Awesome place to see awesome live music. Saw a couple of independent bands. I will be back when I'm…read morein the area

Love the venue! I volunteer frequently, and the other volunteers are wonderful! Show up an hour…read morebefore the first band to volunteer and get into the show free! (U still have to have a membership card to volunteer, but totally worth it!)

They POSITIVELY need to Double Bag " Beadable Items " !!!…read more I love this li'l THRIFT STORE, and Especially the " Charitable Causes ' they Support ' !!! Have been shopping wiith them since the Mid '90's in SF !!! Also am not too crazy about the Goodwill in El Cerrito which leaves this Store to browse, Re-use & Re-Cycle !!!!!! Luckily the Cashier warned me to be Extra Careful as I exited the Store having bought 2 Ceramic Plates and 2 Bowls... Maybe Taller Grocery type Handled " Paper Bagd would be Ideal.... From what I've been hearing from merchants locally ' Berkeley has Banned PLASTIC Shopping Bags !!! Their Wares and the Selection are Awesome although ' QUITE STEEP PRICES ' on Used Crockery I thought. Selections are Always Quite Charming & I do hope the Store remains in Business !!!!!! Am a Senior with a DISABILITY, and arriving home the Paper Bag Tore Badly even as I went to retrieve it from the Floorboard of My Car !!! Was a Chore tryin' to " Ascend a Flight of about 12 wooden risers and Guarding the Contents !!! He was kind and thoughtful enough to ask if I'd like the " Crockery " wrapped in Newspaper !!! The 10% Senior Discount helps a lot !!!!! Five Stars for "" SELECTION & 3 for Packagong Breakables = 4 STARS !!! Workers are " Always Polite " !!!!!!

The best thrift store in a way. Got some important clothes here this decade and they have stuff in…read moremy price range. Also it's right by North Berkeley! Check it out if you can.

I had no idea there even was a Berkeley Opera until I read this article in the newspaper:…read more http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14419420?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com I grew up w/ opera on the radio. My mother listened to the Met every Saturday morning. I've seen several over the years and enjoyed them but am not what I would call an opera buff. Alan has never been to an opera, but when he read the article we agreed we wanted to see Berkeley Opera's production of "Don Giovanni". Having the production at the new Performing Arts Theatre at El Cerrito High made it really convenient. We bought tickets for today's production. We arrived and I sat and watched people gather while Alan stood in line to get our tickets. It was a very diverse audience w/ a lot of grey haired folks, a surprisingly large number of youngsters, plus a good number of the middle aged too. We were seated upstairs in the first row of the balcony. The seats were comfortable and leg room was adequate. There was a screen for Supertitles which was cool, although it did interfere a bit w/ our view of the Commendatore's statue at the end. The temperature in the balcony was uncomfortably warm in the beginning but they were able to address that and it became much more comfortable once they did. The production was fantastic. The voices were excellent, as was the orchestra. The staging was bare-bones, but was effective. We were very impressed w/ the quality. The opera was lively, moving and accessible. Not only was the singing first rate, but the acting was as well. We both enjoyed it, although Alan was unable to sit through three hours and decided to leave at intermission after an hour and three quarters, but that had to do w/ him rather than the production. He came back to pick me up afterward. I'm attaching the newspaper review of the production for more detail, although I disagree w/ the reviewer's statement that the costumes were tawdry. I thought they were just fine. http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14449670?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com&nclick_check=1

I doubt that you have been missing my West Edge Opera review. I first posted it on 8/8/2010. The…read morereview has been happily dozing away in the innards of the vast Yelp network. (There are several other reviews for the opera, all of which are quite good.) Should you have been looking for it last week, however, you would not have been able to find it. It was removed as a violation of Terms of Service. (A TOS for those of you who know Yelp.) So...to dispel the mystery about the contents of this review, I am reposting it in entirety. I have no connect to West Edge Opera, enjoyed the performance, gave it five stars. Nothing more simple. Here it is: This afternoon we saw the final performance of Richard Wagner's Legend of the RIng. It was adapted by David Seaman into a three hour performance. It was stupendous. Let me break down the stars: 1) We walked to the new El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre. One big hurrah for having this state of the art theater so close to our house that we will never, ever, have to worry about parking. 2) The stars. That is, the performing stars. Fresh from productions in Seattle, San Francisco, The Met, and various European cities...these opera singers are just that. Opera SIngers. Not namby-pamby wannabe choristers, these folks resonate, project, slide effortlessly up and down the scale. In a word, they made the show. 3) The sets. Amazingly projected computerized scenery with clearly visible visual subtitles. The whole production was simple, amazing and very, very professional. 4) The orchestra. HIdden away from sight, their music was beautifully played with nary a false sound. Very professional 5) Mark Streshinsky's lecture before the performance. Funny, articulate, informative. And professionally delivered. And local, he's an ECHS grad. Did I mention professional? He is... The sum total: Five stars and then some. Catch the opera for next season. You'll enjoy it, even if you've never been to the opera before. Oh, and the price. We sat in the balcony. Great seats, no straining to hear or see. $25 bucks. We are so proud that they've moved to El Cerrito and hope the company stays here forever!

