RUBY LIVINGDESIGN The home interiors shop on Fourth Street is closing for remodeling on Oct. 31. The business sells designer furniture, art and accessories and provides interior design/home consulting services. A re-opening date has not yet been determined. Ruby Livingdesign also has stores in Menlo Park, Mill Valley and San Francisco. Ruby Livingdesign, 1733 Fourth St., Berkeley 94710. Tel: 510-984-0859. Open Mon. – Sat., 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. and Sun., Noon to 5 p.m.
CHATEAU MAE Just opened on Aug. 17, Chateau Mae is a new beauty salon in downtown Berkeley. Owned by Destiny Gong, who manages the business along with help from her mother and two sisters, the store specializes in Korean and Japanese skincare and make-up. “We chose this site because it is a central location in the East Bay in which we saw a gap in the market for Asian cosmetics,” Gong said. The business moved into the space formerly occupied by The Berkeley Hearing Center, which moved to Channing Way three months ago. Chateau Mae, 2118 Shattuck Ave. (near Center), Berkeley 94704. Tel: 510-647-9883. Open Sun. – Thurs., 11 am. – 7 p.m. and Fri. – Sat., 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
BERKELEY HEARING CENTER The center specializing in comprehensive audiological health care has moved from its longtime location on Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley to Channing Way near the UC campus. Doors opened at the new space on May 27. Independently owned and operated by Jonathan Lipschutz since 2014, the Center has been located on Shattuck since the mid-1980s. At the new location the center can offer its customers free parking and a larger space in a quieter neighborhood. “The Center serves to address all patients hearing needs from diagnostic hearing tests to dispensing and servicing hearing aids, as well as custom hearing protection,” practice manager John Chakan said. Berkeley Hearing Center, 2317 Channing Way (near Ellsworth), Berkeley 94704. Tel: 510-841-0681. Open Mon. – Fri., 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CAL FLOWERS After 34 years at 2588 Bancroft Way, Zafar Honarmand has moved Cal Flowers (aka Freedom Flowers) to the MLK Student Union on campus. As first reported in the Daily Californian, Honarmand closed his doors at the Bancroft location on June 18 and re-opened on campus in early August. Daryl Ansel, executive director of the Associated Students University of California, encouraged Honarmand to move, recognizing that Honarmand’s flowers have been a part of the Cal community for decades — from graduation to first dates. Honarmand opened his floral business (originally called Freedom Flowers) in 1985, one year after leaving his native Iran. He chose to live and work in Berkeley because of a feeling of kinship with the liberal politics here. Honarmand’s shop was just one of several that closed to make way for The Standard development project, which will provide housing for UC Berkeley students. Cal Flowers (aka Freedom Flowers), 2495 Bancroft Way, MLK Student Union on the UC Berkeley campus, Sproul Plaza, Bancroft Way. Open Mon. – Sat., 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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.
