WHO LIVES HERE? Patti White and John Sander

The other day I had a chance to see what used to be the original PCL sales office when I went to interview Patti and John, and what a transformation. I have to say that the sales office was pretty cool when we were using it but now it's a real show piece. When I first walked in I couldn't even get past the first few steps without asking questions and oohing and aahing. The first item that struck me was the color palette and wall paint of orange, dark green, yellow and beige. The room on the left as you first enter the loft is Patti's office where the shelves are constructed from old high school bleachers balanced on large
metal spools salvaged from the Sunset Line and Twine Company in Petaluma. Still in the wood are carvings of high school love, teacher taunts and adolescent verbiage. This area can be closed off by an old sliding metal bank door with a canvas image of a photograph from one of their trips, in place of the glass. Stunning! I then made my way to the kitchen and sat down at the counter that was constructed from the floor of a bowling alley. This is where they both hang out with their laptops and coffee, surfing and sipping. Most of the artistic touches in Patti and John's unit are derived from items found at salvage yards giving their home a very warm and craft like feeling. The TI work here has taken quite a few months and is still on going. John asked Patti to be patient for two months but she wanted to move in in 30 days, so they did, with an incomplete kitchen... the microwave, restaurants and bathroom sink worked as a substitute while they installed a kitchen of orange and dark brown, primarily from IKEA. Both John and Patti have backgrounds in marketing and communications and actually met while working on an corporate event in New York. Patti, who grew up in Wisconsin, develops marketing and event strategies primarily for hi tech businesses. Her work eventually brought her to the Haight in the city where she loved the hippie essence. John studied theater production and ended up coming to California to help open a performing arts center in Silicon Valley where he stayed and worked for two years. Eventually John found a niche producing corporate events including web work, video, stage setting and more. You can check out his work at phproductions.com. Impressive!
PH Productions is based in Emeryville and John, a SF renter, did the reverse commute driving the backroads through parts of West Oakland thinking....pioneering neighborhood with lots of opportunities! Patti and John, now living together on Potrero Hill, were notified that they had to move due to the sale of their rental, so they began to consider purchasing a home. Looking at possibilities in SF they were underwhelmed by the architecture and overwhelmed by the prices and expanded their search to the east bay(a place John thought he would never want to live). The first time they saw the lofts their response was....building 10, location 3, but something clicked and they both remember being upstairs in a loft and looking at each other at the same time with a nod and a spark. So Patti gave it the "test" making a list of 5 things to do in the east bay including checking out the parks, restaurants, farmers markets, etc. Long story short they are now living in a beautiful building and in a fabulously interesting neighborhood. They are both world travelers and their walls are adorned with art from places including Cuba, India, Iceland, Argentina and Bali to name a few. You can see more images on their blog at www.loft152.blogspot.com. Take a look...eye candy!

