Let's connect!
Enjoy Mill Valley
  • HOME
  • EVENTS & GUIDES
    • 2020-21 EMV Guide
    • 2020 Mill Valley Wine, Beer & Gourmet Food Tasting
    • Winterfest >
      • Activities, Food & Entertainment
      • About Winterfest
    • Calendar
    • Special Events
  • EAT
  • Stay
  • VISIT
    • Muir Woods
    • PLAY
    • Tour
    • Map
    • PRESS
  • SHOP
    • Enjoy Mill Valley Store
    • Shopping Areas
    • Apparel and Jewelry
    • Automotive
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Biz, Consumer & Professional Services
    • Beauty & Grooming
    • Fitness & Sports
    • Food & Wine
    • Home & Garden
    • Kids & Pets
    • Health & Wellness
    • Nonprofit Organizations
    • Real Estate
    • Specialty Shops
  • A&E
  • EMV Films
  • BLOG
  • Mill Valley Chamber
  • City of Mill Valley
  • CONTACT US
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise on Enjoy Mill Valley
  • ShopMV

The Saga Continues: Donation Deluge to Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 Biz Fund Backs 77 $1,000 Grants

4/30/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Clockwise from top left, The Image Flow's Stuart Schwartz, FitWise Pilates owner Ronda Priestner, Juice Girl's Karen Olson, WIGT's Megan Acio and Ultimate Fitness owner Randy Green. Courtesy images.
Like many of us – check that, all of us – over the past many weeks amidst the COVID-19 crisis, WIGT Printing owner Megan Acio was “feeling defeated,” a result of a potent series of gut punches, from having to furlough her employees and seeing most of her print jobs vanish to even scarier personal concerns, including her mother having a heart attack (she recovered) and her grandmother spending time in the emergency room with a non-COVID-19-related respiratory infection (she’s also on the mend).

“The women in my family are tough as nails,” Acio says.

Acio applied via the federal PPP and EIDL programs but hasn’t gotten a response yet. And then a modest-yet-timely $1,000 direct cash grant arrived via the Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 MV Business Fund.

“That grant, with such a quick response to relief, gave me a nudge in the right direction, giving me that ‘I can make it through this’ attitude,” Acio says. “When I opened the letter from the Chamber, tears of gratitude filled my eyes. It was like a huge hug from our community during a devastating time.”

In just 20 days since the Chamber launched the fund via GoFundMe to generate as many $1,000 direct cash grants to local businesses as possible, Mill Valley residents have stepped up beyond expectations, raising more than $77,000, including a recent infusion of $15,000 via the County of Marin, and thus funding at least 77 grants. More than 45 of those recipients have already received their grants, and many more are on the way in the coming days.

Ultimate Fitness owner Randy Green says he used the grant to pay some outstanding bills as well as the purchase of touchless faucets and other items to minimize the touching of surfaces that will come in handy for clients when they reopen.

Stuart Schwartz's The Image Flow community photography hub on Miller Ave. was among them. Schwartz says the overhead costs of operating a 6,300-square-foot space are high in the best of times. But with vastly reduced revenue at the moment, with employees furloughed and the space shuttered, he calls this moment “deadly.”

The Image Flow was forced to cancel all of its spring and early summer workshops – its busiest workshop season – and beyond Zoom instruction by appointment, some print orders and scanning and reproduction work, business has dried up.

“Every dollar counts at the moment and what the Chamber has managed to do is way, way beyond the call of duty,” Schwartz says. “The speed at which the funds were distributed was how we wish everyone would pay – the Chamber could not have been more efficient.”

Schwartz lamented the widespread reports of stimulus funding ending up in the hands of large and even publicly traded companies who had access to other forms of capital, as well as the series of hiccups at launch. 

“The real point is Main Street America is made up of mom and pop stores – these businesses deserve better,” he says.

For Juice Girl owner Karen Olson, proximity to Tam High has long meant a booming, dependable rush of students throughout the school year. But with the significantly shortened school year, that dependability disappeared, and she linked up with Dine11Marin and Kylie Frame’s Feed the Frontlines Marin to both keep her business going, albeit at vastly reduced sales volumes and to support frontline workers. 

In a dose of irony, Olson learned that she received the MV Biz Fund grant on the same day the website for U.S. Bank crashed as she navigated the PPP process. “Every little bit helps these days!” she says of the grant via the Chamber. I wouldn’t want to be sheltering in place anywhere else in the world. I love our little town and all of the wonderful people who live here.”

Like many nimble entrepreneurs, Ronda Priestner shifted her FitWise Pilates studio downtown to a virtual operation, to the extent possible, soon after the first shelter in place order. She calls the grant "a blessing" that will assist with payroll for her team. 

"We are diligently preparing for a safe reopen once the SIP is lifted," she says. "We will be changing the layout of the studio so that we can serve smaller classes with six feet in between each person. We are lucky to have two large suites that offer lots of fresh air to ventilate the studio, and we'll be working on our decks with equipment and classes to add more working space. We are dedicated to making our grand reopening a safe experience."

The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 MV Business Fund has raised more than $77,000 dollars to support direct cash grants to local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. DONATE HERE and GO HERE for more information. Businesses can apply here.

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
0 Comments

Marin Extends Shelter in Place Thru May With Eased Restrictions on Construction, Real Estate & Outdoor Businesses Like Nurseries, Landscapers and Gardeners

4/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Announcement comes one day after Gov. Newsom indicated that California is "weeks, not months" away "from making measurable and meaningful changes to our stay-at-home order." Governor also hints at possibility of 2020-21 school year beginning earlier than than usual to account for "learning loss."
Picture
Mill Valley's Depot Plaza, April 2019.
In a move straight out of the "give 'em the bad news first" department of communication, Marin County health officials, in collaboration with six other Bay Area jurisdictions, on April 28 extended the shelter in place (SIP) order, which took effect March 17 and was set to expire May 3, through the end of May (full new SIP order here).

