Archive for Bookstore
Shop Local Bay Area
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It is my belief that the best way to bring balance back in to the world is to support local, independently owned businesses. What better time to do it than Black Friday?! There are SO many reasons as to why it is better to shop local than big box / chain stores but I will spare you my ramble. ShopLocalSF lists some of the reasons here: www.shoplocalsf.org/org
Below is a list of local, independently owned Bay Area businesses, organized by area.
Last night I asked my Twitter, Facebook and Google+ friends to tell me their favorite places to shop in the Bay Area. The response from Twitter was overwhelming! Facebook friends offered a few tips and one Twitter friend responded on G+. Hmm what does that say about G+?
If your favorite independent locally owned shop is not on the list please leave a comment below and I will do my best to add it to the list.
I came across the 3/50 project which I think is a fabulous idea! They’re asking that we spend at least $50 a month at 3 different locally owned independent businesses. Read more about it here: www.the350project.net Their Twitter hashtag is #350proj You can follow @cindabaxter, the founder of The 3/50 Project on Twitter. If Twitter is not your thing you can also “like” them on Facebook: www.facebook.com/The350Project
Thank you for checking out my Shop Local list! I’m currently offering special (a.k.a. affordable) prices to local, independently owned businesses for sponsorships on my blog. If you’d like to place an ad like the ones you see to the right of this post please contact me for pricing. —–>
Another suggestion I got was to shop at your local Farmer’s Market – great crafts and food gifts often available.
For that special holiday outfit you might only wear once try local consignment and thrift shops. You might just find the perfect outfit!
I’ve also included a few coffee shops and restaurants on this list because we need to eat, right?!
Please join me in taking the pledge to shop local as much as possible. #shoplocal
North Bay / Marin
Corte Madera
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Meadowlark Gallery
Mimi The Sardine (eco-coated products for kids)
Rick’s Wine Cellar (stop in and have a glass or pick up a bottle for a gift)
The Book Passage
Tiller Diggs (home & garden, jewelry & clothing)
Fairfax
Good Earth Natural Foods (healthy holiday meals & gifts)
Iron Springs (brewery & restaurant)
Revolution 9
Sherman’s General Store
The Hummingbird Restaurant
Various & Sundries
Larkspur
Coquelicot (antiques, home & garden, jewelry)
Lark Shoes
Marin Brew Co. (brewery & restaurant)
Modern Cookie Co. (opening Dec. 5)
Rustic Bakery
What Poppy Wants (boutique & vintage consignment shop)
Mill Valley
At The Top Salon (gift certificate or jewelry)
Dan’s Liquor (for your holiday wine or bubbly)
F. Joseph Smiths (massage, ask for Jessica B)
Mill Valley Market (for you holiday groceries)
Moss & Moss
Mountain Biking Marin (bike tours and clinics)
Pharmaca (not totally local but great alternative to the big box drug stores & wonderful products)
Red Dragon Yoga (clothing, gift cards, yoga classes to destress)
Tea Fountain
Title 9
The Book Depot
Two Neat (gifts)
Vintage Wines
Woodland’s Pet
Muir Beach
The Pelican Inn (restaurant)
Napa
Peju Winery (this is where you take your out of town guest – fun!)
Rancho Gordo (heirloom beans) <– now that is original!
Novato
Dr. Insomnias (coffee shop)
Class Cycle (bike shop)
Grazie Cafe Italiano (restaurant)
Moylan’s (brewery & restaurant)
Studio 4 Art (make stuff)
Marin Humane Society (adopt a pet, pet store)
Rustic Bakery
Petaluma
Copperfield Books
Della Fattoria (restaurant)
iLeoni (kitchen & gifts)
Knitterly
Mrs. Grossman’s Stickers (great field trip for young children)
Nan Winters (clothing)
Shop Paper White
Tara Firma Farms (for your healthy holiday meal or a fun activity for the family)
McEvoy Ranch (body care products, olive oil, more)
Robindira Unsworth (jewelry, clothing, accessories)
Sorella (hair studio, fashion boutique)
Tuscan Gardens (home & garden)
Pt.Reyes
Zuma (arts and crafts)
Pt. Reyes Open Studio
San Anselmo
3 Ring Cycles (bike store)
Gathering Thyme (herbs & health care products)
Gioia’s Boutique (Clothing)
Great Acorn Co. (gifts)
Holiday Pop Up Shop (Dec. 3 Only)
Marin Coffee Roasters
Pure Joy Body work
Sidekicks (clothing)
Susan’s Store Room
Fig Garden (gifts)
San Rafael
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Andy’s Market (great wine & chocolate selection)
Art Works Downtown
Bananas At Large (musical instruments & pro audio equipment)
Beads of Marin
Bedrock Music & Video
California Bike N Bean (bike store)
Celebracion Bridal (pretty dresses, tux rentals & tiaras!)
