I went to the Fairfax Farmers Market for the first time, and felt I had landed in a magical land…read morewhere the produce is organic, the music is divine, the people so lovely and the crystal jewelry was interesting and unique. I love the vibe here... friendly, personable, welcoming!!! What a lovely community of humans!

We lucked out that we happened to be in Fairfax when the farmer's market was open. The piece of…read morenectarine I sampled from the vendor was so sweet and juicy, yum. I think much of the fruit is sourced from California's Central Valley. There was a stand of tall trees where families parked and a pair of musicians played gentle acoustic music.

This is my favorite grocery store. Staff is so friendly and helpful. Food selection includes every…read moresingle thing I'd need as a person with dietary restrictions and who values organic options. Lots of local items, organic options, GF & vegan choices, with pleasant merchandising / atmosphere. I LOVE their bulk section - you can also get things like tea, olive oil, soap, etc. in bulk. Plus their supplements & natural skincare selections are great. Even when I'm not grocery shopping, I'll stop by to get food here. They have a ton of options and they make it to order. Love.

Overall, the store is lovely. I do enjoy visiting their produce section when I am in the area and…read morethey have this massive sourdough sandwich bread that is like 3 1/2 pounds that is gorgeous and I got a fresh loaf today. Banh mi Ba was closed today because they aren't open on Tuesday so I decided to get a sandwich from the Good Earth deli. It was meant to be a tofu banh mi -- It was on sourdough baguette with a pair of massive slabs of baked tofu. I give them credit for the delicious Japanese style pickle, but there simply wasn't enough of it and the scanty slices of daikon were OK, but ultimately this was better as a salad without the bread and added vinaigrette myself. Those chunks of tofu were undeniably tofu, but it was just not a great sandwich experience. The funny thing is, I had asked a couple of men dining outside the grocery store. If there was anything they recommended at the deli. They both told me what they had ordered and suggested requesting extra barbecue sauce for the brisket because it's quite dry. I was not expecting my tofu sandwich to be so dry but also soggy. I'll stick with Banh mi Ba for my banh mi -- and try other things at good earth going forward. Also, I just want to note that last November on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my tire was vandalized by somebody who stuck a knife into it twice in on purpose purposes of the sidewall. They do not have cameras on the parking lot and even Fairfax police said "oh well we can't take reports for things that happened on private property" which honestly makes me wonder what they do when somebody breaks into a house or does something on "private" property. Does that mean laws are not enforced on private property in Fairfax? Stay tuned.

O'Donnell's is an extraordinary gem of a nursery, and a wonderland for California native plant…read moregardeners. We found an excellent selection of plants and seeds, including rare species. Potted plant prices are comparable to many other nurseries, and bulk seeds are much cheaper than other nurseries. The most memorable aspect of our long visit was Mr. O'Donnell himself--such an intriguing person with so much passion for what he does, and so much knowledge from decades spent making observations in the wild. He seemed delighted to teach about plants and the environment and to make suggestions for our garden. Looking forward to our next visit.

This is an absolutely amazing native plant nursery. I wandered in, hoping to find something that…read morewould survive intense heat on my west facing patio, and the incredibly knowledgeable staff member had lots of great ideas for natives who could take the heat. They are thriving! This is a great place to check out amazing native species and get some great advice!

How did I not discover this before? My dog was at the vets', I had an hour and needed to do all of…read moreour Thanksgiving shopping--on the afternoon before Thanksgiving. Mission accomplished! What great, friendly, helpful service. Okay, we had a huge turkey. But everything else was exactly what I needed. Perfect apples for my pie, organic and crisp. Mushrooms, sausage, sourdough bread for the stuffing, herbs. Amazing green beans. On and on. Wide aisles, clean, easy parking. I got everything i needed, plus a few treats and was out in under an hour. It has since become my go to market. Oh, the people who shop here are so nice! That is an added bonus.