​One day later, Marin County Public Health Officer Matt Willis announced the easing of restrictions on a number of businesses that operate outdoors, including all construction projects as long as the project complies with the order's safety protocols, as well real estate transactions without open houses and limitations on in-person viewings. The list of businesses that can reopen on May 4 also includes wholesale and retail nurseries, landscapers, gardeners, and other businesses that primarily provide outdoor services as set forth in the order.

Other activities that can resume under the new order include residential moves and the use of certain shared outdoor recreational facilities that were previously ordered closed, like skate parks, but not others that involve shared equipment or physical contact. The April 17th order requiring face covering remains in effect.

Willis said that Marin has, as of April 29, 224 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 12 deaths and 43 hospitalizations.

He characterized the first phase of the SIP as “the first inning of the game. “We were successful thanks to all the amazing work and sacrifices that everyone in our community made to really limit transmission,” he told the Marin County Board of Supervisors on April 28. “Phase Two is going to be a gentle, delicate process of reopening that we can eventually regain the ability to gather for education and some business reopening.”

Willis noted the coming weeks and months will be entirely driven by the key metrics. That includes adequate testing capacity, as Marin is currently testing 300 patients a day and needs to get to 500 per day. That increased testing capacity will likely “see more transmission of disease,” he said.

Testing efforts will be coupled by contact tracing and monitoring hospitalizations and 911 calls related to COVIF-19, he added.

​Noting that nearby jurisdictions like Sonoma County are moving toward a less restrictive SIP, Supervisor Damon Connolly asked Willis if Marin was wedded to the SIP decisions of the Bay Area jurisdictions with which it has operated so far. “The gates to move from one phase to the next will happen at a different pace for each county,” Willis said. “We don’t expect that every county will have the same experience. We’ll have the freedom to move forward more quickly but we’ll be looking to the science to guide us.”

The announcements came amidst indications from Gov. Gavin Newsom that California as a whole is "just a few weeks away, not months away, from making measurable and meaningful changes to our stay-at-home order. That is a very optimistic point to emphasize.”

In a series of tweets, Newsom said, "California is flattening the curve, but the reality is #COVID-19 is not going away soon. Our re-opening must be gradual, guided by public health and science, and will be done in the following:
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​
0 Comments

MV Moms Launch Seed Releaf to Provide Free, Plant-Based Meals in Collaboration With Local Eateries

4/28/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Seed Releaf co-founder Iyse Petter, at center, along with meals from Floodwater that were delivered this week to students and their families from the Venetia Valley schools. Courtesy images.
Mill Valley continues to churn out robust philanthropic efforts to bring meals to those who need them in creative ways.

Nutritionist Ilyse Petter, founder of O Baby Bar, has teamed with author and Mill Valley Library Foundation Board Member Kris Malone Grossman to launch Seed Releaf, a nonprofit organization that seeks to partner with local restaurants and farms to deliver free, freshly prepared, organic, plant-based meals to seniors, children and families, and other community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They hope to deliver 200 such meals per week, Petter says.

Petter says the organization is currently working with Bill and Tyler Higgins of Floodwater and the Real Restaurant Group. They've already made deliveries to a group of home bound seniors, as well as children and their families in Venetia Valley schools.

"Inspired by the response to COVID-19 by World Central Kitchen and Support + Feed, we set out to support the momentous efforts already in place to meet the rapidly growing need for food in our community," Petter says. Our goal is to fortify all strands of the web, with a focus on ecologically sound organic nourishment from planet to plate to palate. Numerous organizations, both long-established and recently formed, are collaborating to meet burgeoning food needs in this pandemic moment.

"We're committed to complimenting rather than duplicating one another's efforts, with a focus on getting meals to those who may be unable to access food pantries or safely leave their homes," Petter adds. "We are also enormously grateful to the myriad organizations who've created brilliant blueprints for getting started."

The 411: Seed Releaf is a nonprofit organization that seeks to partner with local restaurants and farms to deliver free, freshly prepared, organic, plant-based meals to seniors, children and families, and other community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They hope to hope to raise money to support their efforts and identify local restaurants with which to collaborate. MORE INFO.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
View this post on Instagram

Seed Releaf was launched to meet a growing need to support food security. We are partnering with local restaurants @floodwatermv and farms, preparing plant based, locally sourced, nutrient dense meals and delivering to those in our community who need them. We believe that by nourishing with plant based food we are fortifying the web of sustainability. #betterforyou #betterfortheanimals #betterfortheplanet #grownourishevolve #vegansifig #environment #localfood #localfarms #dogoodfeelgood #plantbased #sustainability

A post shared by Ilyse Wassermann Petter (@seedreleaf) on Apr 28, 2020 at 9:33pm PDT

2 Comments

Feed the Frontlines Marin Expands to Serve Marin City

4/28/2020

0 Comments

 
PictureFeed the Frontlines volunteers delivered food to MarinHealth Medical Center earlier this month. Courtesy image.
The community-driven movement that is Feed the Frontlines Marin continues to build momentum, with nearly $45,000 in donations funding more than 2,000 meal and juice deliveries to frontline workers during the COVID-19 crisis so far.

Now Tam High senior Kylie Frame and her team are expanding their efforts in collaboration with Mill Valley restaurants Shoreline Coffee Shop, Watershed, Bootjack Woodfired, BOL, Flour Craft Bakery, Mon Reve Chocolate Studio and Juice Girl, to feed frontline workers in Marin City. 

