Best of the East Bay- Shops

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Place To Gear Up For The Big One

Editor Pick

→ When scientists announced this spring a 99 percent chance that a major earthquake will strike California in the next 30 years, half of the state ran to the garage, brushed the cobwebs off the family survival kit, and found exactly half a case of bottled water, some dead batteries, and a few cans of beans. But, even if you also remembered the emergency radio, have you thought of a no-flush toilet in the event of a water shutoff? Light sticks? A tent in case you can’t reach shelter? For all the essentials you forgot and a dozen more you never considered, there’s Your Safety Place in Dublin.

7197 Village Pkwy., Dublin, (925) 829-0350, www.yoursafetyplace.com. —Hannah Craddick
 

Wig Shop

Editor Pick

→ The hair loss that accompanies cancer treatment can be a terrible case of insult added to injury. Fortunately for cancer patients, there is The Wig Source. Run by volunteers at the John Muir Women’s Health Center, the Wig Source has served more than 1,000 women and children in the past 10 years by providing free wigs. The program accepts anyone, serving patients by appointment on the second and fourth Friday of every month, and is sought out by residents throughout the Bay Area.

1656 N. California Blvd., Walnut Creek, (925) 947-5328. —Justin Goldman

Eco Drug Drop-Off

Editor Pick

→ Just think of a nice, cool, clear glass of tap water. Toss in a couple of birth control pills, and drink up. Nasty, right? Well, unless you want your neighbor’s husband to grow breasts, your leftover prescription drugs need to be disposed of properly. Otherwise, they show up in trace amounts in our water, according to tests by water regulators. Luckily, Elephant Pharmacy in Walnut Creek and Berkeley offers a unique service. Elephant will take the antibiotics that upset your stomach, the supplement that made your husband jittery—many of the drugs you want to get rid of, excluding controlled substances such as Vicodin, Xanax, and Soma—and send them to a special incinerator. Totally free of charge, the service makes it easy to do the right thing.

1388 S. California Blvd., Walnut Creek, (925) 658-5300; 1607 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley, (510) 549-9200, www.elephantpharm.com. —M.J.
 

Locally Produced Stationery

Editor Pick

→ Carde Blanche, founded by Pleasanton’s Lori Christensen, offers handcrafted cards, invitations, and announcements that can be customized with adorable illustrations and fancy trimmings, ranging from rhinestones to ribbons. Her collection of ready-made paper goods is just as distinctive.

www.cardeblanche.com. —Stephanie Simons
 

Open Studio

Editor Pick

→ Walking into the Firehouse Collective, you might be forgiven for thinking you’re interrupting something. You are, but that’s the idea. This is where a group of diverse local artists house their studios and, about once a month, open the doors to the public

Messy workstations line the room where artists tend to their masterpieces. Ofra Fisher’s giant ceramic lace-up boots greet you at the door, and Joe Kowalczyk’s ceramic figure King leans out of the wall like an ancient relic. Olivia Kent’s female torsos open to expose long, curling wire tendrils like the workings of a droid or the remnants of a dancing skirt.

Further in, you might find Josh Hershman, an Oakland artist whose glass-blown sculptures huddle together with an intimacy teetering somewhere between art and life. Don’t miss Firehouse’s next open studio (July 6). It’s a treat.

1831 and 1835 Harmon St., Berkeley, www.firehouse-collective.com. —H.C.