In the ever-repeating rituals of the holidays, today’s gift getters are tomorrows gift givers, so don’t mess up.

Catch up with the first podcast by John Rieger, with photos by Nancy Rubin, on Berkeley being a “bumper stickery” kind of town, and the second, on the rules of the road for cyclists in Berkeley.

And we are eager to hear your ideas for future podcasts. What subjects would you like John to cover? Which places would be … Continue reading »]]>

In the ever-repeating rituals of the holidays, today’s gift getters are tomorrows gift givers, so don’t mess up.

Catch up with the first podcast by John Rieger, with photos by Nancy Rubin, on Berkeley being a “bumper stickery” kind of town, and the second, on the rules of the road for cyclists in Berkeley.

And we are eager to hear your ideas for future podcasts. What subjects would you like John to cover? Which places would be ideal for him to pop up in? Berkeleyans are not usually shy about voicing their opinions. What questions should we be asking? Jot your ideas down in the Comments section below, or email us at tips@berkeleyside.com.

But first, click on the play button above and enjoy today’s show.

By guest. | Permalink | 3 comments |
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THANK YOU AND GOODBYE Café Gratitude on Shattuck is likely to close in the next few months after its owners, Matthew and Terces Engelhart, announced they are dissolving the company and shutting down … Continue reading »]]>

Innerstellar Yoga, on Adeline and Stuart

DOWNWARD DOG Innerstellar Pilates & Yoga opened in mid-November across the street from Berkeley Bowl. It includes two movement studios, a wellness center and a retail boutique for yoga and pilates props and lifestyle clothing. Its website stresses that Innerstellar offers “only the most potent styles” of pilates and yoga.

THANK YOU AND GOODBYE Café Gratitude on Shattuck is likely to close in the next few months after its owners, Matthew and Terces Engelhart, announced they are dissolving the company and shutting down or selling all six of their Northern California locations. As well as Berkeley, this includes the Mission in San Francisco, Oakland, San Rafael, Healdsburg, Cupertino, and Santa Cruz. The reason, given by the owners in a letter posted on the company’s website, is a “series of aggressive lawsuits” surrounding wage and hour disputes which, they say, cost them too much money.

Dim sum at Shen Hua

DIM SUM DELIGHT Shen Hua, an Elmwood fixture for 13 years, has a new repertoire on its menu: dim sum. Owner Edward Chu has been wanting to add the small plates for years, but finally introduced the service this summer. Lunch customers have a choice of 15 to 20 dim sum items but the dinner selection is more limited. Shen Hua serves standards such as ha gow and sui mai, but creates unique dishes every few weeks. The current specialty is vegetable dumplings.(...)

Read the rest of Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses (247 words)

By lance. | Permalink | 7 comments |
Post tags: Green Choice Moto, Innerstellar Pilates & Yoga, Shen Hua, Tivoli Caffè

SWEET STUFF Berkeley’s Indie Cakes & Pastries started supplying Berkeley’s Saul’s Deli with pastries and cookies a couple of weeks ago. Indie’s cupcakes and macaroons can also be found at Good Bellies and Bica cafes in Oakland and at the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market.

HIPPIE GYPSY … Continue reading »]]>

New appliance store in the General Appliance space

SAME AGAIN General Appliance, at 2524 Shattuck Avenue, which closed its doors in June after 72 years in business, has been replaced by Airport Home Appliance Annex which has branches in Redwood City and Hayward (hat tip: Rachel Anderson).

SWEET STUFF Berkeley’s Indie Cakes & Pastries started supplying Berkeley’s Saul’s Deli with pastries and cookies a couple of weeks ago. Indie’s cupcakes and macaroons can also be found at Good Bellies and Bica cafes in Oakland and at the Walnut Creek Farmers’ Market.

Hippie Gypsy on Shattuck

HIPPIE GYPSY Brand new: The Hippie Gypsy Café which has opened at 1797-A Shattuck in the space that used to be occupied by Village Grounds. The owner, Mary Dirks, wants to make customer service the centerpiece of her cafe, which has the theme “Peace, Love, and Music.” Customers can design their own  salads and sandwiches, which are made with Berkeley Bowl produce. (hat tip: Shoshana O’Keefe).

Lola: design service replacing retail store

GOING ONLINE Lola, the home design store at 2950 College Avenue in the Elmwood, is closing down its retail operation after five years, and launching a home and event design and staging service, as well as an online shop (hat tip: Laura Scheflow).

