Best of the East Bay - Shops & Services

Sweet treats, comfy sneaks, a helpful hardware store, and where to browse the good stuff.

Photograph by Cedric Glasier

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► Place to Get a Cheap Eco Car

► Candy Shop

► Place for Athletic Footwear

► Independent Auto Repair

► Way to Water Your Yard

► Hardware Store

► Bridal Boutique

► Magazine Heaven

► Tailor

► Place to Get Your Cartier Fix

► Way to Help Two Causes at the Same Time

► Recycled Roses

► More 2009 Shops & Services Readers Picks

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Place to Get Your Cartier Fix

Editor Pick

With one corner of their shop dedicated to Cartier watches, pens, and clocks, Spitz Jewelers in Walnut Creek is not only the best place in the East Bay to buy a piece of this ultra-luxe brand—it’s the only place. You’ll probably see more than a few magazine stories this year about Cartier because this “jeweler to kings and queens” is celebrating its 100th anniversary in North America. We don’t really care how long they’ve been here, we just want to know where we can pick up a $2,200 Tank watch, named in honor of General Jack Pershing, or if we are thinking of going big, the $41,000 Santos Demoiselle watch with 49 diamonds. There’s also the perfect gift for any Diabloite—the Diablo pen, for $265. 1333 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, (925) 932-8877, and at City Center, Oakland, (510) 350-5101, spitzjewelers.com.  —Susan Safipour

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Way to Help Two Causes at the Same Time

Editor Pick

Shoe boxes, toilet paper rolls, glass jars, rubber stamps: East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse has a lot of crap. But anyone with an enterprising spirit can quickly see the inventory in a different light—as an arts and crafts goldmine. That’s the point of this nonprofit shop, started more than 20 years ago by two teachers. Their mission is to encourage the conservation and diversion of waste through creative recycling, while providing cheap materials for educators and artists. With landfills expanding and educational budgets shrinking, that sounds like a good goal. 4695 Telegraph Ave., Oakland, (510) 547-6470, east-bay-depot.org.  —Ethan Fletcher

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Recycled Roses

Editor Pick

What could be better than getting a beautiful bouquet of fresh flowers? How about roses that last forever? That’s the concept behind recycled roses, the latest idea to bloom at Florali in Walnut Creek. Susan Donley, Florali’s owner, crafts the roses out of magazine pages and old maps. She’ll even make custom designs, as long as the paper is workable. Donley got the idea from an ad for recycling that she saw in Diablo. We’re glad to hear that Diablo helped inspire a pretty eco idea.
2345 Boulevard Cir., Walnut Creek, (925) 934-6877, florali.com.  —Susan Safipour