WHO LIVES HERE?....Alena Schabes and Michael Forcier

If relationships were a board game, Alena and Michael have mastered chutes and ladders and are now passing "GO", and all in their early thirties. As someone with experience (Rick and I have been together since LBJ was president...don't laugh!) these two are in for the long hall. They both agree that they keep each other balanced as they are still learning new things about each other including their differences. Alena is the driven one keeping Michael on his forward path and Michael is the calm one helping Alena put things into perspective as her ambition ramps her up. Planning a wedding in May their relationship began as students at the University of Wisconsin where they both studied psychology. They moved to the bay area when Alena got into graduate school at the California School of Professional Psychology in Alameda where she eventually earned her doctorate in clinical psych specializing in family therapy. They settled in Emeryville with their two shelter dogs, Poe and Twain, two terrier mixes that look like something straight out of a Dr. Seuss book...check out the picture. Michael, who also has a background in sociology, began working in a variety of positions with special needs kids including those with autism and behavioral problems, but eventually went back to school in real estate and has almost completed the program. But Michael's real passion is writing and he is working on a number of reality based fiction novels and dreams of locking himself is a cabin away from the TV, internet and the world where he can just concentrate on his manuscripts the way Michael Creighton does. Alena, upon completing her schooling, and waiting 7 long months due to changes in licensing, first worked a couple of part time jobs working with adults, couples and families and then she landed a great full time job with Kaiser in Antioch. So now they are getting married, done with school, gainfully employed and the next step is buying a home. At first they looked at over 30 detached houses but the extra ("baby") room started to freak Michael out and they turned their search to condos. Don't get me wrong...they are definitely talking kids but not right now. "Lets just be thirty!" is how they put it. Michael found PCL on craigslist and went over to talk to Gail. His adoration of lofts from the movies kicked in and he went home to talk to the "boss". Alena, being a New Yorker, got it right away and they decided to buy the last grove loft. They love the industrial feel, concrete beam and outside space for the dogs. Alena is quite the decorator and the home is full of her touches from remotely controlled blackout window coverings that she can operate while in bed to twigs gracing and individualizing the railing around her patio. When I asked about their initial feelings about the neighborhood the general response was that it was no bigge. From Alena's earlier work in Oakland with kids she was very familiar with the area and its culutre and didn't have to think twice about moving into the community. They both love the fact that families are moving in next door at Ironhorse and that they see kids in the neighborhood but are glad to have their quiet sanctuary on the grove where they have gotten to know their adult neighbors. They are both taking advantage of the great restaurants in the area including Le Cheval, Brown Sugar Kitchen, Miyozen and Kao Sarn Thai to name afew. Both Alena and Michael are looking forward to meeting more PCL residents and have attended most PCL events. The decorator in Alena wants to see more open homes! So great talking to you both....two sparkplugs for sure!

Who Lives Here? ........Nick Garcia

The Alameda School District had a half day yesterday so I was able to sit and chat with Nick Garcia, one of their speech pathologists and PCL resident since September. At his job Nick assesses and works with kids with a variety of issues effecting their speech including physical, cognitive and motor issues in addition to autism and deafness. He has always wanted to work with kids starting a major in child psychology at Cal State Northridge. This was interrupted abruptly when he was a bit "shook up" living two blocks from the epicenter of the Northridge Earthquake when it hit. Moving to the bay area he completed his schooling by starting over again at Sacramento state in speech pathology which was well worth the extra time in school. Throughout our conversation it was clear that Nick's experiences with these special kids gives him a very compassionate and open perspective on others and life in general. Settling in the east bay where his once long term partner lived, he at one point contemplated buying a house in Martinez. But his social life often took him to SF and his dating life took him to the Lake Merritt area where he began to discover Oakland. A friend of his had recently moved into Zephyr Gate and told him about the Central Station development. Now in a courtyard loft, Nick at one point considered a unit with an open loft, but opted for the more private separate upstairs space. The access to the outside was also a plus. His closing was not fun but both he and HD are glad he stuck it out! Nicks reaction to the neighborhood was similar to that of others.....cautious and warming as he got to know the area, learned more about the neighbors and spent time in West Oakland. Pleased with the insta-access to the freeway he loves the city but also goes to the Lake Merritt area everyday for a workout at Gold's gym(evident by his fit physique) and to load up on groceries at Trader Joes. Nick loves to cook. His home is immaculate and organized with a carefully thought out color scheme of grey blues and muted greens accented with eggplant curtains on black rods. Quite stunning. The living room is dominated by a chocolate brown leather sofa against the soft blue wall. Very nice. Everything is so neat at Nicks...except for the haphazardly painted beam up in the bedroom. I just cracked up when Nick said he got tired of painting. Most people would paint a beam from one end to the other but this beam (check out the picture) looked like it had been painted by a couple of Nick's kids. I loved it! Nick assures me he will finish the job but I say leave it as is! So much personality! Nick also owns a black and burgundy 1988 Citroen 2CV6 car, a beloved treasure from his time spent in France. Although he drove it for a couple of years it is now in pieces as he and his partner are rebuilding it. Hopefully we will eventually see it in the PCL garage....just another unique piece at the Cannery! Nick...thanks for sharing your story and welcome to the PCL community.