CHEDDAR BUNNIES Annie’s Homegrown, producer of organic and natural foods, has settled into its new Berkeley headquarters, having moved  from Napa to Berkeley this spring. The $100 million turnover company is in the 34,000 sq ft space formerly occupied by Clif Bar at 1610 Fifth Street. Clif Bar moved to Emeryville last year. Annie’s is hiring, too, with about a dozen current openings.

New: Ta Krai Hom. Photo: Anne T.

FRESH THAI New on the food scene: Thai restaurant Ta Krai Hom, which took over the old Digs Bistro site at 1453 Dwight Way. According to a Mercury News write-up, its easy-on-the-wallet menu features “green curry, crispy fried tofu, pad ka prow and shrimp skewers, threaded on lemon grass stalks”. Open daily for dinner.

LA DI DA Falala, a new green-certified falafel shop at 2518 Durant (at Telegraph), makes its own pita breads and uses only sustainable meats. One of its biggest fans is Liba Falafel owner Gail Lillian who buys bread from Falala, and says it’s “amazing”.

Closed: Stagecraft Studios on Alcatraz. Photo: Joseph Ponder

CURTAINS Looks like Stagecraft Studios, a costume and theater supplies shop that had been operating at 1854 Alcatraz Avenue in Berkeley since 1928, has closed its doors (hat tip Joseph Ponder).

GRAND DESIGN Jewelry designers Viv & Ingrid (both Berkeley grads) have opened a store for their work as well as an eclectic mix of fancy soaps, candles, chocolates, scarves, perfumes and cards. It’s grandly called Viv & Ingrid at Oxford Hall.

Shop Talk is our new regular column in which we post updates on Berkeley businesses — openings, closings, new directions, relaunches, relocations. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleysider who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details.

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 2 comments |
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In a word, remodel.

Over the last year, Berkeley’s largest cannabis dispensary … Continue reading »]]>

The renovated lounge area at BPG. The frosted covering on the windows was removed to make the place feel airier and more open. Photos: Frances Dinkelspiel

After the Berkeley Patients’ Group’s plans to move into the old Sharffen Berger chocolate factory on Heinz and Seventh Street fell through in 2010, the medical cannabis dispensary turned its attention back onto its San Pablo Avenue home. If the organization, which serves hundreds of people a day, wasn’t going to be moving into larger digs, what could it do to make the experience better for patients?

In a word, remodel.

Over the last year, Berkeley’s largest cannabis dispensary has been sprucing up its space. It replaced its old razor wire fence with a handsome iron one, laid blond wood throughout the building, stripped off the frost window coverings, and set out sleek tables and chairs for people to relax in, hang out, and medicate. Berkeley architect David Trachtenberg helped with the plans.

In addition, BPG bought a building across the street and moved its social services – free acupuncture, massage, Pilates, and other services – there. The group is also constructing a new, freestanding lounge in its parking lot, which will give the staff of 75 a place to eat lunch and relax.

“One of the reasons for the remodeling is to better serve our patients,” said Brad Senesac, the group’s media spokesman.

The efforts have paid off. The East Bay Express named BPG “Best Dispensary Lounge,” in its 2011 Best of the East Bay edition.

BPG is not the only dispensary in Berkeley with a sense of style. The Cannabis Buyers’ Club of Berkeley, better known as CBCB, moved into a new building on Shattuck Avenue near Woolsey in late 2009. The structure had been a pet store that sold fish and aquarium supplies, and it needed to be completely redone. The members of the cannabis collective were instrumental in transforming the space, said Aundre Speciale, the executive director of the dispensary, which has about 3,500 members. The lounge is decorated with colorful couches and fringed umbrellas. There are two turntables on a counter, because a number of members who are DJs like to spin music, she said.

Berkeley’s third dispensary, the Patient’s Care Collective, has a colorful photo splashed against one wall, but there is no lounge because members cannot consume cannabis on site.

The entry into Berkeley Patients Group on San Pablo Avenue.

A BPG employee confers with a patient in the store area. Customers can buy cannabis plants, pipes, bongs, vaporizers, T-shirts, and more. The medical cannabis is distributed in a different section of the building.

Brad Senesac, director of communications, and Sean Luse, BPG's general manager, stand before the flat screen that advertises which strains of cannabis are available. BPG is about to launch its own line of edibles, including a macaroni and cheese plate.

Succulents adorn the outdoor entrance to the Berkeley Patients Group.

