Evelyn Guizar is the owner of Sweet Music Studio Café opening in Citrus Heights. Photo by Thomas J. Sullivan

 

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Evelyn Guizar imagines the joyful sounds of sweet music filling the air.

For now, it’s the sounds of construction, more than harmony, melody or applause that’s coming from inside a 1,600-square-foot-space on 8040 Greenback Lane where the Sweet Music Studio Café will open this fall in Citrus Heights.

The family-owned café, located at 8040 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights in a small commercial plaza on Greenback Lane just before Fair Oaks Boulevard, will serve as both a live musical performance venue and a casual eatery, offering customers desserts, coffee, and artisan beer and wine, Guizar said.

The plaza is home to Matthews Mattress and Clearance Center, Valencia’s Meat Carniceria – Taqueria which her parents own, and the Royal International Market and Restaurant.

“It’s a long-time dream of mine and it’s now about to come true,” Guizar said in front of the café, where construction paper now covers the café’s front windows.

Operations of the Sweet Music Studio Café will be a decidedly family affair.

Guizar will oversee daily operations, while her husband, Javier, a sound engineer, will manage live audio for performances. Their son, Daniel, a member of a local band, Tastes Like TV Static, will serve as musical director.

The City of Citrus Heights issued a building permit for construction of the café on March 24, and the business has also applied for a beer and wine license through the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC), according to public records.

Operations of the Sweet Music Studio Café will be a decidedly family affair. Photo courtesy of Sweet Music Studio Café

Guizar fondly recalls growing up in Citrus Heights, graduating from Bella Vista High School and working in her family’s taqueria just doors down from where the café will open.

Marriage and building a family might have slowed her dream of opening a music café from becoming a reality for a time, Guizar said.

“I’ve been thinking about doing this for 10 to 15 years,” Guizar said.

Guizar has worked full time as a clerk in the Placer County Recorder’s Office. Yet having both a husband who is a sound engineer and a talented son in a band who outgrew his family’s home rehearsal space made Guizar realize it wasn’t too late for her own dream to come true, trading administrative work for day-to-day operations of the café.

“I knew it was time and we were fortunate that this space was available,” Guizar said.

A vacant commercial suite, formerly the site of a nail salon in the same plaza as her parent’s restaurant, was on the market and a lease was soon signed.

“Our family is excited to create something very special within these four walls,” Guizar said, picturing a thriving music scene soon taking root at the café where an appreciative audience makes all performers, artists and musicians feel welcome.

Guizar anticipates offering live musical performances such as solo instrumentalists, jazz artists, flamenco artists and spoken-word performances. Besides food and music, the space might also offer music lessons and workshops.

“I’m hoping that local musicians in the surrounding area will come to call the Sweet Music Café their favorite and a very special place to play,” Guizar said.

The Sweet Music Café will be closed on Mondays where it can be used by local musicians, including her son, as a dedicated rehearsal space or for private rental, she said.

“He was especially pleased with that,” Guizar said with a smile. 

The family-owned café, located at 8040 Greenback Lane in Citrus Heights, is in a small commercial plaza on Greenback Lane.

The business will also cater to local event organizers and educational institutions seeking performance or workshop space, according to Guizar.

“I’m looking forward to fostering an appreciative audience for live music in the city of Citrus Heights,” Guizar said.

Guizar visualizes the Sweet Music Studio Café as a place for everyone to come together and create social cohesion through art, music and culture. She looks forward to featuring local artists and musicians ready to take the stage.

To keep up with opening details and event announcements, the public can follow Sweet Music Studio Café on Facebook and Instagram, Guizar said.