Great gallery, all about bringing art to the community. They give a higher return back to their…read moreartists than most other galleries in the Bay area. They also hold art and craft classes for adults and children, and poetry readings on most Friday nights, too. Paintings, ceramics, photography... there's a small sculpture garden in the back, too. Go check it out, if you're in the area! They're like a block from the Ashby BART station.

This is a wonderful place with a wonderful owner. I first came here to support one of my dog…read morewalkers who is a painter when she's not walking dogs. Amy Jo does pet portraits and some of her pieces are being shown at the gallery for their "Animals & Sea Creatures" show which is going on right now. It's a great array of styles and mediums, and the energy of the place is so relaxed. There's a charming garden area in the back for sculptures and a seating area. The owner, Rinna, has coupled with Hopalong Animal Rescue to have a couple of benefits, which is such a great idea - the next one is on 7/25, so check it out!

The Compound Gallery is a (hidden?) gem of the Bay Area. It's *free* to enter/browse and there are…read morepieces here ranging from affordable to pricier. 1) I enjoyed David Fullarton's collection, "Everything's Getting Worse and I'm Not Helping," as well as browsing local artisans' pieces. The curation of this gallery feels cohesive. The pieces here are rich with meaning -- great conversation starters, so it's definitely an excellent place to bring a friend or two. 2) I wish I caught the name of the owner/director I met there yesterday -- he was so warm and a great host! It was my first time, and he took the time to briefly show me around the different areas of the gallery whilst entertaining my questions about the history of the gallery/its artists. He also shared upcoming events and exhibitions (artist talks, for instance), inviting me to stay connected! 3) Parking here is pretty great (I was at the gallery on the weekend). There's also a small park across the street -- great place to hang out and debrief after enjoying The Compound. I highly recommend The Compound Gallery -- I know I'll be back soon.

I was a member for a little over two years. I learned screen printing there and I'm genuinely…read moregrateful for that. There's a lot to like about Compound and I'm bummed that I got such a sour taste in my mouth right at the end. Pros: - Fantastic equipment covering a huge range of making and printing. REALLY nice setup for screen printing. Bummer that you can only do water based but it makes sense overall from a mess and fumes standpoint. - Open at all hours - which is nice - Matt and Lena are friendly and welcoming when you join and were generally friendly to be around Cons: - At $250 a month, I paid over $6,000 total even though times/eras would naturally happen and I'd not use it for 2-3 months. This really stings. Month after month it just felt like too much for what it actually was. - Often times, you end up having to wait a long time to get certified to use certain things. Was frustrating that something as simple as the conveyor drier needed a $50 course + waiting for many months when it could be taught in 5 min. - Communication is fairly slow on support tickets. When I was leaving I couldn't locate my flat pack storage area as I hadn't used it but wanted to make sure it was clear since my friend had missed clearing hers out entirely. The owners didn't know where it was either - Almost always empty. Great for working but not great for meeting people or feeling like part of a community. When I occasionally would talk to people , they would often say 'so odd that this place is always empty.' - The message board is pretty much only used for griping about cleanup vs. anything very inspirational or community oriented. Sour taste right at the end for me: I accidentally left a new thing of emulsion in the screen printing fridge. I emailed them, waited 5 days, then followed up, then waited another 5 days, messaged on Instagram, then biked over in person. I saw Lena in the gallery, tried to wave her down, and she ignored me and walked the other way. I asked the front desk if I could speak with her and was told she was busy, leave a note. I left a note. Never heard back. I eventually just ordered another one and moved on. It's not about the $30. That's obviously trivial. But it's just frickin harsh. I spent a lot of money at that place over two years, cleaned up, and was friendly and can't even get a basic response? I wasn't badgering them... I sent one email, waited, and followed up at a normal cadence. Even a 'sorry, we had to clean out the fridge!' Anything. The fridge was packed to the brim with old emulsion that no one bothered to clean up, if anything it would help to free up some space. My friend had a similar experience, she accidentally left something behind (I think in her flatpack area as well) and instead of a simple heads up email... they charged her extra months. She had to fight/plead to get that removed. How you treat people when they are suddenly no longer paying you $250 a month says a lot... The equipment is genuinely great and if you're going to use it constantly, I'd still say its worth it. It's a gem of a spot in many ways! But if not, I'd look into more focused + more affordable spaces elsewhere like ace makerspace or a slew of others that have popped up. And whatever you do, don't leave anything behind !

I love this gallery! They have all different kinds of art, from cute little cactus arrangements to…read morefull-on illustrations. I purchased several prints from here - including the pictured one of the cats wearing fish heads - and several cards as well. Everything is beautiful, handmade, and original. The owners are lovely and welcoming, and everything is well priced. Definitely worth a visit, but bring some $$$. I would come to all of their openings if I lived closer!

We visited for the first time to see a small show of a friend's artwork. What a cool little shop…read more It seems to mostly sell the work of the craftspeople who have studios there. The items are so diverse. There are many cat-themed items -- not cat lady items, more like "cat dude" items. It's close to the Ashby Bart and the people seem very friendly and low key. They have some wonderful and reasonable art, lots of cool prints. I couldn't tell when they are open, but think it's worth a call if you are looking for a unique gift or artwork for your own space.

