What follows are the some recollections, incomplete as they are, of the friend and former colleague of the proprietor of the Sow's Ear, and present web developer of SowsEar.Space.

The 3 1/2 buildings now known as the Sow's Ear were acquired in 2019 after having sat on the market for about a year. An historic building, probably the oldest standing in Humboldt County, the Sow's Ear at various times housed a post office, a general store for gold prospectors, and most recently a collection of curiosities from Asia and around the world. As I understand it, that collection grew beyond the storage space in the main commercial building, into the surrounding buildings, and from there vertically. As the former proprietor aged, his capacity to maintain the structures diminished and these historic buildings fell into disrepair, until finally they were too much for his inheritors to deal with, and so some time after the former proprietor passed, these historic buildings were put on the market. They were in fact so dangerous to enter (for realtors, prospective buyers, or even the fire department) that the Fortuna Fire Department placed a "do not enter" order on the property.

So there those glorious buildings sat, no offers for over a year. To an all cash buyer it looked like a money pit. To a mortgage underwriter, these buildings were a no-go, as you might imagine an inspection report might conclude after years of neglect. Enter Eric, a hometown boy having returned for a job at a local engineering firm as a mechanical engineer, with experience building structures and a strong work ethic, in short: the perfect man for the job. He worked out a deal with the sellers and morgage broker that he would do an amount of labor to restore one of the buildings to a condition sufficient to underwrite, and the other buildings would be included in the deed. So Eric did that little bit of work - let's call it phase one - but the journey was only just beginning.

Phase two: Demolition. In the largest of the buildings, the roof had failed some years ago and raccoons had taken up residence in the attic, and a hazmat suit and shop vac was required to clear out the mess. No less than dumpster volumes were filled to clear out items that couldn't be donated among the buildings. Several events were held for the public to freely take any items that "weren't bolted down". However, it was found that the public could not be both trusted and left unattended at the same time; some of the old growth siding had been ripped off of the largest of the buildings. There was a phenomenal volume of wood left beneath the structures that after 4 cozy winters with free firewood and countless burn days, is still sufficiently voluminous that Eric hasn't decided what to do with it all. There are a few choice antiques that have been recovered, such as a cash register that can only tally as high as $6.70. That's inflation at work, folks.

Phase three: Repairs and restoration. Eric's father is known as Mr. Victorian and has repainted probably half of the buildings in nearby Ferndale, which is known for its late victorian era homes. He and Eric repainted these buildings with mis-tint paint (for maybe $0.02 on the dollar). The roof was covered, and a repair loan is in the works from the City of Fortuna. A part of the floor that had settled has been raised. The front has been repaired for safety, and a gap between the front perimeter and the ground has been closed off. A thousand holes have been filled with pitch and calking. Trees have been taken town, a jungle of vegetation was mowed down by goats. The original boardwalk, which terminated at this building, is all that remains of what was once three miles of a 6' wide old growth wood plank boardwalk leading from Rohnerville into downtown Fortuna. Much of that perished in two fires and successive development along Rohnerville Road since then.

Phase four: Operations! The two buildings on either side of the largest have been put into operation as short and medium term rentals on Airbnb and the private market. Unfortunately, despite some very deliberate attempts to put a damper on expectations for short-term renters seeking a luxury stay, a couple of complaints by uppity city slickers have been sufficient grounds for Airbnb's AI customer service monster to automatically and permanently ban this rental, with no possibility of recourse. So now, the task is to apply a little bit of grit to (1) complete the restoration and (2) market the Sow's Ear as a venue and rental locally and on the "internets", as the kids say.

Phase five: The big to-do list. So what remains to be done is to restore the big windows or place proper siding where they once were, finish the roof, and raise the floor in the largest building where it is not planar. This last part will require some real engineering and a significant expense. Finally, there might be a minor amount of plumbing work to bring the largest building sufficiently up to standards for commercial use.

And then what? Perhaps it'll be a restaurant, commercial kitchen for rent, a goat yoga studio, a café, or perhaps a co-working space, maker space, startup incubator, or a music venue. With so much space, there aren't very many constraints.

And in-between all this Eric and his sister have both managed to add some kids to both of their families, host hundreds of Airbnb guests, host countless family events and parties for friends, and every Friday have their kids meet for "Sow's Ear School".

I'm certain that the now "Honorary Mayor of Rohnerville" will continue to improve and restore the Sow's Ear to its former glory and that with his tireless entrepreneurial energy, the Sow's Ear's best years are still ahead.