming together for the Hallmark Inn and the renovations undertaken to transform the bottom floor of the hotel on F Street into a new strip of retail storefronts in downtown Davis.

After carving out six bays of guest rooms from the first floor, for the past year crews have been molding the space into four separate side-by-side retail fronts that will line up between the Hallmark Inn, 110 F St., and the AT&T store at 140 F St.

Reed Youmans, the hotel’s owner, says the work should be complete by early to mid-February.

“It’s such a complete change to the way the street looks,” Youmans said Friday. “It’s going to be fantastic.”

The inn has received a commitment from Massage Envy to move into the largest of the four open retail spaces, a 2,400-square-foot unit, the front of which contractors already have dressed in a light purple coat of paint.

According to Sherif Boctor, regional development director for Massage Envy, he hopes to open the new store by Jan. 16. The massage therapy salon will close Saturday, Jan. 12, at its current location in The Marketplace shopping center in North Davis.

“Construction hiccups can change (the target date) very easily, so we are crossing our fingers as we want to have as little inconvenience to our members and guests as possible,” Boctor said in an email to The Enterprise.

Youmans said he has yet to sign any other retailers for the other three open spaces, however.

“We’re open to suggestions,” he said.

In addition to the retail spaces, the Hallmark Inn soon will feature a new restaurant where the former breakfast room used to sit, called Café 110.

Youmans said the new café will be open to the public  — not just guests — for breakfast and lunch and will serve “the best grilled cheese in town.”

Meanwhile, in front of the hotel, the city has redone the majority of the sidewalk and the curb to improve the aesthetics and the accessibility of the walkway there.

Parts of the new sidewalk are closed to the public because they still need to be poured.

City contractors also have begun construction on the street in front of the Hallmark Inn to replace the drainage system for the property.

The work has cut off the front entrance to Seasons Restaurant, 102 F St., with which the Hallmark shares the corner of First and F streets.

Seasons Restaurant owner Tamas Torok says that while the front entrance is blocked, the restaurant is still open for business. Diners simply need to head to the back entrance near the parking lot.

“There’s plenty of parking in the back, so people can still make it,” Torok said.

Youmans also mentioned that the work on the hotel has had an impact on his business, but he believes the renovations will be more than worth it in the end.

“That’s just part of the price of a major renovation,” Youmans said. “It will look so much better when it’s done.

— Reach Tom Sakash at tsakash@davisenterprise.net or 530-747-8057. Follow him on Twitter at @TomSakash

Reed Youmans, in tan jacket, watches progress on construction Friday morning in front of Seasons Restaurant, First and F streets. The city is replacing the drainage system for the Hallmark Inn and the restaurant, the last piece of the puzzle for major renovations to the property. Seasons’ front entrance is blocked, but the restaurant remains open. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

Reed Youmans, owner of the Hallmark Inn, surveys the work remaining on a major remodeling project at the downtown hotel, at 110 F St. Several guest rooms were removed to make way for four new retail storefronts and the former breakfast room has been refurbished into Café 110, a deli open to the public. Sue Cockrell/Enterprise photo

Tom Sakash

Tom Sakash covers the city beat for The Davis Enterprise. Reach him at tsakash@davisenterprise.net, (530) 747-8057 or @TomSakash.

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