Who Lives Here? Lydia Hemphill

Lydia Hemphill is a local girl growing up in Kensington where she attended El Cerrito High School and then on to UC Berkeley where she majored in integrative biology. You now can find her in her lab coat hovering over pipettes full of molecules that she has produced for in vivo, in vitro and toxicity studies. Her work at Genentech as a research assistant takes her to South San Francisco daily so she is very pleased with the convenient freeway access at PCL. Her true biological love is anatomy, physiology and evolutionary biology and her dream job would be to work at the Academy of Sciences in the city. Before putting on her lab coat in the morning, Lydia jumps into the pool and swims for 45 minutes covering more than a mile in the water. We talked about the peacefulness of swimming, the thinking time that it provides and the soothing sounds of ones own breathing and heart beat. What a great way to start the day. Spending a year abroad in Madrid Spain during college is only a fraction of her world travel. She has been to India, Nepal, China to see her grandmothers village, and Thailand. Before moving to the Cannery, Lydia's home was a rental in Emeryville. When she started looking for a home to purchase she looked at everything in her price range including foreclosures but was uninspired. It was her boyfriend who spotted PCL from the freeway and encouraged her to take a look. She loved the building right away and began working her way through the different units. Of course the neighborhood was an initial concern but now she is very comfortable in her signature loft that faces the port. She didn't really think about her door to the outside being an assset at the time of purchase but now that she is thinking about getting a dog she is glad to have the direct access to the outside. She assures me that her dog will be a big dog like a lab or malamute. Because of her busy work schedule she hasn't met a lot of the new residents but says that the ones she is beginning to meet are very nice. Lydia attended last months block party and met some new folks there but says the best way to meet someone is through their dogs. Upon entering Lydia's signature loft, I was struck by the beautiful saturated colors on the walls. (check out the photograph) For a house warming gift Lydia's parents gave her a session with a colorist who chose rose, burnt orange and even some green for the walls. For fun and relaxation, Lydia plays the trumpet in a 60 person symphonic band (that includes her dad on trombone) called West County Wind sponsored by Contra Costa College. You can catch the performances at the performance hall on campus. Monday night practices are a weekly highlight for Lydia. So if you hear a sweet trumpet sound wafting from the port side of PCL you can bet that it is coming from the Hemphill House. Welcome to PCL Lydia and let us know when you get your dog!

WHO LIVES HERE.......LeAnn Flesher

She loves the design and the find! As I walked through the door of LeAnn Flesher's upstairs corner grove unit I was hit with light from all sides and stopped in my tracks by the great sense of original design and feeling of "I'm home". First was the unusual kitchen island.....a piece of furniture that was perfect but that I had never seen before. It was an oak craftsman style table/island/counter/cabinet all in one that LeAnn uses for eating, storage, as an island and for computer work. Really cool! As a dining table it comfortably seats 12! The main focus in her loft is the two story pillar that is smack dab in the in middle and visible from basically any room. LeAnn entertained me by sharing her visitors comments and suggestion for use of the pillar ranging from painting it, to stringing it with lights, to putting hooks in it, to getting rid of it all together. We laughed about that last suggestion as we both visualized the ceiling crashing in and taking everything in its path down to Zack an Tyler's unit below! LeAnn uses her space so creatively with placement of her living area and bedroom downstairs and a home office and TV/den/second bedroom upstairs. I think many people would have switched the placements but this really works beautifully!

LeAnn, who works in Berkeley as the Academic Dean of the Baptist Seminary of the West, moved from Alameda to an apartment in Emeryville a couple of years ago. From this base she took her time looking throughout the area for a home to purchase including the Richmond Marina. In escrow two times before closing on her PCL loft, she finally moved in on May 18th and immediately went off to Africa for work (more on that later). Her unit actually closed while she was traveling and she told me that she felt like she was home the minute she walked back in the door even though she was still in boxes. LeAnn looked at a number of units at PCL during her hunt but this one stuck with her! When she first saw it she figured the numbers wouldn't work and actually asked her realtor to get her out of there! Both he and Gail picked up on the fact that her face actually changed when she entered that space and eventually she did come back, was very pleased with the numbers and moved in!

