A couple of months back I was thrilled to receive notice that LAMA had been nominated for an Oakland Indie Award in the “Innovator” category. The Oakland Indie Awards celebrate the social and environmental impact of Oakland’s independent businesses and artist. Naturally, I was extremely flattered and honored to have LAMA considered for this award by a city I love so much. This past Friday, I nearly jumped through my office roof when I found out that LAMA had gone from nominee to FINALIST!

The whole experience has been so fun and rewarding. The nominee mixer a few weeks back was such an inspiring evening, and learning about the other nominees has been really special. I can’t wait to attend the award ceremony over at Jack London Square. It looks like a great event with tons of fantastic food, awesome folks, and Oakland pride! The event takes place on the evening of May 14th from 5:30-9. If you’re in the area, I highly suggest you come out to celebrate and support the people that make Oakland such a great place to live. Ticket info can be found here. A big THANK YOU to everyone who nominated and supported LAMA! I am deeply touched and honored.

On Sunday I decided to head out bright and early with some friends to check out Oakland’s Dia de los Muertos celebration in Fruitvale. It was a little difficult to shake off the previous night’s Halloween festivities but after polishing off a yummy pupusa, I was good to go. Although the Oakland celebration was scaled down a bit from previous years due to the nasty “R” word we don’t speak of here at LAMA HQ, spirits were high, food was fantastic and we had a great time. Check out some of the gorgeous sites from Sundays festivities!

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve got some serious Oakland pride. That’s why I was so excited when one of my favorite Oakland shops, Urban Indigo, introduced their iconic Oakland map earlier this week. Lucky me, I already have one hanging in my apartment! My wonderful boyfriend headed down to Urban Indigo with Miles while I was in NYC to purchase this awesome welcome home gift for me. How sweet!

If you love Oakland as much as I do, I highly recommend you head down to Urban Indigo this weekend and pick up your own. Bonus! It fits perfectly in an inexpensive Ribba frame from Ikea. To check out the map in greater detail and to find Urban Indigo’s location, check out the newsletter below. Go Oakland!

Yesterday was North Oakland’s annual Temescal Street Fair. I decided to head over with a group of friends to check out the local flavor, get some good eats, bob my head to the live music playing and have an overall fun in the sun type of day. Telegraph Ave. was packed with people and awesome vendors! It really got me thinking, why did I not set up a LAMA booth! Urgh! Well, next year for sure. I would love to be out there with my fellow Oakland business owners.

Below are a few snap shops of yesterday’s event. Yes, that shaggy little dog in a bag is Miles. He needs a haircut pronto! Enjoy!

Generally I dread Mondays but today is an extra special Monday for me. I’m super excited to announce that my new blog is up and running! The old blog didn’t allow me to receive comments (which made me sad because I really love hearing from all of my new LAMA shop fans). The new and improved blog is just all around easier to use which will enable me to post a lot more frequently which I’m thrilled about. I’ve been reading several blogs for years now, all stemming from my love for Design Sponge (still my all time favorite blog). Blogs have always been a huge source of inspiration for me and have really helped me grow while I was a student, once I was a designer and now that I’m a shop owner. The progression into becoming a blogger myself just felt like the natural next step. 

Stay tuned for some great interviews with LAMA designers and artists featuring some awesome pictures of their studios, homes and workspaces where they make their magic happen, coverage of some of my favorite shops and hot spots here in Oakland, the East Bay and beyond, tips and tales on the trials and tribulations of an independent shop owner, the latest and greatest LAMA news and much more. 

I’ll leave you all with a picture of my business partner and greatest shop doggie ever. Miles has been my other half for the past 4 years but has been extra special in my first month in business. I love being able to look to my left and see him sitting in his tent while I work at my computer.