Old Galena Lodge Energized with a Trio of New Businesses
Posted by Brooke Sullivan on Saturday, January 26th, 2019 at 1:29pm
The old Galena Lodge welcomes a trio of brand-new businesses, the perfect pit stops before or apres ski!
For 30+ years, the Alpine lodge on Mount Rose Highway was home to restaurants. You’ll find the quaint location just a few minutes beyond Montreux, in the Galena Forest area as the road rises towards Lake Tahoe. The Galena Forest Inn was built and opened in the lodge in 1983 by Reno culinary figures Gaudenz Derungs and Walter Zahnd. Julius Weiss, another Reno chef, bought the restaurant in 1988 and ran it for a decade before it was purchased by Craig Cunningham, another longtime local restauranteur. Later in 2005, Sierra Solitaire set up and wasn’t around for long. The Lodge at Galena followed and was open until 2013.
After five years of sitting vacant, the lodge has been renovated to host three new businesses: Snowind Sports, Mountain Medical and the Lodge Coffee + Wine. The Galena Lodge sits nestled in the forest adjacent to U.S. Forest Service land and is a great place to meet after a fun day in the Sierras.
Snowind Sports has been open for several weeks and is passionate about helping people enjoy their experiences outside in our beautiful Reno-Tahoe area. They want to maximize outdoor enjoyment whether it’s slipping down the mountain on freshly waxed skis, enjoying a hike on the trails near their shop or tearing down one of the many mountain biking trails in the region. Their motto: "Where friends, sport and nature meet."
The Lodge Coffee + Wine just opened on January 25 and is open weekdays from 7am to 7pm, weekends from 7am to 8pm. Debby Bullentini, previous owner of L’uva Bella Wine Gallery at the Summit, was hired by Montreux Member and developer of the restaurant, Tom Burkhart, to design and open the place.
“I used to do wine dinners at the lodge way back when,” Bullentini said. “I’m excited to be back in the wine business, and I think people in the whole corridor from Incline Village to the Summit are excited about the opening, too.”
Besides coffee and fine regional wines, the Lodge will also be serving up Rawbry juices and smoothies, casual packaged foods and cheese trays and the option to bring in catering for events. There is also a 750-square-foot deck and work spaces for pairing laptops with wine or coffee. But the best part? The views of Mount Rose are already built-in. This little local spot is on the fast track to be the neighborhood watering hole once again, just like the Old Lodge was a favorite spot for a meet up after a day of hiking, swimming or skiing.
Brooke and Monica are good friends with Mr. Burkhart and went to visit the shop for a sneak preview before it’s grand opening!
Mountain Medical will be the last business to open while they are finishing up the interior of their office and finding the people to complete their team of staff.
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