Brook McLeod commutes to work in Bernal Heights from the neighboring hills of Potrero, but her roots here run deep, and prolonged exposure to Bernalese culture has given her a keen sense of our locavore style and funky-functional aesthetic. The ways of our people have rubbed off on her to such an extent that she’s even started a new company called Wool Street (Note: Bernal-born name) to produce cool urban accessories. And as a Citizen of Bernalwood, you get a discount.

Brook tells us:

Wool Street was birthed in Bernal, where a sense of supporting local businesses and neighbors is a way of life.

This idea of a soft goods line made in the USA and if all possible in the future made completely in San Francisco came to me when I was living in a cottage on Wool Street. My husband, Dave was born and raised in Bernal Heights, and after we both graduated from CCAC (California College of Arts & Crafts) we moved back to his beloved hood. I quickly felt right at home with its small town vibe -I’m originally from a town of 2500 people in southeastern Washington- and I instantly wanted to be a part of the BH.

I worked at Heartfelt for nearly 5 years behind the scenes, learning how a successful small business ran, and left only last year to pursue my own small business dreams. I also had the opportunity to help the Bernal Library Art Project (BLAP) with phase III of their initiative to put art up on the Bernal Library. Through BLAP I got to meet more quirky, interesting, and influential neighbors that help in making Bernal Heights what it really is…awesome! We now live in Potrero Hill but I’m continuing to work part-time at the New Wheel with Brett, Karen & the gang, so I can still get my Bernal fix every week.

Without further ado I wanted to introduce Wool Street’s debut product: the Sutro Tower Canvas Tote, made in San Francisco-Woot!

Although I know it’s not the infamous Sutrito, I wanted to extend a discount to all Bernalwood lovers for $5 OFF with promo code BERNAL to apply at checkout. Please take a peek and check back for more products soon.

PHOTOS: Wool Street

Let’s take a moment to marvel at the shrewd foresight of Succulence, the plant and lifestyle-decor store at 402 Cortland opened by Ken and Amy Shelf after they rather gracefully transitioned from running Four Star Video.

Today, Succulence specializes in selling lovely, low-water succulents and mysterious air plants that seem to survive on little more than sunlight and unicorn vapor. Which is to say, Succulence made drought-tolerant gardening look sexy long before it was cool (and state-mandated).

Now, to celebrate Earth Day, Ken says Succulence will host a special celebration at the store tonight… and you’re a guest of honor. Ken says:

We are having an Earth Day party at Succulence on April 23 from 6-9 pm. The entire day will also be a benefit for the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center – 10% of all proceeds will be donated to them.

We are having a special night at the shop. We will be serving free drinks and food (mojitos, pork sliders from Cathead’s BBQ , pastries from Little Bee Bakery, cheese & crackers) and providing live entertainment with three bands playing (including mine at 8:30pm).

It is a free event to thank everyone for the patronage of our business.

Here is a link to our invite and email. Please come if you are free! I’d love to get a chance to drink a toast to our marvelous planet together.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Succulence

Bernal Heights fan Ted Weinstein snapped this classic moment yesterday on Cortland. He says:

All is safe: RCMP (Royal Cortland Mounted Police) spotted on patrol in Bernal Heights.

Photo: @tedwphotos

It finally happened! Bernal neighbors Tim and Erin Archuleta, the glamorous celebrity duo who created the intergalactically famous Ichi Sushi+Ni Bar, have officially opened their new oyster bar. It’s called Ichi Kakiya, and you’ll find it in their ancestral storefront at 3369 Mission, across the street from Safeway in Bernal’s burgeoning NanoTokyo district.

If you remember the ancestral Ichi storefront, you’ll recall that was a small space. It remains so to this day, with seating for just 21 cozy Ichinauts inside. The interior has received a nice freshening up, however, along with some sexy new wall murals.

But why oysters? Inside Scoop tells a cute part of the tale:

As Jonathan Kauffman reported last fall, [… ] Erin Archuleta and her husband had a very sweet and romantic reason for turning the original restaurant space into an oyster shop: They fell in love eating oysters.

When Tim was a sushi chef at Tokyo Go-Go, he convinced his new girlfriend, who was born in Michigan, to try oysters: First tiny kumamotos, then larger varieties, then trips to local oyster bars. “On Sundays we would go have glasses of champagne and oysters, and that was our courtship,” she says.

You can peruse Ichi Kakiya’s full menu here. Meanwhile, the Bernalwood Action News Cuisine Team’s undercover reporting has revealed that the oysters are highly delicious.