"We are thrilled to launch our new program Feeding Marin City Frontliners," Frame posted on Instagram this week. "We will be supporting the frontline workers & volunteers at Play Marin, Bayside MLK School, People's Inner Cities Fellowship, Marin City Community Services District and Performing Stars. These are the people making sure everyone in Marin City is staying safe, healthy, and taken care of. We will be providing meals all week, as well as (if possible) many weeks to come!"

​Frame, who launched Feed the Frontlines Marin in March, was first inspired by family friends in New York City who own Tarallucci e Vino and other restaurants in the city and launched Feed The Frontlines NYC as a way to feed first responders but also to support local restaurants trying to sustain themselves on takeout/delivery service only to comply with the shelter in place order.

Frame connected with Shoreline Coffee Shop, Bootjack Woodfired and Watershed owner Ged Robertson to create a three-pronged campaign: raise money to support the distribution of meals to frontline workers at hospitals, grocery stores, refuse centers (trash/recycling/yard waste truck drivers), emergency pop-up childcare centers, San Quentin State Prison staff, pharmacies and more; create a revenue stream for participating restaurants to support employees; and tangentially, supporting the local farms from which local restaurants source their ingredients, including Green Gulch bread, Star Route lettuce, Stemple Creek beef, eggs from Wooly Egg Ranch and more.

"That way, the money spent at local restaurants goes into our local food systems," Robertson said.

"We hope to keep our fundraising momentum going so that we can provide meals to all frontline workers who deserve a 'thank you' meal here in Marin," Frame added.

The 411: Tam High senior Kylie Frame's Feed the Frontlines Marin continues to feed frontline workers and support local restaurants and farms. MORE INFO & DONATE.

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​

0 Comments

'I Know We're Not Alone': Citing Impact of COVID-19 Crisis, George Lawson Gallery Won't Be Reopening

4/23/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
George Lawson Gallery, one of a pair of acclaimed galleries that moved from San Francisco to Mill Valley in 2019 and which was set to debut its latest exhibit last month before the shelter in place order to combat the COVID-19 outbreak shut down art galleries, won't be reopening once that order is lifted, Lawson announced today.

"The COVID-19 crisis hit my gallery at a vulnerable moment when we were just building our base after the move to Marin," Lawson wrote to his community on Thursday. "The cessation of revenue has left us with debt beyond our ability to service, and as a result we will not be reopening. I know we’re not alone. When room for painting room for paper opened at 49 Geary in September of 2008, it was another difficult moment, and we managed to keep the program going through all its ups and downs over 11 and a half years basically by staying agile and moving a lot. In the current situation, however, there is nowhere else to go."

"I was a painter before starting the gallery and that’s what I’ll go back to," he continued. "When the dust settles, we will all need to rebuild the cultural landscape and the best tools we have are curiosity and openness. Keep looking. Keep your body involved. Go out of your way to do so. Stay healthy."

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​

2 Comments

Love the Ones You Miss: Here Are the MV Businesses With Fundraising Campaigns That You Can Support

4/22/2020

0 Comments

 
We hope you're already aware of the Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 MV Business Fund, which in the 10 days since its launch via GoFundMe, has raised more than $49,000 and thus funding at least 49 direct cash, $1,000 grants to local businesses who applied on a first come, first served basis. We also want you to be aware of the dozens of other campaigns by individual businesses to support their employees. They're below.
Picture

Arts & Entertainment

Mill Valley Philharmonic: https://www.gofundme.com/f/20000-for-20-years-of-mvp
O'Hanlon Center for the Arts: https://www.gofundme.com/f/o039hanlon-center-for-the-arts-fund
Sweetwater Music Hall - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sweetwater-music-hall-staff-relief-fund#/

Automotive

Malugani Tire Center: https://www.gofundme.com/f/malugani039s-tire-shop-employee-relief-fund

Food

Buckeye Roadhouse: https://www.gofundme.com/f/buckeye-family-needs-you
Bungalow 44 - https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-support-the-bungalow-44-staff
Equator Coffees - https://www.gofundme.com/f/grrv6n-equator-barista-virtual-tip-jar
Floodwater - https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-support-the-floodwater-staff
Flour Craft Bakery & Cafe - https://www.gofundme.com/f/flour-craft-workers-fund
Grilly's: https://www.gofundme.com/f/grilly039s-needs-your-support
Harmony Restaurant - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-harmony-restaurant-employees
Joe’s Taco Lounge - https://www.gofundme.com/f/joe039s-taco-lounge-employee-fund
La Ginestra -https://www.gofundme.com/f/la-ginestra-employee-relief-fund
Lighthouse Bar & Grill - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-our-employees-during-this-pandemic
Piatti Mill Valley - https://www.gofundme.com/f/piatti-mill-valley-employee-relief-fund
Piazza D’Angelo - https://www.gofundme.com/f/piazza-d039angelo-staff
Playa - https://www.gofundme.com/f/playa-mill-valley-employee-relief-fund
Sweetwater Music Hall - https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sweetwater-music-hall-staff-relief-fund#/
Tamalpie Pizzeria - https://www.gofundme.com/f/km9zvu-help
The Cantina - https://www.gofundme.com/f/cantina-employee-fund
The Whisk & Skillet - https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-whisk-and-skillet-employees
Vasco Restaurant - https://www.gofundme.com/f/vasco-mill-valley-employee-relief-fund

Health, Fitness & Beauty

AP Luxe Salon: https://www.gofundme.com/f/covid19-and-ap-luxe-salon
Bugalugz: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-our-bugalugz-employees
Lavande Nail Spa: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lavande-nail-spa-mill-valley-employee-relief-fund
MilVali Salon: https://www.gofundme.com/f/milvali-salon-reopening-fund
Orange Theory Fitness: https://www.gofundme.com/f/otf-strawberry-amp-novatosupport-our-coaches

