Two New Businesses Open in Miranda as the Tiny Town Continues Its Economic Upswing
Two new businesses are set to open Monday in the small town of Miranda. The tiny community nestled near the southern end of the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County has been a quiet place for at least a half century. An occasional home game at South Fork High School which is located in the heart of the place provides pretty much the only excitement in what has been a sleepy little hollow tucked in among the redwoods for decades.
The last few years though, the town has seen a renaissance. The high school and the junior high received some much needed attention. South Fork High School‘s new gymnasium which was finished this fall is the latest addition. Three years ago, the Miranda Market moved to a new and much more modern facility just a block up the road from its old location pulling in a number of new customers to its store and perpetually busy gas station. The owners of the Avenue Cafe spiffed up their building attracting regulars and tourists to the restaurant and its patio. Workhorse Welding, a metal fabrication business that advertises on this site, sprang up just a few years ago in a new and surprisingly handsome industrial building. Sips, a tiny little walkup coffee place, offers a charming storefront, baked goods, and organic selections. Towards the south end of town, the Art of the Burl Redwood Gallery has numerous local gifts and an inviting porch surrounded by flowers much of the year.
And, this Friday two new business joined the rising tide in the tiny town. Blackbird Boutique, a clothing/gift store, and Sweet Cravings, a candy/ice cream place, moved in side by side to a totally renovated building just a block south of the high school. The stores opened for friends and families only for a couple of hours Friday evening. And they were bustling with people.On Monday, the new stores will have their grand opening for the public and by Tuesday, when the three day holiday is over, our guess is they will be stuffed with teenagers exploring their options for spending money.
The Blackbird Boutique will be open from 11-5:30 from Monday through Saturday. They offer women’s clothing, jewelry, and gifts for everyone. Emma Valk, who runs the store, said, “We will be getting lots more styles in soon.” Sweet Cravings, operated by Jessica Willis, will feature candy and ice cream. The store will be open Monday through Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Possibly one of the most charming aspects of this store is a three dimensional carving of Bigfoot driving a convertible Volkswagen and eating an ice cream. But there is no doubt that the kids preferred sampling the multiple flavors of ice cream and hunting for their favorite treats among the offerings which included Jelly Belly, gumballs, assorted sour and sweet candies, and a huge selection of lollipops. Something to suit the taste buds of almost anyone.We foresee adding these two places as another stop when we take out of town visitors on a tour of the Avenue!
Blue lights from the railing out front reflect in the window of Sweet Cravings as a number of visitors hunt through the selection to find their favorites or devour the treats they bought. [Photo by Kym Kemp–Full disclosure one of the handsome ice cream eaters is my son and the other is a former student]
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Good to see new businesses… I wish them all good luck and a happy cash register.
And I love the business sign… Very good.
Good!! Miranda needs more businesses. Good luck and lots of customers
I like the mazda rims on the vw. It’s a very cool sign.
Kym, your photos look excellent!
Thank you.
Cool sighn! Maybe a sighn business is next. Yippee ki yi yeah !
Thank you for the thoughtful write up. We all enjoy our little town and have had visions of creating a clean picturesque environment conducive to tourism and families. This is another addition to the already successful direction the locals wish to keep heading.
Congratulations to the two new businesses. Great success.
Yay!
I went to Miranda recently, and was surprised to see things looking well! Good on you, and I hope to see a renaissance in this little town!
Congratulations, and I hope these new businesses are successful.
The exterior sign is awesome and has the potential to become iconic. A destination in and of itself. Well done!
I agree! I can picture it being like the Eel River Cafe’s pancake flipper.
It would be awesome to see a Humboldt renaissance, with more fish and water in the river.
Great news for Miranda. Sweet Craving hosts a few of my guilty pleasures. Kudos to some great folks.
This makes me so happy. Well done and good luck to the new businesses. I love Miranda.
Perfect place to stop & enjoy the journey on our jaunts to Ukiah & back. Nice feature & write-up, all the best wishes for success in this little hamlet in the redwoods.
I definitely think we picked the right town to move to all those years ago when we cheerfully said “Good bye” to suburbia and city life.
This is inspiring. I love it when I see the best of a community living and working together. This is how we used to be. Thank you.
Best of wishes and business to all of you. We’ll be visiting soon, as soon as the sun comes out!
Let’s go!
The Village of Enchantment! 1964 brochure. (Also see the cottages on the south end of town have gotten a makeover – Go Miranda!)
That’s so cool! Thank you for sharing.
The renovations and upgrading at the high school also create a renaissance aura in our little town.