Category Archives: Retail
The Berkeley Wire: 4.5.10
Rhapsody at the Bowl — Berkeley Bowl West that is [Weird Combinations]
Lance Williams lukewarm about creek plan for street outside his window [Cal Watch]
2020 Vision to kick off pilot programs for minority students in July [Berkeley Voice]
Anatomy of a housing crash: high end Berkeley home heads to auction [SFGate]
Series of car burglaries reported on campus [Daily Californian]
Photo: Wells Fargo building by Wnewton1948/Berkeleyside Flickr pool.
Wine Thieves bid to take over Red Wagon space
Red Wagon, the children’s’ clothing store at 2926 Domingo Avenue opposite the Claremont Resort and Spa (pictured left), is to close at the end of the summer. Staff said Red Wagon is expanding its Lafayette store and does not plan to renew its Berkeley lease.
Applying to take its place is Wine Thieves, a wine retailer whose two current retail outlets are in Lafayette and Clayton. Wine Thieves is run by Jim Meyers and Rod Santos and … Continue reading »
Hats are being stacked
The new Goorin Bros hat shop on College Avenue in the Elmwood is getting ready to open on Wednesday this week. The old Lora’s Closet space has been given a crisp, old-school-style refurbishment, with dark wood floors, a crystal chandelier, and, naturally, lots of hat boxes. The swirly murals add a touch of whimsy.
Videots closing down tomorrow
Videots, the video store that has been a fixture on College Avenue for 19 years, will be closing for good on Sunday.
The downward spiraling economy has decimated business, according to Dave Hern, who has worked there for about a year. The store is taking in an average of $100 a day, down from $500 in good times. Videots saw a $20,000 drop in revenues over the past four months as compared to the same period … Continue reading »
Retail revival in the Elmwood?
Truth to tell, I’m still mourning the loss of Elmwood Hardware a few years ago. But there are some signs that retailing is picking up from the depths. Keneoue Vivere opened in December, Summer Kitchen Bake Shop looks like it’s thriving, the long-running remodeling of the old Elmwood Pharmacy into a lunch place is nearly complete, and just yesterday I saw that what was once Lara’s Closet at 2926 College is going to be a hat … Continue reading »
Lulu Rae to hold closing sale
Lulu Rae, the chocolate and candy store at 6311 College Avenue – which as Berkeleyside reported in late December is shutting up shop — is holding a closing-down sale.
The sale will take place January 23 and 24 from 9:00am to 2:00pm. Up for grabs will be display cabinets, furniture and many of the items the store needed to display and sell its delicious wares.
New to Solano: Nature’s Express
According to local real-estate agent and tweeter Ira Serkes, Nature’s Express has just opened on Solano next to Peet’s Coffee. “Welcome to Berkeley’s Thousand Oaks Neighborhood,” tweets Serkes.
Nature’s Express is a “healthy fast food” restaurant which claims to be 100% plant-based, with an emphasis on “organic and local ingredients that are always fresh”. It doesn’t use preservatives or additives “of any kind”. Nature Express’ two other locations are in Rancho Mirage, California and Yuma, Arizona.
Reports … Continue reading »
Good and sad on Fourth Street
There seems to be some movement forward on Fourth Street from the depths of the retail recession. CB2 took over the old Cody’s space some time ago. Today I noticed that a new clothes store, Convert (above), is planning to open in March in the attractive building that used to house Hear Music.
Across the street, however, there’s an eyesore where Eccolo operated until its closure last August. The hoarding announces “opening Spring 2010″, … Continue reading »
Books are back
I had an unusual experience for present day America. I went to two new bookstores in Berkeley.
First, I stopped in at Books Inc on Fourth Street. I’ve lamented before the loss of Cody’s, which had robbed me of my main reason for going to Fourth Street. Books Inc, which opened in October, doesn’t rise to the heights of Cody’s, but it has an excellent selection of both fiction and general non-fiction. I would have liked … Continue reading »
Lulu Rae to close
Lulu Rae, the confection and chocolate shop with the best rose-flavored gelato in town, is to close at the end of the month. (Hat-tip: reader Jean Chu.)
The store, which is just over the Berkeley border at 6311 College Avenue in Oakland, was founded by Piedmont resident Shelley Grubb and is named after her two daughters.
The store is currently holding a 30% off closing out sale. Its last day of business is December 31.
[Photo: Lulu … Continue reading »