The lounge and dispensary of CBCB on Shattuck Avenue.

Interior of CBCB

Aundre Speciale, the director of CBCB.

The underwater mural on the exterior of CBCB reflects the building's former incarnation as a fish store.

The poster adorning one wall of Patients' Care Collective, which does not permit cannabis consumption on site.

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 32 comments |
Post tags: Aundre Speciale, Berkeley Patients Care Collective, Berkeley Patients Group, Brad Senesac, CBCB, David Trachtenberg, Sean Luse

Andronico’s has four stores in Berkeley: on Solano (the company’s original store), on Shattuck, on Telegraph, and on … Continue reading »]]>

Andronico's on Telegraph, one of the four stores in Berkeley. Photo: Tracey Taylor

There are signs that Andronico’s, the local supermarket chain founded in Berkeley in 1929, faces some serious commercial problems. According to a recent report in the San Francisco Chronicle, a number of suppliers are having difficulties being paid. A commenter to Berkeleyside’s recent coverage on Monterey Market reported that two Andronico’s workers were talking about their pay checks being delayed.

Andronico’s has four stores in Berkeley: on Solano (the company’s original store), on Shattuck, on Telegraph, and on University. According to people familiar with the business, the Shattuck and Solano stores do significantly more business than the other two locations. (...)

Read the rest of Four Berkeley Andronico’s face difficult conditions (212 words)

By lance. | Permalink | 124 comments |
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As the retail war between CVS and Walgreens heats up in Berkeley, Mayor Tom Bates is calling for a new law that prohibits any new pharmacy from locating within 1,000 feet of another pharmacy.

Bates will ask the City Council on April 26 to consider the new restrictions. If adopted, the planning department would work to amend the city’s zoning ordinances to add the changes.

“Everywhere you turn you see a Walgreens or … Continue reading »]]>

This Walgreens on Shattuck is moving within two blocks of a CVS store

[This story was updated on 4/19/11.]

As the retail war between CVS and Walgreens heats up in Berkeley, Mayor Tom Bates is calling for a new law that prohibits any new pharmacy from locating within 1,000 feet of another pharmacy.

Bates will ask the City Council on April 26 to consider the new restrictions. If adopted, the planning department would work to amend the city’s zoning ordinances to add the changes.

“Everywhere you turn you see a Walgreens or CVS,” said Julie Sinai, Mayor Bates’ chief of staff. Bates was on vacation and could not be reached.

“It’s happening all over the place,” said Sinai. “A Walgreens is moving into the Elephant Pharmacy [right near CVS on Shattuck Avenue]. You have Walgreens and CVS right downtown a few blocks from one another. We feel there needs to be encouragement of diversity. This proliferation of drug stores is beyond the pale.”

Pharmacy officials do not think that the government should decide the location of a store.

“We believe the market should determine the best location to operate a drugstore, not additional government regulation,” said Robert Elfinger, a media specialist for Walgreens. “Our stores also create good retail and construction jobs and contribute to the local tax base.  We also believe that restrictions on businesses that create jobs are not good for the local economy.”

Berkeley zoning ordinances prohibit do not create the conditions that easily permit big-box stores, so pharmacies have moved in to fill the void, according to Dave Fogarty, Berkeley’s economic development project coordinator. While pharmacy sales account for 4.88% of retail sales in California as a whole, they account for 9.57% of sales in Berkeley, according to information in the 2007 Census of Retail Trade.

“The most logical explanation for this is simply that Berkeley does not have discount ‘general merchandise stores’ like Target, K-Mart or Wal-Mart,” said Fogarty. “Berkeley residents therefore tend to do a larger proportion of their shopping for general household goods at Walgreens and CVS. Of course, the census doesn’t tell us what people are buying, but it is unlikely that sales of drugs and pharmaceutical products themselves would be disproportionately higher here than elsewhere in California.”

Pharmacies in Berkeley, like elsewhere, also sell groceries, stationery supplies, and household goods in addition to medicine. Many are also now trying to sell alcohol, which is another reason Bates is interested in limiting their locations.

“Unfortunately, an important part of their product mix is the sale of alcoholic beverages, leading to a proliferation of off-sale alcohol permit applications,” reads a portion of the proposed ordinance.

Bates’ proposal comes up at a time when word is leaking out about another attempt by the dueling pharmacy chains to locate close to one another. CVS is apparently inquiring, according to some city sources,  about leasing an old bingo parlor on San Pablo Avenue and Gilman – kitty corner from an existing Walgreens.

