The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is looking at the possibility of moving its store from the current site at 1900 Alhambra Blvd. to a larger location with more than double the parking at the block that borders R, S, 28th and 29th streets  24th and S streets . Members will vote on the potential move toward the end of March or early April, and if approved, the new store could open in 2014, said Wendy Hoyt, an urban planer who works for the new site’s developer, Separovich/Domich Real Estate Development. Ravel Rasmussen Properties is also part of the development team. Co-op General Manager Paul Cultrera said Tuesday that the proposed move would be advantageous for a number of reasons. “Ou

Two Sacramentans with a decade each working in local coffee bars are set to branch out on their own this week as they open Insight Coffee Roasters at Eighth and S streets. Ben Lance and Lucky Rodrigues met about five years ago when they both worked at Temple Coffee, and their idea of what a coffee business should be is set to open Wednesday – possibly as early as Monday or Tuesday if all goes well. “We’re opening this to stay in coffee, not just to own something in coffee,” Rodrigues said. “We want to do this our whole lives, and this is a way to stay in it and not earn minimum wage in our 40s.” The premise of the business is to keep things simple while providing sustainable coffee to t

One couple’s quest to bake the ideal cupcake has created Vanilla Bean Gourmet Cupcakery in Midtown, where gourmet cupcake enthusiasts and first-timers alike will find delicious and uniquely crafted treats. Vanilla Bean, which also houses a self-serve frozen yogurt bar, boasts more than 20 cupcake flavors with names such as Death By Chocolate, Blueberry Pancake and Raspberry Beret. Offerings in the shop change daily, with anywhere from eight to 12 varieties available in the cupcake case. They also do special orders, events and weddings. Both Patricia and Carlos Mares, who own and operate the shop at S and 18th streets which previously was home to Cultivé Frozen Yogurt, claim to have never

Despite challenging times, Ernesto’s Mexican Food in Midtown will celebrate 20 years in business next week, and owner Pauline Jiménez said the key to success has been focusing on quality food and service. “We’re a neighborhood restaurant,” Jiménez said. “I’ve lived in the community for 50 years, and I think for the past 20 years we have been a staple here, and we are still going strong.” For 13 of the past 20 years, Jiménez said, Ernesto’s – located at 1901 16th St. – has been listed as best Mexican restaurant in Sacramento Magazine and has received other recognition in local contests. The business opened Nov. 18, 1991 in a space that was best-known for a Chinese restaurant, The Golden

The space that formerly housed Hangar 17 in Midtown has been taken over by owners of The Golden Bear, who plan to bring a “grown-up” version of their neighborhood bar and restaurant to the area. “We’ve been looking for a second location for quite a while,” said The Golden Bear co-owner Kimio Bazett. “It was preferably in Midtown and preferably a space that was built-out or established or had some unique architecture.” Hangar 17 closed in March, and the space still had all of its restaurant equipment intact, which saved a huge expense, he said. The approximately 4,000-square-foot building at 1630 S St. has about half of its space dedicated to the kitchen, an aspect Bazett said was import

As part of the Verge Center for the Arts’ second annual fundraiser jumble sale, VCA will host a preview party Thursday, where 20 artists will invite the public into their studios. VCA is a nonprofit organization that promotes career working artists by helping them display and promote their art as well as providing affordable studio space for rent. Funds from the jumble sale, which runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will allow VCA to continue the expansion project. The Verge Center for the Arts was founded in 2008 and expanded into a 22,000-square-foot warehouse space downtown in 2010, and the space is being developed to include a classroom for public art courses, a printmaking lab, extra

Vintage clothing store Bows and Arrows opened in its new Midtown location June 4, and the space is fitting the shop’s needs perfectly, according to co-owner Trisha Rhomberg. Located at 1815 19th St. across from Safeway, the store now includes Fat Face cafe and is being called Bows Collective overall, so customers can pick up vintage clothes, sandwiches and something to drink – including beer and wine – at the same location. Also incorporated in the new space is an art gallery. The custom-made wooden bar is a focal point at the rear of the store, surrounded by rustic tables made by a friend of co-owners Rhomberg and Olivia Coelho from salvaged wood in front of the doorway to a patio, whe

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is the best place in the state to purchase sustainable seafood, and No. 2 in the nation, according to Greenpeace. “(The co-op) is one of those great stores that has taken amazing steps in realizing that sustainable seafood is incredibly important,” said Casson Trenor, seafood campaigner for Greenpeace. Greenpeace ranks the 20 biggest grocery store chains on how sustainable their seafood is, and Trenor said some smaller grocers are included as well due to their commitment to ensuring seafood is sustainable. Sustainable seafood is seafood that is not being overfished or fished in hazardous ways that deplete the ocean’s stocks or destroy the environment.

These photos were taken with an iPhone in the Elmhurst area (53rd street, S street, T street). Most of the homes had arches on the sidewalks made of PVC pipe and strung with lights.  My favorite house of the block was the one with the snorkeling Santa.                    This is the house with the snorkeling Santa! Santa lives in a Yellow Submarine.   A jellyfish, maybe?               A Christmas tree Snowman.

The only sound in the studio at 1200 S St. Tuesday morning was the scratching of pencils and charcoal on paper as a small group of artists looked past their easels to study the live nude model on the stage. S12 Studios and Patris Studio Gallery is home to a thriving artist community with an emphasis on painting life, whether it be still life or live models, said owner Patris Miller, who goes solely by Patris. “I need to draw the figure to keep my skills up,” said professional artist Philippe Gandiol. “That is the most difficult part, and there are lots of live sessions here.” Gandiol said he has been going to the studio for about three years and calls it a special place. “There’s reall

I was driving home from the farmers market sunday morning with my son and dog packed into the car and I noticed something strange out of the corner of my eye. I was driving down S street towards 15th and this is what I saw this smashed planter on the sidewalk. Sometimes SacPress stickers really really work for a situation. The empty bottle of beer only makes these pictures tell a better or worse story.  Please add a comment if you know anything about this or saw it as well.