HUCKLEBERRY BICYCLES Huckleberry Bicycles, which has been on Market Street in San Francisco since 2011, has just opened a second location at 2424 Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley (which, until they closed in February, housed MSC Custom Bikes). Huckleberry sells Cannondale, Brompton, All City, Surly, Masi, Salsa, Faraday, Shinola and Spot Brand new bikes, as well as a selection of bags (think Brooks England), apparel (Levi’s, Cadence Collection, Swrve) and shoes. There is a full-service repair shop onsite. The owners are Jonas Jackel, Brian Smith and Zack Stender. Jackel tells us they chose Berkeley because “it’s a great bike city with excellent bicycle infrastructure and strong roots in cycling culture.” Himself a Berkeley resident, Jackel sees potential for another good bike shop here. “The population is growing, and many of the new residents ride their bikes every day,” he said. “We saw an opportunity to succeed here with our unique assortment of products. We have a lot of customers from the East Bay who frequent our SF store, so we thought expanding into this market was a good fit for our business. Asked why Telegraph, Jackel said: “We’re in a great spot to serve the needs of the students, families and young professionals who live in the area. Telegraph has a high volume of foot traffic, and this neighborhood and the adjacent downtown area have high population density and bicycle ridership. All good things for a bike shop.” Huckleberry is now in soft opening and plans a “grand opening sale” May 14-22. All bikes plus select categories will be on sale at both of its stores. Huckleberry Bicycles, 2424 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley 94704 Tel: 510-900 1133. Open Mon.–Fri. 11am-7pm Sat.–Sun. 12am-5pm. Connect with Huckleberry on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
ARCHITECT MERGER Two Berkeley-based Bay Area architecture firms are joining forces. Kahn Design Associates and Abueg Morris Architects will merge their practices and operate under the new name Studio KDA. According to a release, the new combined practice will “allow both firms to serve additional restaurant, retail and residential clients, expand deeper into fitness and hospitality sectors, and continue to provide a high level of client service.” The newly formed Studio KDA will have 25 employees in the Berkeley office. Abueg Morris, founded by Marites Abueg and Keith Morris in 2002, will continue to provide, culinary-driven restaurant design (Comal, The Advocate, Nopalito, Verbena, and Ferry Plaza Sea Food), while Kahn Design Associates (KDA) will maintain its focus on community-fostering retail and residential sectors. The firms say they will “cross-pollinate to share design expertise, expand the practice to meet the demand of new fitness and hospitality clients, and enjoy operational efficiencies.” They add that the firms’ principals have been friends for years and “share deeply held beliefs about architecture, culture and service.” They say both firms are committed to “enhancing community through thoughtful design and believe that high-quality design encourages connection and enhances people’s lives.”
HELLA YOGA Get ready for Hella Yoga which will open soon at 2240 Oxford St. (at Kittredge) in the space formerly occupied by Akasha Yoga (and, prior to that, Groove Yoga). Berkeley-based yoga teacher Ashley Shochat (Mission Yoga, SF and Bikram Yoga College of India, North Beach, SF) together with Lynn Whitlow (owner of Bikram Yoga Petaluma and founder of multiple Bay Area yoga studios) are bringing a new yoga and hot pilates studio in to downtown Berkeley. “It is going to be a super fun, bright, colorful and upbeat studio with moderately heated classes of all types,” Shochat tell us. Inferno Hot Pilates is a high-intensity interval training class using pilates principles. It is vigorous but low impact and open to all levels of fitness and experience. “Plus it is really fun with a music soundtrack,” said Shochat. The classes will be mostly one-hour classes spanning a variety of yoga disciplines with a focus on fitness and fun. They will also be open to all levels and encourage first timers to participate. The owners are putting the final touches to the revamped studio (above) and hope to open later this month. For updates check Hella Yoga’s Facebook page.
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.
