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By
12/23/2020
The Station House Café will move down the block this spring, finding a new home in its original location on the corner of Third Street and Highway 1, owner Sheryll Cahill announced last week. The relocation comes after Ms. Cahill’s landlords proposed raising her rent by 300 percent. Amid massive revenue losses due to Covid-19, she announced she would close in July rather than signing a new lease, prompting an outcry from residents who love the more than 50-year-old downtown mainstay. The landlords, relatives of the late owner Pat Healy, then offered Ms. Cahill a short-term lease while she searched for a new site. When Osteria Stellina closed in August, the landlords there gave Ms. Cahill a long-term deal with fair market rent. The building was home to the Station House from 1964 to 1989 and to Osteria Stellina for the last 12 years. “We couldn’t have imagined such a wonderful opportunity would arise on the heels of our tragic news earlier this year,” Ms. Cahill said. “I am so grateful for their support and still amazed at our good fortune to have been invited back home.” The restaurant will merge with the old gift shop space next door that has sat vacant for years. Two sections of the wall will be removed to create a walkway, and the space will be used for additional seating and to host live music. Andrew Davis, an architect from Forest Knolls, is designing the layout; the plan is to have dining tables to the left and right of the entrance, and the bar in the middle. The building has about the same-sized dining area as the current Station House, but the seating capacity is 25 percent less because there is no patio or private dining room. Much of Ms. Cahill’s kitchen equipment won’t fit and must be replaced. The building owners are undertaking renovations, Ms. Cahill is applying for permits next week, and a friend is seeking to fundraise $100,000 to help with the move. She plans to stay open during the transition. The restaurant’s success will hinge on the state of the pandemic: These days, it is barely hanging on with takeout and a staff of nine employees, down from a roster of 49 before the pandemic. On the bright side, employees have broadened their skillset to be able to rotate through all of the different jobs, an adjustment that will last beyond Covid-19. Ms. Cahill hopes to re-hire many of the employees once regular operations resume. “I’m excited to bring it back to life,” she said. John Hural, Ms. Healy’s stepson and one of three owners of the current Station House building, told the Light that they are looking for another restaurateur to sign a lease. “We look forward to continuing the tradition of serving the community by providing the space to a quality restaurant accessible and attractive to all residents and visitors of Point Reyes Station,” he said.