You don’t know Dickerson

Dickerson Road is only a mile and a half from the Reno arch, only a five-minute drive from the heart of downtown, and yet it feels worlds removed. Tucked in a narrow metaphorical peninsula between the Truckee River and the railroad tracks, with only one way in and out, the road itself is just over half a mile. It ends with a cul-de-sac at Oxbow Nature Park, one of the city's great, untrammeled parks.

Along the road, there’s a constant hum of welding, drilling, grinding and other power tools at work, punctuated by the rumble and whistle of trains rolling by at close proximity. The neighborhood is close to the urban core, but feels small and rural, the kind of place where everybody knows each other. Local businesspeople are as likely to be out in front of their stores mingling with one another as they are to be inside minding the shop. And the businesses there are unique—no national chains or stores with broad commercial appeal. Instead it’s all misfit niche businesses: supply stores for unusual hobbies, artists’ studios, and specialty manufacturers. The road is also home to a few hundred people who live in standalone houses and apartment complexes along the river.

The road begins west of Keystone Avenue, where Second Street merges with Chism Street. Heading west from the beginning of the road, the first business on the street is Caravan Campers, a company that manufactures camper shells and is celebrating 60 years in business. Mike Devine, the current owner, has worked there for 38 years. His father was one of the company’s original partners.

“It used to be a lot of automotive type businesses, carpenters, contractors, that type of thing,” said Devine about the road. “Now there’s still the automotive, but the contractors have left, and the artist types have moved in.”

After Caravan Campers, there’s Tint Doctor & Auto, one of several automotive shops on the street, Fiori Produce, and across the road, the American National Insurance Company.

“Some of the people who come over here and live over here—they feel like it’s a little niche that a lot of people don’t know about,” said Kelly Westmoreland, an insurance salesman with American National. “There are things on this street that people would never know about, maybe, like the water gardens, the homebrewer, and the live theater company down the street.”

In recent years, Dickerson Road has developed something of a reputation as a miniature hub for the arts. This is partly because of the presence of Reno Art Works, a small gallery and set of artists’ studios on the road. They moved into the neighborhood in 2012 and currently operate two different spaces of studios, housing work areas for over 20 artists. They’re in the process of renovating a second gallery, called New Kid Gallery, focused on young artists, and achieving nonprofit status. They also operate the Potentialist Workshop, an alternative theater space that houses classes and performances by the improv comedy troupe Up & Atom, video shoots for stand-up comedians, and live theatrical performances. Their next production, Ali, has performances from Nov. 15 through Dec. 6.

“People have been working really hard here for a while, but PR wasn’t a big part of their mission,” said Aric Shapiro, the executive director of Reno Art Works. “And they didn’t need it as much. And we’re also the tipping point. The Wedge has been here for three or four years now, and [Infinity] Forge has been here for eight years. And Candace Nicol was here with Oxbow Press for years, so there was something kind of going, but didn’t quite reach a larger awareness.”

Shapiro said that attracting attention to the neighborhood and the creative community there has been part of the mission of Reno Art Works.

“In order for us to survive and thrive and be true to our mission, we had to make a really big deal about what we were doing to find the other artists to rent the space,” he said. “For us to make it we really needed to make a large production out of it, so we had to talk about: ’Here’s Dickerson Road. Here’s Reno Art Works. We’re out here. We exist. Look at it! Look at it! Look at it!’”

Shapiro said that, for artists, part of the appeal of Dickerson Road is that it’s safe without being gentrified. It’s cheap to rent space, but the small-town atmosphere makes the area seem secure.

“You can work ’til 2 or 3 in the morning, and you don’t have to worry about who’s milling around your car,” he said. “And that makes it more accessible for a larger portion of the population. … Everybody’s kind of chill, everybody’s relaxed and wants to make it look good. It’s that in-between phase where it’s still beautiful and approachable and nice and worth looking at, but not so much that it’s restrictive.”

He gestured to the projects-in-progress and random assortment of detritus in front of the gallery.

“If we were in Midtown with a church pew, a couple of pieces of plywood, and a desk in our parking lot, people would be like, ’What are you doing?’”

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was a dump where the park is now. In the 1930s, there was a garlic farm in the area. Some local business owners mentioned rumors that, at some point, there was a brothel on the road. In the 1970s, there was a hippie commune called Truckee River Risin, that used to host Greenpeace “Save the Whales” rallies and music festivals.

Buz Rhodes lived on the commune in the ’70s. Now he owns Rhodesigns, a shop on the road where he makes handpainted signs, airbrush paintings, and does custom automobile pinstriping.

