b'Wild Eye Pubs cover inset photo by Beth MooreHeres to the resourceful ringmasters at the Wild Eye PubStory & photo by Courtney Ferguson LESSON LEARNED: local farms. Scratch meals require extra C o-founders Beth Moore andMake community a major part oftime to prepare, which means more staff. David Kuczora called themselvesyour business plan. When it was take-out only, Moore recalls, ringmasters. Thats becausewe featured travel-friendly items, such as coordinating the three aspects of the Wildburgers, pasta dishes and our own desserts. Eye Pubrestaurant, saloon and eventThats a change that still works for us today.venuecan be like managing a three-ring Since support is a two-way street, circus, Moore laughs. Moore attributes much of their survival to The popular Grass Valley establishmentthe generous support and love from loyal had been open for 20 months whencustomers and the community. COVID-19 changed their trajectory. LikeAnother innovation was creating 100 most new-business owners, they alreadyfeet of dining along Wolf Creek. We were pretty nimble with making quicktransformed part of the parking area into changes. That agility served them well.beautiful, outside dining, complete with Whether it meant to-go-only meals,overhead terrazzo lights, extra seating and serving outside, or limited indoor seating,Beth Moore and David Kuczoraa stage area. Used furniture, borrowed they followed the ever-evolving healthmusic broadcasts from home. Some of ourumbrellas and flowers make it a magical protocols, always keeping the safety ofartists actually earned more this way, and itplace from May through September, as helped them through a bleak time.Wildwell as warm winter afternoons.customers, performers and staff topBeth Moore One challenge was the crumbling, priority. They tracked those rules for Generous support anddecades-old paving that needed to be Eye is also known for serving homemade more than two yearsa decision manymeals, using fresh meat and produce fromrepaired. COVID grants helped address customers and entertainers deeplythis issue, and the result is that, todayappreciated. But, sales still fell 75 percent. with nearly 1,000 events since they opened We had 100 live gigs booked whenlove from loyal customersin 2018Wild Eye has more to offer and lockdown hit, Moore explains, but weand the communityenjoy than ever.did not cancel them. Instead, livestreaming became a welcome optioncompleteproved to be a lifesaver. 535 MILL STGRASS VALLEYwith virtual tips from fans enjoying the(530) 446-6668WWW.WILDEYEPUB.COMCOVID fatalities brought clarity: We need a willLESSON LEARNED:Plan my estate before a health crisis.Story & photo by Courtney FergusonE lder law attorney Valerie Logsdon noticedattorney, this conscientious new mindset is an encouraging sign. a significant change in people during theAnother thing Logsdon learned: COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemicembrace the advantages ofgave lots of people a greater awareness of theirnew technology.eventual demise, says Logsdon. Instead of saying if I die, they started saying when I die Zoom was awesome for court Clients also saw the importance of estateappearances during COVID, planning nownot putting it off until it becomesand I found I could work more an emergency, She adds. Some were moreproductively, she says of the video-thorough, as well. One highly-intelligent coupleLike many attorneys, Valerie Logsdon isconferencing platform that became came to me and asked me to review their trust.pleased to see more people recognizing thebasic for business and social survival. Thats when we discovered each spouse hadimportance of planning their estates aheadInstead of traveling to (the county disinherited the other. What a catastrophe thatof a crisis. courthouse in) Nevada City, I stayed could have been! in my Grass Valley office and, while From a business perspective, although thewaiting for my court time, I was able The pandemic gave people a demand for new trusts has plateaued, the flowgreater awareness of theirto work onother items.of business remains strong and steady. Since I recommend that anyone owning real estateeventual demise. 470 S AUBURN ST #B GRASS VALLEYshould have a trust, done correctly by an Valerie Logsdon (530) 272-7207WWW.GOLDENAGELAW.COM10 Nevada County Business Focus'