Paul Haddad doesn't ride the bus.

He's not anti-public transportation, per se. Haddad just did enough bus riding in his three years of traveling from home to National Technical Schools in the Los Angeles area, riding 3-4 buses – each way, twice a day – to earn his auto mechanic certifications.

"I'm done with the bus," he says with a chuckle.

Fast forward nearly 40 years from those marathon bus commutes, and it was all worth it. Haddad's Mill Valley Auto Repair has been one of the most trusted auto repair shops in southern Marin for decades, and his shop at 242 Shoreline Hwy. in Tam Junction is a non-stop hive of activity.

"We have fantastic visibility here," Haddad says of his shop, located behind Dan's Liquors and adjacent to Equator Coffees and Proof Lab.

After those bus-dominated years in southern California, Haddad moved to the Bay Area in 1986 to run a gas station in San Ramon, then took over the 76 station on Tiburon Blvd. near the Cove shopping center. He sold that shop in 1998, as his Mill Valley Auto Repair at 356 Miller Ave., now home to Henrybuilt, was thriving since he opened it in 1994. Along the way, he launched Sausalito Auto Service off Bridgeway in 2003 before he sold it in 2010. When the owner of 356 Miller sold the building in 2014, Haddad moved Mill Valley Auto Repair to Tam Junction.

So what does Haddad credit for his decades-long run as a thriving auto repair shop owner in Mill Valley and the surrounding areas? Service and knowledge, first and foremost, he says, but one characteristic more than anything.

​"I am most known for giving honest advice," he says. "I say it just the way it is, even if I have to tell them that their car is not worth fixing, which is sometimes hard for a car owner to hear. But it's the right thing, rather than spending thousands of dollars on a car that will be back in here soon after."

​Haddad, who grew up learning about cars from his car-loving father and uncle in Lebanon, also credits his team of mechanics, who he makes sure are regularly educating themselves on the ever-changing landscape of diagnostic-related software changes in modern cars.

But while technical expertise and honesty go a long way, Haddad also knows the power of having hundreds, if not thousands, of relationships with car owners for a completely different reason. When he first moved to Marin, the soccer-loving Haddad began playing in pickup games on the fields near Blackie's Pasture in Tiburon. One of the players asked him if he'd coach a youth team.

"This is years before I had my own kids," he says.

Haddad agreed, and ended up coaching Tiburon youth soccer for 20 years, taking teams all over northern California.

"My greatest joy was to take a player who was undeveloped and turning them into someone who could really play – that was the real payoff," he says. 

While those longstanding relationships may keep Mill Valley Auto Repair busy, Haddad admits that the ever-present traffic jams through Tam Junction also helps his business get people's attention.

"We have our phones ringing every day from new customers," he says.

The 411: Mill Valley Auto Repair is a full service auto repair shop at 242 Shoreline Hwy. in Tam Junction. MORE INFO.

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For her latest exhibit, Mill Valley native Melanie Victor-Smith's Artstream, her mobile art gallery inside her 1954 Airstream trailer, is showcasing the work of artist Ethan Okamura, whose 'Tidepool Perspectives' takes a unique approach to ocean photography, challenging our brains to look at tidepools and their reflections in a completely different way.  

Artstream will be showing Okamura's work on Saturday, Feb. 9 at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur Landing, as the Artstream participates once a month in the Farmer’s Market from 9am-2pm, featuring a different artist each month. 
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The 411: Mill Valley native Melanie Victor-Smith's Artstream, her mobile art gallery inside her 1954 Airstream trailer, is showcasing the work of artist Ethan Okamura at Marin Country Mart in Larkspur Landing on Saturday, Feb. 9, 9am-2pm. MORE INFO.

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Organizers of the 63rd Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival are laying the groundwork for the next edition of the landmark local arts event, set for Sept. 14-15 in Old Mill Park, and are on the hunt for new members of its Festival Committee, which is responsible for organizing the event, which regularly draws thousands of art lovers to ​Mill Valley's Old Mill Park for an artistic weekend like no other, providing the opportunity to check out world class art across an array of mediums. 

