By TR Robertson
Two businesses, located on Main St. in Downtown Historic Vista and Vista Village, celebrated Red Ribbon Cutting ceremonies last week. On Wednesday, the Vista Chamber of Commerce Lunch Mob and Red Ribbon Cutting Ceremony was held at Lamppost Pizza and Back Street Brewery and on Saturday, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream held an all-day celebration highlighted by a Red Ribbon Ceremony marking a welcome to Downtown Historic Vista. Both businesses are located on Main Street. Lamppost Pizza is a cornerstone of the Vista Village Shopping area next to Cinepolis Theatre and Handel’s is two blocks away next to Urban Pizza and across from Barrel and Stave Pour House.
At Lamppost Pizza, Rachel Beld, CEO of the Vista Chamber of Commerce, and Gabriela Ochoa, from Congressman Mike Levin’s Office, read proclamations welcoming Lamppost to the business community and the City of Vista. In the audience were employees of the Vista Chamber of Commerce, members of the Chamber Executive Board, business members of the Chamber, various City dignitaries and members of the public.
Lamppost Pizza has been a fixture in the Downtown Vista area for 18+ years, located at 15 Main Street. The Red Ribbon Ceremony was held to celebrate the new franchise ownership of Lamppost by co-owners Darren Bell, David Coren, and Ernie Zuniga. This is their first venture into franchise ownership. Darren has been at the Vista location since the opening of the business in 2004. David has been with Lamppost for 15 years and Ernie for 10 years. General Manager Darren said they were excited about their new commitment to Lamppost. The Backstreet Brewery, a popular downtown Pub associated with Lamppost, features 15 of their own beers on tap with 2 or 3 additional local craft beers offered. David said they want to support local craft beers as well as featuring their own popular beers on tap. The menu for pizza, salads, pasta, sandwiches, and options is extensive and Lamppost also offers an equally extensive Lunch Special list of options for Monday thru Friday, 11am-4pm dining. For more information call 760-407-7600 or go to www.lamppostpizzavista.com.
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream has been open for business in Downtown Historic Vista for several weeks and is already a popular destination for a wide variety of ice cream selections. This Handel’s is co-owned by Travis Campbell, Marcus Weenig, and Keith Kesler. The Store Manager is Shawnta Fleming. Handel’s is located at 207 Main Street and easy to spot when the shop is open as there will a line in front of the windows, waiting to order from the selection of 48 ice cream flavors. Travis Campbell said there is a list of 150 flavors Handel’s could offer, this shop offering 48 flavors. The Red Ribbon Ceremony marks an official welcome by the Vista Chamber of Commerce and a welcome to the Downtown Historic Vista Business District. Welcoming Handel’s to Vista was Vista Chamber CEO Rachel Beld and Vista City Councilmember Joe Green. Presenting proclamations for opening in Vista was Adrienne Cisneros-Selekman from Supervisor Jim Desmond’s Office and Suleyma Balderos from Assemblymember Tasha Boerner-Horvath’s Office. Rachel Beld also had a proclamation from Congressman Mike Levin’s Office.
Anna Hayman won a raffle drawing for free ice cream for a year from Handel’s. City Manager Patrick Johnson was in attendance and said the city is extremely excited to have Handel’s opening in Downtown Vista and that they will add to the vibrancy of the Downtown area. The ceremony also featured a Jazz group from Rancho Buena Vista High School, a Video Gaming van, balloon art and face painting. A number of Chamber members, other dignitaries and ice cream lovers were also in attendance. More information about Handel’s is available at www.handelsicecream.com or call 760-295-0636.
There is a variety of dining options in the downtown Vista area and supporting local business is a great way to show support for these businesses. Employment opportunities are also available at all the businesses. The next time you have some free time, drive to the Downtown Historic Vista location; park your car and wander the streets to take in the variety of shops, eateries and breweries that can be found along the way.