Clogs Unlimited
Dharma Trading Co. (fiber art supplies & clothing blanks)
Friends Books (used books, 100% proceeds support San Rafael Public Library)
Elegant Images Fine Art Photography
Gamescape (non-electronic games)
Jan Orcutt, Accupunture (remember to take care of yourself)
Marin Jewelers Guild
Merritt Chiropractic Center (might need this after all the shopping)
Pin Up Hair Emporium & Unique Boutique
Ponsford’s Place (Bakery)
Red Dragon Yoga
T & B Sports
The Magic Flute
Toni Tierney Baby Clothes (she often has great sales right out of her headquarters)
Via Diva (furniture)
Viva Diva (clothing)
Youth in Arts – Retail shop
Sausalito
Mollie Stones (groceries, gifts)
Sweet Ginger (Sushi restaurant, gift card!)
Downtown Sausalito is full of lots of wonderful little shops.
Sonoma
Bram Cookware
The Girl & The Fig (restaurant)
Santa Rosa
T & B Sports
Tomales
Fallon Hills Ranch (to buy your ranch raised grass fed holiday meal)
Online
Cowboy’s Fuzzy Duds
Bean Up The Nose Art
The Marin Store (Marin Magazine)
East Bay
Albany
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)
Berkeley
Berkeley Bowl (groceries)
Gather Berkeley (restaurant, gift certificate)
Kermit Lynch (wine importer on the larger side)
Tail of the Yak (gifts)
Fourth Street in Berkeley has lots of great shops
Hayward
Hayward Book Shop
Oakland
Calm, A Salon
Cole Coffee (local roasted coffee)
Glamour Paws
Laurel Book Store
Oakland Dish
Oakollectiv (local hand painted t-shirts, local designs)
Paws and Claws (pet shop)
Relish Catering (for your holiday parties)
Someone’s In The Kitchen
The Crucible (gift & art sale 12/10 – 12/11)
The Oakland Chocolate Factory (you can get my gift here)
The Wine Mine
Tootsies (shoe boutique, pedicures)
Walden Pond Books
Walnut Creek
Five Little Monkeys (Toy shop)
Walnut Creek Yacht Club (restaurant)
South Bay
Palo Alto
Books, Inc
San Francisco
A Childs Delight (Toys)
Cheekbob (pet store)
Christopher’s Books (Potrero Hill)
Cowgirl Creamer
Create More (Apple supplies, support & more!)
Farmers Market
Ferry Building San Francisco (lots of independent shops here)
Flax Art & Design
Green Apple Books – Inner Richmond. Clement at 6th.
Her Majesty’s Secret Beekeeper (honey!)
MSR museum (best #sf place for small children. Small place, lots to do & see, parents just relax @ entrance & watch them run. @thecara)
Pacific Catch (restaurant, gift certificate)
Palio Paninoteca
Prints, Etc (vintage art, framing, concert posters, antique stock certificates, maps, curiosities, collectibles, etc)
Rancho Gordo Beans (SF Ferry Plaza Farmers Market)
Recchuti (Did someone say chocolate?)
Streetcar Museum
The Book Passage (ferry building)
San Jose
Hicklebees Books (mostly kids)
Streetlight Records
Thank you to everyone who sent suggestions!
Happy Holidays!
#ShopLocal
Please leave a comment and let us know what you got at your local independently owned store!
If you live in another area please make your own list and share it with your readers!
If your appliances break during the holiday season… don’t fret! Call Appliance Techs of Marin!
According to this video you might even get a date if you shop local. 
*disclaimer I have not been to many of these businesses they are suggestion I crowd-sourced from my social networks. If there are any corrections that need to be made please leave a comment below.
**This is an evolving/growing list. I plan to add links to all the businesses and to keep adding more local, independently owned businesses. However, if I continue working on this tonight I may find myself disowned by my family. Thanks for shopping local.
PS. Please feel free to copy/use this list and pass it on to others. I’d appreciate a link back to the original list. Here is the link: http://sallyaroundthebay.com/2011/11/shop-local-bay-area/ Thank you!
Thank you for shopping local!
Renaissance Woman: Leslie Lakes
Posted by: | CommentsI love Marin County! It’s full of interesting and fun people! For instance, meet Leslie Lakes (formally Hendricks) who is new to Marin and was kind enough to share some of her favorite things about the Bay Area through the eyes of a newbie.