Last year, Walgreens took over the location of the old Elephant Pharmacy on Shattuck and Cedar – about two blocks away from an existing CVS. And there are also rumors that the Walgreens at 2187 Shattuck (near Allston) is hoping to move into the site of the old Ross store across the street, just two blocks from a CVS store.

Michael J. DeAngelis, a spokesman for CVS, said the firm has two stores in Berkeley and is not planning any new ones now.

Walgreens currently has four stores in Berkeley and is opening another on Shattuck in the near future.

By Frances Dinkelspiel. | Permalink | 59 comments |
Post tags: CVS, Dave Fogarty, Elephant Pharmacy, Julie Sinai, Mayor Tom Bates, Walgreens

Nothing particularly Appleish is yet evident. The company’s aesthetic clearly demands a tabula rasa.

By lance. | Permalink | Continue reading »]]>

The Apple Store under construction on Fourth Street. Photo: Patrick Nagel

Berkeleysider Patrick Nagel happened to walk by the Apple Store site on Fourth Street this morning when its pants were down the large black construction hoarding was open. A foreman on the construction site tried to wave Nagel off, but like any intrepid photojournalist, he stood his ground on the public sidewalk for the photo above.

Nothing particularly Appleish is yet evident. The company’s aesthetic clearly demands a tabula rasa.

By lance. | Permalink | 2 comments |
Post tags: Apple, Apple Store, Apple store Berkeley, Fourth Street

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 30 comments | Post tags: Original Peet's store, Peet's Coffee, Peetniks, Starbucks

As revealed on Berkeleyside in October, Apple’s latest local altar to cool technology will open at 1823 Fourth Street, in the space formerly occupied by Slater Marinoff.

Designs submitted to the city of Berkeley by Apple show that the company is … Continue reading »]]>

The temporary facade of Apple's new Fourth Street store is not unlike the appearance of many of its completed stores. Photos: Tracey Taylor.

The geniuses are being recruited, the construction crew has moved in and the wraps are up on the site of the Apple store which will doubtless soon be the thronged by the best of Berkeley’s hipster geeks and Apple aficionados.

As revealed on Berkeleyside in October, Apple’s latest local altar to cool technology will open at 1823 Fourth Street, in the space formerly occupied by Slater Marinoff.

Designs submitted to the city of Berkeley by Apple show that the company is planning a storefront that will be flush with neighboring buildings. A partial second level will be added at the rear of the building for back-of-house operations. The retail space will total 4,455 square feet.

Right now, Apple is presenting us with a big black box, which is all that shoppers can see from the street side of the site. A peek behind the slightly ominous façade — which is not unlike the appearance of many of its completed stores — makes clear that the cult techie brand intends to start with a blank canvas to create its newest Bay Area store.

The existing building has been all but gutted in preparation for a transformation, although it appears that two trees on the site are being conserved.

Related stories:
A holiday greeting to the new Apple store [12.10.10]
Berkeley Apple store designs show building changes [12.03.10]
Apple store set to open on Berkeley’s Fourth Street [10.14.10]

By Tracey Taylor. | Permalink | 11 comments |
Post tags: Apple store Berkeley, Berkeley retail, Fourth Street

The submitted drawings show Apple is planning to fill in the plaza in front of the existing store, which used to house the Slater Marinoff furniture … Continue reading »]]>

Storefront of the planned new Apple Store/photo: ifoAppleStore.com

When Berkeleyside broke the news that an Apple Store was moving into Fourth Street, officials from neither Apple nor the city could confirm the story. But ifoAppleStore, a site dedicated to news about Apple’s retail operations, yesterday revealed the full details of the store from drawings filed with the city in mid-November.

The submitted drawings show Apple is planning to fill in the plaza in front of the existing store, which used to house the Slater Marinoff furniture store. A familiar Apple storefront will be flush with neighboring buildings. A partial second level will be added at the rear of the building (indicated by the pink shading in the drawing shown above) for back-of-house operations. The retail space will total 4,455 square feet.

The building permit values the project at $1.7 million. According to ifoAppleStore, based on the permit process and construction time, the store could open next fall. Gary Allen from ifoAppleStore told Berkeleyside that Apple aims for a pre-Thanksgiving opening for most of its retail stores.

By lance. | Permalink | One comment |
Post tags: Apple Store, Fourth Street, ifoAppleStore.com