March 2016 People Kyle and Amy Goleno

When Kyle and Amy Goleno visited St. Helena two years ago, they noticed a curious absence of children’s souvenirs. “Yes, it’s Wine Country, and that suggests tourism targets mostly adults. But we thought we would see at least children’s clothing, onesies or something,” says Kyle. “And that’s when we thought the book would be a good idea.”

What started as a pet project for the Golenos—who now live in St. Helena—became Maggie and Maddy, Adventures in Wine Country, a children’s book featuring the couple’s two daughters. “We wanted to write a book where our daughters came to real places in Wine Country,” says Kyle. “And after self publishing, we’ve been so successful we’ve had to order a third printing. The book has sold more than 7,000 copies.”

The book uses real locations, and the Golenos went to each owner for their permission to use them. “We ended up meeting so many people and businesses, we thought we could take that in another direction,” says Kyle. “So we launched Wine Country Resources.”

Wine Country Resources is a website containing the collected works of the Golenos. Kyle, who majored in computer studies in college, codes the website and Amy helps with marketing, design input and content generation. Besides links to the book (and it’s sequel, which features a fictitious boy and his dog), travel blogs around Napa County and a restaurant guid. It also features another pet project: cask jewelry.

“We got the idea from seeing wooden rings made in Hawaii,” says Kyle. “And we thought we could do something similar using wood sourced out of used wine barrels.” Kyle ordered a custom machine to process thin strips of cask wood, which are then inlaid on the outside of a tungsten ring. Cask Jewelry also makes cufflinks and pendants out of oak barrels.

“I’m an entrepreneur at heart,” says Kyle. “And doing the book and the jewelry gave me the opportunity to meet other entrepreneurs. Between this, our kids and our actual jobs, there’s never a shortage of things to for us to do.”

One-Stop Hospitality

Ever wonder how a concierge knows what’s going on everywhere, all the time? Odds are, they’re using a resource site that organizes events from the area into a single calendar. “That’s the importance of communicating with other concierges and businesses,” says Colby Smith, executive director and founder of the Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma (CANVAS). “It’s why we created CANVAS.”

Smith started her hospitality career in Napa as concierge for the Villagio Inn & Spa in Yountville. For the past six years, she’s collaborated with hospitality professionals in the North Bay to flesh out CANVAS, an online network that connects concierges with local businesses and events.

“Millions of dollars in tourism go through hotels every year,” says Smith. “And it’s the duty of the concierge to help tourists connect with the local element. With CANVAS, everyone wins: tourists get the information they need, hospitality staff get all their resources in a single website and business owners get a boost in revenues.”

Smith stresses the best way to make a tourist happy is to deliver an unforgettable experience matched with unparalleled service. “To that effect, we’ve just launched a new website that helps personalize itineraries without sacrificing the convenience of having many events in a single calendar.”

The website lets users view upcoming events through CANVAS and plan log their activity plans online. They can also send their calendars to hospitality experts, who can make recommendations and offer advice for their trips. “Whether you want a canopy tour, a limo tasting or a hot air balloon ride, we’ll find who’s offering that service.”