FLORA ARTE Recently opened at 2070 Martin Luther King Jr. Way is cute-looking flower and gift shop Flora Arte. The store sells plants and flowers, including dried flowers, and has a small nursery adjacent to its building which supplies the shop. They will make bouquets to order and there is also a selection of gifts on offer, such as homemade candles. No website or Facebook page yet, and the store’s Instagram account has yet to post a photo. Meantime, you can drop by or reach them by telephone on 510-910-9221.
85°C BAKERY CAFE We alerted you to the fact a new bakery was coming to 21 Shattuck Square in downtown Berkeley in November. The large 85°C Bakery Café is now on the verge of opening (in the building that houses Copy Central, as well as the now-shuttered Viceroy Indian Restaurant). The Taiwan-founded chain is putting the finishing touches to the space and has been hiring staff. A sign outside says it’s “coming soon.” Expect “five-star quality coffee, cakes and breads at not so five-star prices.” The first 85°C Bakery Café opened in Taipei in 2004 and the company now has more than 700 stores in Taiwan, China, Australia, Hong Kong and the U.S., including in San Jose. And the bakery has a following if lines down the street on previous city openings are anything to go by. Read 85°C Bakery’s application to the city. Visit its website for more details.
DANSE LUMIERE MOVE Danse Lumiere — whose company puts on performances and which also offers dance classes for teenagers and children — has moved to a new location at 2288 Fulton St. (at Bancroft Way) in downtown Berkeley. The organization is using a beautiful studio with a wood floor and natural lighting on the second floor of the Berkeley Shambhala Center, a block up from Shattuck and just three blocks from the Downtown Berkeley BART station. Visit the Danse Lumiere website for full information.
BERKELEY FOOD & HOUSING MOVE As of Thursday, Sept. 17, the administrative offices of Berkeley Food & Housing Project will be at a new location at 1901 Fairview Street, Berkeley 94703. Shelters remain where they are and the shelter reservation line remains in operation on 1-866-960-2132.
TWO TO TELEGRAPH Two new businesses are coming to Telegraph, with their eye on the Cal student crowd. One is Anastasia’s, a vintage and new clothing store that will be across the street from Pappy’s. According to the manager, it should open in mid-October (we’ll bring you more details nearer the time). The other, as we reported in Bites earlier this month, is Tacos Sinaloa, a very popular East Oakland food truck which opening its first brick-and-mortar location at 2384 Telegraph (near Channing Way). Connect with the restaurant on Facebook and Twitter.
Shop Talk is our regular column in which we post updates on Berkeley businesses. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleysider who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details. Read previous Shop Talk columns, and check out Bites for the latest East Bay restaurant news.
