As of early October 2026, the former Rite Aid building at 27177 State Highway 189 in Blue Jay was still on the market for lease. The space covers 19,237 square feet. Santiago Restaurant, Dogwood Tavern and The Villager Coffee Shop have closed in the same shopping center. Meanwhile the newest places to meet up on this side of the mountain opened somewhere else, in a corner of Skyforest, along Hook Creek Road in Cedar Glen and in Lake Arrowhead Village.
The new places have something in common. Blue Jay was a stop you made because you were already passing through. The new spots give you a date to show up: a Market Day on a set Saturday, a First Friday fundraiser, a happy hour with fixed hours.
What Blue Jay Village Lost, and Why the Losses Stacked Up
Mountain News reported that Santiago Restaurant closed on July 25 after a decade in Blue Jay Village. The family's farewell said, "It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this amazing community." The paper called it the fourth business to close or leave the area in recent months, after Rite Aid, Dogwood Tavern and a dental office.
A second Mountain News piece on Blue Jay's closures explains why one closure leads to the next. Its argument is simple. If people can't pick up a prescription or household basics in Blue Jay anymore, fewer of them drive through. Fewer drive-throughs means fewer last-minute lunches at the restaurants nearby. The same article describes the feast-or-famine cycle mountain restaurants live with: busy holidays and summers, then long quiet stretches when sales drop and rent stays the same. One former Dogwood Tavern owner told the paper that rent plus common-area fees had passed $11,000 a month.
Weekday restaurant traffic depended on errands. Once the errands left Blue Jay, the restaurants had one less reason for anyone to drop in.
Blue Jay still has new arrivals, though. Mountain Deals, Bargain & Bin Finds held its grand opening on May 2, 2026, at 27240 Highway 189, selling discounted and brand-name goods, according to the Alpine Mountaineer. It's another errand stop, and that's the kind of business Blue Jay's restaurants have always depended on.
Kuffel Corner Built Its Own Foot Traffic
Kuffel Canyon Coffee opened earlier this summer at 28632 Sycamore Drive in Skyforest. The Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber of Commerce held its ribbon cutting on August 15. The Alpine Mountaineer wrote that "Kuffel Corner has become quite the meeting spot," and pointed to the vendor pop-ups and live music the corner calls Market Days. A September events listing gave the shop's address and its hours, 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The coffee covers the regular mornings. Market Days are what bring a crowd. According to the Alpine Mountaineer's October 14 events listing, two more are on the calendar this year:
| Date | Music, 4 to 7 p.m. | Vendor pop-ups |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Tasso Smith | 3 to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Dec. 19 | Steve Devotion | 3 to 8 p.m. |
November 28 is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. If you have family staying through the long weekend, that gives you an easy afternoon plan. The December 19 date is the last Saturday before Christmas.
Hook Creek Road Is Becoming Cedar Glen's Main Street
Cedar Glen is building its own small cluster along one road. Smokee's Outpost, a provisions shop, lists its address as 28930 Hook Creek Road, and its owners say they are building a custom barbecue food truck. Mountain News covered the shop's soft launch on Friday, April 3. It sits next door to Mag.pi. Launch-period hours were 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Those were opening hours, so check the shop's current schedule and whether the truck is running before you head over for brisket.
The Lake House, also on Hook Creek Road, has its own date on the calendar. The Lake Arrowhead Communities Chamber calendar lists a First Friday fundraiser there for the Rim of the World Historical Society on November 6, from 4 to 7 p.m. The Historical Society's own Holiday Party follows on December 4, from 6 to 9 p.m.
Hook Creek Road works the way Kuffel Corner does. People drive out for the shops and a scheduled evening, and passing traffic matters less.
The Village Added a Table With a Standing Schedule
Lake Arrowhead Village got its own addition this summer. Cask & Cure held its chamber ribbon cutting on July 27, 2026. The Alpine Mountaineer reported it's the owners' second Village restaurant, after Lakefront Tap Room. Cask & Cure offers full-service dining, wine, charcuterie, an event room and a marketplace at 28200 CA-189.
Like the newer spots in Skyforest and Cedar Glen, its hours make it easy to plan around:
- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, happy hour runs 2 to 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, happy hour runs all night starting at 4 p.m.
A Wednesday that lasts all night gives people a standing midweek night out. The Mountain News piece on Blue Jay described weekday slowdowns as exactly the stretch where mountain restaurants struggle.
Halloween Through Mid-December, Mapped by Neighborhood
Here's how the weeks from Halloween to mid-December look if you sort them by where they happen. The pattern from the past few months holds. The gatherings are spread across Skyforest, Cedar Glen and the Village, and each one has a set date.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Oct. 31, 3 to 6 p.m. | Village Halloween | Lake Arrowhead Village, 28200 Hwy 189 |
| Fri., Nov. 6 | SkyPark Local's Day, free entry with local ID plus annual-pass specials | SkyPark at Santa's Village, Skyforest |
| Fri., Nov. 6, 4 to 7 p.m. | First Friday fundraiser for the Rim of the World Historical Society | The Lake House, Hook Creek Road, Cedar Glen |
| Sat., Nov. 7 | SkyPark holiday season opens, running through Jan. 10, 2027 | 28950 Highway 18, Skyforest |
| Thu., Nov. 12 | Lake Arrowhead Business Expo, up to 50 exhibitors, workshops and an evening mixer | Lake Arrowhead Resort & Spa, 27984 Hwy 189 |
| Thu., Nov. 26, noon to 9 p.m. | Thanksgiving Harvest Dinner at Bin 189, $99 per adult, $44 per child 11 and under, plus tax and gratuity | Lake Arrowhead Resort |
| Sat., Nov. 28, 3 to 8 p.m. | Kuffel Corner Market Day with Tasso Smith | 28632 Sycamore Dr., Skyforest |
| Fri., Dec. 4, 6 to 9 p.m. | Rim of the World Historical Society Holiday Party | Venue per Chamber listing |
| Sat., Dec. 19, 3 to 8 p.m. | Kuffel Corner Market Day with Steve Devotion | 28632 Sycamore Dr., Skyforest |
Two scheduling notes. SkyPark says holiday visit reservations may be limited and same-day tickets aren't guaranteed, so book ahead if your plans include Santa. The Business Expo on November 12 brings up to 50 local businesses and organizations into one room. That makes it the easiest single afternoon to meet the owners behind this year's openings.
Blue Jay's storefronts may fill again. Shopping centers on this mountain have turned over before, and Mountain Deals shows people are still opening businesses there. For this holiday season, though, the coffee, the music and the fundraisers are on a schedule in Skyforest, Cedar Glen and the Village.
At SoCal Resorts, we follow these openings because our clients, including absentee owners checking in from down the hill, ask us where to get coffee and what's on this weekend as often as they ask about their homes. If you own in Blue Jay, Cedar Glen or Skyforest and want to know how this year's changes affect your property's value, get a free home valuation from our Lake Arrowhead office on Highway 189.