Indeed, your Bernalwood editor managed to infiltrate an exclusive, celebrity-filled pre-opening party at Ichi Kakiya last week by by cleverly disguising myself as (… wait for it…) the editor of “a fashion-obsessed Bernal Heights news magazine.” This ruse worked like a charm, and before long Bernalwood was sampling more than a few of Ichi Kakiya’s delicious ponzu-dressed oysters while sipping a very large glass of very delicious cold sake. #winning!

Chef Tim was in fine spirits (as you might have noticed in the image above), and it was great to see him behind the counter again in Ichi’s ancestral restaurant space. Also, we can confirm that he has mad oyster-shucking skillz.

Ichi Kakiya is highly recommended if you are bivalve-inclined, and big congrats and best wishes to Chef Tim and Neighbor Erin.

PHOTOS: Exterior and Chef Tim by Telstar Logistics. Oysters by Anna Hale courtesy of Ichi Kakiya

Neighbor Demece, queen bee of the impressively effective Precita Valley Neighbors, invites all Bernalese to join in for a Precita Park Cleanup and flower planting, tomorrow, Saturday, April 4 at 9 am:

The Ultimate Spring Precita Park Clean Up and Get To Know Your Neighbor Fest happens on Saturday, April 4th from 9am – noon!!!

We’ll be gardening, chatting, digging, and chatting. Volunteers are needed. If you can stay an hour or however long you can, we’d love to have you!!!

The Recreation and Parks Department will bring tools, trucks, and our incredible gardening staff to help us! Captains are:

9-10am: Neighbor Demece
10-11am:Neighbor Charles
11-noon: Neighbor Jessica

There are crazy surprises in store for volunteers and captains! Sign up by sending an email t0 precitavalleyneighbors@gmail.com

Bernal alum Peephole filmed this gentleman calling our attention to the perils of sin and damnation yesterday, in front of the Bernal Heights public library:

Here’s the video:

EDIT NOTE: A previous version of this article included an incorrect meeting date. This meeting will happen on Wednesday.

Neighbor Erin Veneziano is spearheading an effort to reduce crime and unpleasantness at the glamorous Coleridge Mini-Park by adding more lights and improving the infrastructure. There’s a meeting about this Wednesday, February 4, at 6 pm at the mini-park, and Neighbor Erin tells Bernalwood why Esmeraldans should attend:

Here’s the poster I’ll be distributing to our neighbors. This is a last ditch effort (lots of badgering and follow-up) to get additional lighting installed in a critical part of the Emseralda corridor.

The original meeting was with PG&E, SF Parks and Rec, and DPT; it was more like a 3 Stooges skit with all three pointing at the other and claiming to not have any jurisdiction over the park. My wife and I have kept contact with the city officials and through many email exchanges, photos, and personal accounts, we have finally agreed on having the SF Park and Rec representative come out after hours and during the evening to see how the pocket of darkness in the park allows crime to fester. With that said, they’ve already performed a cursory “lighting survey” and have attempted to placate our efforts by installing new park signs (with curfew information) and have trimmed trees to show that they are trying to help (but not solve) this issue.

I strongly believe that if we have a good crowd of neighbors that can share their experiences that we can assert this as a priority for the health of our community.

Got that? Citizens of Esmeralda: You know what to do.

Wednesday, Feb 4, 6 pm, Coleridge Mini Park.

PHOTO: Neighbor Erin

It would appear that the Seasonal Dieties Who Keep Score have decided that Bernal Heights was very good in 2014. Because, once again, the Precita Park Snowman has reappeared in our merry land! Neighbor Robert filed this photo from Precita Park just moments ago.

To all Ye Citizens of Bernalwood… have a wonderful Christmas!

PHOTO: Snowman in Precita Park, December 24, 2014 by Robert Weiner. 

Compounding the chaos of this week’s storm, a tree fell yesterday on Peralta just south of Cortland. Previously, the tree had stood next to the “iPad House” — the venerable old house hidden behind the Apple billboard you see as you cross over Cortland on US101 south.

Well, yesterday the tree fell down, but the fall was arrested by the Apple billboard, preventing more serious damage to the structures below.  Neighbor Darcy was on the scene, and she filed an immediate report from her, uh, iPhone:

Storm news! Tree falls down, only thing holding up is the Apple billboard!

Of course, it wasn’t merely the Apple billboard that arrested the trees fall. Bernalwood’s sources tell us it was the ghost of Steve Jobs himself that reached into our world from the next to protect lives and property from harm. Extra Bonus: No appointment at the Genius Bar required!

So thank you, Ghost of Steve Jobs, for saving Bernal Heights from the falling tree.

PHOTOS: Neighbor Darcy