The Festival Committee is responsible for the design and hands on development off the Festival itself. "This is a roll up your shirt sleeves and dig in kind of a position," says Steve Bajor, MVFAF's executive director.

The 63rd edition of MVFAF comes on the heels it garnering the Vera Schultz Award, which honors achievements of organizations that have made lasting contributions to the cultural life of Mill Valley, at the Milley Awards in 2018. MVFAF began as the Harvest Moon Festival in 1957 with a group of artists exhibiting their works in downtown store windows. In 1962, the festival was incorporated, became an independent nonprofit organization, officially changed its name to the Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival and moved to its present site at historic Old Mill Park. 

The Festival Committee works diligently to continue our tradition of:

• Encouraging and fostering public education in the awareness and appreciation of fine arts and crafts.
• Providing an open and continuing dialogue between the established artist and the public.
• Creating a foundation upon which local service organizations are able to raise a large portion of their operating budgets.
• Providing an important showcase for new and emerging artists.
• Presenting a high quality family friendly event.

Interested? Call Steve Bajor at 415-606-5456 or email him at pacexpos@aol.com.

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Less than a year ago, a coalition of local organizations and individual history buffs got some great news: their $56,240 bid to buy the Heisler Engine No. 9 – the last remaining locomotive from the “Crookedest Railroad in the World” that ran from Mill Valley to the top of Mount Tam – was the winning bid in an auction. 

Friends of No. 9, the organization formed by the Mill Valley Historical Society, Friends of Mt. Tam, Marin History Museum and others, have been working feverishly ever since to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for all of the costly next steps – moving the engine, storing it, restoring it and eventually placing it somewhere – a reality check that the winning the bid was likely the easiest part of the endeavor.

“We were just elated,” MVHS President Eric Macris says of hearing the news. “People from Mill Valley have been trying to do this for more than 65 years. It's the real deal – it’s the only big piece of the equipment left from the Mountain Railway. It would be a wonderful, iconic thing for our town.”

“It’s a huge project – we’ve got to move, restore and relocate this locomotive,” Macris adds, pointing to the 2018 launch of the “Steam Locomotive Project” fundraising campaign. “This is going to take some years, and a lot more fundraising, community support and hard work. This is an incredible opportunity.”

To that end, historian Fred Runner, author of Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, is set to appear at the Mill Valley Library on Wednesday, Feb. 6 to talk about the lost railroad and the project to save engine #9. Runner will be joined by special musical guests Dore Coller & His Millbillies, a band that regularly performs to support local efforts to sustain local history, particularly the restoration of Mount Tam's West Peak.

The 411: Historian Fred Runner, author of Mount Tamalpais Scenic Railway, speaks at the Mill Valley Library, 375 Throckmorton Ave., on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 7pm to talk about the lost railroad and the project to save engine #9. Runner will be joined by special musical guests Dore Coller & His Millbillies. MORE INFO & REGISTRATION.

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Christina Lisac's Apricot Forest Chinese Medicine is hosting a Chinese New Year celebration at its studio on Miller Avenue on Friday, Feb. 8 from 3-6pm.

“Come celebrate the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Pig!” says Lisac, a longtime licensed practitioner of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. “Everyone is invited to drop in for refreshments, raspberry cheesecake and more."

In addition to the Chine New Year festivities, Lisac is offering complimentary 30-minute consultations for patients looking to ease "stress, restore balance and create lasting change promoting peaceful sleep.”

Lisac treats a wide range of conditions, including depression, weight issues, back pain and intestinal issues, but she has no doubt her primary focus: “I’m a sleep specialist,” she says.

After growing up on the Peninsula, Lisac earned a Bachelor of Science at UC Davis. She then went on to attend the Blue Otter School of Herbal Medicine in Yreka, Calif., and then Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley. Those years of dedicated study were preceded by an unexpected reading from a Chinese astrologist that indicated that Lisac “would find happiness working in medicine and become an acupuncturist.”

