Sunday newsletter: final events of the year, holiday hours, looking ahead, heat!
It was a great week at the space. If you haven't seen the Instagram video that Erica made from the miniature wreath workshop, you gotta check it out. The show-and- tell event had the best vibes. There were so many good stories, and the seating arrangement with the tables separated and staggered really worked. Just an observation: when we leave the tables out, people sit down and talk. When we have rows of chairs, everyone comes in and sits quietly. You know which of these we like better!
And oh wow, the heat is hooked up and it is glorious. Saturday night, I had to take off my chore coat because it was too warm. It's a big change.
Also, don't forget, Local Economy is not not a gift shop, too, for the resilience-minded aesthetes on your holiday gift list.
Look Ahead
We've got 14 events on the books for January already. We're gonna kick things off with some New Year Energy sessions beginning with novelist Jasmine Guillory's Silent Writing Session on the 5th. We've got another Oakland Garden Club session (house plants!) coming up, a session with Re-Up Refill Shop across the street, as well as a demo night with writer Robin Sloan. We're gonna have a poetry night and a Zyzzyva party as well sessions on caregiving, mending, letter writing, and many more things. Sarah's going to have an info session about her big resilience project, and we'll likely have updates from the Land Area Working Group.
Look for the first new event listings next week, probably.
Holiday Hours
We'll be closed the week of December 22 (so, functionally, from the 24th through the 27th). We'll be open as usual the rest of the season, including New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (come get your first coffee of 2026 at Painted Leopard on 1/1!).
The Week at Local Economy
Wed, 7pm: We're trying out a discussion group for parents who didn't carry their children inside their own bodies. Really looking forward to a new format.
Thurs, 6pm: We're hosting the Oakland Review of Books Holiday Party, which functionally serves as a holiday party for LE, too. Come meet the crew making ORB, the most fascinating Oakland publication to launch in a long time. And celebrate the end of a generally shit year.
Sat, 11am: Bolita Masa is popping up at LE. They'll be bringing tamales to folks who pre-ordered them, and maybe there'll be a couple special treats around for the holidays. (You may not have heard, but Bolita is taking over the space where (the wonderful, classic) Standard Fare used to be!)
Sun, 10:30am: Come to the last Sunday Coffee of the year. Jeff Wright's hosting. Lean into cozy conversation.
Two Awesome Things
For the show-and-tell event, photographer (and member) Kara Brodgesell brought a whole setup to Local Economy and took pictures of people with their objects. It was such a lovely gesture. Check out her work!
One bit of noise management we're going to deploy in the space are some under-table wooly sound eaters. Amazingly, member Jennie Bertone got a hold of a bunch of wool in Petaluma while she was helping a friend shear sheep. We need to clean it up a bit, and you will have the opportunity to help. We'll send out a special alert when we figure out the right time.
Volunteer appreciation
Huge appreciation for Regina Hunt and Candace Cui, who both pulled double duty this week. Along with Sacha, they staffed the Authors Against Book Bans event, and then they ran the BYOB Show and Tell (which was incredible). Thank you so much. There will be a huge new round of volunteer opportunities when we release our growing slate of January events.
Gift Memberships
We got 'em! $60 for three months of membership. Nice last minute gift. We send a little welcome note and you can also come grab a membership card with their name on it.
