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!

I 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!

Last Tuesday night my friend Dolores and I attended the San Francisco Clothing Swap! We had a great time! (Blog post coming soon about the Clothing Swap). While makeup artist Nikol Elaine was doing Dolores’ makeup we all got to talking. Nikol was such a wonderful person I asked her if she would be willing to do an interview for my blog. She said yes!

Nikol Elaine is what some might call an artist of the face. A makeup artist by day, born and raised California girl by night, she is clearly on a mission to show you how less can enhance more. Known for her delicate use of false eyelashes and crafty ability to make subtle or dramatic changes, she winks at any challenge. Nikol Elaine works solely on location across the bay area and specializes in wedding makeup.

nikol elaine makeup artistry

What do you love most about the Bay Area?
-I love how lucky we are to be surrounded by mountains and ocean and I love that San Francisco is a mecca for travelers and culture from all over the world.

Where is your favorite place to hike/bike in the Bay Area?
-I enjoy hiking and the view from Mt. Diablo

Favorite place to take your dog?
-I love taking my dog downtown Danville to Sideboard cafe as he loves sitting outside to people watch.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
-My favorite resturant changes often as I am a self proclaimed foodie, however this month is Esin in Danville.

What is your favorite place to get coffee or tea?
-I could not live without coffee and my first choice would be Cafe 504 in Oakland

What is your favorite place to shop for clothing?
-I love shopping vintage in SF and for gently used clothing at local consignments or at SF’s own ClothingSwap.com!

If you had an out of town guest coming to visit that had never been to the Bay Area where would you take them?
-I would take them wine tasting in Napa valley followed by a nice dinner in SF.

Earlier this week I attended the Bay Area Bloggers Society meeting that was being hosted at the Video Blog Marketing studio in Sausalito. This is where I met the very interesting and dynamic Mary Cary. I asked Mary if she would share some of her favorite Bay Area places with us. She agreed!

What do you love most about the Bay Area? The weather and the outdoor spaces

Where is your favorite place to hike/bike in the Bay Area? West Marin – love road biking out there or on Mt. Tam

Favorite place to listen to live music? I like to play live music (I play guitar in Terry Lauderdale Band, TerryLauderdaleBand.com and my favorite place to play is Slims in San Francisco or The Cow Palace.

Favorite place to take your dog? Running around near Old Mill Park in Mill Valley

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area? Sushi Ran Sausalito

What is your favorite place to get coffee or tea? Peets Mill Valley

Where do you shop for clothing? Shadows San Anselmo or Famous in Mill Valley for local folks – or Hot Topic for my Band Gear.

If you had an out of town guest coming to visit that had never been to the Bay Area where would you take them? Marin Headlands, Tiburon or West Marin

Anything else you would like to share with our readers? Thank you for reading!  Reading is good for the brain!

Tell us a little bit more about you:
Having my own record label for the past 10 years and developing websites, identity branding, social networking, search engine optimization, editing and producing great music, sound and video blogs was the perfect next logical step to putting together my new company, Video Blog Marketing – marketing for local businesses.

Mary’s specialties are: New Media Marketing, Website Development, WordPress Blog Development, Professional Branding, Video Production, Music/Sound Production, Motion Graphics Production, Local and Worldwide Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Networking, Shredding Guitarist/Producer/Songwriter.

Follow Mary Cary on Twitter @videoblogmarket

Last week we took our oldest daughter shopping for her prom dress at Gioia Boutique in San Anselmo which just happens to be located right next to Sushi 69. We stopped for sushi lunch before beginning the prom dress selection process. I had great plans to write up a fabulous post for Sushi 69 but my friend @SFDoug beat me to it. He writes so eloquently I thought I’d just send you to his blog to read about Sushi 69 instead of boring you with my rambles.

You may wonder why it is called Sushi 69. (Get your mind out of the gutter!) It’s called Sushi 69 because their address is 69 Center Blvd, San Anselmo, CA.

If you are in a hurry and want something healthy and super yummy then Comforts Café in San Anselmo is the place to go. My favorite dish from Comforts is their Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad. It has got to be the best Chinese Chicken Salad ever! It is always fresh and the dressing they use is delicious.  The Chicken Okasan is also very popular in my household.

Comforts always has their fresh Chinese Chicken (or Tofu) Salad in a box and ready to go. This is a great lunch to grab when you are on the run. They also have a huge selection of prepared healthy food which you can pick up in the afternoon and bring home for dinner.

Comforts Café has two sides. One side is a sit down more formal café the other is the take out, more casual side. I usually go to the take out side because… I’m usually in a hurry but both sides are good and on a sunny day it is really nice to sit outside while dining.

In addition to all delicious and healthy meals they have a full service café where they serve excellent tasting cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, etc…

After filling up on fine food at Comforts you can take a stroll down San Anselmo Avenue to Gioia’s for a little boutique shopping.

Comforts is located at:

335 San Anselmo Avenue
San Anselmo, CA 94960
415.454.9840

Photo borrowed from www.comfortscafe.com

After my visit to the new, cool coworking space BZhive in San Rafael, I asked the owners Hila and Dani if they would be interested in sharing some of their favorite Bay Area places with me.

Here are some of the places owner and artist Hila buzzes around the bay to when she is not working:

Where is your favorite place to hike or bike in the Bay Area?
Terra Linda/Southern Novato Hills – different trails, mostly the “shortcut” from Terra Linda to Sleepy Hollow (San Anselmo).