“At the time, I said, ‘Me, poking people with needles?’” and didn’t give it another thought,” she says. “But I continued to be drawn to it. I have a real passion for the field: when I’m not working, I enjoy reading case studies and searching out articles on advances in Oriental Medicine. I absolutely love the science and power of Oriental Medicine, and I’m dedicated to helping people through acupuncture.”

The 411: Apricot Forest is located at 244 Miller Avenue. Call 510.927.8480 for an appointment. MORE INFO.

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One Tam, the collaboration of public land agencies dedicated to the long-term health of Mount Tamalpais, is linking up with the Marin Art & Garden Center as part of the venue's conservation series to celebrate the opening of an interactive exhibit that explores the intersection of ecology and cultural history on Mt. Tam’s West Peak. The event is set for Thursday, January 31 (6-8pm)

One Tam's project team, as well as a number of artists and ecologists inspired by the potential of the West Peak's restoration, will be on hand to explain how these factors are incorporated into a community-based design process to chart a path forward. They will include Mill Valley filmmaker Gary Yost, who has made it his mission over the years to draw attention to the much-needed restoration of Mt. Tam's western peak. He's done so with a series of three short films, the third of which, “Song of the Last Place,” debuted in 2016 at "The Mountain Calls," a One Tam evening hosted by Tomales Bay Miwok descendent Sky Road Webb and television host Doug McConnell at the Throckmorton Theatre.

The series spans from 1950, when "the military bulldozed the highest peak of Mt. Tam to build an Air Force radar station tasked with directing jet interceptors and short range nuclear missiles against the potential threat of Russian nuclear bombers," to 1980, when "the base was obsolete and summarily closed. The military walked away from dozens of structures, leaving behind a huge toxic mess on the mountain," Yost writes. 

One Tam works to ensure a healthy, vibrant and diverse landscape for our beloved and iconic Mt. Tam. We are the community-supported partnership of Mt. Tam’s land agencies and managers that includes California State Parks, Marin County Parks, Marin Municipal Water District, and the National Park Service along with the nonprofit Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. One Team leads programs that care for our mountain, inspire our next generation of land stewards and strengthen our local community. 

The series continues in February with a focus on Native American History on Mt. Tam. On Thursday, March 14, the series turns to the Health of the Mountain. One Tam hosts its next Hands on Tam Winter Work Day on Saturday, February 2 from 8:30am-1pm (MORE INFO).

The 411: One Tam and the Marin Art & Garden Center celebrate the opening of an interactive exhibit that explores the intersection of ecology and cultural history on Mt. Tam’s West Peak. Event features a lecture and wine reception. Tix $15 for the talk or $35 for the series. MORE INFO & BUY TIX.

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“It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

The Marin Women's Commission, which envisions "a diverse, fair and equitable Marin, where all women and children have the resources to live happy healthy and productive lives," marks its 45th anniversary this year, and is throwing a part to celebrate. The event, set for Thursday, Feb. 7 (6-8pm) at the Marin Builders Association in San Rafael, features beer, wine and light appetizers "as we celebrate and honor the women of Marin County," according to organizers. 

For the last 45 years, the Marin Women’s Commission, whose members include Mill Valley resident Sherene Chen, "has been lighting candles by serving Marin County women and girls through advocacy, research, and partnership with local agencies and organizations."

The Commission was created by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in April 1974 "to ensure women equal economic, social, political and educational opportunities throughout the county. The Supervisors empowered the Commission to study problems, consult with the Board of Supervisors, prepare information, advise and counsel residents as well as County, State, and Federal officials concerning matters related to discrimination against women and the violation of women’s rights."

The 411: The Marin Women's Commission celebrates its 45th anniversary with an event on Thursday, Feb. 7 (6-8pm) at the Marin Builders Association, 660 Las Gallinas Road in San Rafael. MORE INFO & REGISTER.

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Doug and Dave Canepa, the owners of Mill Valley Market, one of the 94941’s iconic businesses for nearly 90 years, acquired Vintage Wine & Spirits, the downtown shop that’s been around for nearly as long, in late 2018. With the logistics of the acquisition nearly complete – both shop’s will maintain their extensive wine, beer and spirits inventory and expand them a bit – the market is beginning to celebrate by doing what it does best: giving back.

