Beneath the surface of the San Francisco Bay, a small crew of divers works, largely unnoticed, salvaging shipwrecks and cleaning up oil spills. “If it can be done on the surface, our guys can do it underwater,” said Frank Immel, the marketing manager for Global Diving & Salvage, a marine contractor which specializes in underwater construction and diving services. Immel likes to say that his guys just wear different hard hats and different coveralls to work. His employees, underwater diving…
Nunez Tattoo’s third Tattoo Expo was held in the Craneway Pavilion this past weekend, hosting 41 tattoo artists, 20 painters and about 20 vendors. Named “Tattoo for a Cause,” 25 percent of the proceeds from the artists and vendors will go to the Children’s Hospital & Research Center in Oakland.
What do you get when you put 50 church ministers and two city councilmen in a room together for three hours? A few sermons, frequent choruses of “A-men!” and some lively discussion about how to improve the City of Richmond. Saturday morning’s second “Annual Informational Community Breakfast,” hosted by councilmen Corky Booze and Nat Bates, created an open forum for local church representatives to voice their concerns about the community. The group discussed issues such as the need for better…
City officials ground green tea and talked trade with Richmond’s sister cities of Shimada, Japan, and Zhoushan, China, during a December trip to celebrate a history of friendship and new trade opportunities. Port of Richmond executive director James Matzorkis led the business-related trip to Zhoushan, a city in the northeastern Zhejiang province of Eastern China; the two ports are planning out the future trade of automobiles, as well as dry and liquid bulk products. Accompanying Matzorkis were City Manager Bill…
Caspers Famous Hot Dogs has been a Richmond staple for more than 40 years. City councilman Corky Booze set up his election campaign headquarters there in 2010; many regulars call it home. For a glimpse into the favorite hot dog stand of Richmond, click on the short video above.
This holiday season, skip the crowds on Black Friday and support your local businesses on Small Business Saturday. From clothing boutiques to handmade artwork, we’ve got some suggestions for the perfect Christmas gift, with a touch of Richmond. 1. Catahoula Coffee gourmet coffee A well-known coffee establishment throughout the Bay, Catahoula’s gourmet roast is sure to tantalize your loved ones’ taste buds. It has won “Best of the Bay” awards two years in a row, in 2010 and 2011. Owner…
Hotel Mac Restaurant and Bar is celebrating 100 years of business, since its original opening in 1911. First built to serve Standard Oil workers in the early twentieth century, Hotel Mac, then called the Colonial Hotel, was a supreme dining establishment. After a mid-century decline and a fire that destroyed the building in 1971, the restaurant was rebuilt by current owners Bill Burnett and Griff Brazil in 1978. Now restored to its original splendor, Hotel Mac hosts a typically professional…
The first shipment of Subaru automobiles arrived at the Port of Richmond Monday to kick off a five-year deal that will bring $5 million in revenue to the city and create around 35 new jobs. Subaru of America unloaded 888 Subarus from ship to shipyard Monday afternoon with the help of RichmondWORKS-trained employees. It was the first shipment of a total of nearly 40,000 vehicles that will come through the port in the next five years. “It’s great for the…
There is a time machine in Richmond that will take you back. Way back. Where 80s crooners sing of careless whispers and sepia-tinted photographs bring you back to the better days of peace and love. This blast from the past is actually a mid-sized storefront in Richmond’s North and East neighborhood, where 16 waterbeds are on display, waiting for customers to come in and sit on them. And waiting. At one time, Odds ‘N Ends Waterbeds on San Pablo Avenue…
Mark Norstad, the owner of Paragon Machine Works in south Richmond, says business remained stable as the economy faltered, thanks to a steady demand for bicycle parts. The small business, which sports a customized skull and cross bones logo, does work in titanium, steel, aluminum and plastics.
Whether it’s burgers and fries or crab cakes and cognac, Richmond has a restaurant for just about everyone. Maggie Beidelman takes you to three quintessential Richmond establishments — Casper’s Hot Dogs on Macdonald Ave., the Boiler House at the Craneway, and Hotel Mac in Point Richmond — to find out who’s there, and what’s cooking.
When Judy Quittman had to take her 2-year-old daughter to the emergency room due to an asthma attack, she knew it was time to do something about the mold growing in her home. Quittman was one of the first Richmond residents to take advantage of Energy Upgrade California, a program assisting homeowners in upgrading and “greening” their homes to save on energy bills and make for a healthier, eco-friendly home environment. The upgrade – proper insulation and double-paned windows…
Music, applause and hundreds of community members filled the newly renovated East Bay Center for the Performing Arts Thursday night at the center’s Community Launch Party. The center raised nearly $16 million under director Jordan Simmons to rebuild the worn Winters Building on the corner of 11th Street and Macdonald Avenue. Home to after-school performing arts programs for more than 350 Richmond youths from the Iron Triangle neighborhood, EBCPA’s reach extends throughout the Bay Area. For a full list of…