What do you love most about the Bay Area?
The weather, the air, the view, the people. I’m coming from a relatively hot and humid climate (Tel Aviv) so the weather here is just perfect. I only wish the beach and the water were warmer. The people here are much more relaxed and patient. Above all we love San Francisco- one of my favorite cities if not “the” favorite. gracious and gorgeous. I love it especially when it’s gray (which is most of the time) it gives it just the perfect bittersweet taste of melancholy.

What is your favorite restaurant in the Bay Area?
The Slanted Door in SF love the the food the scene and view.
(I think Hila and I have similar taste. I love this restaurant!)

Favorite Coffee/Tea shop?
Cafe Gratitude especially the one in Berkeley. I’m grateful for a great food- especially the sweets… and you know you are safe there- it’s all vegan! (Another one of my favorites.)

Favorite park? Bon Tempe Lake (From Fairfax)

Favorite place to shop?
Crossroad Trading. Favorite location is Irving st in SF. I like the idea of recycling and exchanging. AND what  great finds! (I’m telling you, I think Hila is my long lost sister.)

Read more about BZhive in the MarinIJ.

Be sure to follow BZhive on Twitter to keep up with the latest happenings at the hive.

The social interaction and possible collaboration that comes when people get out of the home office can also make people more productive, according to a 2008 study by Stephen Humphrey, formerly a management professor at Florida State University’s business school.

“People who work interdependently with others have better performance ratings, lower stress, lower turnover intentions, and greater work and organizational satisfaction,” the study found. – Jim Welte, MarinIJ 2/7/10

Stay tuned you just might see me working out of BZhive one of these days.

As you may or may not know my neighbor Amy and I are pretty dedicated hikers. We go out every morning (6-7 days a week) with our dogs for a hike. However on super rainy days we do not go. This is problem because hiking is what we do for exercise. I decided instead of being a wimp on rainy days I’d go out and buy some rain gear so at least we could still get out when it is pouring rain, even if we didn’t go on the trails we could walk up and down the winding hilly streets of our neighborhood.

I wanted good quality rain gear but I didn’t want to spend the money I would have to if I went to REI. Instead, I went to the Sports Basement in San Francisco. The Sports Basement is an awesome place for getting great deals on quality brand name athletic clothing. A few years ago I bought a big puffy down Northface jacket from the Sports Basement. I called REI first to compare prices and it was $50 cheaper at the Sports Basement.

The Sports Basement in the Presidio is located in one of the most beautiful spots in San Francisco.  It’s right across the street from the Crissy Field Beach located below the Golden Gate Bridge. The views are breathtaking.  You can see the bridge, Alcatraz and the city skyline. We were lucky because when we got to the store it was not raining so we took a walk on the beach before doing our shopping. The boardwalk was full of happy people walking, jogging, rollerblading, biking and playing with their dogs.

It’s fun to shop at Sports Basement. It has a very casual friendly feel. There are couches throughout the store and they encourage you to hang out and chat. There is even a play area for kids. Lot’s of community stuff going on there. I found a great rain jacket and a pair of convertible pants I love! We’re back to walking or hiking everyday and it feels great!

My friend Joy, the owner of my favorite clothing boutique in San Anselmo keeps telling me how much she loves Yoga Mountain, the new Yoga place she recently discovered. I suggested she write a guest blog post about it and she agreed. Thanks Joy!

I thought I would try going back to yoga classes again to balance my biking and to keep my limbs really flexible. Because Yoga Mountain is so close to home, (Fairfax), I thought, “what the heck” I’ll just make do with a local place and was I surprised! Not only is the space beautiful and simple, the teachers are all top notch. Not just certified, but really experienced and they make great corrections without hurting or forcing one’s body to do what it should not. The owner Sienna, is also a fab teacher. There are different levels to choose from and also different styles of Yoga to fit ones preference.

The studio offered a $49 intro special which was one month of unlimited classed! I got a gift of a stainless steel water bottle thrown in, which I use all the time! There are different rates and schedules offered if you check it online!

The studio also has music events that are yoga related.

I highly recommend this studio. Yoga Mountain is Yummy!

JOYous

Yoga Mountain
85 Bolinas Road
Fairfax, CA
415.602.3040

—-

Cool things to do around the Bay Area this weekend.

Music & Dance
I just discovered the San Francisco LovEvolution which is happening this Saturday, October 3rd, 2009
“America’s biggest dance movement event” www.sflovevolution.org

To find live music in Marin and all around  the Bay Area check out www.marinlocalmusic.com

Happy Hour
Cafe Flore in San Francisco (near the Castro) is my favorite place for Happy Hour! I was there last Saturday night and had the 2 for $5 Cosmo special! www.cafeflore.com Molly makes awesome Cosmos! They have different special every night.

Mellow Marin ***Update Feb 2012*** Teapod is no longer in business in San Anselmo but there is a cool new coffee shop in this same location.
If you are looking for a more mellow weekend. How about taking a stroll in San Anselmo and drinking some tea. I just discovered the Teapod this week and loved it! It’s an Organic Tea Bar. I had lunch there with my new friend Marilyn. The salad was delicious and the tea was really good! I had a green chai tea latte. The place is so relaxing. Doesn’t this picture just make you relax?

After you go to the Teapod make sure to stop by Gioia’s and say hi.

Petaluma
Looking for something new and original to do? How about visiting a farm! Tara Firma Farms is a cool place to visit!