Small town grocery store. It's actually big, not like 7-11 size. Anytime I camp or travel through…read moresmall towns, I always go out of my way to shop at one for my meals during my stays, even if said small town has a Safeway or other chain grocery. I've probably been here like 3-4 times, getting just enough stuff for a day or 2. Even though not brimming with products, I always seem to find what I came in for. Not a lot of employees on my outs, but everything is clean and well represented. I find their meat case to be my main draw. Not a huge selection but I can always find a nice buy. Most recently I found some primo Hanger Steaks, which I rarely see at my local markets. I love that cut and they had some nice big ones, already trimmed and butterflied. It is in my top 3 for cuts of steaks, so I had some really nice meals for my trip. Also been able to find simple things from their produce section, cheese section and beer section. Like how the place isn't bombarded by national junk food brands like Lay's/Coke/Budweiser, where places like Safeway will have displays up front and center. Good small town grocer, will use them anytime I'm in the area.

Danielle Vantree Salk and her partner Jurg Spoerry sold my house in Bolinas and helped me buy a…read morehome in San Rafael. I cannot say enough about the experience. My house was on the market in a matter of weeks and had three bids above asking price after the first open house weekend. From the pictures to the negotiations everything was top notch. I was delighted with the end result of selling and buying. From there I was whisked away on a journey of looking at houses to buy. Danielle and Jurg have a team of professionals to ensure the house you choose is in the condition it claims to be in. I loved looking at the houses and imagining myself living there. The house I finally bought is absolutely perfect for us. My husband and I got a house in the Bret Harte neighborhood of San Rafael and feel truly blessed. Danielle and Jurg are the very best and I cannot recommend them enough!

Thanks to Danielle Vantress Salk and her team at Eleven Real Estate https://elevencalifornia.com…read morewho helped me along a (probably quite typically) winding road to find the floating home that I purchased earlier this month. Danielle, Iryna and Jurg were generous, thoughtful, honest, gentle, kind and also fun to work with, and I'm grateful for their professional help in finding my unique and beautiful new home! Ring her up, they will treat you well.

Cazadero makes some absolutely delicious wines. Their Parameter King Ridge Vineyard Chardonnay is…read moreoutstanding and so is the Bei Ranch Chardonnay. As a big fan of Pinot, I'm looking forward to trying their Parameter King Ridge Pinot Noir. I know some awesome Pinots come from Cazadero. The owner, Frank, is a very friendly man. Give it a try, and you won't be disappointed.

From the owner: Our Gold Medal winning Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignons have been honored with 76 Gold & Silver…read moreMedals at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Comp, New York Finger Lakes International, Women's International and Monterey Wine Competitions, The Sonoma County Harvest Fair, Sunset Magazine, Orange County Fair and the Grand Harvest Awards. We sell in many local Grocery Stores, Wine Bars, Restaurants, Specialty Shops and Our Website. To name a few of the places we like to sell out Wine at are: Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa CA, Wilibess in Petaluma CA, Big John's in Healdsburg CA, Fircrest in Sebastopol CA, Cazadero General Store in Cazadero CA and Sophie's Sellers in Duncans Mills CA.

Trying to describe the best of the town of Fairfax would be most easily accomplished via a late…read moreSaturday afternoon photo of the Fairfax Festival in full bloom: Good, live music on a low stage underneath towering redwoods, happy members of the community with wine glasses raised as they dance in the grassy glen greeting neighbors and newly made friends, close at hand food booths serving fresh roasted corn, fully organic tacos, and just-squeezed lemonade, and a glimpse in the background, of unique crafts not found at every summer fair, peeking out from beyond the trunks of massive trees that entice you to wander amongst them to discover something you never knew you needed. Feel it? There's many more parts to the festival, which sort of meanders from redwood grove to community ball-field, to... oh, just discover it yourself when it comes back next year. It's what Marin might have been before all the towns 'cept Fairfax got a freeway plowed through them, a Starbucks on every corner, and huge feelings of entitlement amongst their residents. Fairfax and the Fairfax Fest are two of the really nice, special, unique parts of today's Marin. And even your dog is welcome here!