Home & Garden

Green Door Design: https://www.gofundme.com/f/green-door-design-small-business-relief-fundcovid​
Green Jeans Garden Supply: https://www.gofundme.com/f/green-jeans-revitalization-campaign

Pets

Doggie Styles: https://www.gofundme.com/f/lets-support-our-wonderful-ladies-and-their-crew
Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
0 Comments

Mill Valley Steps Up: Powered by an Outpouring of Donations, MV Chamber’s COVID-19 Biz Fund Issues Dozens of Direct Cash Grants – Many More on the Way

4/20/2020

0 Comments

 
In response to a massive number of applicants and incredible donor support to date, MV Chamber doubles fundraising goal to $100,000.
PictureOnce Around owner Louise Dockstader. Courtesy image.
When Louise Dockstader learned that her downtown Mill Valley arts & crafts hub Once Around had garnered a $1,000 direct cash grant via the Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 MV Business Fund, she left no doubt about the impact of even a modest grant amidst an unquestionably dire economic circumstance.

“It's an absolute miracle – when we all need miracles,” said Dockstader, whose business has been deemed non-essential but who hasn’t exactly been sitting by idly during the coronavirus outbreak. “Thank you to the people of Mill Valley and the Chamber. When I saw that people were donating $1,000 at a time, I almost cried.”

Chelsea Hutchison, co-owner of BŌL superfood cafe, who innovated quickly in the early days of the shelter in place order by launching the Pay It Forward program, allowing residents to donate meals to frontline workers and first responders, which Hutchison delivered personally, went even further: "I just burst into tears," she wrote. "I deeply appreciate this generosity from our amazing community."

PictureBOL's Chelsea Hutchison, at top right, delivering "Pay It Forward meals to the Marin County Sheriff's Office late last month.
In just 10 days since the Chamber launched the fund via GoFundMe to generate as many $1,000 direct cash grants to local businesses as possible, Mill Valley residents have stepped up beyond expectations, raising more than $46,000 and thus funding at least 46 grants. More than a dozen of those recipients have already received their grants, and many more are on the way this week.

More than a dozen local businesses, each of whom met basic criteria and applied on a first come, first served basis, have received their checks, with dozens more on the way. All recipients are required to complete a W9 IRS form identifying their business.  

The fund’s goal was modest and straightforward, says MV Chamber co-director Paula Reynolds. 
​
“We’d spent the weeks prior to the launch relentlessly focusing on two tracks: inform local businesses about every form of relief possible, and use the megaphone of the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog  to be sure that the entire 94941 community knew which businesses were open, closed or somewhere in between, as so many have leveraged the digital and virtual worlds with nimble creativity.”

But as the stories from local business owners came flooding in about the amorphous, ever-changing application process for Economic Impact Disaster Loans and the subsequent PPP “loans to grants” plan through the Small Business Administration, Reynolds said she knew that “we needed to do more, and fast. Cash flow is everything in this moment, and these direct cash grants can be used however the business owner needs to stay on their feet.”

The campaign went live on April 10, and donations began flooding in immediately.

PictureCarl, Sophie and Lucas Priolo. Courtesy image.
Sofia Jewelry owners Sophie and Lucas Priolo, who transitioned their “non-essential business” quickly into a “virtual boutique” over the past several weeks, open for shopping via Zoom and Facebook Live as well as pickup appraisals and repairs, plan to pass along the COVID-19 grant directly to their employees. 

 “Our goal through all of this is to keep them employed so Sofia Jewelry can continue to be a part of Mill Valley for the next 26 years, and beyond!” Sophie Priolo said. “We are doing the best we can given the circumstances, but this is not something that we can sustain long term. We are a family business –this is personal for us.” 
​
They’d applied via both EIDL and PPP, and were denied for the PPP from one bank because “they were prioritizing larger loans with more employees.” They hope that the White House and Congress can strike a deal this week on injecting another $350 billion ($300 billion PPP, $50 billion EIDL) into small business relief, and with their application already in the queue.

Fellow jeweler Johanna Becker, owner of Moonstruck Fine Jewelry, is in virtually the same situation. 

“The grant will not only help keep the lights on, so to speak, but it gives me moral support and feelings of connectivity to such a wonderful community,” she said. “It warms my heart.”

PictureThe Hivery's Grace Kraaijvanger. Courtesy image.
The business model of the Hivery, the female-fueled "co-working space and inspiration lab" opened nearly four years ago by Grace Kraaijvanger, is deeply rooted in in-person collaboration, workshops and gatherings. Amidst the shelter in place order, now is most certainly not business-as-usual for a business that relies on that in-person connection. The Hivery closed its doors when the order was issued, but has transitioned to a Virtual Membership + Online Community.

“This closure has been immensely challenging,” Kraaijvanger said. “So much of what we ‘sell’ is the feeling of belonging, mentorship, support, and community that comes in a shared space and shared experience. 

Kraaijvanger applied via both federal programs on the day they went live but hasn’t heard back, and also applied for other local grants, women-owned business grants, and “everything we can find that's relevant. We are fighting to keep this dream (and the impact it's created for so many in our community) alive so that it can thrive and continue to be of service in the future,” she said.

“I'm so grateful for these funds, not just for their financial impact, but also for the boost of spirit that I got from being supported by my community,” Kraaijvanger said. “These funds help us to continue growing our virtual membership and I'm so grateful for that.”

