Opening the second Wild Poppy took about six months of welding torches and saws. That's how Sonoma Magazine described it this month. Martin Maigaard has spent years renovating homes, and he and Danielle Maigaard built out the old Woodfour Brewing room at The Barlow themselves, without a contractor. The magazine reported that it took longer than they expected, but the savings made the extra work worth it.
Wild Poppy is the newest example of how The Barlow changed this year. Almost every food and retail opening there in 2026 moved into a room another business had left. Whatever each new tenant became depended partly on the space it took over: a brewery, a pasta counter, a catering kitchen, an empty warehouse. The next step is different. The Barlow is planning six new retail suites, which would be its first added space in a long while.
A year of new tenants in old rooms
Here is where the year's openings landed and what each room used to hold.
| New business | Address | What the room used to be | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iggy's Burger | 6700 Sebastopol Ave. | Cock Robin | January |
| Genero's Delicatessen | 6760 McKinley St., Unit 120 | The Farmer's Wife | Jan. 26 |
| Sarah's Silks | 6790 McKinley St., Suite 190 | First brick-and-mortar shop | February |
| Rust Boutique expansion | Behind its existing Barlow shop | Vacant warehouse | April 1 |
| Chippy | 6751 McKinley St., Suite 130 | Acre Pasta | Mid-June |
| The Porch Kitchen dinner service | 6811 Laguna Park Way | Old Goatlandia catering kitchen | Summer |
| Wild Poppy Cafe & Marketplace | 6780 McKinley St., Suite 160 | Woodfour Brewing | About September |
Look down the third column and the pattern is clear. Sarah's Silks is the only business on the list that wasn't stepping into someone else's former room or its own neighboring space. Jennifer Adametz, The Barlow's property manager, told The Press Democrat in April that the district has "truly stuck to our roots by bringing in makers and passionate, creative people who love what they do." She contrasted that with places where national brands are filling the vacancies left by small businesses.
How each old room shaped what opened
For several of these businesses, the room they took over is the reason they opened at The Barlow.
The Maigaards opened their first Wild Poppy in 2024 at 9890 Bodega Highway. Sonoma Magazine reported that the couple had spent 22 years hoping for a restaurant with a big kitchen, room to bake, plenty of parking, and an artisan marketplace "bigger than a closet." The creekside roadhouse had none of those. A 3,500-square-foot former brewery has all of them. Its marketplace now carries pottery, spices, blankets, and towels, and a deli case is being stocked with grab-and-go soups, dips, and salads. In April, Martin Maigaard told The Press Democrat that the patio overlooking McKinley Street was part of what drew them to the space.
Chippy fits its room just as neatly. The fish-and-chips counter comes from Steve DeCosse, who owns Acre Pizza, and it opened in the space his Acre Pasta used to fill. Sebastopol Times lists the menu as chowder, a burger, and fish and chips.
The Porch Kitchen began late last year as a daytime grab-and-go counter, run by Lisa and Kevin Boisset, the caterers behind The Cook & The Drummer. It sits just behind the Rialto in the old Goatlandia catering kitchen. Sebastopol Times reported that more people wanted to sit and stay than the original plan allowed, so this summer the couple added full dinner service. The menu is scratch-made French bistro food, from dry-aged beef sliders to a salade lyonnaise. The Porch's dinner hours are 5:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. Tuesday is lunch only, and the kitchen is closed Sunday and Monday.
Rust Boutique grew into the space right behind it. On April 1 the clothing shop moved into a vacant warehouse behind its storefront and went from about 500 square feet to more than 1,300. Co-owner Hayley Kaslar told The Press Democrat the extra room would let them host after-hours shopping, wine and cheese pairings, and fashion shows. She also said they had noticed "a lot of people coming from Marin County and the East Bay."
On Sebastopol Avenue, Iggy's Burger replaced Cock Robin's burger-and-fried-chicken menu with its own burgers. Sebastopol Times traces the business to Angela Pryor and her son Ignacio "Iggy" Garat, who took over Lala's Creamery in Petaluma in 2017. Iggy's posts its hours as 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Two plans that are still taking shape
Turning an old room into something new usually takes longer than the first announcement suggests, and this year's two biggest plans are still in progress.
In April, the Maigaards told The Press Democrat they hoped to grow into the new space by the first week of July. Martin Maigaard described two things the Bodega Highway cafe never had. The Barlow location would serve "into the evening hours," and the old brewing room would produce "fresh tofu out of the space for both restaurants." The cafe opened in early fall, and for now its listed schedule is brunch and lunch. Sonoma Magazine's Oct. 13 story gives hours of 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday through Monday, closed Tuesday. The Google listing linked from Wild Poppy's website shows later closing times on some days, so check the current schedule before you plan a late lunch around it.
Iggy's has a sweeter plan on the way. Sebastopol Times reported in September that Angela's Organic Ice Cream would get its own counter inside the restaurant. The Barlow's Iggy's listing already mentions sweet treats from Angela's. If you're after a scoop specifically, ask at the counter.
If you followed our earlier post on Sebastopol's delayed restaurant openings, this is the same pattern, now visible from the patio on McKinley Street.
The first new rooms come next
The Barlow's refill has worked through most of the empty space it had. The next step depends on building more. Adametz told The Press Democrat that an application had been filed for a construction permit to build six retail suites at 100 Morris St., near Crooked Goat Brewing. She said demand is high for small retail spaces. No tenants or opening dates had been announced in that April report.
That makes the empty lot on Morris Street the one to watch next. Every opening this year had to fit inside an existing building, whether a brewery, a pasta counter, or a warehouse. The Morris Street suites would be built for small shops from the start.
On the Barlow calendar this fall
The two dates below come from The Barlow's event calendar. It's a live listing, so check it before heading out.
- Saturday, Oct. 31, 3 to 5 p.m. Tricks & Treats at The Barlow, centered at The Barlow Market, 6770 McKinley St.
- Sunday, Nov. 15, 2 to 8 p.m. HEAD WEST Marketplace. The Press Democrat reported that this outdoor artisan market runs on the third Sunday of each month through December, with free family activities and live music.
Halloween afternoon is a good chance to try the new rooms in one walk. Start with Genero's or Chippy for a late lunch, browse Sarah's Silks for its Waldorf-inspired toys, then head over for the Tricks & Treats hours. If you'd rather start the day at the Sebastopol Farmers Market, it runs every Sunday year-round, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the Town Plaza at 6901 McKinley St. That puts it a short walk from everything above.
For more on how the town fits together, our Sebastopol neighborhood guide covers the rest of the area.
Watching a long-empty room come back to life is one of the best parts of living in a small town, and Martin Maigaard's build-it-yourself approach at Wild Poppy is the kind of renovation story we love at Apryl Lopez. If your own space feels ready for its next chapter, whether that means a refresh or a sale, we'd be glad to talk it through with you, starting with a free home valuation.
