Spotted in front of Lamorinda Music, Lamorinda Theatre Academy and the soon to be opened Mighty Fine Guitars store. I love finding creative displays like this, hats off to them!
Spotted in front of Lamorinda Music, Lamorinda Theatre Academy and the soon to be opened Mighty Fine Guitars store. I love finding creative displays like this, hats off to them!
A couple of weeks ago I noted about a mystery clothing store opening up in downtown Lafayette but it turns out that despite the City of Lafayette attempting to keep it a secret, Diablo Magazine uncovered the details a while ago. The store is called Venture Men’s Goods, and after some additional research I found out the Facebook page:
Venture offers men’s apparel that has a decidedly West Coast orientation, grounded with California-based brands and manufacturers. The product is genuine and well-crafted. Comfortable, yet aspirational. Stylish, but not trendy.
Venture Goods is located at 3571 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in downtown Lafayette, a few stores down from Patxi’s Pizzeria.
The final movie showing at the Lafayette Plaza (Mt. Diablo Blvd. & Moraga Rd.) for the 2012 Lafayette Summer Series will be Iron Man. The start time is “at dusk” with a snack bar compliments of Whole Foods. Beginning August the Summer Series will turn into “Rock the Plaza” and showcase rock music Friday evenings.
I noted last week that Back to the Table Cooking School in Lafayette was opening on July 12th, and now that they have opened I was able to get a couple of photos of the inside. The photo above shows where the cooking instruction takes place, after which everyone will head to a giant dining table nearby to break bread and discuss the cooking class with the entire class and instructor.
Check out the giant dining table:
This looks like a great setup for cooking classes. Has anyone been yet? I’m definitely interested in signing up for a class.
Lamorinda Patch recently pointed out that according to Lafayette City Manager Steven Falk, a new men’s clothing store is coming to Lafayette, at the Clocktower near Patxi’s Pizza. Anyone have any idea which store is coming?
Don’t forget that last week I noted that Pelican Rock men’s clothing is coming to downtown Walnut Creek, so this must be the summer for men’s fashion I suppose.
Normally I make a late afternoon post about some local event taking place but yesterday I unfortunately skipped this because I sold my 10 year old Honda Civic. For an eternal pessimist like me this is easier said than done. I had visions of counterfeit cash, carjackings and kidnappings constantly running through my mind but I had to get rid of it somehow so I finally broke down and posted an ad on Craigslist.
Viewing other ads for the same Civic I chose what I felt was a fair price and then waited for the replies. Before the ad was even posted publicly I received my first reply somehow, and after answering some questions I asked that we meet at the Lafayette Safeway parking lot as I heard it’s not recommended to show it at one’s house, it’s better to show it in a public area. In the meantime I gathered up all relevant documents, got the car washed and then parked the car in the parking lot, waiting for the potential buyer. Checking my iPhone I received about 10 more inquiries so I felt pretty good, although I thought I may have underpriced it and to top it off I forgot to mention I had a car alarm installed in the ad.
I had no idea who to expect but it turned out to be a middle aged couple from the other side of the Caldecutt. They got out of their car and walked around the Civic, asking lots of questions. Eventually they asked for a test drive, and I said sure, as long as I could ride in the back. (That’s where the car-jacking/kidknapping visions reappeared.) We take off down Mt. Diablo towards Walnut Creek, and eventually the guy asks about seeing a mechanic. Since I usually take my car to Walnut Creek Honda for service, and we were headed that way, I asked them whether they would like to stop there where they could look up the records for the Civic. They agreed, and we head to the Honda service center in downtown Walnut Creek. Parking the car right outside, we go in and ask someone to look up the record. He noted that the timing belt was recently changed, and everything seemed fine. The couple liked what they heard, and after talking it over among themselves for a bit, they agreed to buy the car at asking.
The final issue that remained was payment. (This is where visions of counterfeit cash appeared.) Thankfully the guy said he needed to withdraw cash directly from Mechanics bank. So we headed a few blocks down, with me happily pointing out the new restaurant Opa!, as well as the new “fountain head” sculpture, and enter the bank. I witnessed as the teller counted out the cash, handed it over to me, and then we went to an empty spot in the bank and completed the deal and I handed him the title and other documents. The whole transaction was painless and I ended up in my favorite area, downtown Walnut Creek. They expected to drive me back to the Lafayette Safeway parking lot, but how could I not hang out for a bit since I was already in beautiful downtown? So I bid them good day, walked a couple of blocks to Wells Fargo to deposit the cash, then headed over to Peet’s and proceeded to drink a refreshing iced tea, followed by dinner at Boudin Bakery since dinner was not yet being served at Corners Tavern. (I wanted to get the burger.)
So that’s the story of how I sold my beloved Honda Civic, No counterfeit cash involved, no carjackings and kidnappings, just the familiar and friendly Lafayette and Walnut Creek that I know and like so well.
Back in January I noted on the opening of the the consignment store Yesterday’s Treasures in Lafayette next to Squirrels Cafe, and it has now closed, although according to their website they still have stores in Antioch and Brentwood.
Back in April I noted that Back to the Table Cooking School in Lafayette was opening in July, and it’s been confirmed that they will have their grand opening this Thursday evening, July 12th, from 5pm – 8pm. From their website:
Join us for an evening of food, community and celebration!
Lisa Evaristo & Leslie Pease, owners of Back to the Table, invite everyone to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony.
Come meet our 12 cooking school teachers.
They also have a production kitchen upstairs for local businesses which are taking reservations. Check out the cooking school teacher bios here, and the huge 157 class list here. Photos of the inside can be found on their Facebook page here.
As some one who has taken cooking classes at the now closed Viking store in Walnut Creek, and elsewhere, this looks like it has a lot of potential for both those looking to improve or learn something new, as well as local businesses who need access to a professional kitchen. If I had to choose 3 classes, I would check out, ‘Backyard BBQ’, ‘Seasonal Pies’, ‘Slider Mania’. Which classes look good to you?
sewnow!, the fashion studio that offers classes, workshops and camps has recently moved from its Moraga Rd. location to 3534 Golden Gate Way (between Plaza Park and the library). From their website:
sewnow! fashion studio is an exciting new retail destination focused on fashion design and sewing. We provide a designer studio workspace equipped with the latest technology, allowing you to design, embroider, and sew anything you can imagine. We support you with expert advice, instruction, and materials.
sewnow! offers fashion design and sewing classes, sewing camps, specialty workshops, open studio time, birthday parties, private sewing lessons, Brother sewing and embroidery machines, party hosting and a variety of other services.
