Mare Island Brewing Co. set out to distribute craft beer across the Bay Area. But the small-batch brewery quickly learned there was plenty of demand just in its hometown. Vallejoans came in droves to the waterfront taproom overlooking Mare Island.
Fortner expected locals to balk at the $6 pints, since some local dive bars still sell draft beers at the same prices they offered when the naval shipyard was in operation. But no one has complained to him. A pair of regulars explained that they're proud to have such a fine brewery in Vallejo.
In 2007, the winemaker-by-training couldn't afford a bigger property in the Napa area, so he started looking south. Fortner and his wife discovered they could buy the old Naval officer's quarters on the Mare Island peninsula in Vallejo. It was a steal at less than $1 million.
"If I won the lottery, I wouldn't move," Fortner said over a beer at his taproom.
A sign that reads "Mare Island Naval Shipyard" still hangs outside of the warehouse.
Factory OS is best known for landing a $30 million deal with Google parent company Alphabet to build 300 pre-fabricated apartment units for employees.
In 2016, electric-car startup Faraday Futures set out to build a manufacturing facility on Mare Island as well, but scrapped the plan in March amid ongoing financial woes.
By comparison, the median price in San Francisco topped $1.5 million last spring.
Prospective homebuyers in Vallejo can expect to compete with multiple offers and bids well over asking price, despite the fact that crime rates remain high.
Source: Realtor.com
The sign for Baker's Drug Store (behind the black tarp) is a prop for the show.
The theater currently hosts mostly unknown comedians and tribute bands for musical greats including Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, Rob Stewart, and Journey. But Constantino said it draws a rising number of San Franciscans who make the hour-long-trek from the city to catch a show.
Jody Lane, a co-curator at the space, said the non-profit organization was founded in 2013. Art enthusiasts can take classes in theater, music, dance, sculpture, and painting there.
The Hub celebrated its one-year anniversary of becoming a non-profit in April. Funding is scarce — it relies on donations, which come through sales of art supplies and gallery work. A Saturday farmers' market also pays $200 for use of the Hub's bathrooms.
Victory Stores has weathered the economic turmoil in Vallejo for over 70 years. "Work clothing never goes out of style," said owner Raymond Prather, who grew up in his grandfather's store.
When Prather opens shop in the mornings, he passes men wheeling roller briefcases on their way to the San Francisco ferry. They park their cars on his street because it's cheaper than the designated lots.
"If I had a dollar for every time I heard 'Vallejo has so much potential ...'" Ken Ingersoll, a Vallejo native and the owner of local fixture Gracie's Family Barbecue, said.
When the restaurant bordered a soup kitchen and a methadone clinic years ago, Gracie's drew mostly workmen who braved the crime-ridden area for baby back ribs and fried chicken.
Those establishments have since moved amid the revitalization of downtown Vallejo, and Gracie's now welcomes its regulars as well as prospective homebuyers touring the city.
The community was turned upside down in 1996 when the area's largest employer, the naval shipyard, closed. It left thousands of workers unemployed. Many sold their homes and left.
The worst financial crisis since the Great Depression arrived a little more than a decade later. Foreclosure signs went up on many blocks. The city no longer raked in the property taxes it needed to fund its workers' pensions. In 2008, Vallejo filed for bankruptcy.
That same year, violent crime and property crime rates in Vallejo reached more than double the national averages. Some of the foreclosed properties became drug dens and homeless encampments, Realtor.com's Clare Trapasso reported in a piece on Vallejo's comeback.
Vallejo residents who commute to San Francisco have the option of driving up to two hours in rush-hour traffic or taking a 30-minute ferry to the Embarcadero in the city.
A round-trip ticket on the San Francisco Bay Ferry costs $28, but commuters can purchase a monthly pass for $345, which saves riders $200 if they make the trip five days a week.
I spent $2,000 for 7 nights in a 179-square-foot room on one of the world's largest cruise ships. Take a look inside my cabin.
Colon cancer rates are rising in young people. If you have two symptoms you should get a colonoscopy, a GI oncologist says.
Saudi Arabia wants China to help fund its struggling $500 billion Neom megaproject. Investors may not be too excited.
Catan adds climate change to the latest edition of the world-famous board game
Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
Tired of blatant misinformation in the media? This video game can help you and your family fight fake news!
Next Story