Quality, innovation “Scary, yes,” said Carlin. “Primarily it was and leadership a risk to do something like this. It worked were the three in San Francisco, but could it work in the characteristics he was ‘new Napa,’ still in evolution? The new hotels A J 0 B w E L L D o N E looking for in his and the riverfront projects were just getting future employer. Moment #2 came one day underway, and now Todd’s project all makes a when he was on his way to Robert Mondavi big difference in the realization of what Napa Winery for an interview. aspires to be. “ “I was early,” recalled Carlin, “so I stopped As the Oxbow Public Market, which consists at Oakville Grocery to kill some time and met of more than twenty-four local artisan food John Michaels, who mentioned that Joseph purveyors, wine shops, specialty gifts and Phelps had bought the company. That was the restaurants, celebrates five years as the new other winery I was interested in pursuing; one stronghold of the Oxbow Dsitrict, Carlin thing led to another, and I met Joe Phelps. reflects on the turning point when he knew the S t e v e position at the winery, and asked how I would Oxbow Public Market would be a success.“We are always evolving the concepts,” heHe offered me a job, but said he didn’t have a C a r l i n in 1980 as the wine manager. He stayed on The Wine Merchants relocated from the winesaid. “It’s amazing how it changed. There werea number of things that all happened at once.Carlin accepted, and joined the grocery storelike to run the wine shop at Oakville Grocery.” the man behind a company. He and his partners sold Oakville seating area was added, and C Casa replacedpavilion building to the main building, newfor twenty years, eventually owning half the downtown Napa Grocery in 2000. the rotisserie. I look at and ask, was that the SUCCeSS decided to move abroad. They rented out three changes brought the social gathering to thestands for is the social gathering place. TheseWith time, a little bit of money, three smallturning point? The essence of what this marketkids and an adventurous wife, the Carlins S t O r Y After a year, they were ready to come back to Oxbow represents long term, it’s the platformforefront. When people interact on a positivelevel, everything around them gets better. To meit was those things. If you talk about what thetheir circa-1870 historic St. Helena home andenrolled their kids in Italian schools in Florence.the Napa Valley. Carlin joined the development by kARI RUEL for these businesses to work together andteam at the San Francisco Ferry Building and started a three-year odyssey with food build on each other’s successes. We did a better The Oxbow Public Market connections he had made at Oakville Grocery. customers recognized it and have supported it.”job that year (2 ½ years ago) and as we did, Soriginally from New York, carlin moved this region and potential other regions where mission—to support local agriculture andLooking toward the future, Carlin said, weneed to continue to do more to solidify the localgathering place and make it feel more comfortablewhile the tenants work collaboratively withinwhat people want without altering the original“It was a great project,” smiled Carlin. “Thenthere was an opportunity to take what I hadlearned from Oakville Grocery and the FerryBuilding to bring together a new platform herein the Napa Valley—one that wasn’t tied to astructure, and that celebrated local artisans inarlin claims two serendipitousctevemoments altered his life’s path andbrought him to the Napa Valley. overcomes turbulent times to san Francisco in 1977 after graduating college to there is good agriculture.” Talks surrounding sustainability, and buy from each other. pursue a music career. he wanted to be a songwriter. the idea for the Oxbow Public Market began in Carlin also said he is proud of the fact that Three years later his parents enticed carlin to come 2005. the Oxbow Public Market has created very little on a mediterranean cruise when they treated the A synergy of hope and renewal for trash and has received awards of recognition for family to a European vacation. The late James Beard Downtown Napa was brewing. Carlin founded producing very little garbage. was a guest on the cruise, teaching cooking and the Oxbow Public Market, a new idea for Napa, As part of their Five Year Anniversary wine classes, and carlin became intrigued with which opened in January of 2008. Then the celebration, Carlin said they are reintroducing wine education. That was moment #1. economy collapsed. the Friends of Oxbow program, a year-long “You couldn’t pick a more challenging time loyalty program beginning in January, and are “I came away knowing that I was going to give up looking for ways to enhance the locals’ night onto do something like this,” said Carlin, shaking music and focus my career on the wine industry,” said Tuesday.his head. But still he was optimistic. He had Carlin. negotiated a long-term lease with the now- “My strategy has always been to support Carlin’s father was in the motion picture business, so bankrupt COPIA. “The goal was to drive traffic the local people first,” said Carlin. “They set the family was always around fine cuisine and wine. “It to each other. Collectively, the power of the two the tone, and that will attract the visitors.” He was something that was very natural, and I learned early could be transforming.” added that we should expect some physical about food, wine and travel. My parents were also good changes to the building in the near future, butCarlin also worked out a deal with Ray cooks.” didn’t elaborate.Bowman, owner of the tire store on First Street, “I came back to California and selected three wineries to have the corner property as well. Would it www.oxbowpublicmarket.com I wanted to work for—and two were in Napa Valley.” succeed with all the challenges? 644 First street, Downtown Napa 16 w w w. N A PA V A L L E Y L I F E m A g A z I N E . c o m
NVLife Jan-Feb 2013
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