07.15.08
Posted in OaklandGoods, GoodLife, Grand Lake, The Temescal, Downtown, News, Old Oakland, Events at 9:47 pm by OaklandGoods
Dear friends,
Has it really been two weeks since I last posted..? Ah, well. It’s symptomatic of my hectic life. I’ve got a new job with a crazy commute, which leaves me a lot less time for exploring the newest, best bits of Oakland.
To that end, are there any fellow bloggers out there who would like to contribute to OaklandGoods on a semi-regular basis? I’d love to have a collaborator and to make this a site that’s consistently being updated. If you’re interested, please email me at jessica@oaklandgoods.com with a link to your blog or writing.
For example, I’ve been meaning to write about the Thursday Night Live concerts from the awesome Oakland Events, Marc 49 wine bar, and the current Bastille Day sale that’s on at Mignonne.
The new Marc 49 Wine Bar in Temescal
I also got an appeal for letters of support for Neldam’s. The owner’s taking them to a meeting with the mayor. If you love coconut cake, speak up!
Finally, I just bought a gorgeous shirt from Oaklandish. The signature tree image is great, but there are some really great designs available right now, so check out what’s for sale at their online store (free shipping!) or at the Grand Lake Farmer’s Market on Saturdays.
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06.15.08
Posted in Uncategorized, GoodEats, Downtown, Old Oakland, Events at 10:28 am by OaklandGoods
Dad’s first beer is free at the Trappist (if you buy one for yourself), 2 p.m.-midnight. 460 8th St.
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06.13.08
Posted in OaklandGoods, Events, Rockridge, Neighborhood at 9:13 am by OaklandGoods
A tipster tells us that Oakland’s own Twenty Two Shoes is having a sample sale today. Drop by for deep discounts on locally designed, Italian made footwear.
5256 College Ave.
510.594.2201
image from twentytwoshoes.com
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05.08.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods at 11:00 pm by OaklandGoods
While reading about the Oakland Indie Award nominees, I came across local artist Jenny Hurth, who makes gorgeous bags out of repurposed vinyl billboard and display materials. This isn’t innovative - lots of young designers are salvaging the colorful material - but Hurth’s bags are some of the classiest you’ll find. She also makes notebooks, portfolios, and (and this one is innovative for sure) door curtains. Check them out at http://www.jennyhurth.com/home-new.html.
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04.22.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods at 5:43 pm by OaklandGoods
image from MichelleKaufmann.com
Oakland-based architect Michelle Kaufmann, known for her inspired indoor/outdoor house designs, keeps an awesome blog in which she showcases great everyday ideas. For Earth Day, she has compiled a special kit of projects including building an energy saving WaterWall (above), making plantable paper, and others. Check it out for inspired projects you can do anytime. I particularly like the bird houses made from take-out chopsticks.
http://blog.michellekaufmann.com/
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04.21.08
Posted in OaklandGoods at 4:52 pm by OaklandGoods
If you’re a gadget hound, you might enjoy checking out this Oakland-designed product I heard about on NPR this morning. The Pulse “smartpen” writes with real ink, but also records and plays audio, and takes pictures. It’s designed to digitally enhance notetaking, replacing pen and paper or downsizing a laptop.
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04.17.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods at 7:40 pm by OaklandGoods
In further honor of Earth Day (or “annual reminder of things you should do all the time”), I bring you a selection of my favorite Oakland-themed, plastic-free shopping bags. I keep a stash of the green ones in my car for the supermarket, a couple of canvas ones in the kitchen for the farmer’s market, and a rip-stop nylon one that’s compact and cute in my purse for shopping emergencies.
Aside from the politics of plastic, which have been getting a lot of media and city government attention recently, consider how much less waste you create when using canvas and how much litter could be stopped if we all carried a reusable bag with us. Last weekend, I went to see the San Jose Earthquakes’ season opener at the Coliseum. The amount of garbage beneath the BART overpass was depressing - and most of it was unsightly, wadded up plastic grocery bags. And while it’s true that the bags can be recycled, only five percent ever are.
So do your part to reduce reliance on bags. You can even do it right now from your computer. Online, check out customizable Oakland totes from Gemini65 on Zazzle or snag a now classic “I Hella Heart Oakland” canvas tote at CafePress. I also like Place it Here’s interwoven oak tote. OaklandUnwrapped and OaklandPride (whose proceeds benefit OaklandUnwrapped) also have a selection of totes. The best by far is “Plastic Bags BLOW Away”.
A final note: Many supermarkets, including locally owned Piedmont Grocery (which has been promoting bag reuse for years), will give you a bag credit or make a donation when you BYOB.
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04.08.08
Posted in OaklandGoods, GoodEats, Grand Lake at 9:10 pm by OaklandGoods
If I write about delicious frozen treats, I can will warm weather into existence, right? Last summer, when the weather was perfect, I waited and waited for this little Lake Park storefront to open its doors. And then I waited some more. Some time in the fall it happened, but I was disenchanted and, frankly, too cold for gelato.
But now, ’tis the season to scream for ice cream. (And yes, I’m aware that gelato is different, but you know what I mean). Or rather, ’tis the season for warm weather to be so close you can almost taste it.
At Firenze, I tasted a variety of the offerings before settling on a half strawberry sorbetto, half chai tea gelato cup. It was delicious. And it’s made on site, (unlike Naia and Tango, neither of which are Oakland companies). Soy offerings are also available for the vegan and the lactose intolerant - I sampled some and can vouch for its deliciousness.
If you don’t want to eat in, pints are available to take home. Firenze has one of those customer loyalty cards, too, so buy 10 and get one free. You should be able to do that by the end of summer, right?
gelato firenze
478 lake park ave.
510.414.9997
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03.20.08
Posted in DoGooder, OaklandGoods, Downtown, Events at 11:38 am by OaklandGoods
The Second Annual Oakland Indie Awards are coming up in May, so now’s the time to nominate your favorite business at OaklandUnwrapped. The Indie Awards recognize the small businesses and longtime favorites that make our community stronger. Nominations close March 30. 2007’s event was really fun, so after you nominate your favorites, grab some tickets to this year’s soiree - they’re discounted until April 15.
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03.19.08
Posted in OaklandGoods, GoodEats, Downtown, News at 6:53 pm by OaklandGoods
image from flickr
According to an article in today’s Trib, 80-year-old Neldam’s Bakery may close at the end of summer. In case you are unfamiliar, Neldam’s is the home of the world’s best German chocolate cake. I hear they make some other stuff, too.
I recommend making it a point of your weekend to stop by for some cookies, pastries, rolls, or whatever carbs strike your fancy, whether for the nostalgia factor or to help a business in need. I’d hate to think that, delicious though they aare, those Costco sheet cakes you’ve been ordering are killing our local institutions.
neldam’s bakery
3101 telegraph ave
510.658.7967
www.neldamsbakery.com
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