How does someone discover the deals that downtown Napa ’s stores, restaurants and tasting rooms are offering?
You could do a slow walk through the central business district, poking your head into enterprises of interest.
But do you have the time? What if the most alluring attractions lie a block or two away, just beyond your awareness?
Despair not. There’s now a DoNapa app that “pings” you as youmake your way by foot or car through the central business district. It can becustomized to your interests, so you never miss out.
At the end of December, some three dozen businesses were posting promotions on the app, with more coming aboard in the new year, said Bill La Liberte, Downtown Napa Association’s new executive director, who replaced Craig Smith upon his retirement.
The app is the brainchild of Paul Kelaita, a Napa software developer, who spent the summerwriting the code on his own time. The Downtown Napa Association offers it free to downtown businesses and shoppers.
Kelaita had been working as a “Napaambassador,” strolling downtown on Fridays and Saturdays, trying to guide pedestrians to the businesses best suited to their needs. Businesses have their ownwebsites, certainly, but they don’t reach potential customers who just happen to be passing by, he said.
The DoNapa app provides that connection in real time, he said.
This reporter had the app on his iPhone while driving along Third Street after a visit to the Napa library. When he passed the new Folklore café on Third Street, he got an alert enticing him to check the business out. On a visit to Oxbow PublicMarket, his phone buzzed with a nearby wine tasting offer.
“It’s reaching out to somebody in proximity, not to someone in San Francisco but someone by their front door,” La Liberte said.
When the app is downloaded (an Android version is not yet available), it can be customized to search for restaurants, wine tastings, cocktails, shopping, cultural interests and more.
During the holidays, the DoNapa app promoted happy hours as well as discounts on hotel rooms, store merchandise and wine tastings.
Erin Riley, owner of Be Bubbly on Second Street, said the app allowed her to reach folks in downtown who might be interested in a “bubbles lounge” that serves small bites and features local entertainment.
Vast numbers of visitors stick to First Street, never realizing there are businesses off First that mightsatisfy their needs, Riley said. “Second Street is just a block away, but it seems like another country sometimes,” she said.
On the DoNapa app, Riley promotes her happy hour and special events, including entertainment.
Kelaita is a software engineer who has worked for NASA, Yahoo as well as startups. He and his wife bought a home in Napa nine years ago, but they waited four years until their children were out of the house to live here full time.
“If it flies in Napa, I’d like to take it to other cities. I’ll use Napa as a reference,” Kelaita said of the DoNapa app. He imagines selling versions to other Valley cities and beyond, such as “Do Burlingame” and “Do Palo Alto.”
