By Mary-Justine Lanyon
It was 20 years ago that Robin and John Lyles opened The Lake House in Cedar Glen. It’s hard to put a label on their shop which offers art, antiques, gourmet food, home goods and more.
The crew creating the steps that lead down to The Lake House.
But opening such a store was not Robin’s first intention. With her background in the restaurant business, she envisioned opening a restaurant – a Scottish pub – on the mountain. But, she said, trying to pursue financing for a restaurant proved to be nearly impossible.
And then she had an epiphany.
“We were sitting in our wooden boat at our dock on Lake Arrowhead. I remember thinking, ‘Why aren’t there more stores that feel like the lake as opposed to the mountain?’ We would go to wooden boat shows in Lake Tahoe and there are stores there that feel lake oriented,” Robin said. “I thought, ‘I could do that.’”
And, the rest, as they say, is history.
There was vacant space in Cedar Glen. And although it’s near Timberline in the Glen, Robin felt then and still feels now that it’s beneficial to have like businesses together. “I knew my style would be different,” she said. “I felt there was room for a different style.”
With her restaurant background, she decided to carry gourmet foods, kitchenware and barware. She remembers thinking about the shops she had frequented in Orange County that were missing on the mountain. “That’s where we started,” she said.
The exterior of The Lake House today.
Since John is an architect, he designed the store. The couple got to work, transforming the empty space to the shop it is today. They spent 14 months renovating the space.
On May 27, 2005, they opened their doors to the public.
Three years later, the recession hit. With it came challenging times. Robin was trying to think of how to get people into the shop. “I was on an email list for an artist with a gallery in Illinois. I got an email advertising a First Friday art walk in her community. I wondered if it would work here.”
Work here it has – this year will be the 16th season of First Friday at The Lake House.
In 2009, Robin had a couple of artists showing their work in the shop. “I just had to find a few more artists, make some food from the food I sell, buy some wine and see if people showed up.” In May 2009, Linda Brown was her first First Friday artist.
Initially, Robin offered a 10-percent discount on the featured artist’s work. After a few years, she realized the same people were coming – eating, drinking and leaving. “I was trying to figure out how expand the reach to possible art buyers,” she said.
And thus was born her donations to nonprofits on the mountain from First Friday sales. “People feel better making a purchase if they know a little bit goes to an organization,” Robin said. Each First Friday features artists as well as a local nonprofit, which receives 10 percent of all sales that evening.
Art and home goods are among the items offered at The Lake House.
Celebrating 20 years
To commemorate their 20 years, Robin and John are inviting the community to an all-day celebration on Saturday, May 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Artists Linda Brown and Debra Holladay will be there, painting plein air in front of the shop. Author Joann Dickinson – whose books are for sale at The Lake House – will be doing a book signing. Students from the Rim of the World High School jazz band will be sharing their music with the guests.
Robin plans to have hourly raffles for which folks can purchase tickets.
What would a celebration be without food? Robin will have some of her First Friday goodies available as well as barbecue from RB’s Steakhouse, salads, scones and chocolate chip cookies made from a new company that also offers Mexican vanilla.
Linda Brown (right) was the first artist featured at First Fridays. Robin Lyles invites her back every year.
There will be a special anniversary sale and customers who make a purchase of $125 or more will receive a special swag bag Robin is putting together.
What surprises Robin is how fast 20 years have gone by. “It’s been an evolution,” she said. “I get requests for certain things and bring them in. I wanted a store that appealed to everyone.” While she would love to sell a leather sofa every day, she realizes that’s unlikely to happen. Instead, folks come in and buy a jar of jam, a couple of cards, a hostess gift. “I have a range of items available, depending on what you need.
“I have very loyal clientele in the community, which I’m grateful for,” she said. “I try to buy quality products I can stand behind because I’m not going anywhere.”
The Lake House is located at 28966 Hook Creek Road in Cedar Glen. This year’s first First Friday will be on July 4 with featured artists Scott Pryde and Kelly Lingel; it will benefit the Blue Jay Jazz Foundation. For more information, visit www.lakehousecollection.com.
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