“A lot of people have come and gone,” said Rhodes. “A lot of people who lived in Reno for years never knew about Dickerson Road—back then and now too. … It’s been a great place to have a shop.”

Infinity Forge, a blacksmith shop, has been on the road for eight years. The shop hosts open forge community nights on Mondays and Wednesdays.

“It’s becoming more of an art presence,” said Tony Olsen, who works at the forge. “In midtown and what they’re trying to do with Fourth Street, there’s no parking and too many people. It’s too much of a hassle to go down there and do anything. Down here, you feel like you’re stepping out of the city on to artists’ row.”

Dennis Cochran is a jeweler whose shop, DC Trader, has been in business locally for 35 years. It was downtown on Second Street between West and Sierra streets for 18 years before moving up the street to Dickerson Road six months ago. He shares space with Infinity Forge, where he has been taking blacksmithing lessons for almost two years and has collaborated with Infinity Forge owner Brett Moten on some custom pieces of jewelry.

“Dickerson Road is just a kick,” said Cochran. “All my clients love it. They don’t have to worry about parking or being accosted. They just love this area. It’s really turning into an artists’ row, I feel.”

Cochran said there was less walk-in traffic and window shoppers on Dickerson Road compared to his previous location closer to downtown. Customers who patronize businesses on the road tend to be more dedicated clientele with specific interests.

Sutter and Samantha Stremmel own Sierra Water Gardens, a boutique nursery that sells koi, plants, pond supplies, and Wedge Ceramics Studio. Sierra Water Gardens recently closed for the season, but the Stremmels also live on the scenic property, just across the river from Idlewild Park. In the summer, they host live music events there on Saturday nights.

“It’s small-town feeling,” said Samantha. “We know almost everybody on the street. And they’re all characters. Once you meet everybody—I swear they’re like characters from a book. It’s bizarre.”

She said that when she’s leaving to run errands, she’ll sometimes say to her husband, “I’m going into town,” and he’ll gently remind her, “We live in town.” But the Dickerson neighborhood does feel oddly isolated, especially on the gorgeous property of Sierra Water Gardens.

She described the ceramic studio as “a gym membership for potters.” Members can pay for a monthly membership or get a punchcard in exchange for use of the studio’s equipment, like wheels and kilns. Additionally, they regularly bring in artists for workshops to teach various skills and techniques, and there’s a small gallery where members can sell their work.

She said there’s a collaborative spirit among many of the business on the road. One example is the upcoming Chilly Cash and Carry event on Dec. 13 and 14, participants can buy bowls made at the Wedge, alongside spoons made at Infinity Forge sold together with specially made chili.

Brothers Vinnie and Anthony Lucido own CoAuto, an auto repair shop on the road. Vinnie said that some of the other businesses in the neighborhood, like Reno Art Works and the Wedge, inspired the brothers to include a “community component” in their business.

“Initially, what we wanted to do was open up to the public so they could come in and work on their own vehicles, but insurance right now is just outrageous, so we’re working toward that,” he said.

In the meantime, they offer free instructional classes on car repair on the third Friday of every month. The next one is on Nov. 21 from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

“We want to educate the public and empower them with knowledge,” he said.

Sierra Enterprises is a multifaceted business owned by Bob Dodson, who’s been working on the road for 42 years. He used to be the co-owner and manager of buildings along the river. His business now does industrial screen printing and labels, and in recent years has shifted toward selling credit card machine parts. He recalls an earlier era of the road when it was an industrial manufacturing row for the casino industry.

“We did nothing but slot glass for 20 years for slot machines—designed the art and lettering,” he said. “We had most of the accounts around here and did it in Atlantic City and did it in Vegas. Matter of fact, when they were starting out in Atlantic City, one of the big high-roller types who helped all the casinos get their stuff together came in. He had a list. He had to come to Reno because that’s where you had to go to get everything. He said, ’It blows my mind. I have to see the [playing] card company, the dice manufacturer, the screen printer who makes the glass, and the felt guy who makes the felt for the 21 tables. I’m looking at the addresses, and they’re all on Dickerson Road.’ That’s the way it was at one time.”

He said he liked the energy and sense of community around the street in recent years.

“It’s really changed,” he said.” About a year or so ago, this was a pretty desolate street. There were a lot of vacancies. Not much going on. It’s really come alive, and I really like it, having all the people here and this much activity. A cop told me once a few years ago, ’Dickerson Road is unique because right next to Dickerson Road is Fourth Street, where there’s so much crime. But Dickerson Road hardly has any. I think partly because it’s a dead end.’”