Look no further for the perfect place to select the finishing touches for your home, office or…read moreanywhere you are wanting to make beautiful. Making beautiful home interiors is my profession and I always need help finishing up projects which is why I am so grateful to have Slate Gallery. Danielle and her partner Shelly are extremely knowledgeable about the artists they represent and they curate a beautiful collection. They are also able to source art from other galleries so when they don't have the exact thing a client wants they are able to pull from other local dealers. And not only that, they bring the art to my clients after they have spent time learning about what they want and where it is going to hang in the house. We have come to rely on them greatly here at LMB Interiors and our clients rave about their great service. I highly recommend.

I finally got to stop in at this new gallery in Temescal on my way home. The exhibit there now is…read moregorgeous, works by Jessica Martin, an emerging Bay Area artist. New exhibits every month, I look forward to finding a bit of Breathing Space at Slate when I need an art fix. Open Thu-Sat 10-5 + Art Murmur first friday nights, 7-9pm.

I don't consider myself a natural artist, but after taking Introduction to Silkscreen with Emily…read morehere I feel like a spark of potential was finally lit. I thoroughly enjoyed the flexible after-work hours where I could relax and concentrate on just a few set tasks that go into making a screen and prints. The small class size felt both intimate and collaborative. I also loved how the teacher provided great materials to experiment with and Kala had all the necessary equipment. I'd love to come back and take more silkscreen later in the year!

Kala has some great art programs. One of them is Drink and Draw, a post-work evening activity that…read moreinvolves drinkin' an' drawin'. It's a rare opportunity for working folks who love art (but never get to do it) to be artistic and creative. We also hoped it would be an opportunity to meet people, relax, unwind, drink some wine, and hang out... but we discovered one fine weekday eve that it was lots of Draw but very little Drink. There are some serious art students in Berkeley! The art instructor was knowledgeable, talented and inspiring, and brought some great materials for us to use - handmade paper, high-quality ink, brushes. We did have to supply some of our own stuff, like scratch paper, pencils, erasers. She taught us new techniques and was very hands-on. A few completed projects even looked frame-worthy. Kala offers great programs if you want to do art in the evening. However, if you actually want to hang out with friends, catch up, and Drink with your Draw, you may want to go to a bar. Just sayin'...!

I went there today for an international film named "La ciénaga". I love the fact that they show…read moreinternational and other interesting films there! Hollywood movies are getting so boring to me with the same old formulas, so this was a great find! Inside was very spacious, modern, and clean. Bathroom was super clean, too! Location is very near downtown Berkeley ( 2min walk) and so convenient! I would definitely go back:)

Came here recently to check out theresa hak kyung cha: multiple offerings exhibit. A…read moremulti-hyphenate artist, I loved seeing her pottery and fiber art along side her writing and performance art. A smaller gallery space, but would love to come back to check out a screening

Hugo built several shelving units for display art glass. The design was well thought out and…read moreperfectly built. He did extensive research to find the best type of material to place the glass on so they lighting could come through. The price was very reasonable. We really enjoyed our experience working with Hugo.

Contacted the studio to replace an old and decaying frame for a beautiful and important piece of…read moreart, and they did an an incredible job restoring the piece as well as picking out the right matting and frame to show off the beauty of the piece. They displayed high levels of experience and care when dealing with this piece, and clearly demonstrated their expertise in this matter. Very fast turnaround times, and overall very pleasant and easy to work with.

Beautiful array of furniture! Robert is delightful to work with, knowledgeable, friendly and…read morehelpful. I could get lost in this place for hours, you can smell and stare your way into a wonderful story of what these pieces have glimpses in history. It's a great place to go for inspiration! But also...for furniture and decor. I bought a beautiful Japanese tansho cabinet with a persimmon wood accent that is unusual and very elegant. I'm delighted with it! Highly recommend this place!

Amazing place! I look for Japanese antiques, however, they have a large collection of not only…read moreJapanese, but Chinese, Korean, etc. items. The warehouse is huge. It's kind of appointment-only, but they're easy to reach. I have purchased a few unique items from here, and the owners are very sweet.

I'm a longtime customer and a huge fan of Sobu…read more Their carefully curated inventory is a beautiful blend of exquisite furniture and wares for your home, some of which are their own beautiful designs. Their service is impeccable. They're honestly the nicest people I've ever known. I love everything everything about Sobu.

Very disappointing experience with SOBU. I was given a 3-5 week delivery timeframe but received…read moreabsolutely no communication about my order during that time even after repeatedly calling them for updates. With the expected delivery window coming to an end, I desperately searched for answers so I contacted the warehouse myself out of frustration, only to learn they had no record of my order. It turned out SOBU had missed it during processing and never placed it, and this was only discovered because I dug into it myself. Although they apologized, expedited the shipping and offered a partial refund, the follow-through was still poor. Promises were made that weren't kept, which I was expecting but still irritated by. Seriously though, you guys are a small business; isn't customer service supposed to be your thing? I understand that mistakes happen, but there should have been some alarm bells ringing when I mentioned there had been ZERO communication about my order since I initially placed the order and it was supposed to be delivered within the next 4 days. The freight company (Metropolitan warehouse and delivery) was also a separate issue. They falsely claimed they were attempting delivery when they hadn't even arrived at my home. So just be careful because they do charge a rescheduling fee in that situation. That's not Sobu's fault but just an fyi. The table itself is nice, but the lack of communication and follow-through made the entire experience unnecessarily stressful. I shouldn't have had to do all of this just to get an answer. From initial ordering to delivery took ~7.5 weeks. I'm not sure how much longer it would've taken if I just sat idly by waiting for because "I was still in my delivery window" as they suggested.