Hillel and Chana Scop have long been spiritual leaders in Marin via their spearheading Chabad Mill Valley, the local chapter of one of the largest Hasidic groups and Jewish religious organizations in the world, for more than 18 years. That multi-faceted space – dubbed Brooklyn – is part retail, part community gathering place and educational center, and like the Hivery, very much dependent on physical gatherings. They applied via EIDL and PPP and are awaiting next steps from the federal government. In the meantime, the grant “will provide some immediate relief towards ongoing overhead at Brooklyn,” Rabbi Hillel Scop said.
​
“Not a nickel of the funds raised will go to the Mill Valley Chamber,” Reynolds said. “This is one more way we are trying to help an incredible community in pain.”

The 411: The Mill Valley Chamber’s COVID-19 MV Business Fund has raised tens of thousands of dollars to support direct cash grants to local businesses impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. DONATE HERE and GO HERE for more information. Businesses can apply here.

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

0 Comments

MV Designer J'Amy Tarr Delivers on Promise to Give Jackets to COVID-19 Frontline Workers – and Doubles It

4/19/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
In a profile late last month, we told you about Mil Valley fashion designer J'Amy Tarr's plan to launch "50 Jackets for 50 Strong Women," giving 50 of her jackets to 50 women nominated for their service on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis. Think healthcare workers, grocery store employees, postal workers and first responders. 

Well, less than a full month later, Tarr has delivered on that promise – twice over. She delivered 100 jackets to 100 frontline workers. In doing so, Tarr said, "Let's all take a moment and acknowledge these incredible individuals and applaud
their heroic efforts to help keep us safe."

The list itself is full of amazing women. It includes Juice Girl owner Karen Olson, BOL owner Chelsea Hutchinson as well as Brenda Gondak, Leslie Cornelius and Jennifer Jarvis of Mill Valley Market, as well as Mill Valley School District counselor Jenn Ferrer.

HERE'S THE FULL LIST.

The 411: Multi-talented designer J'Amy Tarr is on a creative tear. MORE INFO.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
1 Comment

Amidst COVID-19, Milley Awards Honoring Creative Achievement Extends Nomination Deadline to May 14

4/19/2020

0 Comments

 
Nominations can be made in five categories: Literary Arts, Musical Arts, Performing Arts (Film, Theater and Dance), Visual Arts and Contributions to the Arts Community.
PictureScenes from the 2019 Milley Awards gala. Photos by Jim Block.
Organizers of the 2020 Milley Awards, Mill Valley’s annual celebration of the community’s vast amount of creative achievement and distinguished accomplishments in the arts, have extended the deadline to submit nominations to May 14 in keeping with the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak and the shelter in place order that runs through at least may 4.

The Milley committee is accepting nominations in five categories: Literary Arts, Musical Arts, Performing Arts (Film, Theater and Dance), Visual Arts and Contributions to the Arts Community. The awards will be doled out on October 25. 

"As we navigate these difficult times and look forward to rebuilding a new future together, you can show your support for the artistic spirit of our community by nominating someone who has inspired with their art, is respected in their field, and left an indelible mark on the richness of Mill Valley," says Amy Torrano, who chairs the Milley Award executive committee.

​Nomination Forms are available online at the Milley Awards website. The deadline for nominations is May 14 at 5pm.

Selection is based on the following criteria:
  • Outstanding achievement in creating, performing or teaching in the Arts
  • Demonstration of a significant body of work
  • Service to the Arts community

Milley Awards founders Abby Wasserman and Trubee Schock passed the baton to a group of arts community leaders in 2019. 

“Mill Valley has a tradition for creativity and community dating back to the town’s founding in 1890,” Schock said. “Beginning with the novelist Kathleen Norris in the early 1900s, Mill Valley has been home to more artists, writers, performers, musicians, environmentalists and filmmakers than any town our size. Creativity and creative thinking are the soul of Mill Valley. The Milley Awards has brought tremendous recognition to the lifetime contributions that animate and energize our community.”

Although the Milley Awards for Creative Achievement officially got their start in 1994, then-Mill Valley Arts Commission member Wasserman instigated the Mill Valley Creative Achievement Award in 1988 to recognize individual creative contributions with certificates, awarded in the setting of a City Council meeting. In 1993, Schock formed a new single-purpose committee that believed the vibrancy of Mill Valley’s creative environment supported multiple individual awards on an annual basis, presented in a celebratory ceremony dedicated to the recognition of award winners.

Along with Bob Greenwood, Alison Ruedy, Queenie Taylor, Val Binns and other former Art Commissioners, Schock and Wasserman developed the idea of a special, changing panel of judges to determine award recipients. In 1995, Sausalito sculptor John Libberton’s statuette won the competition for the presentation award. 

Go to the Milley Awards website to learn about the history of the Milleys and see a complete list of previous winners.

In addition to the Nomination Form, supporting documentation such as letters of recommendation and news articles are required. Nominators seeking assistance with submitting new or revised nominations are invited to contact Torrano at mvmilleys@gmail.com, or call 415-846-9813. Judging will be done by a panel of representatives from the Arts community in June, with winners announced in July. The annual Milleys Dinner will be held October 25th at the Mill Valley Community Center. 

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

0 Comments

Gov. Newsom Signs Executive Order to Support Essential Workers Within California's Food Supply Chain

4/17/2020

0 Comments

 
PictureCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom. Courtesy image.
California Governor Gavin Newsom announced Thursday that he has signed an executive order to help essential workers in the food supply chain, including workers in the delivery and fast-food industries, amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Newsom said there will be "two weeks of supplemental sick leave for workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have been exposed to isolation or quarantine orders by local health officials or state or federal officials."

"I think about the people that grow our food, that pick our food, the people that pack our food, deliver our food, cook, serve and sell our food," Newsom said. "That sector by definition is essential to our livelihoods ... it has been hard hit by strife and by challenges in terms of health and safety ... This is a serious issue and requires a serious response."