My friend and I thought we had been to just about every festival in the Bay Area but the Fairfax…read moreFestival was new to us. At first glance this event appeared to be rather small, but after walking around we realized the various events were really spread out and they had a lot of activities going on. The main part of the festival had a large stage for the band, some arts and crafts vendors (good products and some pretty unique items), and food/beer tents. The booths were set amongst the trees - pretty darned cool, if you ask me. A short walk up the hill from the main stage led to the Eco-Fest where various exhibitors and vendors set up spaces to educate, inform and sell products., all to support an eco-friendly existence. Everything in this part of the festival was organic and local, including the bands! We sat through a couple of sets, but I have to say that thanks to this event Spark and Whisper just gained a new fan (they were AMAZING!)!! Organic wine and beer tasting was available and their tent was CROWDED. I enjoyed sampling the large selection of good organic wines, sparkling wines, mead (honey wine), cheeses and olive oils showcased that day and we had a great time chatting with the folks about their products. Plenty of cheese, crackers and dark chocolate were provided and replenished by the local grocery store. There was a huge area on the ball field for kid-friendly events and activities. I'm sorry to say we never made it to the flea market or the parade so I cannot comment on those. The sun was shining, a slight breeze was blowing, people were in a really good mood and the overall vibe of this event is pretty mellow. Everyone was there to listen to some really good local bands, sit back and enjoy the day with their friends and neighbors. Overall I thought this fair was well organized and definitely incorporated the local flavor.

I live in Fairfax. Each year this gets worse. I saw all along the street no parking signs two…read moredays before the festival. Fairfax Hardware has gurads not to allow you to park there, and the final act Danny's Live Dead, which I looked up REQUIRES me to use facebook to see, is warmed over Grateful Dead... without Jerry or anyone remotely good. Get ready for commercial vendors. Welcome to the stone age. Thanks for the copious free parking. haha. I'll stop in for a. hot dog and a beer for old times sake. IF I can find parking... haha so far, so crappy. ECO huh?

The fair has been held every June for 35 years. It is held in such a pretty setting. The small…read moreredwood grove, the larger park and the ball field make this an ideal setting for a fair. The event is part flea market and part crafts fair. There are 3 music stages and several food vendors. The fair is crowed and it is hard to park. I wasn't impressed with the food offerings. I never did find the BBQ oysters. It is too bad that none of the local restaurants had booths; Fairfax is a town full of locally owned restaurants. The wine choices were impressive. The music was great.

This is a 5 star review for Mark Biggins. Mark helped my husband and I purchase our new home. Mark…read moreis knowledgeable, courteous and guided us every step of the way. We never felt pressured. Mark listened to what we wanted and because of his diligence, we were able to find a home that met all of our criteria. Mark was relentless and always on our side. We highly recommend Mark!

Mark did the impossible, he made me feel comfortable leaving San Francisco and moving to the East…read moreBay. He found the perfect home, negotiated a great deal, and made sure I was happy. Mark and I have remained in touch over the years and I can tell you, he knows his stuff. You want him on your team.

In seven decades I never had a reason to sing out-loud…read more A friend who'd been singing barbershop for over 40 years invited me to check out a rehearsal and, after all my excuses were exhausted, I attended, just to be polite. The music director dragged me to the piano, despite my protestations that I was only there to listen, and immediately recognized that I had a bass voice. It was starting time; he handed me a songbook and told me to sit between two great basses and that was the start of a wonderful adventure. I've put a lot of thought into why I never knew that I could sing. Firstly, I was in the school band so didn't have to be in the choir or drama society for my "college application." Secondly, virtually all pop music is sung by tenors and I can't possibly sing along with them so as a child I simply didn't try and was content to listen and that stuck. It turns out that I have a good bass voice and have now joined two other groups: Dominican Chorale and a Presbyterian Church choir. It's all a great kick. The Marin Barbershop Chorus had been singing for decades and has an excellent music director who holds us together, teaching technique, showmanship, and creating a fun environment. There is no audition required. If you don't know your voice range, the director will determine it in minutes and you're in for a fun ride. You can come to the First Presbyterian Church in San Anselmo any Monday evening @ 7:30 pm and just join (or listen). No prior experience required. Reading music helpful, but not necessary since the organization provides both the sheet music and learning tracks, which are downloadable mp3's separated into each voice: tenor, lead, baritone, and bass. Refreshments also provided. I wish someone had urged me to give singing a try decades ago. I'm now telling you: GIVE IT A TRY. The experience, the camaraderie, and the novelty are unmeasurable.