HUCKLEBERRY BICYCLES Is there something going on with bike shops? Performance Bicycle announced its closing in November, and now two more local bike stores are making changes. Huckleberry Bicycles will close the doors of its Telegraph Avenue store at the end of January, having opened there in May 2016. Co-owners Brian Smith and Jonas Jackel decided not to renew the lease, citing, in a newsletter “a combination of factors, including high rent, neighborhood-related obstacles, and bike industry changes” as the reasons for shuttering. However they do hope to open another East Bay shop in the future. “We couldn’t renew our lease and continue to operate a location that was only breaking even,” Jackel said. “Saving those resources to invest in our online business and our San Francisco location should be more fruitful.” The store — which sells bikes, cycling gear and apparel, rents bikes, provides service and repair and leads group rides — will be open by appointment only until it transitions out of that space and consolidates all inventory into its San Francisco store on Market Street near Civic Center. Service plans on recently purchased bikes in Berkeley will be honored through the SF store. Huckleberry Bicycles, 2424 Telegraph Ave., (at Channing), Berkeley 94704. Tel: 510-900-1133, through January 31, 415-484-6575, thereafter. In San Francisco at 1073 Market St., San Francisco 94103. Follow on Facebook and Twitter.
LULU’S CYCLERY A reader tipped us off to a Craigslist ad announcing that Lulu’s Cyclery in Berkeley was for sale. The ad mentions that the owners have two years left on their lease and are moving on to other things. Owners Emily Thurston and Dennis Jenkins told Berkeleyside they are “wanting to spend more time with the incorporation as well as have a new son on the way.” Lulu’s Cyclery is a full-service bike store selling new and used bikes that opened on Telegraph Avenue in 2012. As described on the website of its other business, Lulu’s Hauling Inc., the shop is family-run, along with a third business that deals in debris removal. Lulu’s Cyclery, 3089 Telegraph Ave. (at Prince), Berkeley 94705. Tel: 510-841-1849. Open 10 a.m – 6 p.m. except Wed., open 11 a.m., closed Thurs.
CHLOE HANA FLOWER South Berkeley got a new flower shop in October. Chloe Hana Flower is part of the Adelines Lab community center that provides a safe and supportive space for artists and small businesses in hospitality and retail. Owner Asako Unome-Kellogg has lived in the Bay Area for eight years, recently moving to Albany with her family. Her husband is a member of Adelines Lab. “The members at Adelines Lab are very supportive and helped me get the business started by offering me subsidized rent in their space,” Unome-Kellogg said. “I couldn’t have ever thought about opening a business without the support of the group for which I am a member.” The building was previously occupied by the Firehouse Arts Collective, which now collaborates with Adelines Lab as an arts collective whose aim is to revitalize the art community in South Berkeley. Unome-Kellogg creates floral art pieces using fresh-cut, single-stem and dried flowers, and specializes in ichirinzashi, a one-stem Japanese floral design. “I enjoy watching the life-cycle of the flower as it changes,” she said. “I want to grow the connection between people and the floral experience. It doesn’t have to be a big bouquet or a grand display, but a single flower can be just as satisfying, if not more so, for its elegant and individual simplicity.” Chloe Hana Flower, 3192 Adeline St., Berkeley 94703. Tel: 415-706 3244. Open Wed.-Fri., noon to 6 p.m., Sat. and Sun., 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
ARTISAN BURLWOOD FURNITURE A landmark shop is closing its doors marking the end of an era in Berkeley. Artisan Burlwood opened in 1971 and operated in various locations until it settled in a former Richfield-Mohawk gas station on Ashby Avenue in 1978. If you’ve ever needed a huge wood slab, chances are you’ve been to Artisan Burlwood, or at least noticed the lot as you headed to or from the freeway on-ramp. Master furniture builder and company founder Jim Parodi, who sells salvaged wood that is band-saw milled as well as finished pieces, said he was given an eviction notice on Dec. 12, noting that the lease was up for renewal. At the end of January the store will be consolidated with its 10-year-old Lower Lake workshop in Lake County. Check out Parodi’s video tour of the site at Ashby. Artisan Burlwood, 910 Ashby Ave. (near Seventh), Berkeley 94710. Tel: 510-549-0664. New address: 9635 HWY 53, Lower Lake CA 95457. The phone number will remain the same.
MIDAS The Midas Muffler Shop at 1835 San Pablo Ave. (at Hearst) in Berkeley has closed. No details why it closed were available. The nationwide company is franchise-owned. Midas is an acronym for “Muffler Installation Dealers’ Association Service” but most of us know the old jingle, “trust the Midas touch” as a reference to the Greek mythological figure King Midas. Midas provides repairs and services for oil change, new tires, brakes, muffler and exhaust, suspension, air conditioner and other mechanical or electrical components for cars. The first Midas Muffler was opened in Macon, Georgia in 1956 and there are now over 2,000 locations across the country. The nearest Midas shop is now Midas Richmond at 10903 San Pablo Ave. (at Bayview) in El Cerrito. Tel: 510-255-4589.
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.
