News about great shops in your neighborhood

News about great shops in your neighborhood

Piecing it together

Eva Ruland is a local life coach whose mission is nothing less than to help clients discover their own inner magnificence. “People who understand what makes them tick are usually happier people, and happy individuals form happy communities,” she says about her Berkeley-based practice.

Ruland, who holds a PhD in East-West psychology, has worked with individuals and groups for more than 15 years and is now offering a fun, creative afternoon workshop designed to help people put the pieces of their lives together—literally. In Ruland’s upcoming workshop—Explore Yourself through Collage Making/The Power of Intention—she will help participants create a visual representation of who they are and what they want to become. No artistic background is required, just an ability to cut, glue and examine your life’s passions.

“The collage you compose when allowing your intuition to guide you is a snapshot of your soul,” says Ruland, who made collages to channel her own grief following the death of her mother. She says her own experience was so transformative that she wanted share the process with others.

The collage workshop will be held in Berkeley on March 17, 2-5:30 p.m. The cost is $65 and includes materials. If you bring a friend, you receive a discount of $10 each.
For more information, visit www.evaruland.com or call (510) 644-1566.

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A few of my favorite things

After building a career in corporate retail, Lois Vinsel wanted to create a showcase for all her personal favorite things, and in 2006 opened Lola, a home accessory shop in Berkeley’s Elmwood District. The shop features what Vinsel describes as “soft contemporary” items with an emphasis on nature, quality and design detail: wooden bowls, metal service carts (which Vinsel helped design), fine linen table runners in subtle Japanese designs, vases formed from sheets of bent maple and cherrywood, a one-of-a-kind table made from a Berkeley elm tree, locally and European-made glass vases and copper fish sculptures. John Woodall’s textural sculptures made from folded pages of old paperback books add a truly novel appeal. Vinsel loves to dot the store with whimsical gift items: a book is entitled Why Not Eat Insects? and a cuddly, flat shearling teddy bear defies resisting. Despite the store’s minimalist oeuvre, it is filled with yummy sensual goodies like the couch-sized wool-covered and stuffed cushions that look like river stones, plus rich, subtly colored hand-quilted throws made in London from old Indian cotton prints, ultra-fine woven wool scarves in white/gray/black or white/pink/red stripes, rose-pink hemp throws and baby blankets from a Maine sheep farm where they also weave the finished product.

Lola, 2950 College Ave., Berkeley, (510) 981-8345; www.lolahome.com.

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Water into wine

Berkeley’s policies on landmarks have made for some strange—and charming—bedfellows. Witness the Gourmet Ghetto’s Vintage Berkeley, a wine shop housed in the 1930 North Berkeley EBMUD pumping house. Opened in 2005 by Michael Werther, former Cost Plus wine-buyer Peter Eastlake and his wife Maya Elmer, the shop touts itself as “A wine store for the people.”

Bright, art-filled interiors create a welcoming atmosphere for both experienced wine aficionados and newbies. As part of Vintage Berkeley’s mission to educate people about wine, the shop hosts tastings in its on-site tasting bar, The Corral, on weekdays from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m. The shop features an eclectic and constantly changing mix of both domestic and imported vintages from boutique vintners, some producing just 120 cases a year, most at less than $25 per bottle. Those who want to expand their gastronomic repertoire—and impress friends—can participate in the shop’s Wine Club, offering either six or 12 hand-selected bottles four times a year at a 10 to 15 percent discount. “It’s a great way to learn about new regions and varietals,” says Elmer.

Vintage Berkeley, 2113 Vine St., Berkeley, (510) 665-8600; www.vintageberkeley.com.

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Sucking it up

If your vacuum cleaner is more than 10 years old, you likely don’t have the newest technology in secondary filtration. “We can hook up the exhaust from the newer machines to a particle counter and watch while the numbers drop to zero—the exhaust is cleaner than the air you’re breathing now,” says Vacuum World owner Bob Burns. The old-fashioned service-oriented sales and fix-it shop has served El Cerrito for more than 30 years and boasts a mailing list (along with Burns’ Grand Lake-area store) of nearly 70,000 satisfied customers, which is why they have survived and thrived in the Big Box-era. Along with free service estimates, the knowledgeable staff can help you find the exact accessories for your old vacuum or direct you to one of the newer machines designed especially for those with respiratory concerns. In addition to carrying every kind of vacuum bag and belt (Vacuum World is a factory-authorized warranty station for all major brands), the store sells the newest high-quality and -efficiency machines, at all price points, from companies like Miele and SEBO. For those spring-cleaning projects, you can rent a Rug Doctor machine.

Vacuum World, 10036 San Pablo Ave., El Cerrito, and 3250 Grand Ave., Oakland. (510) 526-6349.

Faces of the East Bay