InBerkeley

Photo Credit: James Gathany, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

I’ve caught a mild case of the sniffles that seem to be going around. I’m going to consider it a good reminder of how miserable it is to be sick, and go do what I can to avoid a worser fate in the future. Luckily, the City of Berkeley is here to help me out.

The city is offering FREE seasonal flu shots, starting today at the Berkeley Adult School from 3-7 pm. The walk-in free shots will continue every Friday, from 9-11 am, at the Berkeley Public Health Clinic, while supplies last (and excluding the Friday after Thanksgiving). Find out more, or be a good grasshopper and fill out your paperwork ahead of time, on the city’s flu shot website.

Note that this is the seasonal flu shot, the same old one that’s offered every year and according to the CDC is a must-have for:

1. Children aged 6 months up to their 19th birthday
2. Pregnant women
3. People 50 years of age and older
4. People of any age with certain chronic medical conditions
5. People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
6. People who live with or care for those at high risk for complications from flu, including:
   1. Health care workers
   2. Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
7. Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age (these children are too young to be vaccinated)

Along with “anyone who wants to reduce their chances of getting seasonal flu”. That’s me.

The H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine is a separate affair. The health department official I spoke to said she didn’t know what the city’s plans were for distributing that one, other than that they will be giving it to doctor’s offices; they don’t have it yet, so we’ll just have to wait and see. She suggested I try calling back next week. For now, I’ll settle for a free dose of the regular stuff. Thanks Berkeley!

General

David Gelles explains in the Financial Times the intertwined stories of PowerBar, Clif Bar and Gu. It’s a fascinating story of innovation, entrepreneurship and (seemingly friendly) corporate rivalry.

All were founded in Berkeley. Nestle bought PowerBar in 1999 and moved its base to Glendale in southern California. Clif Bar recently moved to Emeryville. Gu is apparently looking for larger premises, but plans to stay in Berkeley.

Business

InBerkeley was out of milk — as per usual — so we went to check out Ashby Marketplace, which has just opened near the corner of Ashby and College in the Elmwood.

First impressions are good. It’s a very nicely designed space — airy, with good lighting and well displayed goods. The emphasis is on healthy, natural food and organic produce. There’s a significant dairy section, fresh produce and baked pastries from the Paris Baker. We leaped to a verdict: it’s Star Grocery meets Market Hall.

Owner Ramiz Hasan (pictured, bottom right) is happy with both comparisons, but says he sees himself as friend rather than competition to both these venerable institutions. This is his family’s 18th store — most are around Haight Ashbury in the city — but it’s the first one he has got to run and he is brimming with ambition for the new venture.

“I have been a Bay Area native for 28 years and I’ve always wanted to own my own store — and I knew I wanted it to be in Berkeley,” he says.

Hasan says he’s bringing in lots of locally produced goodies to his “100% green” shop, such as olive oils and cheeses. He also guarantees that his cheeses cost on average $3 per pound less than at any other independently run vendors in the area — even though he is using many of the same suppliers. “I want to bring my prices down as much as possible and be a real old-school store,” he says

He mentions his niche specialty last: ” I have the largest selection of natural and organic pet supplies among independent stores, possibly in the whole of California,” he says.

Knowing how berserk Berkeley is about dogs, that should make a lot of people very happy.

Business, Food, Green living, Retail, The Elmwood Ashby Markeplace