Naz Muradyan stands inside his restaurant, Armenian Grill House.
By Nadezhda Chayka Otterstad–
When the pandemic hit last year along with related prohibitions on indoor dining, the popular, 4.5-star rated Armenian Grill House in Citrus Heights saw a 40% drop in business. And although orders have picked up since then, owner Naz Muradyan says business isn’t yet back to pre-pandemic levels.
Muradyan and his wife have owned and operated Armenian Grill in Citrus Heights since 2017, located at 5925 Birdcage Centre Ln. in the same shopping plaza as Target and Walmart Neighborhood Market, off Sunrise Boulevard.
“This year we are still down 15-20% but it’s a gradual pick up which is pretty good,” Muradyan told The Sentinel in an interview Tuesday. He said it has helped to be located near the busy Target store, which has given him more visibility despite his restaurant being set back significantly from Sunrise Boulevard.
“We’re planning to gate out the patio and put red chairs to draw more attention,” he said, describing the foot traffic from the nearby big-box store as his restaurant’s “main bread and butter.” He said delivery services like GrubHub have also helped keep business flowing.
Muradyan’s restaurant is also located in the Sunrise Marketplace Business Improvement District, which he said has been a “huge help” during the pandemic.
“They’re like our right hand. Without them, we can’t do anything,” he said, noting district staff helped with sign banners, social distancing floor stickers and monthly “check-ins.”
Since opening three years ago, the grill house has earned more than 300 reviews on Yelp, averaging 4.5-out-of-five stars. Popular dishes include lamb gyros, kebabs, soups and appetizers like Greek fries and falafel.
Ron and Kelly Anderson stand outside their backyard bonsai nursery in Citrus Heights. // CH Sentinel
By Nadezhda Chayka Otterstad–
Ron and Kelly Anderson found themselves moving to Citrus Heights four years ago to live near their children, and in 2018 opened a backyard garden center to the public with a half-acre of bonsai and succulents on display.
Ron is a certified bonsai instructor (third generation) and takes on the instructional role of bonsai care and pruning, while Kelly creates live art: succulents, accent plants, mixed medium art, and refurbishes collectors furniture pieces.
Bonsai refers to potted trees and shrubs that are artistically pruned to be a dwarf version of what would ordinarily grow to full size. The term bonsai means “tree in a pot” and Ron says it can refer to anything small-leaf or needle that can be put into a pot, except for fruit-bearing or flowering trees.
In an interview Tuesday, as the tinkling of wind chimes could be heard in the background along with the smell of incense wafting in the air, the couple spoke with The Sentinel for an on-site interview, often taking turns filling in for each other in a nearly synchronized but natural fashion.
The couple said oftentimes customers like medical workers, veterans and people with physical trauma come to the garden center for art therapy.
“We want an artistic feel from the moment our client walks into the garden to the moment that you leave,” said Kelly Anderson.
“Clients just disappear when they’re working on their trees,” said Ron. “It truly is a living art form.”
“We had one person come in and ask us if they can walk the garden and meditate,” Kelly recalled. “They just walked around alone around the garden. We also had an anniversary party here where the couple came, and we set out candles all around and they had a nice dinner out here.”
Despite the expansive current garden area, the couple say they have big plans for the future and are only a quarter of the way done. Future projects include a koi pond and a studio for bonsai art.
Training courses are offered by Ron in their backyard garden, ranging from 30-minute to two-hour classes, and even up to six hours, in a half-year course in bonsai art form.
News of the garden center is mostly by word of mouth. Facebook also contributes to keeping the public informed of any sales, and workshops.
Those interested in visiting and shopping at the center can only do so by appointment, to allow for individual needs of each customer to be met. A small office space functions as a display room for tools and custom pottery for sale for anyone interested. Soil mix is also made on site, which is sold to stores in Santa Cruz.
The couple’s artistic knack also appears to run in the family. Their son, Shane Anderson, is a local singer-songwriter who was featured in The Sentinel in 2019 after he released a song addressing the challenges of soldiers coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He continues to produce music and operates a recording studio in Citrus Heights.
Appointment booking and more information about the Anderson’s bonsai garden can be found at thedirtylocust.com, or in a four-minute Youtube video featured here.
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Owner Marie Duncan helps a customer at her Runs with Scissors quilt shop in Citrus Heights. // N. Otterstad
By Nadezhda Chayka Otterstad–
In Citrus Heights and across the world, living amid the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in many life-altering changes, including renewed interest in hobbies like sewing and quilting.
Hobbies have become a saving grace for many people who have tragically found themselves out of work, as documented by numerous news articles across the nation. People have taken up old hobbies for which they previously had no time for and have found opportunities to learn new and exciting ones.
Stories such as children discovering a forgotten train set in their basemet that they were able to resurrect, and adults picking up drawing and sewing, show us how much time has truly been granted to us, albeit during a not so pleasant time.
In Citrus Heights, quilt shop owner Marie Duncan has seen an uptick in business during the pandemic. She recently moved her “Runs with Scissors” store from Sylvan Corners several blocks up the street to a spacious 1,800-square-foot, sunlit shop at 7525 Auburn Blvd.
Filled with shelves holding a kaleidoscope of colors of fabric, Duncan could be seen helping one of her last customers of the day before she closed shop on Tuesday last week. A longarm machine, a much-needed tool for her customers, is a popular service she offers which can be seen parked at the front of the store.
Duncan said the move from her old location adjacent to Goodwill has given her a clean, safe shop with ample parking space. She also hasn’t had to step around homeless individuals sleeping on the sidewalk near her old store.