Prior to becoming Dean, LeAnn was a professor of theology, specializing in Old Testament Studies at the Graduate Theology Union in Berkeley, an ecumenical and interfaith school. Her education is extensive including undergraduate work in business administration at the University of Minnesota, her home state, a masters degree in divinity from Bethel Theology Seminary and a PhD. from Drew University in Madison, NJ. Her work took her to Africa where she is involved in starting a Protestant seminary in partnership with a mission in Uganda. She was also in Rwanda and war torn Congo working with women who were struggling with the trauma of being war victims. Have a cup of tea with LeAnn if you can and listen to the stories! After that I felt silly asking her if she was wary of West Oakland but home is different. LeAnn calmly replied that she had been in much worse situations in NY and was very excited after talking with Rick about his vision for the area. She loves being apart of it all and living what she teaches. I asked LeAnn where her neighborhood haunts were and found that she really goes all over the place. She loves the local restaurants and has taken up sailing in the Berkeley Marina. LeAnn....thanks so much for sharing your home and in your spare time could you please design our next model?
P.S. this blog is in red because we both love designing in reds!

Who Lives Here? Stephanie Schnapp and Kendra Bickley

Before I even got to the door of Stephanie and Kendra's new loft I was greeted by their "puggle" Blue who came running down the hall. Blue is a cross between a pug and a beagle, absolutely adorable and is only a few months old. When I did enter Stephanie and Kendra's home I was struck by the vivid colors on the walls. Two shades of a very saturated orange on a wall in the living room accented by Kendra's grandmothers kitchen table of yellow "formica"...so familiar to me having grown up in the 50's! Straight out of Mad Men! Stephanie and I (Kendra was at work unfortunately) sat at this table chatting while Blue took over the green armchair for his after noon nap. These two ladies have been together for the past eight years having met in San Francisco while Kendra, originally from Stockton, was studying Photography at San Francisco State University and working as a barista at Peets Coffee on Market Street. Stephanie grew up and attended college in Southern Illinois and moved out here on a whim after finishing her degree in bio science. Her science background led her to UCSF where she had a number of positions before landing her present job of 4 years as a clinical lab scientist. Her work in the immunohemotology lab includes educating others with her background, on how to become a clinical lab scientists like herself. Kendra now also works at UCSF as a unit coordinator in the ortho/spine pod for the OR. These two ladies were some of the first residents at PCL moving in April from San Francisco where they had the "landlady from hell". They found us on the PCL website. About this time Lola, the cat, wandered down the stairs and led us outside to the balcony where the sun was shining on a lime and tomato plant. I was then invited upstairs to see K+S personal gym set up in the area at the top of the stairs of their courtyard loft. Stephanie used to be a personal trainer and still lifts weights at home when she has the time. Wrapping up, Stephanie got serious and looked me in the eye telling me that one of the main reasons she and Kendra decided to move to PCL was because of Holliday Development's reputation and the fact that Rick and I run the company together with such warmth. Thanks you so much for that Steph and welcome to the community.

CENTRAL STATION BLOCK PARTY

Thursday night Central Station was hoppin'! More than 250 people came to the block party for food, drink, to meet their neighbors or find out what the hub bub is about. The local vendors who fed and entertained were fabulous. Pulled pork and eggplant sandwiches from Brown Sugar Kitchen, great beer from the kegs of Linden Street Brewery, wine tasting with the owners of Urban Legends Winery, coffee, pastries and some great chai from Galatea Cafe, and fruit and vegetable skewers from Namie's Kitchen all accompanied by the the music of DJ, Jonathan Smothers. To top it off dessert was provided by Scream Sorbet with flavors ranging from carmel cashew and lemon buttermilk to thai basil. Needless to say most of the partygoers went back multiple times for the tasty treats!
It was so wonderful to see West Oakland so alive. Pine street was bustling as neighbors strolled down the street and then continued down the grove at PCL to the heart of the new developments. From there people wandered onto the beautiful podium and into the community room at Ironhorse Apartments and to the models at Zephyr gate. The night was tepid and clear and a good time was had by all. Sunday following the party a very nice article came out in the Chronicle about the development of the Oakland's oldest neighborhood. (see blog below) We are on a roll!

