BONE ROOM CLOSING STORE Berkeley’s quirkiest store, The Bone Room, announced on Tuesday that it is closing its brick-and-mortar store on Solano Avenue (which it had already downsized last spring). A place of wonder for children and adults, scientists and artists for more than 30 years, The Bone Room will be focusing on growing its online sales, “hosting […]
East Bay Vivarium
10 kid-friendly outings for summertime in Berkeley
By Heather Flett Now that Memorial Day is behind us and all thoughts turn to summer, we bring you, via our friends at 510 Families, ten kid-friendly outings that suit the season. 1. Get lost among the stacks at the Bay Area Book Festival the weekend of June 6 and 7 at Civic Center Park. There will […]
Shop Talk: The ins and outs of Berkeley businesses
SCRAPBOOK TERRITORY CLOSES Arts and crafts supply store Scrapbook Territory on Fourth Street has closed after 12 years. Its last day was Sunday May 3. The store’s owners explained why they were shuttering on their Facebook page: “Well, I wish it weren’t so,” they wrote, “but our sales are below 50% of what they once were. Combine that […]
Ron Cauble, founder of The Bone Room, Vivarium
A remembrance of Ron Cauble, from The Bone Room: It is with a heavy Bone Room heart that we recognize and commemorate the loss of our beloved owner and founder, Ron Cauble. Ron passed away on the evening of Saturday, July 19. He was 74. He left us too soon and too abruptly, but we […]
For Berkeley jeweler, it’s all about the snakes next door
Melissa Joy Manning opened her jewelry shop on 5th Street in Berkeley in December and, as far as she’s concerned, it’s the ideal spot. “It’s right next door to my absolute favorite store,” she says referring not to a fashion boutique or a chocolate emporium, but to East Bay Vivarium, home to a multitude of […]
Closure of Lucky Dog pet store puts animals at risk
A dispute over rent and repairs has prompted a landlord to evict the Lucky Dog pet store from its home on San Pablo Avenue, putting the lives of dozens of animals at risk. The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department is scheduled to arrive at 2154 San Pablo Avenue at 6:00 am Thursday to take over the […]
Berkeley and Brooklyn: An eerie similarity
Brooklyn and Berkeley. They share so much more than the same initial letter and bridges that also begin with “B”. If you read the New York Times, you will find their regular, nay almost obsessive, coverage of the goings-on in Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Park Slope, spookily familiar. The demographic, the passions, the fashions — […]
The Bone Room — a Berkeley curiosity
How have I missed The Bone Room? I was looking at the latest post on one of the more delightful blogs I follow, Curious Expeditions, and lo and behold, it was enthusing about a store on Solano Avenue. Curious Expeditions describes it as “electrifying”. Here’s The Bone Room’s own description: The Bone Room is a […]