Bedford Gallery Looking for Summer Interns

March 23, 2012 4:30 pm

The Bedford Gallery, located in the Lesher Center for the Arts in downtown Walnut Creek is looking for summer interns.

From their website:

Summer interns needed for a large-scale site-specific installation at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, CA. Work with the fun and prolific artist team known at the Cardboard Institute of Technology (C.I.T.) who will be turning the gallery into an interactive race car track made entirely of cardboard.

Duties include:

Assisting artists with the creating the installation

Working with the artists and public for three scheduled “make” sessions

Assisting with the care and upkeep of the installation for the duration of the exhibition

This is an unpaid, summer internship. We are looking for 4-5 people to work with us hands on for the the duration of the exhibit and de/installation periods. The exhibition is on view June 10 through August 12, 2012. Schedule will be flexible, but we ask that interns commit to the full length of the project.

For more information please contact Kerri Johnson at 925-295-1436 or kjohnson@bedfordgallery.org

0 Comments

La Scala Building Sells for $11.1 Million

March 23, 2012 12:00 pm

The building in the background, located at 1655 N. Main St., has sold for $11.1 million, to a Korean-based food brokerage firm. The sculpture in front was featured as sculpture of the day back in December. The building is notable in that it houses the independently owned cafe La Scala.

0 Comments

Sculpture of the Day

March 23, 2012 11:30 am

Spotted on top of the parking garage in the back of Broadway Plaza across from Boudin Bakery.

0 Comments

Northern California Family Center – Walnut Creek

March 23, 2012 8:30 am

Downtown Walnut Creek is home to the Northern California Family Center where, judging by the sign on the door, they also have a runaway hotline.

From their website:

The Northern California Family Center is a non-profit counseling center that has been serving the mental health needs of Contra Costa County since 1978. Our staff consists of dedicated professionals who provide experienced clinica care and assessment for a wide range of personal and family problems. Our Crsis Home Program serves the runaway youth population of Contra Costa County. Our Long Term Foster Care Program serves children who are foster children who are waiting for possible reunification with their parents, or maybe removed from their parents due to abuse or neglect. We serve children and adolescents, individual, parents, couples and families

Located at 1621 N. Broadway, across the street from the downtown Walnut Creek library, you need to go to the end of a side walkway to the very end to get there. It is not easy to find. They were closed when I went there, not sure whether it’s closed permanently or not. Their main office is in Martinez.

0 Comments

The 5pm Post – Designer Erin Fetherston at Neiman Marcus Walnut Creek

March 22, 2012 5:00 pm

Fashion designer Erin Fetherston will be available for a Public Personal Appearance on March 28th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm at the Walnut Creek Neiman Marcus to meet and greet and to show off her Spring 2012 Collection .

From an email:

Erin’s Inspiration for Spring:
2012, Erin Fetherston’s romantic aesthetic is infused with bold color and vivid print, expressing a cheerful and sprightly mood. Inspired by the clean and modern silhouettes of the sixties, Fetherston takes Mia Farrow as her muse, intensifying her signature mix of ivory, blush and black with sorbet-inspired shades and butterfly prints as the principle motif for the season. Fetherston ultimately creates a collection of easy to wear pieces that are fresh, poetic and playfully chic.

0 Comments

Bonne Nuit European Lingerie Store Closing this Week

March 22, 2012 4:30 pm

Back in January I noted that the Bonne Nuit Lingerie store was closing, and it looks like this is their last week open. They shared space with jeu.de.jupe, who are remaining. They are located at 1387 North Main St. in downtown Walnut Creek.

0 Comments

Broadway Plaza Demolition Possibilities

March 22, 2012 12:00 pm

Broadway Plaza (after demolision)

Broadway Plaza (current)

The Walnut Creek City Council is considering selling the street that runs between Nordstrom and the fountain to Broadway Plaza. However, reading through the Draft Environmental Impact Report, what struck me was the other planned changes involved with turning the street into a pedestrian plaza.

It would involve the demolition of many parts of Broadway Plaza to, “encourage diverse housing options, including mixed-use, higher-density development”, presumably meaning apartments built over the retail stores.

The next photo shows what will happen to Stanford’s Restaurant, across the street from the soon to be opened Corners Tavern and Boulange Bakery, replaced by multi-level buildings, again presumably for apartments on the top floors.

Stanford’s Restaurant (after demolition)

Stanford’s Restaurant (current)

Note that the photos above only show height elements, not the actual design and other elements. To see a possible view including shrubbery, take a look at the following drawing which can be viewed in the Walnut Creek City Council agenda report:

So considering the possibility of large swaths of Broadway Plaza being demolished to make room for mixed-use, higher density development, along with the conversion of the street to a pedestrian usage, do you think this will be good for Walnut Creek?

6 Comments

Closed – Mika Specialty Salon

March 22, 2012 8:30 am

Last month I noted that Studio Blue Digital Print and Copy was for lease, and now Mika Specialty Salon, located right next door on Locust St. has closed as well. According to their website, they had been in business there for 11 years.

Now that the entire building has vacated, I wonder what the owner has in store. It’s a prime location right in downtown Walnut Creek.

0 Comments

Sketch Released of Subject who Approached Walnut Creek Intermediate Student

March 22, 2012 8:00 am

On Monday I noted that Walnut Creek police were searching for a man who approached a Walnut Creek Intermediate student twice while walking home from school. Now, a sketch has been released. Please contact the Walnut Creek Police Department at 925-943-5844 if you have seen this man, or a “faded red, older model compact sedan, blue disabled placard hanging from rear view mirror, unknown license plate.”

Interestingly, if you view the sketch at full size, it’s possible to read some more charcteristics written down by the artist that is not in the police report press release. The additional features are:

“no facial hair”
“some freckles”
“no noticeable tattoos”
“European accent (slight)”

0 Comments

Downtown Walnut Creek Parking Meters to Accept Credit Cards

March 21, 2012 4:00 pm

From a Walnut Creek press release:

MARCH 21, 2012 — Parking in Walnut Creek is about to get easier with new meters that accept credit cards. More than 1,000 of the meters will be installed throughout the downtown in early April. The easy-to-use meters will accept coins or credit cards, said Matt Huffaker, Assistant to the City Manager.

Parking in Walnut Creek is about to get easier with new meters that accept credit cards. More than 1,000 of the meters will be installed throughout the downtown in early April. The easy-to-use meters will accept coins or credit cards, said Matt Huffaker, Assistant to the City Manager.

The new meters communicate wirelessly, accept secure credit card payments and allow the City to monitor each meter’s status to ensure they are functioning properly.

There will be no paper receipts and no need to remember space numbers. Patrons will simply park, slide their card into the meter and be on their way.

“Installing state-of-the-art parking meters is just the first step towards making parking easier to find and easier to pay for in Walnut Creek,” said Huffaker.

In addition to the new meters, other plans in the works include clearer parking signage and using technology to provide real-time (on- and off-street) parking availability information via smart phones and the Internet.

Reading between the lines, I would be extra careful about being late in getting to your car as I imagine parking enforcement will have an easier time determining who is overstaying their time slot.

Maybe Yogurt Park will be next in accepting credit cards?

0 Comments