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
Having relocated to the Bay Area from the East Coast (Montclair, NJ), I’m incredibly appreciative of so many things that native Marinites take for granted: like the comparatively warm and moderate weather; the exquisite beauty of the surrounding natural terrain and landscapes; the fact that within a short radius of Mill Valley where I live, I can see and experience the ocean, mountains, marinas, bird sanctuaries, valleys, the magnificent structure of the Golden Gate Bridge; the culture of San Francisco, not to mention the looming and majestic Mount Tamalpais from our front door! I love the fresh, sweet smelling air, as well as the fog that rolls in early in the morning, and burns off in the afternoon. I love the fact that flowers bloom all year round; the characteristically health oriented culture, and that public buses have bike racks. How cool is that!
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
While there’s a plethora of excellent and multi-ethnic restaurants in the bay area, for great Deli sandwiches, LOUIE’S DELI on Bridgeway in Sausalito can’t be beat! We also enjoy DISH in Mill Valley, but if I had to choose only ONE restaurant…it would be SARTAJ on Caledonia Street in Sausalito. SARTAJ is a small quaint, Indian ‘Mom and Pop’ operation where every dish is made with love and just the right amount of spices. Portions are ample and the prices are very reasonable. But, mostly because it’s where my husband and I courted before we got married. We even have our own special table for two by the window! (I love Sartaj!!! Their Chai tea is delicious!)
What is your favorite coffee or tea shop?
I love lattes and café au lait “to go” (always “extra hot”) either from PEET’S or STARBUCKS, but to actually sit down to enjoy coffee, I prefer to go to LA BOULANGE (Strawberry Village, Mill Valley) because it’s the closest thing to being in France (where I’m from) as they serve café au lait with lots of frothy hot milk foam, in a bowl.
Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing, books, kids stuff, etc?
For clothes: THE FAMILY THRIFT STORE (Miller Avenue, Mill Valley); GOODWILL (San Rafael); H&M (Terra Linda); MARSHALL’S (Novato) and ROSS stores (throughout).
For books: Without a doubt – BOOK PASSAGE in Corte Madera!
For children’s things: GOOD NITE MOON (where I work on a part-time basis) at the Corte Madera Town Center, and WEE THREADS (E. Blithedale Ave., Mill Valley)
Favorite place to hike or bike? Favorite park? or Favorite outdoor activity?
While my husband is a professional bike mechanic (MIKE’S BIKES) and quite passionate about cycling, I lean more toward getting places – on foot! I love to walk and often do for miles and miles. My most favorite outdoor activity is normally horse-back-riding, but in this current economy, walking is cheaper. I enjoy walking just about anywhere! For exercise, I often take the bike path from Mill Valley to Sausalito town center, and back again.
Can you tell me a little bit more about what you do? What kind of people do you work with? Who do you help?
I’ve often been called a “Renaissance Woman”. My main profession is that of licensed Massage Therapist with over 23 years experience in the field with a private practice in Mill Valley. I’m also a singer/songwriter of children’s fare; a visual artist, as well as voice-over artist.
I love people and animals, and am actively involved in the community and with major fund-raising efforts (i.e., KIDDO, Marin Symphony, The Marin Humane Society, etc.).
Thanks Leslie!
Girls Night Out – Save the Dates
Posted by: | CommentsHave you heard of the new book by Lissa Rankin called What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend
Mark your calendars for 2 fun upcoming events in Marin!
Saturday, October 16, 2010 – 4:00pm (Men are welcome)
Lissa Rankin Talk & Book Signing at the Book Passage in Corte Madera. Come out and hear our very own local author & original Marin TweetUp Co-host Lissa Rankin talk about her new book: What’s Up Down There? Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend #VaginaTweetUp
Thursday, November 4, 2010 – 7:00 – 9:00pm (Women only)
Ask the gynecologist and psychologist anything you want at girlfriends’ night out!
Dr. Lissa Rankin and Dr. Michelle Gannon
Pleasures of the Heart on 4th Street in San Rafael.
Coffee and Books in Corte Madera
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I had coffee today with @SFDoug (you know the guy that reminds many of us of the book Where’s Waldo – for those of you that know of him on Twitter or FourSquare) at the Book Passage in Corte Madera.
The Book Passage is one of my favorite places to meet with people. Besides being a wonderful resource to the community as an independently owned bookstore; the Book Passage has an awesome cafe.
The Book Passage hosts tons of author events, writing conferences, classes and workshops. Marin County (and San Francisco) are very fortunate to have the Book Passage.
Why does it matter to me that the Book Passage an independently owned book store?
Indie Bound does a good job explaining:
Why shop Indie?
