Melissa Ramirez comes from a long line of Mexican family cooks. Her mother owns a restaurant. Her brother and son own restaurants. All told, there are six restaurants and bars to her family name, she said.

Now, after 25 years in Alaska, Ramirez will get her shot to further the family tradition. Her taco truck Mar y Sol, which she owns and operates with her husband Richard Bloomquist, will soon set the parking brake: the couple has moved the business into a permanent space, soon to open with a full kitchen.

It’s a chance for Ramirez to showcase her family’s authentic Mexican recipes.

“The carne asada and chile relleno, that’s my favorite, but everything is good, I don’t know which one I’d pick,” Ramirez said.

Open since July of last year, Bloomquist, 52, and Ramirez, 54, have had some success with their taco truck on the side of the Foodland building, where it’s frequented at lunch by downtown’s hungry workforce.

The experience so far has been positive, Bloomquist said, but the couple has had their eyes on a brick-and-mortar operation since opening. The space was last occupied by flower shop Miss Scarlett’s, Bloomquist says, and was a Sears store before that, but it’s been vacant for about eight years.

With a full kitchen, they’ll be able to cook homemade tortillas. Seating space is already available inside and Bloomquist said a kitchen remodel will be done sometime this summer, save for an expensive exhaust hood the couple will have to wait for until fall. Once that’s installed, they’ll be able to move operations inside fully.

Bloomquist, a state of Alaska employee, said the fare is more traditional than Tex-Mex and is inspired by Ramirez’ family recipes. Ramirez works with her mother, who lives in Mexico, via phone to develop the menu, which gets updated with specials on Saturdays, she said.

Mar y Sol (which translates to Sea and Sun in English) is open 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday.

Love & Matter closes

The Juneau extension of Petersburg-based Love & Matter gift shop, on Seward Street, is now closed.

The purveyor of unique locally-made gifts and hand-crafted items will move its inventory to Petersburg, where owners Lisa and Yancey Nelson run another Love & Matter shop. Its last day of operation was Friday.

A post on the Love & Matter’s Facebook page explains that the family operation is closing simply as a downsizing and not for monetary reasons.

“We have come to this conclusion: even if the Juneau shop was killing it, we are not able to sustain both shops with our capacity as a family and human beings,” the post states.

Love & Matter, with Flowers, the Petersburg branch of the shop, will remain open. Questions about gift cards and certificates can be directed to the business’ Facebook page or via phone at (907) 650-7354.

Flea markets at the Nugget Mall

Local crafters and small businesses will have an additional home for their wares at new flea markets every Saturday at the Nugget Mall.

Every Saturday, the mall will open its spacious hallways to small vendors to sell handmade crafts. Those interested can contact Kellie Windham at 305-890-6203.

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• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 and kgullufsen@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KevinGullufsen.

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