![Virgil's Bait Shop owners Eric and Rick Butcher grew up going to the shop with their father. They bought the business in 2018. Pictured here, Eric (right) shares a beer with longtime friend, Brian Borrell. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/5-november_18_2021virgil_s_bait_shop.png?1642024151)
Virgil’s Bait Shop in Suisun City Offers Fresh Bait, Cold Beer
Popular fisherman's hangout has been around nearly 80 years
Memorabilia, beer and longstanding friendships have made the shop a beloved stop for regulars.
![Amy Wister is the cofounder and CEO of RevShopp. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/1121_blog_sotm_terenceduffy.jpg?1636652596)
Startup of the Month: RevShopp
Platform shapes a better way to shop
Every body has a type. But clothing stores typically focus on sizes, which does a disservice to both retailers and customers, says Amy Wister, cofounder and CEO of RevShopp.
![Rapper DJ Quik, left, tastes beer with Peter Hoey, brewer and co-owner of Urban Roots Brewing in Sacramento. (Photo courtesy of Urban Roots Brewing)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/img_0129.png?1634823445)
Strange Bedfellows
Business, like politics, brings together unexpected partners
Here are three Capital Region businesses that teamed up with
other creators to build truly local collaborations.
![Sandy and Chuck Hohn, married since 1983, run the House of Clocks in Lodi. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/3-september_03_2021house_of_clocks-3_3.png?1634659180)
House of Clocks in Lodi Still Ticking After 51 Years
There are more than a thousand ticking, chiming clocks cramming the floors and wall spaces at House of Clocks in Lodi.
![Fred Alverson is the owner of Alverson’s Fabric and Furniture in Stockton and the eldest son of founder Andrew Alverson. (Photos by Robin Douglas)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/8z2a5666_2.png?1634320327)
Alverson’s Has It Covered
Family business close-up
Fred Alverson of Alverson’s Fabric and Furniture in Stockton says
upholstery was his calling — though he didn’t always know it.
![Maggie Bender-Johnson, right, is the president of Bender Insurance solutions and will assume the position of CEO when her father Stephen Bender retires. (Photo by Terence Duffy)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/_mg_4255.png?1633993698)
Passing the Torch
Running a family business for multiple generations can be tricky, but several local companies have found a way.
![Cotton Rosser, left, and his wife, Karin Rosser, co-own Cotton’s Cowboy Corral and Flying U Rodeo Company, both based in Marysville. (Photos by Hector Amezcua)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/flyurodeo01.png?1633996016)
Weathering the Wild West
Family business close-up
The Rosser family has provided 60 years of roping and riding for
rodeo professionals and enthusiasts in Marysville.
![Jorge Plasencia, owner of La Esperanza, stands in the bakery his father founded over 50 years ago in Sacramento. (Photos by Geraldo Zavala)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/laesperanza-2.jpg?1633537486)
Feeding a Community
Family business close-up
In 1969, Salvador Plasencia started La Esperanza as a
Mexican-style bakery. Now the 52-year-old business provides a
wide range of essentials for the Capital Region’s Latino
community.
![Chris Bond is the owner of Spiders Garage in Sacramento. (Photos by Andrew Calisterio)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/img_5078_0.jpg?1632161270)
Getting to Know: Chris Bond
Tucked into a Tahoe Park warehouse is Spiders Garage, a
wonderland of vintage clothing collected and sourced by owner
Chris Bond.
![Jack Strong, a fabricator with McLellan Blacksmithing in Loomis, welds a frame for a speaker cover in the machine shop on Horseshoe Bar Road. (Photos by Steve Martarano)](https://www.comstocksmag.com/sites/main/files/imagecache/tile/main-images/0921_dept_otbt_stevemartarano_lead.jpg?1631552745)
Firing Up the Centuries-Old Art of Blacksmithing
A step into the forging area of McLellan Blacksmithing in Loomis is, in many ways, a step back in time.