On Saturday, February 9, both Mill Valley Market and Vintage Wine & Spirits will donate 5 percent of all proceeds to Kiddo!, the Mill Valley Schools Foundation. Customers must mention Kiddo! at beginning of checkout for it to count.

The Canepas officially took over longtime Vintage owner Richard Leland 1,400-square-foot shop at 82 Throckmorton Avenue on Nov. 1. They named longtime employee Mike Beeson as Vintage’s manager and plan to retain the shop’s current employees. MORE ON THE ACQUISITION HERE.

Donation days are nothing new for the Canepa family. In late 2017, Mill Valley Market’s Shop & Give Program – the evolution of then-Market co-owner Bob Canepa’s initial “Dollars for Scholars” effort, which donates to more than 115 nonprofit organizations in the form of 2 percent on purchases, with the recipient organization selected by the shopper – crossed the $1 million threshold in terms of money the market has donated to local nonprofits through the program since its inception in 1992.

For the February 9 Kiddo! day, customers must mention Kiddo! at beginning of checkout for it to count.

Stay tuned for more info on Mill Valley Market and Vintage Wine & Spirits.

​The 411: Mill Valley Market is at 12 Corte Madera Ave, while Vintage Wine & Spirits is at 82 Throckmorton Ave. MORE INFO.

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"From ancient grudge break to new mutiny."

The Throckmorton Theatre is readying an innovative take on the classic of all classics in February, turning William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet into an immersive production that will roam throughout the illustrious, historic theater.

"Our production of Romeo and Juliet is an immersive, emotional take on the greatest love story of all time," says Throckmorton Founder Lucy Mercer of the production, which kicks off Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 17. "You can expect to be on your feet, moving through different areas, please wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes. There are a limited number of tickets available to each performance."

The timeless tale of love is brought to life in an intimate new imagining from director Amy Marie Haven, Mercer says.

"Witness a brawl in the street, sip champagne at the grand ball of Lord Capulet, share secrets in Juliet's room, and take a peek into the Friar's private quarters," Haven adds. 

In addition to the roving nature of the performance, Romeo and Juliet will also feature two casts: a main cast of professional adult actors, and a secondary cast of teens, ages 13-18. Teens cast in the production are part of Throckmorton's Performing Apprenticeship, which offers a unique combination of performance, training and observation.

The 411: The Throckmorton Theatre's immersive, roaming production of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet kicks off Feb. 1 and runs through Feb. 17, with 7:30pm performances on Friday and Saturday and 2:30pm performances on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday performances will feature the teen apprentiCe cast. MORE INFO.

The show has subsequently drawn plaudits from the Marin IJ.

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Mill Valley Philharmonic is diving in 2019 with a little something different, hosting a 'Retro Dance Party' fundraiser featuring tunes from the 1970s and 80s spun by DJ DanniBoi and an evening of revelry in support of the organization's concerts of free symphonic music.

The event, set for Saturday, February 23, 7-10pm, at the Tam Valley Community Center, is "a post-Valentine's Day party designed for those who love the music of the 1970s and 1980s and want a safe, comfortable place to get their groove on in Marin, according to organizers. While the event is particularly envisioned for party-ers 40-plus whose time of going out to clubs has passed, anyone eager to spend the evening boogying to great dance music is welcome."

Organizers of the 21+ event are encouraging attendees to come in their favorite dance clothes and prepare to dance the night away – retro costumes encouraged.

Mill Valley Philharmonic is in the midst of its 2018-19 season – its first season without founder and artistic director Laurie Cohen – and new MV Philharmonic executive director Richard Aldag has lined up three prominent guest conductors, all of whom are candidates to become artistic director and join Aldag, the former executive director at the Napa Valley Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and Lincoln Theater Napa Valley, in filling part of Cohen's role. 

Paul Phillips, the director of orchestral studies and associate professor of music at Stanford University, began the series in November 2018, and Dana Sadava, the artistic director of Pasadena Opera, among myriad other roles, continues it in March, followed by Alexander Kahn, associate professor of music and director of orchestral activities at Sonoma State University, where he directs the Sonoma State Symphony Orchestra, in May.

