Some old-timers in Napa County refer to the intersection of highways 121 and 128 as the Corners.

Most know the crossroads near Steele Park at the southern end of Lake Berryessa by its more formal name, Moskowite Corners.

The grocery store, restaurant, bar and two outdoor patios at the corner have been shuttered for a while and in bankruptcy.

Napan Jim Keller purchased the one-acre retail center in September 2008 and is giving the place a much-needed face-lift.

“We are after all, the gateway to Lake Berryessa. We are the first impression that most people get when driving up here to go to the lake. So it’s important to make a good impression,” said MichaelSchildknecht, who will be operating the retail businesses for Keller.

The two men are changing the name of the retail outpost to Berryessa Corners. “But for many it will always be The Corners,” said Schildknecht.

Keller said he paid about $1 million for the 6,000 square feet of store, restaurant, bar and two outdoor patios. He said he has “invested thousands of dollars cleaning the place up” so that improvements can be made.

“We are not just investors trying to make money, but are trying to blend in and be a part of the community,” Keller said.

The grocery store reopened in January, while the restaurant — Mike’s Barbecue — will open this week. The bar is scheduled to open in mid-May.

Schildknecht said the hours will be more consistent than under previous ownership. He plans to be open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week “and hopefully later on weekends and holidays.”

“We are here to cater to the locals and not so much the tourists,” Schildknecht said.

For Schildknecht that means having a well-stocked grocery store where residents can buy not just chips, soda and beer, but all the items for fixing a home-cooked meal. Shoppers will now find shelves of pastas, soups, bread, fresh vegetables, eggs, milk and more.

Schildknecht said that 75 percent of the area locals have told him they’ve never come into the place before, and he’s aiming to turn that around.

Lake Berryessa is headed for what may be a slow summer, with at least four of the lake’s seven private resorts expected to be closed for a second consecutive summer as the transition from old operators to new continues to be hammered out by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.

Yet Schildknecht and Keller believe that the lake will thrive when things settle down and that they hope to help set the tone.

“We’re looking forward to making the best of it with the lake being down,” Schildknecht said. “We feel the future is bright up here. We are trying to be visionaries. Things will happen. We think this place has a lot of potential.”

Both men said the locals seem to be embracing the changes going on at Berryessa Corners. “We are trying to make up for 50 years of what other owners did not do right,” Schildknecht said.

On weekends, Schildknecht wants to host wine tastings from local producers. “There is no place around here where people can congregate,” he said.

Both men have the vision of making Berryessa Corners an informal community gathering place for the roughly 5,000 people scattered throughout the area.

The owners of Berryessa Corners are also reaching out to the community — doing everything from letting Girl Scouts sell their cookies in front of the store to donating to fundraisers at the local schools.

On May 15 and 16, Schildknecht said they have offered their parking lot to the Davis Bicycle Club, which is sponsoring a 100-mile race originating in Davis. The Corners is at about the halfway mark of the ride. In the parking lot, the bike club will be able to set up food and medical stations as well as port-a-potties.

“You have to give back to the community,” Schildknecht said. He is overflowing with ideas to make Berryessa Corners the place to be seen.

Keller added, “I think we are being well received by the locals.”