CENTRAL STATION BLOCK PARTY

Tomorrow night is the Central Station Block Party, a celebration of the Central Station Community! Please gather where the three developments, Ironhorse Apartments, Pacific Cannery Lofts and Zephyr Gate, meet, eat, drink and then wander through the beautiful, well planned community. Models will be open at Pacific Cannery Loft and Zephyr Gate. You can also wander up onto the beautiful Ironhorse podium and into their community room. In the corner Pacific Cannery Gallery at 12th and Pine there is a photography exhibit featuring a beautiful interior shot of the Train Station by award winning Katherine Westerhout. In addition there are photos by Jason Mehrtens for our first Artist in Residence program.
Food, drinks and music will be provided by local merchants including:

Jonathan Smothers DJ will provide the music.
Linden Street Brewery will provide the beer.
Brown Sugar Kitchen will be providing tasty food.
Namie's Kitchen will provide more tasty food and snacks.
Urban Legend Winery will have a barrel tasting of their wines.
Galatea Cafe will provide coffee, tea and pastry.
Scream Sorbet will provide dessert.

Don't miss it! Come meet your neighbors from all three developments and from the rest of the community. Bring friends and neighbors and enjoy!!

WHO LIVES HERE? Tara Viriyapunt

I was greeted at Tara's grove loft not only by Tara's radiant warmth but also by her dog Cocoa, who had a stuffed giraffe in her mouth and a tail that wouldn't be still. I was already laughing! We just couldn't decide where to sit first, as inside and outside were both beckoning us. We decided to stay inside as I started asking about the eclectic art collection on the wall, including a piece painted by an elephant in Thailand (yes, a real elephant). Tara collects art from around the world and displays her colorful collection on her spacious loft walls. A world traveler and native of Thailand, her family moved to the US for educational opportunities when she was 16 years old, settling in Hawaii. Tara knew no English upon her arrival and when I asked her what the transition was like, she said it was like being thrown into deep water....."you just have to learn to swim!" Spending four hours a day in ESL classes she excelled in the classes that are more universal like mathematics and art. She went on to major in Math in college....because it was the "easiest choice".....I was laughing again....holy cow! Tara now works in Burlingame as a software engineer and is thankful for the quick access to the freeways. Although it may have made more sense for Tara to purchase a home on the Peninsula, she much prefers "urban living and a more colorful community". Tara discovered PCL when a friend who was loft living in Emeryville sent her the link to the Cannery website. Like many of you, she loved the building although a bit wary of the neighborhood, but after spending time walking and driving the streets of West Oakland she was convinced that West Oakland was the place she wanted to be. And of course the dog washing station and close access to Point Isabel dog park clinched the deal. About this time in the conversation I was offered some hot Thai tea and we moved outside to her patio on the Grove. Lush with plants and red geraniums, inspired by her travels to Europe, we continues our exchange with Cocoa at our feet. Gardening has been a passion of Tara's since her childhood in the tropics so having direct access to the gardens and the sun was a must for both Tara and Cocoa. The Grove was a perfect spot for the two of them. It was so lovely sitting outside, chatting and waving to the neighbors as they returned from their busy day. It seems that the new residents living on the grove have all gotten to know each other and their pets and there is talk of shared dinners and cooking. Tara's speciality is Thai cooking and she usually shops at Oakland's Chinatown for the special ingredients she needs. We want to welcome both you and Cocoa to the Central Station Community. Thanks for the tea!