​Based on input from the musicians and audience members, MVP will then select one of them as its next permanent artistic director/conductor.

The mission of MVP is "to enrich the cultural life of the Bay Area by offering free orchestral programs to people of all ages and means in their own communities," according to the organization's website. "As an organization, MVP believes that music is a vital part of individual and community life. Whether participating as a player or as a listener, music engages our imaginative powers, awakens our aesthetic sensibilities, and inspires our creative expression."

The 411: Mill Valley Philharmonic hosts a 'Retro Dance Party' fundraiser at the Tam Valley Community Center, 203 Marin Ave., on Saturday, February 23, 7-10pm. Tix $20. Questions? info@millvalleyphilharmonic.org or 415-383-0930. MORE INFO & TIX.

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As with all of the late, legendary playwright August Wilson’s work, there’s a lot to unpack in Marin Theatre Company’s production of Wilson’s “How I Learned What I Learned,” which opened earlier this month.

But as you leave the theater at the end of the 150-minute performance, marveling at Wilson’s memories of his years as an aspiring writer in the African American-dominated Hill District of Pittsburgh, Penn., the play’s format, and its main character – make that only character – shine brightest.

Directed by Margot Hall, “How I Learned What I Learned” is an autobiographical one-man show making its Bay Area premiere at MTC, with subsequent performances at Buriel Clay Theater in San Francisco in February and the Ubuntu Theater Project in Oakland in March. It revolves entirely around actor Steven Anthony Jones’ portrayal of Wilson, who performed the one-man show himself in Seattle in 2003, two years before his death.

Jones is front and center for the play’s entirety, delivering thousands of words built around Wilson’s memories, adages and anecdotes about his experiences, with only the occasional typeset cues, projected onto a backdrop of hanging sheets of paper of different sizes, to lean on for transition.

Those anecdotes spanned the many jobs Wilson quit after racist mistreatment by bosses who assumed the worst about him. “Something is not always better than nothing,” he says, later lamenting “a job that required you to accept the fact that your boss didn’t respect your humanity.”

In a commanding performance, Jones not only captures Wilson’s physical appearance and gravity of thought, he also evokes his potent mix of righteous anger and riotous humor, delivering an engaging, often hilarious portrait of a man whose life, and work, was so directly impacted by the racism he recounts as "an inheritance unworthy of our grandchildren."

A longtime company member of the American Conservatory Theater and the former artistic director at the Lorraine Hansberry, Jones’ showcased a deft ability to deliver across an array of non-linear topics, from Wilson’s romantic involvement with a married woman named Snookie to his pal Cy Morocco’s determination to perform like his jazz hero John Coltrane, despite lacking the ability to play the horn.

Jones remained deeply engaging throughout, never moreso than when he removed his jacket to reveal a t-shirt that proclaims, ''I am supposed to be white,” drawing uproarious laughter, only to follow that with virtuous indignation: ''We are an African people. We have our own history and we are not black by the accident of our birth.''

The 411: August Wilson’s “How I Learned What I Learned” at the Marin Theatre Company runs through Feb. 3. 397 Miller Ave. Tix $25-$70. MORE INFO. Here's a trailer:​

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Another springtime of baseball awaits Mill Valley kids at historic Boyle Park, and registration is now open at millvalleyll.org. In particular, the organization wants to reach kindergarten families who aren't aware of the registration process. The "Rookie League" is a tee-ball/coach-pitch league for kindergarteners and guaranteed fun in the sun. One practice per week, and a game on Saturday – plus the magic of leading the traditional Mill Valley Little League parade! Play ball! MORE INFO.

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The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, the non-profit, all-volunteer organization founded in 1973 to present exceptional classical musicians in Mill Valley at affordable ticket prices, continues its 2018-19 season with a performance by the St. Lawrence String Quartet featuring Geoff Nuttall and Owen Dalby on violin, Lesley Robertson on viola, Christopher Costanza on cello, joined by acclaimed clarinet virtuoso Todd Palmer. Immediately after the concert the audience is invited to stay for a reception to meet Bay Area composer Jonathan Berger and the performers.

