FARROW & BALL Coming soon to the Fourth Street shopping district is Farrow & Ball in the former home of the Claremont II (Claremont Rug Company) which has since relocated to Rockridge. Farrow & Ball Showroom will specialize in interior and exterior eco-friendly paint finishes, wall coverings, and products for preparation and application. Their website tells us they will have an expert service team on hand to offer advice and design schemes. An in-home color consultancy will also be available. Farrow & Ball, 1813 Fourth St., Berkeley 94710 Open Mon.-Fri. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sun. 12-5 p.m. Connect with Farrow & Ball on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
THE BLACK SQUIRREL Calling all craftspeople: a new shop is opening soon in Berkeley at 651 Addison St. near the Fourth Street shopping district for all manner of fiber artists. Starting out as a six-month trial pop-up, the shop will carry a collection of yarns and fibers from indie dyers from California and across the U.S. hand-picked by owner Chase Lometa Clark. Her intention is to provide unique, high-quality materials produced by small, mostly women-owned manufacturers. She hopes to attract a “slightly younger, hipper demographic of DIY-er’s than most.” Fabrics and supplies for quilting and sewing will also be on hand and there will be a range of classes, including beginner courses, offered from $5-$25. Chase tells Berkeleyside: “The shop is on the bottom floor of a new apartment building which is dog-friendly and has a great community of residents and building managers behind it. It’s got super tall ceilings and lots of windows in a huge space which means we can have a really awesome workshop space to host classes and special events. The workshop space will always be available for customers to use even when classes aren’t in session.”
Join them for their first knitting night on Thursday, Nov. 3 from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and continuing every week thereafter. Their Grand Opening Party is on Friday, Nov. 4, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. The event is free and includes woven artworks by Morgan Hale, gourmet macarons from Shades of Sugar Bakeshop, collaborative art projects, door prizes, raffles and more. The shop will be open extended hours the first month or so with anticipated general open hours listed below. The Black Squirrel, 651 Addison St., Berkeley, California 94710 Tel: 805- 441 3886. Open soon: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sat. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sun. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Follow them on Instagram for updates or connect on Facebook and Twitter.
THE HOUSE A beehive of activity is buzzing in Berkeley at The House, an incubator exclusive to the UC Berkeley community of entrepreneurial students, faculty and alumni that aims to help them develop their concepts into finished products and apps. Founder Cameron Baradar, a 2015 alum of UC Berkeley’s School of Engineering, and former Managing Director of Free Ventures, is the pulse inside this buzz. His vision for The House is to provide guidance and community throughout the entire creative process from concept to fully developed product. Cameron adds, “We help build foundations for great businesses with a support platform providing founders with what they need, when they need it. We also have a retail store where we sell products made by Berkeley startups, including the Lily Camera and Eko Core.”
The House fills up a new 7,000-square-foot space near campus on Bancroft Avenue, previously occupied by the Cal Student Store and before that, Copy Central. The House hopes to host community events in the future while in the meantime extending an invitation for curious sorts to stop by to check out what’s happening in this communal hive of entrepreneurial innovation. The House, 2560 Bancroft Way, Berkeley 94704 Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
THE BATCHERY We first reported on The Batchery in April 2016, as a new incubator in Berkeley with 50 investors and advisors on hand, founded by David Koehn. They have recently moved from their previous Berkeley space at 2036 Bancroft Way (near Shattuck) to a new location in The Port Workspaces in downtown Oakland. The Batchery, 344 20th St #115, Oakland 94612 Tel: 510- 545 9358 Connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.
Read more about The Batchery on Berkeleyside.
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.