More importantly, she’s seen more people take an interest in her shop over the past year. “I have found that during the pandemic more people — because they are staying home — have taken up sewing,” said Duncan. She’s seen new faces who are brand new to the art, as well as regulars who stepped up their quilting during the pandemic.
“Because I do longarm quilting for customers, I have become very busy, because everybody has been sewing,” she said.
Duncan said most of her work is over the phone and through her Facebook page, where she updates her followers with new inventory. Curbside pickup has also been a big help to servicing her clients, although she’s had to cancel offering sewing classes due to COVID-19 concerns.
As for the benefits of quilting? Duncan says she’s heard quite a few stories from widows, after the loss of their husbands.
“When we were able to have our classes and ‘Sit and Sews’ this would be the place, a safe place for them to come and mingle with other women who might be in the same boat. And we really built a community in the almost 13 years I’ve been in business, as far as support for one another,” she said. “I’ve also had a couple gals with brain injuries take up quilting upon the request of their doctors that sewing is a really good thing for something like that.”
Psychologists also say hobbies are an important way to cope amid trouble, including during the coronavirus pandemic.
“In this time of uncertainty and instability, and a world and existence we no longer recognize, people need an anchor to familiarity and what once brought them comfort, stability, safety, and happiness,” clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere said in a CNN story last year. “The psychological shock of this unprecedented, accelerated, dizzying and dangerous time has us grasping for our old lives and customs.”
Runs With Scissors is open Tuesday-Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The shop is closed Sundays and Mondays. More information can be found online at runswithscissorsquiltshop.com.
Designed to encourage more walkability in Citrus Heights, a new 4,100-foot trail has opened on Old Auburn Road just east of Fair Oaks Boulevard, featuring a wide, fully paved path for bikes, pedestrians and mobility scooters.
Cars pass by the newly completed Old Auburn Multi-Use Trail in Citrus Heights.
“It’s a nice improvement to what it used to be before,” said nearby resident Harvey Sanford, commenting the area used to be just dirt and weeds with an unpaved path through it. “It’s a real nice, pleasant walk up and down the trail.”
According to City Management Analyst Regina Cave, construction for the project began in March of this year and was completed last month — although she said there are future plans to add low-maintenance landscape amenities to the trail.
Funding for the $1.1 million project was provided in part by the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program, which contributed over $700,000 for design and construction costs, according to Cave.
A flier for a ribbon-cutting ceremony this Saturday “strongly encourages” walking or biking to the event as there are no designated parking areas for the trail, and nearby roadside parking is limited.
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If you plan to go:
Old Auburn Multi-Use Trail Ribbon Cutting
Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014
10 a.m. to noon Location: Old Auburn Road and Orelle Creek Court
A small sign indicates what’s inside The Lodge on Auburn Boulevard in Citrus Heights.
Reviewed by Nadezhda Otterstad
Tucked away behind a parking lot and several trees on the northern outskirts of Citrus Heights stands a unique, peaked-roof structure, decked with blue and white trim. A sign painted above the front entrance highlights that breakfast and lunch are served inside, and another bright orange sign facing Auburn Boulevard spells out “Coffee Shop” for the steady flow of traffic passing by. Curious to check out the place, my husband and I invited grandpa to watch the kids and set off for a visit to “The Lodge.”
Upon stepping inside the front entrance early one morning, the sound and smells of breakfast cooking met us as we were warmly greeted and invited to find a seat at one of several tables inside. We made our way down to one of the well-worn but clean booths where we met Aime (pronounced “Amy”), one of the diner’s cheerful waitresses.
As we browsed the menu, aromas wafted in from the nearby kitchen and encircled the dining area, bringing back memories of homemade meals. After perusing the extensive all-American menu, we settled on a pancake order and an omelet, which came with hash browns and a biscuit on the side. A short while later, Aime delivered several hot plates, and we were pleasantly surprised by the ample size of the portions and the savory smell of home-style food.
The three-egg omelet provided enough to share between us, and the food wasn’t too hot, nor smeared in excess oil. Even the coffee tasted a little above par for comparable restaurants, and consistent refills always came our way from Aime.
While finishing our meal, customers trickled in on their own or with families, with mild chatter adding to a relaxed and happy atmosphere inside. As several customers greeted the diner’s staff by name, it seemed the Lodge is definitely a spot for regulars.
Always curious to meet the face behind a good meal, we found out after breakfast that co-owner Yunhee is the inspiration in the Lodge’s kitchen. The Korean-born chef flashed her bright smile as she shared how she prepares the food in the kitchen, praising her discovery of American breakfasts as “the best breakfast in the world.” Lee, Yunhee’s husband and Lodge co-owner, was seated at one of the stools at the front counter and said he’s in charge of shopping for the diner — additionally pointing out several walls where he had created some wood design work.
Taking us back to her cooking, Yunhee mentioned several times that one of her food prep distinctives is to always chop her vegetables by hand, rather than with a machine – indicative of her passion for good cooking. It was also clear she enjoys making breakfast on the healthier side for her customers.
The 64-year-old chef is also in the Lodge’s kitchen six days a week, so no matter what day you visit, you’ll likely have your food turn out as expected – without any unwanted surprises from a different chef’s style. The Lodge is also open until 2 p.m. to accommodate the lunch crowd, but Yunhee said breakfasts are her specialty.
Although lunch isn’t bad, we agree that home-style breakfast is their specialty, and we don’t hesitate in giving the Citrus Heights “Lodge” a solid 4-out-of-5 stars for taste, service and one-of-a-kind atmosphere.
This review was originally published on The Citrus Heights Sentinel on Sept. 16, 2014.