Who Lives Here? DeAnna Mercier

I rang the doorbell at DeAnna Mercier's grove loft and heard not only footsteps coming to the door but paws, sliding and snorting. The door opened and I was greated by DeAnna and her four year old French bulldog/Boston Terrier mix, Hugo, who DeAnna describes as a "piece of work". DeAnna, who grew up in Vermont, has been living at PCL since April after almost giving up on her search for a home to purchase. Targeting West Oakland because of opportunity, she came upon the filming of the HBO series, "Gangland", and decided that she either needed more money or a bigger dog! But after further research and an introduction to the Cannery she made a comfortable decision to make West Oakland her home. It has everything she was looking for including proximity to the freeways, a ground floor access and porch for Hugo, safety, and a sense of community. DeAnna graduated from UVM with a degree in ecological studies so the Green Point Rating at PCL was also a draw.

After college, DeAnna spent several years traveling and answered a newspaper ad while living in Hawaii about caring for a young autistic child and the found her passion. Returning to Vermont she earned a masters degree in education and applied behavioral analysis from Johnson. She went on to earn a Board Certification in Behavior Analysis and moved to California to continue he work with children. Now a member of the STE Consultants group, she supervises teams of people who work with young children with autism and their families in the bay area. Her consulting work provides the perfect balance between working in the field and at home in her new loft.

DeAnna has found her grove neighbors and their pets to be an extremely friendly and cohesive group. I asked if she had used the dog washing station for Hugo and she told me that when Hugo goes out for walks at the off leash park he comes back "looking like he spent the night partying in Las Vegas" and into the tub he goes. She has also used a Backroads bike this summer to go to the baseball game in SF. She hopped on BART and used the valet bike parking at the ballpark...no traffic, no hassle , a snap!

DeAnna and Hugo....you crack me up! Welcome!

Left: Hugo is not a morning person!

Reminder: 8TH OAKLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Screening continues today until Wednesday, Oct. 14th, ending with the short film titled “Country Rose” starring local country western star Miko Marks and directed by Prescott Oakland Point resident Edward Rosenblum.

For more information on this and other events, go to the POPna site

Question of the Night at the PCL BBQ

Ribs, burgers, veggie burgers and munchies were cooked and served up by Holliday Development in appreciation and celebrated of the new residents at Pacific Cannery Lofts. What a great night it was to see everyone so happy and eager to be part of the new community. For those of us at HD who are not based onsite, it was a great pleasure to meet the personalities we have heard about in so many staff meetings. No wonder Amy, Brian and Gail are always so excited about what they do. Rick and I are always thrilled when we see the lights finally go on in a project we have worked on for years but this night was particularly exciting for us because of the history, political battle, neighborhood, staff effort and perseverance of the people now living in their homes and building a great community!

Personally I also loved meeting all the dogs (and so did my dog Jones), Inque and her new sister Vanilla Bean, Cocoa and many more appeared in the PCL pet parade. I am so pleased to hear how much use you are all getting out of the dog washing station.

And finally....the question of the night was, "so where do you live?" Thus the images below. Lots of pointing and smiling going on!

Chinatown’s People (Pacific Coast Canning Co.)

This article was found in the Oakland Magazine, September-October 2009 edition, Legacies section:

Chinatown’s People by William Wong

An Oral-History Project Preserves the Chinese Experience

[Excerpts]

Jean Moon Liu is a granddaughter of Lew Hing, who started the Pacific Coast Canning Co. in West Oakland in 1904, a business that provided canned fruits and vegetables nationwide and to U.S. military personnel in Europe during World War I.

Their stories — and that of a few others I have gathered — collectively represent a “bridge generation” between long-gone Chinese Oaklanders who lived during the harshest days of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and those who came of age after World War II …

As a child, Jean Moon Liu remembers her grandfather, the tycoon Lew Hing, living in a house built near Lake Merritt, a locale generally unfriendly to Chinese families in the early 20th century. Lew Hing was prominent in both Oakland and San Francisco Chinatowns.

Jean went on to a productive work life as an accountant for both private and nonprofit organizations. Her daughter, Carol Liu, has been a member of the California Legislature since 2000 (Assembly for six years, Senate since 2008). Jean Moon Liu, 91, still lives in Oakland.

[Full Story]

Other interesting information:

Lew Hing's Pacific Coast Canning Company (Naruta 2005)

From the Pacific Coast Canning Company to the Pacific Cannery Lofts, Click Here