TAHOE CITY, Calif. – With redevelopment and demolition in the pipeline, shops in the Boatworks Mall want to offer the community a comforting reminder—”we’re still here.”

Spiked by the news of Jake’s on the Lake’s winter closure, the message is in response to a wave of inquiries from concerned customers regarding the status of their businesses as redevelopment looms.

Describing Jake’s as an anchor for the mall, many shop owners were sad to hear the news. “They’re a part of this place,” the owner of the Lucky Horseshoe said.

According to a sign posted on the restaurant’s door, Jake’s on the Lake will return May 2026 after closing Nov. 1.

The remaining businesses assure the community that they are still open and committed to serving customers and the community through the winter and for as long as they can.

As North Tahoe’s only enclosed shopping mall, its two stories hold a variety of businesses, including boutiques, jewelry, candy and wine shops, yoga and jiu jitsu studios, as well as the Snow Sport Museum.

It boasts quaint wooden features, vaulted ceilings, warm lights and a brick-laid gathering space that often holds markets and events.

“It’s still a good little nook of Tahoe City,” Allison Yonto said, owner of Tahoe Wine Collective, who seeks to pour an experience with every glass of wine.

How long does Boatworks have?

Property owners, MJD Capital Partners, are targeting redevelopment approval, permitting and entitlement finalization for next year with demolition to follow shortly after.

However, the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency’s dig moratorium, which starts Oct. 15 and typically runs through April, throws some uncertainty into the mix.

If demolition doesn’t take place before Oct. 15, 2026, it may have to wait until the following spring.

Redevelopment plans consist of transforming the site of Boatworks Mall, the Inn at Boatworks and El Dorado Savings Bank into a mixed-use development with hotel lodging, a spa, residential condominiums, and independent commercial spaces.

According to Placer County, The Boatworks application is currently under review with the Tahoe branch of Placer County’s Community Development Resource Agency. The county says the applicant is actively addressing several engineering and design features that will inform the project design and environmental analysis.

At the completion of the environmental documents, a public hearing process will commence with dates forthcoming.

“We would like to emphasize that, unlike many other developments, our project is within the existing by-right zoning, does not require any development rights beyond our current ownership, nor do we need any code amendments,” Vinton Hawkins, General Counsel and Project Manager for MJD Capital Partners said. “Furthermore, we have not requested any in-kind or monetary concessions from Placer County. All necessary elements for our project are already present within the existing code and on-site.  As a women-owned business,  we’ve invested in our commitment to the community through environmental support for non-profits, our involvement on various boards, the art initiatives we’ve brought to the lake, and our donations of time, money, and in-kind space for community organizations and non-profits such as the Ski Museum, CUTL, Tahoe Fund, The League to Save Lake Tahoe, and TCDA.”

A history of community

Its name reflecting its past, Boatworks was previously a boatyard. The mall was built in 1978, initially as an open-air office building. Owners at the time converted it two years later into a retail space, setting the stage for shops to not only develop business, but also decades worth of community.

Frequenting Boatworks as a kid on lake visits almost 50 years ago, Tahoe City Chocolates owner, “AK”, recalls how Boatworks would stand out against the lake.

“It was the gemstone of the town,” he said.

AK is now the host to customers who make their own ritual stop to the candy store and mall during visits. The store has been serving chocolate, ice cream, or candy for nearly 45 years. After 17 years of ownership, AK has seen kids grow up and generations come through for handmade chocolates.

Another business that made the mall its home is the Tahoe T-Shirtery, a multi-generation business that’s been dressing customers in stylish, fun or witty Tahoe T-shirts since 1986.

“Everyone needs a Tahoe t-shirt,” said Jeremy Lanz, who took it over for his dad in 2020. Lanz remembers growing up around the mall as his dad ran the business. The T-shirtery has grown to three locations, but this Boatwork’s location is special. That’s because it’s the original.

Across the first floor from Tahoe T-Shirtery is Alberto Brione’s boutique, called Camila’s at Tahoe. Brione opened Camila’s after moving from Italy, drawn to the skiing and the active mountain lifestyle.

His father was in the textile business, instilling an eye for fashion in Brione from the start. This keen eye for fashion brings his loyal customers back year after year. And now, after 35 years, he’s also seen generations grow up before his eyes. Some of those customers share memories of the mall with him and tell him they don’t want to see it go.

Many of these shop owners live locally and know each other, collaborating on events, tastings and pairings in their community mall.

When the time comes

MJD Capital Partners’ current plans estimate the build-out to take approximately two years, requiring the shops to either relocate or shut down during that time. The company says it wishes the shops 100% success in their operations and would welcome them back.

“We absolutely want them to return to the Boatworks,” Hawkins said, “some of which have been operating here for decades, and we will support them in any way we can.”

Many shops are already evaluating their options, whether that’s relocating, having other locations absorb this one, or bolstering an online presence.

Others are planning on crossing that bridge when it gets here. For Brione, he says he’s been considering a break anyway.

AK hopes to be a part of the new development or in a lakefront shopping center somewhere.

Yonto has her creative wheels spinning, embracing what her wine shop has created at Boatworks for locals and visitors.

“What I love with this space is the experience that people have in here,” she said, while looking out into the Tahoe Wine Collective’s space. “People will come and sit here for hours at a time and share stories and talk and you know, phones are put down.”

It’s something she hopes to replicate at a new place when the time comes to move on from the Boatworks location.

But before that time comes, Lanz said, expressing the sentiment of many shop owners, “We’ll be here as long as we can, that’s for sure.”