Water Works
Fresh Vision Takes Shape at the Water Bar…
On a sunny summer morning in Weaverville, owners Donnie Jones and Dakota Myers open the doors to the fun, brightly colored interior of The Water Bar.
Having taken over the water supplier business on 100 Nugget Lane officially in August 2025 from founder Amber Carman, the owners now keep more consistent hours and serve healthy and affordable food, thirst-quenching drinks and housemade ice cream in sustainable containers.
Being from the very cold and conservative South Dakota, the couple started looking for a warmer and welcoming start on the West Coast. However, home prices had skyrocketed. They originally looked at places in Washington and Oregon before coming across their dream home in Weaverville. “The guy who built the house builds yachts; the kitchen looks like a galley,” Myers says.
“I remember the first couple of nights we were here waking up in the morning and feeling like I was in a dream,” Jones says. Myers explains they drove through the area after the Carr Fire and felt sad seeing the devastation from it, but they liked that it’s not that long of a drive between Redding and Weaverville and that it is only two hours away from the coast.
“I love this town; it’s friendly and close to Redding,” Myers adds.
Jones and Myers worked at the Rustic Crumble bakery before it closed in 2025, but prior to its closing, they helped raise more than $2,000 at a fundraiser event for the Rustic Crumble’s owner who was battling an illness. Coinciding with the Witches Brigade, it was there where they met The Water Bar’s Amber Carman.
“We lucked out in finding her,” says Myers. Carman moved to Wyoming and worked out a deal to sell the shop to Jones and Myers if they promised to keep up the water deliveries to local businesses.
“It’s hard to get good water here,” Jones says. They describe the time when illegal marijuana grows popping up in Trinity County were diverting chemicals into the creeks and rivers, ruining the area’s water supply. Now better regulations are in place (and the industry has changed a lot since marijuana became legalized) but when the couple took over, Myers spent a week condensing the thick book Carman put together describing all the benefits of good water.
“I nerded out for a week reading through Amber’s huge binder about water and all about that. We have a water filtration machine that heightens the pH and Donnie does water deliveries on Tuesdays,” says Myers. “It’s cool to see what water can do,” he adds.
Along with learning all there is to know about good quality water and making sure Trinity County has access to it, Myers and Jones did all kinds of other work to The Water Bar such as repainting the interior (“life is too short to live with beige walls,” Myers says); adding new menu items; and cleaning up the outside—restoring an herb garden and putting in a Little Free Library, seating areas and a water fountain.
“We worked our butts off re-mulching, putting gravel out. Amber used to host events in this backyard, and we want to bring that back,” says Jones.
Inside The Water Bar, they make everything from scratch, such as its syrups, dressings and soups. They serve yogurt bowls, chia pudding and real fruit smoothies. Myers has always wanted to make ice cream, and he often experiments with new flavors.
“We’re still doing bobas and milk teas, good food, fresh soup, and serving ice cream in glass jars because that’s the most sustainable. And you can get a discount bringing your jar back,” Myers adds.
Along with sustainability being a focus, Myers says they want to make sure locals can afford what they offer. “Our main focus is the price; you can have the best sandwiches in the world but if they’re too expensive then no one is going to buy them,” Myers says.
“We’re not trying to get rich; we’re just trying to fill a need and do the right thing. We try to make sure we take our time and have pride in what we make,” says Jones.
“Everything’s fresh, made in house. We designed it for the locals but with tourists in mind. We’re all about quality, affordability, and fun. We want to create good vibes, a cool space, and a place to hang out,” adds Myers. “But The Water Bar is Amber’s baby; there will always be a need for clean, fresh water.”•