The performance, the latest in the organization's 46th season of Marin Chamber Performances concert series, is set for Sunday, February 17 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church. 

Established in Toronto in 1989, the St. Lawrence String Quartet quickly earned acclaim at top international chamber music competitions and was soon playing hundreds of concerts per year worldwide. They established an ongoing residency at Spoleto Festival USA, made prize-winning recordings for EMI of music by Schumann, Tchaikovsky, and Golijov, earning two Grammy nominations and a host of other prizes before being appointed ensemble-in-residence at Stanford University in 1999.

At Stanford, the SLSQ is at the forefront of intellectual life on campus, directing the music department's chamber music program, and frequently collaborates with other departments including the Schools of Law, Medicine, Business and Education. The Quartet performs regularly at Stanford Live, hosts an annual chamber music seminar, and runs the Emerging String Quartet Program through which they mentor the next generation of young quartets. In the words of Alex Ross of The New Yorker: "The St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection."

Three time Grammy-nominated clarinetist Todd Palmer has appeared as soloist, recitalist, chamber music collaborator, educator, arranger, and presenter in a variety of musical endeavors around the world. He has collaborated with many of the world’s finest string ensembles and has also shared the stage with sopranos Kathleen Battle, Renée Fleming, Elizabeth Futral, Heidi Grant Murphy, and Dawn Upshaw, as well as many notable instrumentalists.

Jonathan Berger is an American composer whose symphonic, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic works are performed throughout the world. Thrice commissioned by The National Endowment for the Arts, Berger has also received major commissions from the Mellon and Rockefeller foundations, Chamber Music America, and numerous chamber music societies and ensembles. The winner of the 2016 Rome Prize and the 2016 Guggenheim Fellowship, Berger is the Denning Family Provostial Professor in Music at Stanford University.

The February 17th concert is the inaugural program of the BAY AREA MUSIC CONSORTIUM (BAMC), a partnership between four distinct organizations dedicated to presenting the finest in chamber music experiences: Berkeley Chamber Performances, Gold Coast Chamber Players (Lafayette), Mill Valley Chamber Music Society, and Noe Valley Chamber Music (San Francisco). With the synergy of combined resources, collective planning and a shared artistic vision, the BAMC is able to present outstanding ensembles performing uniquely designed programs that enrich each of the individual member communities.

MV Chamber Music Society's 2018-19 season continues Fauré Quartet on March 24, 2019. As usual, the organization will cap its season by showcasing the talents of five emerging classical musicians at the annual Marin Music Chest “Young Artists' Concert” on May 19, 2019.
   
The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber Music Society presents a concert the St. Lawrence String Quartet joined by acclaimed clarinet virtuoso Todd Palmer. on Sunday, February 17 at Mt. Tamalpais United Methodist Church, 410 Sycamore Ave. at 5 p.m. Single tickets are $35 general and FREE for youth, teen and college music students. Students 15 years old or younger must be accompanied by an adult. Season subscriptions options include $120 per person for all five concerts or a mini-subscription for $90 for three concerts. All subscribers receive a complimentary ticket to the annual Marin Music Chest Young Artists Concert in May 2019. MORE INFO & TIX. 

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Since its debut 10 years ago, the secret has long been out on Stuart Schwartz’s The Image Flow as a go-to resource for a wide range of photography services, from high-end printing, photo scanning and art reproduction to education and workshops, not to mention they’re ever-burgeoning slate of deeply immersive trips to places like Cuba and Tuscany, allowing photographers to hone their craft while diving into the culture around them.

But while the larger Mill Valley photo community has made The Image Flow a vital hub in Miller Avenue’s Egger Plaza, some of Mill Valley’s biggest brands have taken advantage of a lesser-known component of its array of services: its commercial photography studio, and Schwartz’s commercial photography talents.