"I hope this will significantly address the anxiety some of farmworkers have and some of the anxiety our fast food workers have and the anxiety around the delivery of our food ... and the anxiety those workers have about their own health," he added. "We don't want you going to work if you're sick. And we want to let you know that if you're sick it's OK to acknowledge it ... and to know you're going to get a supplemental paycheck for a minimum of two weeks."

​Here's the announcement:

0 Comments

Amidst COVID-19 Uncertainty, Marin Theatre Company Cancels Rest of Season, Lays Off Half of Staff, Targets Fall

4/16/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Marin Theatre Company Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis announced the cancellation of the remainder of the 2019-2020 season.
The economic destruction of the shelter in place order amidst the COVID-19 outbreak has dealt a serious blow to just about every business and nonprofit organization in Mill Valley.

But few have suffered as much as groups whose livelihood Is built around gathering large numbers of people In a room to experience the arts. Marin Theatre Company, Mill Valley's venerable professional theater that rivals in quality much larger production companies in the Bay Area, has been among the worst hit.

On the heels of having to shut down productions of playwright Kate Cortesi's Love in March and a pivot to streamed performances of the play, MTC Artistic Director Jasson Minadakis announced the cancellation of the remainder of MTC's 2019-202 season, including Jordan Tannahill’s Botticelli in the Fire, which was scheduled to run April 23-May 17, and Antoinette Nwandu’s Pass Over, originally scheduled June 18-July 12. All performances have been canceled, and MTC is following up with current ticket holders to detail their options, including the option to donate the value of the ticket back to the organization.

“We did not come to this decision lightly,” Minadakis said, noting they organization had to lay off roughly half of its staff in the hopes of weathering this crisis financially intact and being able to "provide stability, artistic work, and a place of community again as soon as possible." “It took us some time because we wanted to make sure we had as much information as possible. Rather than moving these shows around or deeper into the summer, we decided that we will cancel the remaining performances, and we will be focusing on ways to move forward over the summer. We’re hoping to bring much of our company back when we start performances again.”
​
“We will be going dark physically, in our space, until the fall,” said Minadakis in his statement. “During this time, we hope our community will stay with us. We will certainly be finding new ways to bring audiences content. We’re going to leave our ghost light on as a symbol of hope that we will be back in this space, soon, hearing new plays from new American voices; plays that will help us get through this time, and help us build a stronger community when we’re back together.”
Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
2 Comments

Once Around's Louise Dockstader and Her Team of Masketeers Have the County Covered Amidst COVID-19

4/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
County employees stand with the Masketeers' Louise Dockstader (far left and upper left of main photo) after she delivered more than 400 masks to the Marin County Sheriff's Office on April 13, 2020. Courtesy image.
With her much-loved Once Around arts and crafts shop in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard deemed non-essential during the shelter in placed order, Louise Dockstader wondered how she could help others from afar during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Then she heard an appeal from Marin native and California Governor Gavin Newsom about the need for homemade masks, and everything clicked.
PictureLouise Dockstader's 1904 Singer sewing machine. Courtesy image.
​Dockstader thought about the thousands of yards of fabric she had at her shuttered store and in storage. Then she looked at the 1904 Singer sewing machine she keeps at her home and decided to start a movement.

The result is a passionate and crafty group of a few dozen volunteers called the Masketeers. From their busy outposts throughout the county, they are making masks as fast as they can for the County of Marin to alleviate a shortage of mass-produced, hospital-grade face covers. Dockstader delivered more than 400 masks on April 13 to the Marin County Sheriff’s Office in Terra Linda.

“It makes me feel like I’m doing something productive, and everybody who is helping us says the same thing,” said Dockstader, who lived in Mill Valley for about 20 years but now calls Bolinas home. “Even if they’re making only four masks a day, it saves them from feeling helpless. There is definitely a real need here, so we’ll do this as long as there is a need.”

Dockstader has posted mask patterns on her website and recruited new members of the Masketeers.

“We’re using 100% tight-weave cotton, the exact type that medical people said was best to use,” she said. “The Governor said there were front-line public health workers who couldn’t get masks, and that made me think about all this fabric and equipment I had access to. So I put out a message about it and hoped somebody would see it.”

Dockstader had seen desperate online pleas from health care workers, and she responded with comments. On a separate thread, Lee Budish of Mill Valley was drawn in, compelled to help. Dockstader and Budish ended up chatting online and making a connection. Budish, a whiz on her 1989 Singer, is the daughter of Italian immigrants, and her mother was a sewing machine factory worker in the New York City garment district.

Sensing the urgent call to action, Budish made a post on the Nextdoor social media platform that triggered momentum on the recruiting front. The upstart “seam team” was up and running, sharing supplies, and ordering elastic for head straps (“It’s the new toilet paper,” Budish said). The next task was to figure out where the masks should go once made.

Budish contacted Angela Nicholson, an Assistant County Administrator and the Director of the County’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during the COVID-19 emergency. Procurement of essential supplies is a key role for the EOC, and the County drew up a contract with the Masketeers to cover their costs in production. The first few samples were delivered to Marin County Sheriff’s Office deputies.

PictureSheriff’s Office bailiffs and other personnel sport their new masks. Courtesy image.
Dockstader coordinated the collection and laundering of masks from about 30 volunteers before the first delivery was made April 13. Masks were going to Sheriff’s Office bailiffs, Fire Department personnel, and inmates at the Marin County Jail.

“The effort by the Masketeers is inspiring,” Nicholson said. “These local residents are contributing to the health of our whole community by volunteering their time to make face covers for people who desperately need them in our community. Those include our inmates at the jail so we avoid a catastrophic outbreak in that communal living setting.”

Like Budish, Dockstader’s skill set is partly inherited. A native of England, she is the daughter of a fashion designer. “My mom taught me all the bad habits, which is how you make everything very quickly, and all the good habits, like how to get the most out of a piece of fabric,” she said. “I picked up all the tricks of the trade.”

