Category: Lifestyle

Wine Country shopping, fashion and interior design

Cristina Wilson Hudin, left, and Michelle Wilson Bien twin sisters and native Petalumans founded Ooh La Loft, a Petaluma-based clothing store (Scott Mancheters / Argus-Courier Staff)

Ooh La Loft: Twin Petalumans with Passion for Fashion

Twin Petaluma natives Cristina Wilson Hudlin and Michelle Wilson Bien are both business minded, and they’ve been scheming up new ventures together since age 8, when they created a tea shop in their parent’s barn. After their inaugural business, Bien and Hudlin launched an eBay store in their teens, but the twin’s first real break […]

Shopping: Wine Country Finds for Springtime

Rainy spring days are perfect for trying new recipes, organizing or simply curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. Spring in Sonoma also means outdoor adventures, regardless of the weather. Amy Schaus has some ideas for whatever spring brings. FEED YOUR FACE Mixin’ It Up Tired of asking what’s for dinner? […]
Boston Terriers by Tim Shorten. (Courtesy of The Alchemia Gallery)

The Alchemia Gallery is Fostering Creative Gifts in Petaluma

For the artists who show at The Alchemia Gallery in Petaluma, art is not only good for the soul, it’s a pathway to independence and self-empowerment. Opened in 2010, the Kentucky Street storefront showcases the work of a unique collective: adults with a wide range of developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, autism and cerebral […]

BohLux: A Tradition of Luxury in Santa Rosa

Gail Fivis recently shopped in New York City, but not for herself. Instead, she searched for the perfect Cognac-colored ostrich leather for a client’s handbag. It was all part of a day’s work for the co-owner of BohLux, a custom leather goods shop in downtown Santa Rosa. After years of study, Fivis, 64, and business […]

How to Prepare Your Garden for Spring

Written by Meg McConahey for The Press Democrat. With spring inching closer gardeners may be feeling the itch to start planting. But there is still a chance that frosty nights could damage or kill your new plants or seedlings. There are some things that can be planted safely. But for most of your spring planting, […]
A collection of gloves from a century ago. Fran Fleet, 'The Glove Lady,' has been repairing baseball gloves out of her tiny Cotati shop for over 40 years. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)

Fran Fleet of Cotati Revives Old Baseball Gloves

Written by Bob Padecky for the Press Democrat. The smell of leather and wood fills the room, which is not exactly an atmospheric miracle, considering the room is 10 feet by 10 feet with a 10-foot ceiling. Abner Doubleday would approve, for this is what baseball smelled like and looked like 150 years ago. Intimate, […]

Sonoma Cheese Factory Celebrates 85th Anniversary

Written by Kathleen Hill for the Sonoma Index-Tribune. Sonoma Cheese Factory celebrated 85 years in business on Wednesday, Feb. 17, with members of the founding Viviani family present. New decals decorate the windows, saying Sonoma Cheese Factory was started in 1931. Tom Vella and Celso Viviani used to make cheese together, with Vella’s brother Joseph, […]

Malia Anderson: Santa Rosa Stylist Says to Love Your Curves

Written by Meg McConahey for the Press Democrat. Personal stylist Malia Anderson has one message for her clients: you’re awesome just the way you are. And the more awesome you feel the more awesome you will look. Anderson professionally dresses people. The owner of “Style by Malia,” she helps people find their own personal styles. […]
The 50's are back in style at the Santa Rosa Barber Shop. Owner Eric Gardea runs pomade through the hair of Cody Garzini. (JOHN BURGESS / The Press Democrat)

The Barber is Back in Sonoma County

Men are flooding back to barbershops, lured by the prospect of a clipper cut and beard trim in the company of other men. Changing hairstyles have provided some of the fuel. Salon-driven ‘70s feathered hair styles and ‘80s mullets have been replaced by the fades and pompadours that are the specialty of old-school barbers, delivered […]
Jaclyn K. Nesbitt Designs, Santa Rosa. 415-948-1626.

Sonoma Florists Create Drought-Friendly Arrangements

Written for the Sonoma Weddings Issue by Abigail Peterson Photographs by Emily Hagopian Styling by Abigail Peterson and Tamara Apple Shot on location at Annadel Estate Winery California’s weather challenges have proved to be a creative gift for our region’s top wedding florists. While the classic look of peonies and other water-demanding blooms never goes […]