Stickers to Sushi and Points in Between

No further word has been forthcoming on the former Foodland space at 1326 Main St. in Ramona.

“Nothing that can be announced,” said Jeff Gan of Remax Direct in Ramona, who is handling the property.

The 6,500-square-foot building, the anchor for a strip mall, has been vacant for about a month.

On a brighter note, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Craig Jung expressed enthusiasm for downtown business this weekend in association with a myriad of scheduled activities.

“It’s going to be busy with events like Music Fest, the Camels for Hippos Benefit, and Open Studios,” said Jung. “People are going to wonder what to do next.”

Patch also asked Jung how the chamber’s “Keep Your Business in Ramona” campaign is going.  The chamber’s ambassadors group initiated the campaign in December to distribute stickers bearing the slogan: “Keep Your Business in Ramona, Keep Ramona in Business.”

The ambassadors used money raised during the year by mixers to print 1,000 of the blue-and-white stickers, Jung said.

“It’s going great,” Jung said. Nearly all the stickers have been distributed to local businesses. The slogan has also been added to the chamber’s events sign at San Vicente and Warnock roads, Jung said.

"I know people have told me they're more aware of checking here first to buy something before they head down the hill," he said.

Brenda Nelson, co-owner of Da Tuna Shack on Main Street, said she is happy to display the chamber sticker.

“That’s what we’re about,” said Nelson. “This is our community.”

Da Tuna Shack is one of two places in Ramona offering sushi as part of its menu. Patch contacted both restaurants to find out if the radiation from Japan's nuclear power plant leak has affected their businesses in any way.

Neither Da Tuna Shack nor Kenrix Sushi Company reported any reduction in business. Both told Patch that none of their seafood comes from Japan.

“Our hamachi is farm-raised in Australia,” said Nelson. She said Da Tuna Shack's salmon is farm-raised in Alaska. The restaurant also buys seafood from New Zealand and Washington State.

Nelson indicated that in the wake of the Japanese nuclear reactor incident, some of the restaurant's distributors got “tight-lipped.” But, she said, “We ask them.”

She said they haven’t had a lot of questions from their customers so far, but they are paying attention to new testing requirements being imposed by the FDA on imported fish and other food items from areas near Japan.

Da Tuna Shack gets ginger from China, for example, and that has been put under an increased regimen of inspection, Nelson said.  She and co-owner Ken “Tuna” Hall are keeping up with the government’s responses so they can be aware for their customers.

“Business has been really good,” said Nelson, adding that her customers “just assume that we’re gonna take care of them.”

Rick McCluskey, who co-owns Kenrix Sushi, also on Main Street, with his wife Jama, said he gets no fish from Japan. He also said he’s seen no effects on his business from the events in Japan.

“Things have actually picked up in the last three months,” said McCluskey. He added that he does a lot of other things to attract customers, like a weekly open mic night.  “We work it here,” he said.