DHARMA COLLEGE A reboot of Dharma College and the official launch of CoWorking With Wisdom, which we first wrote about in July, will take place on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 28 and 29. The celebration includes an introduction of the Lotus Vision Program: The Extraordinary Potential of Being and the opening of the 5th International Tipitaka Chanting Program. The college, which offers courses with an emphasis on the mind/body/spirit paradigm within the Tibetan wisdom tradition, has newly renovated classrooms and workshop spaces, a spacious reading room, a vegetarian dining room and yoga/meditation space.
CoWorking With Wisdom, which operates within Dharma College, was founded by Wangmo Dixey, the daughter of the Tibetan spiritual leader, Tarthang Tulku. “From a very young age, Wangmo was encouraged by her father to lead a very Western lifestyle, in spite of his background as a Buddhist,” said spokeswoman Andrea Heuer of Heuer Media. “Her journey gave her a blended experience of both Western and Eastern cultures. It’s those insights she wants to impart of the members of the special community she’s formed at Coworking with Wisdom.”
Dharma College is in a landmark building in downtown Berkeley, designed by architect Walter Ratcliff in the Spanish Colonial tradition. It first opened in 1923 as the California School for Private Secretaries and later became Armstrong University. The Judah L. Magnes Museum owned the building and had once planned to move there but sold it in 2009 to the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Center. It was renamed Dharma College in 2009. Dharma College, 2222 Harold Way, Berkeley, 94704. Tel: 510-809-2010.
HARVEST & MILL The organic clothing company we featured in November 2016 has some interesting new developments. The company, which started small with t-shirts and totes, has expanded its line to include cotton jersey pants for men and women and two new special items to be released in early October, both of which have deep ties in the Bay Area. The first is a series of clay-dyed shirts, in collaboration with Oakland based artist Rosa Novak, who collects eroded California clay for use in the dying process. The second new release are wool jackets made with Climate Beneficial Wool from Fibershed, a local bio-regional fiber non-profit based in San Geronimo, CA.
Harvest & Mill had told Shop Talk that the original owner, Natalie Patricia, planned to form a LLC partnership in 2016 with Paul Wallace. That never happened and Patricia is still the sole owner. Wallace remains a strategic advisor and consultant with the company.
Harvest & Mill products are made with organic cotton that is grown, milled, designed and sewn in the US, and as its tagline states, Patricia’s aim is to rebuild American manufacturing “with clean and ethical practices from seed to stitch.” The company also pledges to pay fair local wages, use toxin-free fabric, healthy farming practices, leave a low CO2 footprint, and include honest labels. Harvest & Mill. Connect with them on Facebook or Twitter.
EYEBROW PLUS The Emeryville store has relocated from 1199 40th St. (at San Pablo) to 2808 Adeline Street in Berkeley. The first day in the new store was Sept. 25. According to the manager, the business bought the space on Adeline and moved primarily because there were not a lot of customers at its Emeryville location. The business operates 20 stores in California, Oregon and Washington. Eyebrows Plus provides services that include hair removal by threading technique, facials, body waxing, tinting and hair salon services. Owner Fardin Amiri opened his first shop in 2008 in the Bay Area. Eyebrow Plus, 2808 Adeline St. (near Oregon), #4, Berkeley 94703. Tel: 510-280-5809. Open Wed. through Sat., 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Hair services by appointment only.
Shop Talk is Berkeleyside’s regular Berkeley local business column. If you’re a Berkeley business with news, or a Berkeleyside reader who has spotted a change in your neighborhood or on your travels, shoot us an email with the details at editors@berkeleyside.com. Read previous Shop Talk columns. And catch up with all food and drink related business news with our Nosh coverage.
