News about great shops in your neighborhood

News about great shops in your neighborhood

Depot on the go

The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse—a godsend for teachers and artists who need a raw materials at a good price—is moving from San Pablo Avenue to Telegraph Avenue and 47th in Oakland’s Temescal neighborhood in May. The Depot has pioneered reuse and recycling for nearly three decades, diverting literally thousands of tons of material from local landfills.

“The new and improved Depot will be a greener Depot,” says Allysyn Kiplinger, a board member and the store’s relocation manager. “The aesthetics of the new place will be significantly improved and include a showroom of green building materials and practice.” Kiplinger says to expect an improved flow of materials, a dedicated receiving door for donations and better do-it-yourself instructions for teachers.

The Depot has formed a new partnership with DR3 (which stands for Dismantle, Reduce/ReUse/Recycle) to have a wider selection of reused goods in the store.

The Depot’s grand opening is Saturday, May 19, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Kiplinger says don’t forget to bring your donations. (Donations can be made at the new store beginning May 9; all donations at the former location have stopped.)

The East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, 4695 Telegraph Ave. (beginning May 19), (510) 547-6470, www.creativereuse.org.

______________

Word camp

In an East Bay cottage surrounded by fruit trees, instructor Sondra Hall will offer a series of two-week writing camps for girls this June and July. The camp—called “Take My Word For It!”—provides creative writing and book-making experience to girls ages 9-12 .

“We’re going to try to take the lid off the ‘shoulds’ and strict attention to grammar and punctuation,” says Hall, who writes poetry and memoir. “We won’t ignore it altogether, but we want the girls to feel a certain freedom to get to the wellspring of ideas that are inside of them.” Each day, campers will be given a thought-provoking word of the day that they’ll explore through various writing activities. They will free-write and choose a collaborative writing project to work on as a group.

Hall, who has taught in Chabot Elementary School’s afterschool program, thinks standardized tests have constrained what teachers can do in the classroom so students don’t often have the space or time to explore creative writing. “It can help kids grow in so many ways if they learn how to express themselves through the written word,” says Hall.

In addition to writing, campers work with artist Alice Armstrong in the afternoons to create their own, one-of-a-kind handmade books.

The full day (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.), two-week camp, which includes three hours of book-making, costs $500, plus a $40 materials fee. The half-day (9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) creative writing-only camp costs $300. Students can also sign up for book-making only (2-5 p.m.) for $200, plus the materials fee.

Take My Word for It! (510) 388-1548, sondra@cometoyoursensesevents.comwww.takemywordforit.net.

______________

Timely gifts

Mark Wallaert, who operates Montclair Village gift shop Pelago with partner Bill Fidrych, says so many regular customers take advantage of the store’s free gift-wrap policy when they are running late, that he has considered changing the shop’s name to “The Last-Minute Gift Store.” After 14 years of business, Wallaert and Fidrych are more than familiar with the needs of their loyal, yet somewhat time-challenged, clientele. The most notable tale happened on a Saturday when, on the way to the wedding in Napa with only an hour to spare, the bride’s brother came in to choose a gift and the ultimate wrap.

Wallaert and Fidrych carefully handpick the store’s offerings, including jewelry, baby gifts, travel products, barware and tableware, that will appeal to all tastes and genders. Currently, the store offers many fun bags—overnight bags, handbags—in the reasonable $20-$30 range. Wallaert says that the products sport a clean, contemporary design. “We cater to people who are looking for fun, interesting gifts that are of a nice quality and at a good price,” Wallaert says. Especially when they are running late.

Pelago, 6134 Medau Place, Montclair Village, (510) 339-7090.

______________

Modern crafts

The customers of Urban Indigo in Oakland’s Lakeshore neighborhood are “well educated, well traveled and enjoy a more sophisticated product,” says owner Cynthia Bragdon. The store focuses on toys, jewelry, home accessories and books “with an arty side,” that range from traditional to ultra-modern styles, says Bragdon. Urban Indigo features pieces created by local jewelry artists, as well as fair-trade products and Mexican folk art.

Bragdon also likes to spotlight the modern crafts being produced by younger artists and craftspeople in the area. “There are a lot of younger people involved in graphic design who create products by using older crafts like crochet [and] knitting, and they are getting back into it in a new, fresh, cool way,” she notes.

Bragdon’s art and design background inform her buying choices. She was making jewelry and working in an active artist space building when she decided to open the store. “My biggest challenge is the business side, but I have been surprised by the customers and the neighborhood,” she says. “They are very welcoming, very appreciative.”

Urban Indigo, 3339 Lakeshore Ave. at Trestle Glen, Oakland, (510) 419-0451.

Faces of the East Bay