“I love it down here,” said Rudy Hill, the owner of Majestic Neon and Signs, another specialty shop on the road. “Everybody’s pretty cool. You’ve got a little bit of everything and I like all my neighbors. It’s a like a little family around here.”

Also on the road is a warehouse called simply West Dick, which also hosts arts events. Like Reno Art Works, it’s a work space for artists and musicians, who have used it for video shoots and occasional live performances.

“This street is full of totally rad, unique characters,” said the unique character known as Mike Mechanic. He’s a big guy with a massive beard, an artist who builds custom pieces, like bike racks, for local businesses, and musician who plays in a variety of bands, ranging from doom metal to hobo folk.

“Everybody shares,” he said. “Everybody helps each other. Everybody’s got each others’ backs. Dickerson’s the shit.”

Earl Hecklin, a retired carpenter who lives on the street, flashes a mischievous grin when asked about the neighborhood. “It’s fairly good,” he said. “I had a truck stolen here”—he made it sound like a perk—“I mean, I like the people. They’re honest thieves. You know what I mean? No, it’s cool. I like the area.”

Hecklin said that living in close proximity to Oxbow Park meant that a lot of wildlife showed up around the neighborhood—more than one might expect on a road less than five minutes from downtown.

“I’ve had bears,” he said. “I’ve had deer. I had to run the deer out because they were eating my tomato plants. There are skunks and raccoons.”

With all that wildlife on the road, it might not be too surprising that another specialty business on the road is Trophy Takers Taxidermy. And right next to that is Ridin’ High Rims, an automotive shop that specializes in rims and tires, and custom wheels.

“There’s a lot of real high quality, moral people around here,” said Cedric Jones, the owner of Ridin’ High Rims. “I wouldn’t leave Dickerson Road. There’s a nice diversity. It’s like America on this street. We’re a melting pot.”

In a quintessentially Nevadan twist, the road that a few locals referred to as “artists’ row” also includes a couple of shops in the gun industry. L.A.G. Tactical is a gun holster company. And Fetchum’s Thundersticks is a gunsmith.

“Just good people down here,” said Jim Willis, the owner of Fetchum’s. He also owns Sunset Drilling Seals, next door to Fetchum’s, which manufactures and sells mining equipment across the country. “Everybody kind of looks out for each other. Most everybody who does business on the street or lives on the street knows everybody. The only exception to that is the people who live in the apartments. They’re kind of transient. … If you’ve got business on the street or you live here, then you’re here.”

Otherwise, you’re probably not showing up on the road, because, it being a cul-de-sac, there’s no passing through.

“It’s a good location to have a specialty business,” said Rob Bates, the owner of Reno Homebrewer, a shop that sells supplies for amateur beer brewing. He’s been in business for more than two decades and on Dickerson Road for 19 years. “There’s not a lot of traffic here to deal with. Plenty of parking. The people that work and live here always help each other out. We’re not going to compete with each other. We’re all in the same deal here. I need welding done, or someone to run a forklift, or I need a part for something, and they’re on it right now. We just take care of each other. You don’t see that in the shopping mall or even a strip mall. Everyone’s at each other’s necks. We’ll survive. We don’t need to beat each other up. It’s the whole small town ethos. No Walmart big boxes down here. They wouldn’t. We don’t have the traffic.”

One recent addition to the road is Oxbow Café & Bistro, an eatery with good coffee and grub. Café owners Kathleen and Greg Austin also own several of the buildings on the road.

“It feels like it’s off the beaten path, but it’s not,” said Kathleen of the neighborhood. “It’s right smack dab in the middle of town. Which is cool, because everybody likes a little hideaway.”

Originally from San Francisco, she first came to Reno decades ago to work on the grandiose stage show Hello, Hollywood, Hello!, but like several others, she’s worked on Dickerson Road for decades. She said that the recent increase in the arts presence in the area inspired her that it was time for a coffee shop in the neighborhood.

Other businesses on the road include Freeborn Woodworking, Sherman Loehr Custom Tilework, Castle Foods, Crafty’s Auto Body Repair, All Star Storage and Lombardo’s Appliances. And of course the road ends at Oxbow Park, with hiking trails, birds and beasts, and lookouts over the river. Some of the residences near the park have cows and chickens milling about.

“Everybody on Dickerson Road has always collaborated with one another,” said Kathleen. “This has always been a place—a little more progressive. It’s always been like this. It’s always been a little renegade down here.”