When you shop at an independently owned business, your entire community benefits:
The Economy
- Spend $100 at a local and $68 of that stays in your community. Spend the same $100 at a national chain, and your community only sees $43.
- Local businesses create higher-paying jobs for our neighbors.
- More of your taxes are reinvested in your community–where they belong.
The Environment
- Buying local means less packaging, less transportation, and a smaller carbon footprint.
- Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money to beautify your community.
The Community
- Local retailers are your friends and neighbors—support them and they’ll support you.
- Local businesses donate to charities at more than twice the rate of national chains.
- More independents means more choice, more diversity, and a truly unique community.
Now is the time to stand up and join your fellow individuals in the IndieBound mission supporting local businesses and celebrating independents.
IndieBound supports Independent Business Alliances around the country. To find an alliance near you, visit AMIBA or BALLE.
The Book Passage in Marin is located at:
51 Tamal Vista Blvd.
Corte Madera, CA 94925
415.927.0960
www.bookpassage.com
They are also on Twitter! Follow them @BookPassage
The Book Passage in San Francisco is just a ferry ride away from Marin! It’s located in the beautiful San Francisco ferry building.
1 Ferry Building, #42
San Francisco, CA 94111
415.835-1020
Being Authentic in the Bay Area
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the things I really love about the Bay Area is that there are endless opportunities to meet authors. A few weeks ago my friend Emily called and invited me to see Mike Robbins the author of Be Yourself – Everyone Else is Already Taken speak at Café Gratitude. Emily called me the same day I wrote this blog post: Being Authentic is Professional so I decided it was meant to be that I went to see Mike talk. Mike is the real thing and I enjoyed meeting him. (He’s pretty cute too!) I was brave enough to go up and ask him if he would be willing to do an interview with me and he said yes! (Which is pretty impressive when you see the other places he’s been interviewed!)
Thanks Mike!
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
I love how beautiful it is and all the different kinds of people. I grew up in Oakland, went to college at Stanford in Palo Alto, lived in San Francisco for six years, and now live in Concord…so I have gotten to see different parts of the Bay Area and I love it all!
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
I love Lo Coco’s on Piedmont Ave in Oakland – great Italian food and neat local place. I also love Café Gratitude (in SF, Berkeley, and San Rafael – incredible environment)
Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing, kids stuff, etc?
I’m not a big shopper – we go into downtown Walnut Creek sometimes and there is a cute store on Main St. called Calypso Twist…it is a gift shop and has lots of inspiring stuff for your house, kids, etc.
Favorite place to hike or bike? Favorite park?
Mt. Diablo and Mt. Tam
Favorite independent bookstore in the Bay Area?
Book Passage in Corte Madera
Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I’m so grateful to have been born and raised here in the Bay Area. I travel a good amount and have been to 47 of the 50 states, as well as been to some amazing cities around the world – Paris, London, Vancouver, Sydney, and more. The Bay Area is my favorite place, by far, of all of the places I have traveled. There is nothing like it and we are all so lucky to be here.
Thanks Mike!
Visit www.mike-robbins.com for more information about Mike Robbins.
Jobs Around The Bay
Posted by: | CommentsSince looking for a job is on many people’s minds these days, I thought it would be fun to interview Jane Groner. Jane specializes in helping people find jobs. Jane Groner is the CEO of Pacific Placement Group, Inc located in San Francisco.
What exactly do you do?
I am the CEO of Pacific Placement Group, a full service boutique staffing agency in San Francisco. We have been in business since 1982 and place both Temporary and direct–hire administrative staffing at all levels. We strive to counsel people, help them with resumes and work with top companies. Many are venture capital firms, private equity firms, technology and biotech industries. We feel we provide an invaluable service to our clients as we screen and test our candidates and try to find people that will be good fits for the corporate culture of their company and who will add value. We are a “woman certified” company and represent companies in the Bay Area with most clients being in SF or the Peninsula. My staff is extremely professional and I have a Master’s Degree in Counseling, which has come in handy in helping applicants find jobs thru our services or on their own.
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
Aqua in San Francisco.
Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing?
The Little Black Dress in Tiburon…have great unusual things and Caroline the owner is great at helping one dress. Must go by appointment as Caroline keeps the door locked… strange but has wonderful things… from head to toe
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
I love the beautiful outdoors..live for good weather and being able to bike and hike
Favorite place to hike or bike? Hike Mt Tam and bike a lot to Tiburon, sometimes, Mill Valley to Corte Madera, to Larkspur and back thru Tiburon..all road biking
Favorite place to take your dog?
