A plant lover turns her passion into a business on San Pablo Avenue. Catch up on this and other Berkeley retail and small business news.

Joanne Furio
Joanne Furio is a longtime journalist and writer of creative nonfiction. Originally from New York, she has been a staff writer, an editor and a freelance magazine writer. More recently, she was a contributing writer at San Francisco magazine for a decade, covering design, culture and style. Over the years, her work has appeared frequently in The New York Times, New York Newsday, The Village Voice, Ms., Dwell and Landscape Architecture.
Shop Talk: Rad Power Bikes glides into town; the Berkeley Bag is back again
Rad Power Bikes has opened on San Pablo Avenue. Catch up on this and other retail and small business news.
Eccentric new Curiosity Shop has 45,000 pieces of costume jewelry and a feminist bent
The downtown Berkeley shop’s elusive owner, Bryce Kalousek-Maritano, has operated curiosity shops on the Venice Beach Boardwalk and in a caboose in Oregon.
Shop Talk: A Priori slides down Vine Street; Moe’s Books union; a big B-day for The Potters’ Studio
A Priori has moved down the street into the Earthly Goods space. Catch up on this and other local business news.
Berkeley resident’s climate disaster Halloween decorations are ‘scarier than any ghost’
Plus: A roundup of spooky Halloween and Dia de los Muertos happenings this weekend.
Supervised swims in the bay are popular and safe — just don’t stare at Homer the seal
Attendance at a local company’s chaperoned Sunday swim from the Berkeley Marina has quadrupled since 2018. And while Homer might chase you, he probably won’t bite.
More than trophy homes: AIA East Bay rethinks its annual home tours
The local chapter of the American Institute of Architects is hosting home tours, housing forums and a bike tour aimed at exploring all forms of shelter.
West Berkeley creative space doubled in size during pandemic
Ciel Creative Space, a converted print house that hosts events and helps clients like Google, Visa and Levi’s produce ads, now extends the length of a city block.