As you continue to contemplate your holiday shopping to-do’s, consider a trip to Piedmont Avenue for a visit to an eclectic and inspiring pair of stores envisioned and brought to life by native Oaklander Dana Olson. Situated on the 4200 block of Piedmont Ave are Good Stock and Neighbor. Pop into Good Stock where you find lovely jewelry and accessory items to please the ladies on your list. Head next door to Neighbor, to then find an array of home decor, gift, and garden items. Make sure to step out back to visit the stocked shed occupied by Preserved, a specialty shop that offers all you could need for food preservation. These three options combined offer a fabulous one-stop shopping experience.
There are few Oakland residents who haven’t heard of Oaklandish. Bringing local pride to our closets for over a decade, the brand has become synonomous with love for our city. Through the years they have built upon their early roots in public art projects to include 2 Oaklandish retail locations and a partner brand “Never Say Elsewhere”. Oaklandish further expanded last year with the opening of Oakland Supply Co., a concept shop in Oakland’s Waterfront Warehouse District focused on quality craftsmanship and American Made Goods.
As you consider where to head this coming weekend to kick off the holiday shopping season, put Bella Vita at the top of your list. Owner Jennifer Viale has created and curated a space filled with beautiful goods for the women and children on your list, all displayed in a whimsical setting full of vintage detail. She truly is the “Purveyor of Lovely Things”.
Fall colors and flavors were in full force last Friday in Old Oakland. The brightness of summer has given way to the warmth of fall, visible in the deep oranges, purples, and greens on display at the Old Oakland Farmer’s Market. The seasonal flavors were abundant in dishes being served from the dining hotspots tucked into the revitalized Swan’s Market at 10th & Clay.
We are deep into fall. Thanksgiving is upon us, with the thought of Christmas already present. The air has gone cool, the heat is turned on, and socks are always on as I putter around the house. The oven avoidance that is common in our house during the summer months is long gone and the season of roasting and baking is here. Squash has always been one of those things I have been unsure of, the idea of a plain and slightly mushy slice of roasted squash has no appeal. It used to be that the thought of squash meant a beeline for butternut, but nowadays you can find all sorts of sizes, shapes and colors with intriguing names such as delicata and kabocha.
As I mentioned in my Part 1 Post about Idora Park, during my research I came across reference to the fact that Idora Park was well known for their “Crispy Sour Milk Waffles”. As you may be able to tell by now, I am a breakfast fan, and I am never one to turn down its sweet offerings like french toast, pancakes and waffles. So my curiosity was peaked.