When I first moved to Albany, the Albany Chamber of Commerce was one of the first places I stopped…read more I was warmly welcomed, given a comprehensive lay of the land, and with some brochures in hand went happily on my way. I have subsequently stopped here over the years for an update on the Community pulse and to occasionally buy one of their cool Albany 94706 t-shirts. I'm originally from Iowa, and I can't get enough of a small town personal touch when I find it. But alas, all good things must come to an end. As of 6/1/2011, residents, businesses and out-of-town guests will no longer be able to walk into the Chamber office, at 1108 Solano, for answers to their questions. Interested parties will need to interface with a Chamber gone virtual, an experiment aimed to expand services and save money. The Chamber formed in 1935, and has had a presence on Solano for 50 years. I'm sure commercial life in Albany will move forward, but it's hard for me to have "High Tech" unless there's also some "High Touch".

Wonderful Pens, Pencils, School Supplies, Notebooks, Paper, Decor, Art Supplies, Gift wrapping…read moresupplies, Office Supplies, Folders, Frames, and of course Stationary among other items. The staff know what they are talking about for any product questions you may have, and they are happy to arrange bulk orders if you need. I did so for my small business. Support your local, independently owned shops like this one, where you can walk in, get what you need, and have a bit of human interaction!

Nice little family owned Stationary store on Solano Ave. the people running the store are always…read morefriendly and helpful. There aren't many small independently owned stationary stores left in the Bay Area so this is much needed. Street parking only. Prices are fair.

This "association" was created to help us business owners and to better the downtown Berkeley area…read more The few events this group comes up for the downtown are just low budget and not planned well. Some weak concert that is cancelled must of the time, instead of food trucks and local craft beer closing the streets and having an actual cool downtown event. -so that said, we leave every weekend to go to Walnut Creek, Concord, Lafayette where is clean, nice people, free parking, no one is breaking into your car, this places have free concerts and great planning events and than we come back to crazy Berkeley to work...can't wait to retired so yes the downtown association main member John will come hang out at your restaurant, eat and drink Ride his bike around town yet besides that I don't see the benefits plus the bright yellow street cleaning crew..why not employ some of the homeless people that are not mentally ill instead? I guess I should stop here, it is Berkeley and it will always be Berkeley a dump with great restaurants and Cal. That's all is is.

I wish every town had something like the DBA - they provide so many important services to the…read moredowntown area. They really have made the downtown look prettier with all the planters and cleaning, and they provide a forum for local businesses to promote events. But I think the most important service they provide is outreach and helping de-escalate situations that occur on the street, providing an alternative and safer option to calling the police. I really appreciate the presence of the ambassadors and think they do a fantastic job overall.

A very welcoming makerspace, with good access to various equipment and knowledgeable…read moremembers/volunteers.

Ace is a wonderful space full of workshops and different creative machines. They host many…read morecommunity events and remain accessible to everyone via volunteer program. I've personally learned how to 3D print and I plan on going to one of their many classes and social nights!

Quick and free, what is there not to love about that? Easy to pull through, in and out in minutes.read more

Mom's microwave started dying but the El Cerrito Recycling Center does not accept microwaves. After…read moresome searching online I found the E-Waste Collective which is a non-profit organization located in Berkeley. (I guess they must have changed their name plus they also have offices and/or location in Novato.) Their website says they do pickups in Berkeley but I called to make sure. I was given another phone number to call and spoke to Adam to schedule a day. Adam was super nice and got Mom's address. They also accepted a broken toaster oven. About 2 hours later I was talking to Mom's neighbor and he asked if he could add his old microwave for pickup. I called Adam back and he was very agreeable and said no problem. He gave me a time between 10-11 am. 2 guys in a van came by a couple of days later at 10:10 am. I went out and spoke to them. Super friendly people too. They try to repurpose parts so it's much better than the entire appliance going to landfill. Definitely would call them again if needed.