Plans to open another downtown Redding bar inside a building that was once home to a high-tech company apparently have been shelved.
The former DataRay Inc. building is now being marketed for lease. The local technology firm relocated to Monterey in 2024.
Last year, a state Alcoholic Beverage Control application for a license transfer was posted on the building, which is at the corner of Placer and Market streets, next door to the Shasta County Elections Department.
The application was for a bar named Founders.
According to ABC, Ryan Muse and Christopher Hastings are the managing members of RS Restaurant Group LLC, doing business as Founders. Muse also owns RAW, the sushi restaurant on Hilltop Drive.
Recently, the outside of the building was refreshed with new stucco and painted white and dark gray. A “For Lease” sign also is up, which triggers the question, is the bar not happening?
Debbie Wall, of Northstate Commercial Partners, told me the ABC license was not approved for that location, so the building is being marketed for something else.
So, I contacted the ABC to get more information. Devin Blankenship, an ABC spokesman, told me the application has not been denied, and a decision is still pending. He declined to give further details.
Redding Planning Manager Lily Toy said the city heard that Muse will use the liquor license at a different location if the transfer is approved. Toy did not know the new location.
That prompted a follow-up email to Blankenship, asking him if Muse identified the new location to ABC.
“So because the application is still pending and the licensee is working with our licensing representatives, we’re prevented from releasing any info on the process,” Blankenship said. “Hypothetically, if a licensee were trying to move a license to another location, they would have to have the location nailed down.”
Toy sent me the city’s contact information for Muse. He did not reply to an email I sent before deadline.
Stay tuned.
New downtown restaurant opens at former Court Street Eats spot
Like the name suggests, bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches, or a variation of that classic, are popular at BLT Eats.
The restaurant opened for breakfast and lunch on July 9 at 1718 Placer St., former home of Court Street Eats, which closed in early 2026 after about three years in business.
I recently popped in and was greeted by London Morrison, head barista who also takes orders at the front counter, and Cheyenne Sanders, the head cook who brings about five years of kitchen experience to the new business.
The restaurant is owned by Laura McLemore, who also owns a coffee roasting company called Crack House Coffee. The coffee is featured at the restaurant.
Like its predecessor, BLT Eats looks to serve employees who work in the area around the Shasta County Courthouse. The restaurant’s hours are 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
In the short time they’ve been opened, popular breakfast items include the Breakfast Burrito, Breakfast Burrito Bowl, and the E.B.C., which is eggs, bacon, cream cheese smothered in grilled onions and wrapped in a warm flour or sundried tomato tortilla, Sanders said.
For lunch, the single stack or double stack BLT, and Three’s Company, a sandwich on a Dutch Crunch roll with your choice of meats have been hot menu items.
Before coming to BLT Eats, Sanders said she worked as a cook at LuLu’s in Redding; the Woodside Grill at the Gaia Hotel and Vittles, both in Anderson; and Alpine Drive-in and Blackberry Patch, both in Burney.
The 1718 Placer St. building has had several restaurants over the last 35 years, including Between the Bun, Emiliano’s Café, Willie’s Famous Chili Dogs, Bricks Smokehouse Barbecue & Grill, Wilda’s (now on Churn Creek Road), Ma Der Ma Der Sap House & Grill and El ShasTaquero.
“We’re hoping to stay here,” Sanders said.
Spirit Halloween has new home this fall
While the calendar still says summer as triple-digits dominate the weather, work on this year’s version of the annual Spirit Halloween store in Redding has started.
The costume and all-things Halloween super store has found a new home for 2026, the former Joann Fabrics and Crafts on Dana Drive. Joann closed in 2025 after 12 years at that location.
Other than Shasta County Clerk and Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis proposing to relocate the county’s election department there, the former retail building hasn’t attracted much attention.
Colby Thomason of The Thomason Group, which owns the building, said Spirit Halloween has essentially signed a one-year deal for the building.
“For now, it’s a one-year deal as we work on other potential deals, which assume (the building) won’t be available next year,” Thomason said.
Thomason declined to identify the other businesses interested in the building “because a couple of them are potential relocations,” he said.
Kirk Pierce is the owner/operator for the Spirit Halloween in Redding. He did not yet have an opening date.
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 new bar hits a pause but this BLT eatery is a go
Reporting by David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight / Redding Record Searchlight
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By David Benda, Redding Record Searchlight | USA TODAY Network
