Textile design shop Ji: The Atelier is moving out of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills after three years of operating at its current location.
Textile design shop Ji: The Atelier is moving out of Montclair Village in the Oakland hills after three years of operating at 6134 Medau Place. (Ginny Prior for Bay Area News Group)
Jigisha Darbha says she’s “felt a pull to realign” for some time now, adding that she’ll stay to be part of the Taste of Montclair Village event next week and the district’s April 25-26 Art Walk. Darbha’s Instagram announcement says the Montclair shop at 6134 Medau Place has grown in ways she could not have imagined when she first opened in 2023.
“So many people have embraced the craftsmanship shared in this space, welcomed the pieces I put together into their homes, given them as gifts … and allowed them to be part of their lives.”
Many of Darbha’s creations will be 20 to 40% off during the move, and Ji: The Atelier will remain open until at least April 26. Meanwhile, Hula is winding down its closeout sale in the shop at 6136 La Salle Ave. that it has occupied since 1997. Owner Andrea Faber is retiring, and the clothing, artwork and other boutique merchandise is discounted in the next few weeks. No closing date has been announced.
Around Rockridge: Speaking of boutiques, the popular Solano Avenue clothing and jewelry shop Foxglove is moving into Rockridge. Foxglove has built a following in Berkeley with its high-quality indie clothing and artistic ambiance.
They are slated to move into the new Jewish Community Center East Bay complex in the old Dreyer’s Ice Cream headquarters at 5925 College Ave. The 83,000-square-foot center is being built on approximately 3 acres near the district’s BART stop. The JCC East Bay’s new home will be a mixed-use space with businesses. I’ll have more on this complex in the near future.
The Rockridge District Association has also launched a new community events calendar that consolidates its many events into one location. Rockridgedistrict.com lists activities ranging from meetups to mozzarella making and toddler story times.
Pool party: Piedmont’s new state-of-the-art community pool will open April 11 with $5 discounted rates for swimmers through April.
The 12-lane competition pool and separate activity pool cost $35 million and is the largest project the city of Piedmont has ever undertaken. It’s also one of California’s first all-electric municipal pools, using heat pumps and solar panels instead of the old gas-heated system. It even has a rooftop pavilion for parties.
Ginny Prior can be reached at ginnyprior@hotmail.com and followed on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and at ginnyprior.com.