shop local - Plaid Friday + Oakland in the Black

The Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as "Black Friday" (1) since the 1960s, and has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the U.S. On one hand it means discounts and new items for consumers before the year-end holidays, and increased sales for retailers. On the other hand, it's led to a frenzy of buying things we don't necessarily need or can't afford, and even the trampling death of a security guard a few years ago. This year, some of the big box retailers are starting even earlier, opening at midnight on Thanksgiving. Which means employees won't get to fully enjoy Thanksgiving with their families and friends, because they'll be busy preparing for shoppers.

One response is to shop local and independent businesses instead of at big box stores. Plaid Friday started here in Oakland, but has spread across the country. Rather than joining hordes of people trying to buy the latest electronics they don't need and can't afford, shop and eat locally. More of the money you spend locally stays local (73¢ vs. 43¢ of each dollar).

There are dozens of East Bay businesses taking part and even some places to stop for a break from shopping, like Actual Cafe, Caffe 817, Farley's East and The Rising Loafer. Actual Cafe will be celebrating the addition of Periscope Cellars wines and Linden Street beers to their offerings, and will have a DJ and be hosting a local craft bazaar.

A number of participants are part of different popup markets around Oakland, but most are small businesses that have been part of Oakland for years.

Another shop local event on Friday is Oakland in the Black. If focuses on downtown businesses, and features many of the same ones taking part in Plaid Friday. They'll have DJs, live performances, and food vendors from 11AM-6PM at Broadway and 14th.

Whether you choose to shop downtown or somewhere else in Oakland, or shop some other day, shop local and shop independent. Keep your money local by buying local!

More on shopping (and banking and eating) locally:

• new markets popping up for the holidays
• shop locally with the Oakland Grown gift card
• put your money where your heart is
• eat local for food justice

More coverage of Plaid Friday on Oakland Local.

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(1) It's interesting to note that the other meanings are almost all negative, because increasingly, Black Friday is viewed as a negative. The original shopping-related meaning in Philadelphia was a negative, referring to the large crowds and heavy traffic, and that part hasn't changed.

fall colors

Abit of fall color shot this morning in our back yard.

Random Acts at Fentons

November is Oakland Firefighters Random Acts month at Fentons Creamery. All month long, 25% of the proceeds from each firefighter sundae (a yummy concoction made with vanilla and rocky road ice cream) goes to support Random Acts' mission of "firefighters creating a positive difference in the lives of individuals." This past weekend, firefighters, fire cadets and volunteers showed up to help serve and celebrate.

Random Acts brought the parade rig for people to climb on, toy fire hats for kids, and had lively music playing. But people come to Fentons for the ice cream, and there was plenty of that, some served up by firefighters and cadets. A few were drafted for the hazardous duty of the annual sundae building contest. This year pitted a crew of cadets versus seasoned firefighters, but none came through unscathed. Whipped cream ended up everywhere, including some on the crowd and photographers.



Lots more pictures:


Also of note is that Fentons is working on opening Myrtle's Lodge, a retail space across Piedmont Avenue. There was a sneak peek available on Sunday, so I took a look at the work in progress. It will have ice cream of course, but served from an antique soda fountain and rung up at an antique cash register. There will reproduction toys (plus plush Myrtle the cow dolls) for sale, art and a bit of history, too. I'll report more as info becomes available.

upcoming Oakland events

Ashort but eclectic list of upcoming events. There's plenty of other stuff going on, too, like Goapele at Yoshi's (sold out all 4 nights) and various other shows around Oakland. What are you doing this week in Oakland? If nothing else, get out and support downtown restaurants and businesses affected by #OccupyOakland.

ICA Business Reception & Entrepreneur Marketplace - Thursday, November 17, 6pm. Inner City Advisors brings together several hundred entrepreneurs, advisors, funders, and community leaders that are working together to create quality inner city jobs and wealth. ($40)

Oakland Symphony Chorus - Saturday, November 19. The Oakland Symphony Chorus performs Haydn’s Harmonie Messe at the beautiful Christ the Light Cathedral. (free)

EBRPD Sunday Strolls - Sunday, November 20. Join East Bay Regional Parks for a hike in Redwood Regional Park. Meet at noon at the Canyon Meadow Staging Area. (free)

Plus the usual events:
Piedmont Avenue Art Walk (3rd Thursday)
Art Murmur (1st Friday)
Saturday Art Stroll (Saturdays)
Mt. View Cemetery Tours (2nd and 4th Saturdays)

Looking further ahead:
WOBO/EBBC Party - December 1. Celebrate a year of biking and walking advocacy with WOBO and EBBC.
Zorro by Night - December 1. A fundraising gala for the historic Peralta Hacienda.

new markets popping up for the holidays

Marshall's Honey

The current economy has left a lot of empty storefronts around Oakland. Friday on my way home from Habitat, I came across a creative way of dealing with it, a collective popup market. The force behind the Montclair Plaza Collective is photographer Reenie Raschke, and she's hoping to make the collective a permanent fixture in Montclair Village.

Reenie ran a photography studio in the village for 12 years before rising rents forced her to run her business from home. After talking with other village merchants about the vacant storefronts, Reenie and her husband Greg Fieler came up with the idea of a sustainability-based collective market. During the initial two month trial run, the market has artwork and pre-packaged food items. They're hoping to get the necessary permits to have fresh food such as seafood, and to be a drop-off point for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes, like the Beet Box from Phat Beets. Think slow food and slow money.

The list of vendors is growing, and currently includes:
Back to The Roots
Little Paper Monkeys
Glashoff Farms
Origin Spices
Gypsy Blue
Marshall’s Honey
Montclair Skin Care
Heidi Wyckoff
MRCW
My Town Montclair Book
Handy Gal
Big Paw
King Bag Co

You probably recognize some of those, like Back to the Roots (aka the mushroom guys) and Heidi Wyckoff, the artist who painted the images for the soon-to-be-released Oakland Landmarks book done in collaboration with columnist and historian Annalee Allen.

Montclair Plaza Collective
Thursday-Saturday: noon-7pm
Sunday: 10am-3pm

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Another place markets are popping up for the holidays is Old Oakland. The Popup Hood is making use of currently vacant storefronts in Old Oakland. Such a setup is a win all around, as the neighborhood gets the space used, the landlord gets to show off a space that's not empty, and the vendor gets a space to use for a while. Current vendors include:

Manifesto Bikes
Crown Nine
Marion and Rose's Workshop
Piper and John General Goods
Sticks+Stones Gallery (@815 Broadway)
Turtle & Hare