Michael Dodd moved to Redding from the East Coast about five years ago to be closer to family. He has watched the recent downtown renaissance and likes the vibe it has created.
So much so that Dodd and his sister, Sherry Peets, picked the White Building downtown to open their first business, Shards & Thorns, a floral design and stained-glass art studio.
Located between Sierra Pacific Windows and Westside Tap & Cork along Pine Street, Shards & Thorns is expected to open in early June.
“We’re hoping to coordinate our grand opening with First Friday,” Dodd said of the monthly celebration that has become a downtown staple in Redding.
“I didn’t really know the downtown until all the revitalization started. It’s so nice, and we are happy to be a part of bringing more businesses to downtown,” he added.
Dodd is the flower side of Shards & Throns while Peets does stained glass. He has worked in the floral industry for about 10 years, while Peets has been doing stained-glass art for about five years.
“We plan to do a design of the month that will only be available that month, mixing floral and stained-glass elements,” Dodd said.
Customers also will be able to build their own bouquet.
“We have a couple of floral coolers” to help them do that, Dodd said.
Dodd and Peets spent months thinking about opening a storefront.
“This location is just perfect. It’s right around the corner from the Redding Public Market and all the downtown revitalization going on,” Dodd said. “The proximity to other flower shops was also something we wanted to consider. We didn’t want to be too close to other flower shops.”
Shards & Thorns will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Another Redding restaurant, bar closes
Riddick’s Sports Pub on Hartnell Avenue in Redding recently closed after seven years.
The news follows the recent closure of Court Street Eats in downtown Redding.
The sports bar and restaurant was popular for its “not your typical sports pub” fare as Mike Chapman described in his October 2024 feature on the business.
Cherry, whiskey and Coke smoked tri-tip with spicy tequila-lime chicken drumsticks, crackin’ green beans, smoked jalapeño cheese bread and the Monte Cristo pinwheel were a few examples.
“Well folks… it pains us to have to say this, but we are done. It was a fun 7 years …
“Life happened. Semone, Riddick and myself want to thank our family, friends and everyone else for the support and all of the love that we received,” the restaurant and bar posted on its Facebook page on April 10.
Before Riddick’s, the space in Cobblestone Court was All Stars Sports Bar.
Sign goes up at Former Pop’s 50 Place
About a year ago, I reported in this space that change was coming to the former Pop’s 50’s Place, the retro-themed burger joint on South Market Street.
The building was sold in June 2024 to Hung Ngoc Le of Platinum Visions LLC for $175,000 and he’s been redeveloping the spot into a new burger spot.
Well, the sign recently went up, Market Street Smack N’ Burgers. It appears work on the new restaurant continues.
For years, Pop’s 50’s Place was a popular spot for classic car lovers who would show up especially during Kool April Nites, which is April 17-26 this year.
Will Smack N’ Burgers be ready in time to greet the hot rodders this year?
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 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: Downtown Redding draws floral, stained-glass shop. Popular pub closes
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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