“Stuart and The Image Flow are an extraordinary resource for our community,” says Margaret O’Leary, whose 15 stores across the U.S. have used both the studio and Schwartz as a photographer on several occasions. “Having a team with such deep technical know-how in our midst has been a huge help to our business. From photo shoots to printing, we rely on Image Flow. In fact when it came time for my portrait, Stuart is the only one I would trust to capture the Margaret O’Leary brand (and me!).”

Lily Kanter, creator of the former Mill Valley Baby & Kids Co. and co-founder of the renowned home design brand Serena & Lily brand, used The Image Flow as the primary studio for the Spring 2019 catalog for her latest venture, Boon Supply, an innovative online retailer that splices retail with the democratization of crowdfunding on sites like GoFundMe, IndieGogo and Kickstarter. On every item the company sells, 50 percent of the proceeds go towards the cause of the customer’s choice, including organizations like Kiddo!. Organizations can also create their own fundraising campaigns on the site – just like they do on sites like GoFundMe.

“The Image Flow is an amazing local photo studio that works perfectly for our studio needs, and Stuart is so accommodating and service oriented,” Kanter says. “We love that studio!”

O’Leary and Kanter aren’t alone, as a diverse array of local businesses, including Studio Velo, EO Products, Marin Theater Company and Proof Lab, have used The Image Flow as a studio and/or Schwartz as a photographer.

The 411: The Image Flow offers a range of commercial photography services. MORE INFO.

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Bloom, the San Rafael-based nonprofit that provides free wardrobes and life skills training to men, women and families transitioning to a life of self-reliance and looking for a job, has plenty to celebrate in 2019. The organization, founded as Image for Success in 1999, turns 20 this year, and has just hired new executive director Lenice Smith to build on the success established by Sherene Chen.

A native of Flint, Mich., Smith has lived and worked in Marin for more than 18 years, largely in the healthcare field. She'll oversee the organization's operations and community outreach and develop resources toward its strategic goals. Smith says she was an occasional shopper at Bloom’s retail store long before she accepted her new role of executive director. Smith says she enjoys board games with her three sons and singing at local venues around town.
 
Barbara Lee founded the nonprofit after President Clinton established the welfare-to-work program and she learned that one San Rafael agency had 40 women ready to go to work but didn't have any business clothes. Prior to Image for Success’ creation, Cal Works (a welfare-to-work program) had provided each of their clients with vouchers to shop at a local discount store. But Lee wanted to create a more positive and personalized shopping experience for these women who were struggling to meet the serious challenges in their lives.

The organization morphed into Bloom in 2016 to reflect its broader array of services designed to have a direct, tangible impact on people’s lives at a critical moment: people and families transitioning to a life of self-reliance and looking for a job, whether it’s a person just released from prison, someone recovering from substance abuse or a victim of domestic abuse seeking independence. 

Bloom is set to host a number of 20th anniversary events in 2019, and the annual Bloom Spring Luncheon (fashion show) is set for April 26. They'll also offer financial and career literacy workshops in 2019. 

Located at 1557 Fourth Street in downtown San Rafael, Bloom runs a retail store that accepts donated clothing. They also take a lot of that clothing to the clients that are referred to them through a variety of social services agencies like Adopt a Family of Marin, Center for Domestic Peace, Community Action Marin and the Marin Employment Connection, as well as school administrators, clergy and teachers.

Clients can come back to Bloom every season, and the organization’s volunteer dressers are trained to deliver a “Nordstroms-like experience,” the organization says. “They act as personal shoppers for their clients. And those clients feel really respected, which is part of our mission. It’s not just about clothes.
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Over the years, the program grew, expanding to include men in 2005, and then relocated to Fourth Street in 2007, allowing the organization to open a consignment store. In 2011, bolstered by revenue from that store, Image for Success hit a milestone of having served 10,000 clients. The organization continued to expand on its partnerships with referring agencies, and had served more than 15,000 clients by the end of 2015. 

The 411: Bloom is constantly seeking funding and clothing donations to continue to serve its clients and expand its services. The organization's annual gala and fashion show is set for April 26, 2019. MORE INFO.
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