Shop Talk — September '09

Italian shoes made in Greece sold in Walnut Creek; Geoffrey Scott goes G Bop; an Oakland soul singer dabbles in retail; and more in September's Shop Talk.

Courtesy of Penny Sofou

At last, some signs of retail life in downtown Walnut Creek as a new specialty shoe store is opening up on N. Main St. in the space occupied by the now-closed Samantha Lee. Penny Sofou imports its shoes directly from a boutique footwear manufacturer based in Athens, Greece, which specializes in European designs with an emphasis on Italian couture. Owner Penny Tsigaris says she is shooting for a November opening.

Two more for WC: Loyal Army, the purveyor of super-fun, super-cute T’s and tops, just opened up a new store in Broadway Plaza, and the Eco Shoppe, an eco-boutique offshoot of the Vitamin Shoppe, is set to open along with its larger parent store in the Olympia Place shopping center on Septmeber 3. The Eco Shoppe will be LEED-certified and carry all kids of locally-made green products, including school and office products made from old computer mother boards.

The news is not as good in Rockridge where August, an upscale clothing boutique was set to close at the end of, ahem, August (the Mill Valley store remains open); the neighborhood’s last men’s boutique, Dapper, is also closing its doors; and a Fro Yo spot is taking the place of Twenty Two shoes. Rumors are swirling, however, about the imminent arrival of another independent shoe store plus a possible tenant to fill the large vacancy left by Cotton & Co. on College. Look out for the neighborhood’s annual “Out & About” street festival on Sunday, September 27.

Anyone mourning the recent passing of ’80s teen movie master John Hughes, might want to check out the new clothing store just opened in the Dublin Crossroads Center. Pretty in Pink offers apparel targeted towards teen girls: not sure if the store's name was inspired by the Hughes-penned movie of the same title. 

Lot’s going on in Danville:

Geoffrey Cooper morphed his Geoffrey Scott store on Hartz Ave. into G Bop, which will specialize in cheaper clothing aimed at girls aged 12–25. Cooper is opening another G Bop store in Alina B’s old spot in Blackhawk Plaza, where he'll continue to operate his other Geoffrey Scott clothing store.

August 25 marks the ribbon-cutting for the new location of Cottage Jewel, an antique boutique at 125-D Railroad Ave. “Come hunt for treasures,” is the motto of this store, which offers an eclectic array of antique and artisan bric-a-brac collected by owner and jewelry designer Marcia Harmon.

On Front Street, Chip and Wendy Kirby purchased the old Making Waves hair salon, gave it a complete Tuscan-themed remodel, and renamed it Bellezza Cristali's after their daughter Crystal (the salon's open house night is Monday, September 28th at 6 p.m.). In charge of running the hair side of the business, Crystal recently graduated from Pleasant Hill’s Paul Mitchell cosmetology school, ditching her job at a brokerage company three years ago to pursue her passion. Good move.

Another Paul Mitchell-grad made good is 24-year-old Acalanes High-grad Stephanie McNabb, who recently opened Primp hair salon on Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette: “I’d already been in the industry for six years and decided I wanted to open a hip, chic salon that was reasonable but modern, and I just decided to do it,” she says. “My parents thought I was crazy, but we’re doing well.”

Three new stores for Concord’s Sunvalley Shopping Center: alternative sports apparel store No Fear, family-owned athletic footwear shop Shoe Palace, and men’s clothing retailer Stacy Adams. Another men’s clothing store, Maxeem, which carries formal and casual wear, opened a town over in the Clayton Valley Shopping Center. And new discount retailer Styles for Less is expected to open in downtown Pleasant Hill.

Two new clothing stores are planned for Uptown Oakland’s new New Parish nightclub. The owners of San Francisco’s Density (described by B&M co-owner Michael O’Connor as a mini-Urban Outfitters) are opening one store, while Oakland soul singer Goapele is helping open women’s clothing boutique Indigo in the project’s other space. 

Piedmont Pianos is also hoping to take advantage of Uptown’s burgeoning “Arts and Entertainment District." The longtime Piedmont Ave. piano store is moving into the historic California Furniture art deco building on San Pablo Ave. and 18th Street behind the new Fox Theater (the Fox building also houses the new School of the Arts). The music school will remain on Piedmont Ave.

Finally, some good news for Berkeley bibliophiles, as Books, Inc. will be opening a location on Fourth Street this fall. Incredibly, given the recent closures of Black Oak Books and Cody’s, Books, Inc. is one of only two bookstores in Berkeley that sell new releases. The other, Mrs. Dalloway's, is planning an expansion at its location on College Ave in the Elmwood neighborhood.