SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The plaza at Ski Run that once hosted Nepheles and Café Fiore is set to close for redevelopment at the end of April next year. While the construction on a new complex likely won’t happen right away, pre-development applications have been filed through the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA) and consulting work started earlier this year, leading the businesses in the plaza wondering exactly what they’ll do come springtime.

The parcel on 1169 Ski Run Boulevard has several businesses present: Thai on Ski Run (previously Nepheles), Lake Tahoe Computers LLC, Olga’s Barber Shop, and a Cowork Cabin. The longest running of these is Café Fiore, which has been at that location for 30 years. The location has had three landlords in the past five years, a rapid cycling in ownership that has become more common in South Lake Tahoe.

The filed plans from the TRPA don’t clearly indicate what the new complex will look like, but there are talks of the new complex including rentals or AirBnBs, as well as possible business locations, including a restaurant.

Nick Ashmore, owner of Café Fiore, said that sometime after Labor Day, their landlords approached and let him know that they were planning on changing direction with the plaza. Though Ashmore was offered a spot in the new complex, he said, “It’s not the Café Fiore feel.”

Ashmore has let his employees know and is starting to scale down the operation with only half a year left. He stated, “I don’t think we’re going to continue on. We’ve opted over the years to stay with our location and to provide consistent food, great atmosphere, and great service.” Ashmore felt things simply wouldn’t be the same in the new complex.

Olga Lidia Morgan and Julio Arrue, who own Olga’s Barber Shop and Lake Tahoe Computing LLC respectively, do want to continue their businesses. It’s unclear whether both of them were offered a place in the new complex, but both are seeking out new locations in case.

Arrue has run Lake Tahoe Computing LLC for 15 years and moved four or five times in that span of time. “It’s a huge problem for businesses around here because it can be hard to find landlords who will hold the property for longer than two years.”

He has wanted to buy a property and has been working towards it, but financing has been difficult on him and the business. Arrue moved to the smaller location at 1169 Ski Run Boulevard because of the coronavirus pandemic, which allowed them to stay afloat through those tough financial times. Still, Arrue noticed that other computer stores weren’t so lucky. “When we started business, there were at least ten computer stores in South Lake Tahoe. Now, there are only two.”

The business has persisted because of its connection with the community, which Arrue prides himself on, and the shift to working on computer networking rather than just repairs. “Small businesses exist to serve the community and what we work on connects the community,” he said. “But if we can’t find a new location by May, we’ll have to close.”

Both Arrue and Ashmore lamented the closure of businesses in South Shore, which they’ve seen happen over and over again, through recessions and the COVID-19 pandemic. “There are businesses that will close and never open again,” said Arrue.

“Tahoe is losing some of these little gems,” said Ashmore, referencing Lakeside Inn, Izzy’s Burger Spa, and Nepheles closing. “If we’re replaced with a Starbucks or a Taco Bell or something, we’ll become what I call a cookie-cutter community. What we’re losing, really, is our character.”

Arrue hopes to stay in business, to continue sales, tutoring students from the schools his children attend, and to keep building networks for people. “We love Tahoe, you know. My kids were born here. But it’s all pretty uncertain.”

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.