Although she has a modern electric sewing machine at her shop, Dockstader has been working daily with her 116-year-old hand-crank model. “The needles you buy today for the modern electric machines are the same exact needles I use for the 1904,” she said. “Tell that to the people who invented the VHS.”

PictureOnce Around owner Louise Dockstader. Courtesy image.
Dockstader credits Budish for “rallying the troops.” Budish, a Mill Valley resident since 1989, normally serves as office administrator for Budish Insurance Services. Her multitasking talents are coming in handy because more rallying is needed. Mask requests are streaming in from hospitals, the local food bank, senior care facilities, in-home care workers, and even Native American seniors in Arizona who are seeing an alarming spike in COVID-19 cases. Budish is in contact now with previously existing local sewing and quilting groups to help meet the needs.

“I have one hand on my phone and the other on the machine,” Budish said. “I’ve stabbed myself twice in two days, and I have never done that before.”

Budish has a lot of family in Italy and in New York City, two areas that have been devastated by the coronavirus. On the day that 799 New York City residents died of COVID-19, Budish put her stitching contribution into context.

“I know that each mask we make may save a life, and that is not an exaggeration,” she said. “A simple thing such as a mask, which takes 15 minutes to make, may save a life. So, I feel very good but also very sad because we can’t keep up with demand and save everyone.”

Nicholson said the County of Marin will be honored to receive masks from such an impassioned group of sewing enthusiasts.
​
“As hard as this catastrophe has been for residents of our community, the Masketeers are a perfect example of people stepping up to serve in life-changing ways,” Nicholson said.

Join the Masketeers by emailing Louise Dockstader.

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

0 Comments

Frame's Feed the Frontlines Surges Past $30k Raised in Collaboration w/ Shoreline, Watershed & Juice Girl

4/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Feed the Frontlines volunteers delivered food to MarinHealth Medical Center earlier this month. Courtesy image.
For Kylie Frame, what began as an effort to fill the shelter in place void of her final months as a Tam High senior has turned into a movement.

Frame, who last month launched Feed the Frontlines Marin, a two-pronged effort to deliver meals to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response and raise money to support the costs associated with it, has seen the campaign blast past its initial goal of $20,000 and is now on its way to $40,000. The initiative has garnered meal support from Ged Robertson’s Shoreline Coffee Shop and Watershed as well as Karen Olsen’s Juice Girl for juices and smoothies. The move is similar to the efforts of Chelsea Hutchison’s BOL “Pay It Forward” meal program.

On Easter Sunday, Frame and her team delivered 175 meals to the personnel at Marin General Hospital. Kaiser Hospital has been receiving a number of donations, and Frame is working on delivering to Novato Community as well.
​
​Don Ford from KPIX5 TV interviewed Frame and Robertson this week at Robertson's Watershed in the Mill Valley Lumber Yard:
Frame was inspired by family friends in New York City who own Tarallucci e Vino and other restaurants in the city and launched Feed The Frontlines NYC as a way to feed first responders but also to support local restaurants trying to sustain themselves on takeout/delivery service only to comply with the shelter in place order. That effort has raised more than $100,000, providing thousands of meals and saving a number of jobs.

As has been the case with so many of the philanthropic efforts amidst COVID-19 over the past several weeks, the effort to launch Feed the Frontlines Marin was all hands on deck. Frame set it all in motion, including the outreach to the various frontline destinations like Marin General and UCSF, while Quincy Robertson, just home from college, coordinated the logistics of the meals from his father’s restaurants.

Local designer James van Kriedt of Bootjack Creative whipped up some branding for the campaign (at left), and off they went.

Beyond supporting local restaurants and frontline workers, Ged Robertson noted that restaurants like Shoreline and Watershed source their ingredients from local farms, including Green Gulch bread, Star Route lettuce, Stemple Creek beef, eggs from Wooly Egg Ranch so the money spent at local restaurants goes into our local food systems.
​
“I just saw this as an opportunity to do something proactive when it seems like all we can do is sit inside,” Frame says. “The goal is to deliver as many meals as possible. It’s a welcome distraction and a way to make a difference. I feel lucky to be able to do it.”

The 411: Tam High senior Kylie Frame's Feed the Frontlines Marin has turned into a massive success. MORE INFO & DONATE.
Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
0 Comments

MV Chamber Launches COVID-19 Mill Valley Business Fund to Support Direct Cash Grants to Local Businesses

4/14/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
We hear it all the time: there's no place like Mill Valley.

Historic small town character, incomparable natural beauty, top notch public schools, world class arts & entertainment, culinary and retail scenes that rival those of much larger cities. We all benefit from a local economy driven by hundreds of unique small businesses.

​That small business community is hurting deeply during this time of the COVID-19 crisis. Many business owners have not found the words or platform to ask for help.

The Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce has been supporting the collective needs of this small business community for nearly 70 years. This time is no different. Therefore we are establishing the “COVID-19 Mill Valley Business Fund" to provide immediate and direct cash grants to as many as we can in Mill Valley. Although these will be modest grants, they aim to ease some of the financial hardships the current crisis is presenting.

Grant Mechanics
$1000 grants will be given out to Mill Valley small businesses on a first come, first served basis as funds are raised. We hope we can help all applicants with your generosity!

Qualifications for receiving a grant:
  • Brick and mortar retail, service or nonprofit in Mill Valley (94941)
  • 10 or fewer full-time equivalent employees as of Jan. 2020
  • No existing GoFundMe campaign

Not a nickel of the funds raised will go to the Mill Valley Chamber. This is one more way we are trying to help an incredible community in pain.  After you donate, please spread the word! GO HERE  for more information and an application. 

​Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!
1 Comment

Here's Why You Should Pickup Your Takeout From Mill Valley Restaurants – or Get Delivery By a Local Service

4/13/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
By Christina Mueller

It can’t be stated any more clearly: Mill Valley businesses need your dollars. Right now.

That can happen by donating to the COVID-19 Mill Valley Business Fund, which is providing immediate and direct cash grants to as many Mill Valley businesses and organizations as possible.

It can also come by shopping at your favorite local retail shop’s online store, buying big-dollar gift cards as though they’re war bonds and, of course, getting takeout and delivery.

But that last one’s not as simple as it seems.

Here’s the deal: If you call in your order directly to the restaurant and go pick it up, that restaurant gets 100 percent of the transaction. And it gets you out of the house for a few minutes! 

As those who’ve done it already know, it also provides the shock of walking into a usually bustling restaurant and seeing, in most cases, the owner or manager and a cook. That’s it. Those folks are often excited to have a socially distanced conversation with a customer, and those interactions are a priceless treat in this bizarre sheltered in place world we’re experiencing.

But the other ways to order food – through delivery services like Uber Eats, Caviar, Dor Dash, GrubHub, the list goes on – are significantly more complicated for everyone involved. To the customer, they feel frictionless. A few clicks, a generous tip, and the food arrives lickety split.

Nope.

The coronavirus pushed the nation’s restaurants, which generated $800 billion in revenue last year, to the brink in just days last month. To stave off collapse, those restaurants have been forced to jump headlong into food delivery platforms like GrubHub and Uber Eats in droves. Uber claims a 10-fold increase in new signups as many restaurants shift to take-out only, according to Wired. 

Restaurants pay commissions on a daily basis to delivery providers like Uber Eats and DoorDash. And it is widely reported that GrubHub and other services are deferring payment of up to $100 million of these commissions for up to a month (here is the fine print on this optional program and the latest offer from GrubHub and the news as of April 10 where DoorDash cuts commissions in half through May) which, in the short term, can help Mill Valley restaurants manage their cash flow.  

But the long-term impacts will be crushing. “A lot of these businesses are trying to create a sustainable business model– they need to pay their drivers, too” says Tiburon resident Benson Wang, CEO and founder of SL Hospitality (Palm House, the Dorian, and Bergerac in San Francisco and the Flamingo Hotel in Santa Rosa. “But what is exposed is that this is unsustainable. Unless there are ancillary sales [seating customers at restaurants], our revenue is wiped and our profit is wiped.”

With delivery services like UberEats and DoorDash charging restaurants 25–30 percent per order and a delivery fee to consumers on top of that, restaurants are hanging their hat on delivery as an unsustainable stop-gap to pay some of the bills and maintain supplier relationships. 

“And if you want to show up on these services’ home page, restaurants are asked to discount further just to show up in the queue,” Wang says.

Ordering via phone circumvents those delivery fees and the fees of services like chownow who provide a platform for online ordering. 

“They have your menu online and still are charging 10 or 15%,” Wang says. “It is best to call. Most small businesses do not have infrastructure to build it in themselves.” 

Kiko Rodriguez, co-owner with Nick Gordon of Dine-in Marin and a Novato native, says “we have never asked for 25 or 30 percent.” A small business based in Petaluma, Dine-in Marin is often cross-listed with DoorDash or other delivery services but gives Marin restaurants a less expensive option for delivery. 

“We are cheaper because we pay restaurants via check,” Rodriguez says. “It is not a transaction in the moment.” The customer still pays a delivery fee but that’s it, he says. 

Rodriguez says some customers ask for a small markup. “They might have to increase the amount of equipment for delivery” if it is not already built into their business model, Rodriguez says. The fee is $6.95 to $8.95 for orders placed through Dine-In Marin’s call center and 105 Marin restaurants are now listed on their site, an increase of 12% since the shelter-in-place first took effect.

“It’s very favorable from a restaurant point of view,” Rodriguez says.

Experiences at local restaurants vary and restaurants that had already built a take-out business are, in these days of shelter-in-place, more seamless than those who are new to take-out. Proper prior planning can help smooth things along. “Call ahead,” says Perry Butler, owner of the Perry’s restaurants in Larkspur and San Francisco. “We will have it ready for you.”

Want to know what's happening around town? Click here to subscribe to the Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!.​
2 Comments
<<Previous
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture

    Subscribe to the free Enjoy Mill Valley Blog

    * required
    Click here to subscribe to the free Enjoy Mill Valley Blog by Email!

    RSS Feed

    Blog Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All
    142 Throckmorton
    Art
    Arts & Entertainment
    City Council
    City Of Mill Valley
    County Of Marin
    Depot Plaza
    Downtown Mill Valley
    Emergency Preparedness
    First Tuesday Artwalk
    Food & Drink
    Holidays
    Kiddo!
    Live Music
    Local Laws
    Marin Mommies
    Marin Theatre Company
    Miller Avenue
    Mill Valley Fall Arts Festival
    Mill Valley Film Festival
    Mill Valley History
    Mill-valley-in-the-news
    Mill Valley Library
    Mill Valley Market
    Mill Valley School District
    Mount Tamalpais
    MV Chamber Biz Buzz
    Parks & Recreation
    Philanthropy
    Public Restrooms
    Restaurants
    Shopping
    Strawberry Village
    Sweetwater Music Hall
    Tam High
    Tam Junction
    Tam Valley
    The Redwoods
    Volunteerism

Picture
   
85 Throckmorton Avenue
Mill Valley, Callifornia 94941
415.388.9700
info@millvalley.org



Copyright 2018 Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center
All images used with permission and/or source attribution.
Site Design by Linda Rosso Marketing and Communications