Back in February I noted the opening of the children’s drawing studio A Colorful Mind. They recently added a summer camp program which starts June 11th from 9am – noon. From their website:
Prices range from $250 – $310 per week. You can read a description for each class here. So while your little ones go here you can hang out in the recently remodeled Starbucks or Peet’s. Does anyone know of any other summer camps nearby?
Last December I noted that the mattress store Duxiana had closed back last July, and now a new hair salon called, Insignia Hair Salon, will take its place, opening early this summer. From their website:
Insignia Hair Salon will offer luxurious, glamorous hair services & treatments with
a pampering touch in the trendy downtown Walnut Creek neighborhood!FEATURING:
Great Length Cold Fusion Hair Extensions
Keratin Complex Smoothing Treatment and Express Blow Out
Brazilian Blow Out
Yuko Straightening
Highlights
Gloss
Color Correction
Precision Cuts
Styling
and more…
Insignia will be located at 1530 Locust St. in Walnut Creek, across the street from the Mancini’s Sleepworld.
Sasa is having their 2nd anniversary party this Thursday at 6pm. From the chamber’s website:
Join us to celebrate our Second Anniversary in downtown Walnut Creek. Come and enjoy mouth-watering nigiri and maki sushi from Chef Philip Yang plus the savory selections of favorites and new creations from Chef Sam Castro … live music, DJ, and a selection of complimentary wines.
Admission includes all wine, food, and entertainment. $59.00 per person (plus tax and gratuity) through April 12; reservations made after April 12 are $65.00 (plus tax and gratuity). Please contact Sasa Restaurant for pre-sale tickets 925.210.0188.
Previously Crepes Ooh La La, the restaurant that features both sweet and savory crepes, was located at the old meat market where Sasa currently is in downtown Walnut Creek. A few years ago they moved a few blocks away to 1548 Locust St. across the street from the Lesher Center parking garage. You can check out their menu here.
Any fans of this place? What are the must order sweet and savory dishes?
Spotted in downtown Walnut Creek on N. Broadway next to Zebra Tattoo and the Performance Bike store.
Right on the heels of Peet’s remodel last month, Starbucks was not to be outdone and closed last week for its remodel. As you can see by the above photo, they moved the cashiers and food section to another wall, and have the coffee prep/serving section where the cashiers used to be. This section no longer extends all the way to the wall, in order to free up space and an extra door at left (out of frame). A long communal wooden table (with electrical outlets underneath) takes up center space, with smaller tables on the periphery, as well as window seating.
In addition, they have added a high-tech coffee brewing system called Clover. I tried an iced coffee using Clover and it tasted great, although I’m more of a tea drinker so what do I know. Note that this is the only downtown Walnut Creek Starbucks with a Clover machine.
Check out the window seating:
I’m not sure how much of this is marketing-speak, but they have an “exotic, rare & exquisite coffee” section behind the counter:
Overall I think this is a great remodel. It feels more open, with more and varied seating available plus electrical outlets to boot. The Clover machine will be great for coffee lovers, and the bathroom is really nice, too.
I’ve always had problems getting seating in Starbucks, and if I had to take a guess, I think they put in the large communal table to encourage people not to linger as long there as it feels less private. Note the back-less bar stools at the windows, probably not comfortable to stay too long.
Has anyone checked it out yet? Do you like it over Peet’s?
photo by Flickr user John-Morgan
Walnut Creek Open Space is hosting a large number of events this weekend just in time for Earth Day on Sunday. Here are the activities that will be held:
Saturday, April 21st
Sunday, April 22nd
From an email:
Diablo Ballet of Walnut Creek mixes beauty & ballet in a fundraising event for its PEEK Youth Outreach Program. Beauty, Body, & Ballet takes place on Thursday April 26th 6 – 8 PM at SkinSpirit Spa, 1647 North California Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Admission is free for 21 years and older.
In conjunction with Walnut Creek Magazine and SkinSpirt Spa of Walnut Creek, guests are invited to walk the red carpet into an evening of fun and glamour, where they can try the latest beauty cosmetics and treatments, enjoy wine and tasty appetizers, plus enter the drawing to win great prizes such as a Napa Valley wine tour, dinners at local restaurants, and more.
Proceeds from Beauty, Body, & Ballet will benefit Diablo Ballet’s acclaimed PEEK Youth Outreach Program, which brings in-school arts education to over 5,000 elementary school students in under-served areas of Contra Costa County each year. Congressman John Garrimendi recently awarded Diablo Ballet a state proclamation recognizing the PEEK Program for its invaluable service to the community.
Beauty, Body, & Ballet happens Thursday April 26th 6 – 8 PM at SkinSpirit Spa, 1647 North California Blvd. in Walnut Creek. Admission is free. Advance RSVP is requested by calling SkinSpirit at 925-952-9200. For more information, visit Diablo Ballet at www.DiabloBallet.org.
Walnut Creek gets Neiman Marcus, Lafayette gets Whole Foods, and Moraga gets… Dollar Tree. Before it opened last year, there was quite a debate as to whether it should be approved or not, but obviously it was, and the result is the store pictured above. Some people argued that it would lower property values while others proclaimed that it would increase tax revenue for the city, as well as supporting the notion of a free market.
So if anyone from Walnut Creek, Lamorinda and elsewhere is looking for a marijuana drug test, the Moraga Dollar Tree has you covered:
And if you just can’t find a masculine enough aftershave at Target or The Art of Shaving, come down to the Moraga Dollar Tree for this:
Any opinions on the Moraga Dollar Tree? Are you happy with how it turned out, or would you have rather waited for another retailer?
The digital signs around downtown Walnut Creek notifying people of the available spaces is a really useful service so people can try other garages that may have more spots available. This sign is next to the Broadway Plaza parking garage near Crate & Barrel. Does anyone know how long this has been there?
Previously someone commented on how the employee spots are on the first floor. Do people think the employee spots should remain there or be moved to the top floor, or to the top covered floor?