Local Businesses
by John M. Zukoski on February 3, 2012 | 
2 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Things To Do
Livemore’s Tap 25 is building a strong reputation for delivering some of the finest brews in Northern California. Customers have given Tap 25 a 4.5 star rating on Yelp since its opening just last year. Located at the Blacksmith Square in Downtown Livermore, Tap 25 offers customers both indoor seating and an outdoor beer garden to quench their thirst on warm and sunny days. “We (rotate) 25 handles of the rare, the favorite and the crazy flavors that make up this beer revolution,” wrote Tap 25′s proprietors on their website.
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 25, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Opinions
Residents living in and around Dublin, CA are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the new 543,000-square-foot outlet mall right off the El Charro exit on I-580, kitty corner from the new East Dublin Target at Fallon Gateway. Paragon Outlets Livermore Valley is expected to open in time for Black Friday this year. Like premium outlet malls across the United States, Paragon Outlets promises to offer consumers great prices on luxury brand items.
Many outlet malls use an assortment of psychological gimmicks to confuse shoppers and wrest money from their wallets. Stores like Nike, Adidas, Gap, and Banana Republic often make products specifically for their outlet stores. These shoes, shirts, and sweaters never spend time on the racks in regular retail stores. Instead, they use less stitching, lighter fabric, and cheaper buttons to offer lower prices while keeping profitability high. This common trick relies on the inability of most shoppers to differentiate between B-grade products and the real McCoys.
Continue Reading
by Around Dublin Team on January 24, 2012 | 5 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
Walmart has recently confirmed that it is behind the anonymous application to operate a grocery story at the former Nob Hill location on Santa Rita Road in Pleasanton, CA. With the proposed store operation hours from 6:00AM until midnight, the new grocery store in Pleasanton would include a bakery, deli and pharmacy. Walmart currently operates over 180 Neighborhood Markets that sell only groceries, but none exists yet in California. “We are always looking at ways to serve our customers and expand access to our customers in California,” said Delia Garcia, a Walmart spokeswoman. “We found that these will bring the grocery component to our California customers that are quick and easy.”
In a recent letter to the City of Pleasanton, Walmart has stated that its plans for the former Nob Hill location conform to the site’s current zoning and should not trigger a design review or a public hearing. Pleasanton city staff is reviewing the plans to see if Planning Commission or City Council approval would be required. “Walmart tries to come in under the radar and get approval,” alleged Pleasanton City Councilmember Matt Sullivan. “The community needs the opportunity to discuss this.”
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 23, 2012 | 6 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Local Issues
Dublin’s Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, January 24th to decide the fate of a local entrepreneur’s request to operate a fortune telling business in Dublin’s historic shopping district. The proposed location for the new business is 6918 Village Parkway with an intimate 140 square feet of space. Services would be provided from 10:00AM to 10:00PM seven days a week.
Some residents believe that the Commission’s decision is already in the cards. If approved, Dublin’s oracle would provide psychic, tarot card, and palm readings on a one-on-one basis. Group seances and readings over the phone will not be available, so Dublin will not be getting its own Miss Cleo.
The Planning Commission’s conditional approval for the fortune telling business would include a series of requirements and restrictions, and it would only be the first step for the applicant Janet Evans. Evans would then need to obtain approval from Dublin’s Chief of Police Tom McCarthy, who reports to both Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern and Dublin City Manager Joni Pattillo.
Continue Reading
by Around Dublin Team on January 20, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Local Businesses
Headquartered in Livermore, CA, The Data Rescue Center was again voted “Best Computer Recovery Service” by Best of the Bay Viewers in 2011. The Data Rescue Center offers professional data recovery service for comptuer hard drive recovery. Offering Class 100 Cleanroom Service, Class 2 Vault Customer Drive Storage, as well as other best-in-the-business facility features, The Data Rescue Center can help recover data from internal/external hard drives, laptops, RAID drives, removable media including USB, flash, tape, floppy, and zip drives.
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 18, 2012 | 4 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Opinions
Ross Stores recently confirmed that it will be moving its headquarters from Pleasanton to Dublin’s Emerald Point office complex by mid-2014. Ross reportedly paid around $68M for the Dublin facility that will have 414,000 square feet of class A space and be able to accommodate up to 2,050 employees. Ross had also reportedly been looking to buy the raw land owned by the Alameda County Surplus Authority to build its new headquarters from the ground up directly across from Sybase.
That plan would have included the parcel billionaire developer Rick Caruso had planned to build his first lifestyle center in Northern California . Caruso Affiliates recently killed that project.
“This move will accommodate the long-term growth of our corporate office staff for the foreseeable future. We are outgrowing our existing office space and the purchase provides us with full control,” said Ross spokeswoman Bobbi Chaville. “We looked at several options and at the end of the day, the purchase was much more favorable than staying in our existing space and made strategic sense.”
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 15, 2012 | 2 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Things To Do
Chinese Soup Pot is a food blog created by a Dublin resident who aims to reveal a different side of the Chinese food tradition – “slow fire” soups. From tasty and healthy soup recipes to demystifying common Chinese herbs, this new website is a great resource for anyone who wishes to learn about the centuries-old soup making tradition in Chinese culture. Chinese Soup Pot is also on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes traditional Chinese soups different is that butter and cream are never used, making them lighter and healthier than the creamy versions many Americans are accustomed to eating. To make up for the flavor, vegetables, herbs, and lean meats are often used as the main ingredients.
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 13, 2012 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Local Businesses · Restaurants · Things To Do
The Taste of the Tri-Valley and San Francisco’s Dine About Town 2012 will be extending the holiday joy for Bay Area residents in search of the perfect meal at a reasonable price. The Taste of the Tri-Valley is expected to feature at least 30 Tri-Valley restaurants with prix fixe lunch and dinner options from January 21th through January 29th. Some of most renowned chefs at some of the finest restaurants in the Tri-Valley such as Esin, Maria Maria, Patrick David’s, Coco Cabana, Blue Agave, and Underdog Wine Bar will showcase their culinary styles for diners.
Continue Reading
by John M. Zukoski on January 9, 2012 | 6 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Opinions · Retail
Residents living in and around Dublin, CA shop at Target for everything from diapers to electronics to groceries. The addition of the East Dublin Target at Fallon Gateway has made bargain retail much more accessible for consumers; however, many families are ditching Target for Amazon Prime as a way to save money and to get the best selection on everyday items. Although shopping at Target is fairly easy for most folks, shopping with Amazon Prime is even more convenient for people whose busy schedules make that trip to the store a luxury they cannot afford.
Continue Reading