I take my dog Harry on hikes all over Marin..he loves it..but gets pretty covered with leaves and dirt..as he is a white cotton and his coat is like Velcro.
Favorite independent bookstore in the Bay Area?
Book Passage
Best place for coffee?
Tully’s but often go to Starbucks as it is close by.
Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
We are a very privileged group of people to live in Paradise, have beauty surrounding us everywhere we go and we must take care of ourselves and our environment and vow to make this a kinder world for all.
Thanks Jane!
Jane’s story about her dog Harry reminded me of one of my favorite children’s books Harry the Dirty Dog.
Authors Around the Bay: Patricia Volonakis Davis
Posted by: | CommentsMany authors live in the Bay Area and thanks to all the wonderful local book stores we often get to see authors speak and to meet them in person. Sally Around The Bay is going to start a series of local author interviews to find out their favorite spots in the Bay Area. Our first interview is with Patricia Volonakis Davis (whose book I just finished reading). Patricia wrote the memoir Harlot’s Sauce. It’s a great book about her life in Greece. I got nostalgic while reading the book and pulled out my photo album from my trip to Greece 10 years ago. Greece is such an amazing and beautiful country.
Thanks Patricia for taking the time to answer my questions!
Author Name: Patricia Volonakis Davis
Book: Harlot’s Sauce: A Memoir of Food, Family, Love, Loss, and Greece
What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
Well, since my background is Italian, I’m always looking for good Italian restaurants, and I have to say that there are two that I really love- one is Arriverderci’s in San Rafael, though it’s more Italian-American food than strictly Italian. Nonetheless, every item I’ve ever tried on their menu is excellent, they cook everything as you like, even let me trade my potato side for an extra vegetable side. I also LOVE the waitstaff, (Hello, Glenn, Hello, Danny!) because they are all in some way involved in the arts, and they come over to our table and chat with me about my writing, and so we feel like we’re going to see close friends whenever we eat there. But if you want genuine Italian pizza, the kind with the really thin crust, and all the fresh ingredients on top, you need to go to Benissimo’s in Corte Madera. My husband calls it “Benny and Mo’s”, but he’s a poker player, not an Italian.
Where is your favorite place to shop for clothing?
That is the easiest question to answer- hands down it’s Gioia in downtown San Anselmo. The prices are reasonable, the clothes are different, but trendy/chic, not too way out there, and I love all the shoes!
What do you love most about the Bay Area?
Another easy question. The people. The people make the Bay Area. I think it’s because they genuinely appreciate how stunningly beautiful the area is. And they feel blessed to live here and show it, by hiking in the area, bicycling here, eating here, shopping in the area, and most of all, doing their best to keep it ‘eco-friendly’
Favorite independent bookstores in the Bay Area?
Naturally, I’ll say Book Passage first. That’s because they have been so supportive of me and my writing. They have asked me to do workshops there and they went out of their way to make my book launch wildly successful. I love that they have great conferences and all kinds of artistic events, too. In fact, I’m organizing one really fabulous event for the California Writers Club Marin Branch that’s being held there in October. Some amazing literary names are taking part in that! They are truly a local landmark. I also love Book Depot in Mill Valley, And Booksmith in San Anselmo. In fact, Book Depot in Mill Valley was the first local bookshop I discovered when I moved here. They’ve got a great selection of books for such a small shop. Booksmith’s is one I pass almost every time I’m in downtown San Anselmo, and the owner is so gracious and accommodating.
Do you belong to any local clubs?
I belong to the California Writers Club, both the Marin Branch and the Redwood Branch, and I also belong to the Fairfax Health Club. I get my best writing inspiration from all my friends there, and the trainers are great, too!
Do you have any upcoming events related to Harlot’s Sauce?
Yes- lots! I’m speaking in front of the San Diego Feminist Book Group on July 7, for an event called “Harlots and Feminists”, there is the Instock Conference on July 18, in the Hotel Monaco in San Francisco, where I’ll be hosting a panel, The CWC Marin Centennial Event at Book Passage, The Redwood Writers Conference, and lots more appearances at independent bookshops throughout the state. You can check for updates on my Harlot’s Sauce Fan Page on Facebook, www.booktour.com or on my website at: www.patriciaVdavis.com.
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If you are a local author and would like to be featured on Sally Around The Bay please contact me.
Independent Bookstores Around The Bay
Posted by: | CommentsI’m a huge fan of independent bookstores. My favorite is located right here in Marin. The Book Passage in Corte Madera, CA. I will write more about the Book Passage and their fabulous Café later.
Right now, I just wanted to share with you this super cool link someone just tweeted about on Twitter.
Check it out! A map of Bay Area Independent Bookstores!
