The Ever Creative Ashley Rutberg’s MANIFEST Has Arrived in the Longstanding Former Peet’s Coffee Space! 88 Throckmorton Ave.
“What is this?” I hear people ask as they stroll past 88 Throckmorton.
For years, this was Peet’s. People in Mill Valley still remember the friends they bumped into over coffee and the conversations that kept them there longer than they planned. Those are big shoes to fill.
I wanted to carry that feeling forward, with a few twists of my own.
I’m a mom of four in Mill Valley, and one of my favorite things to do is sit down at a mahjong table with just about anyone, ages five to ninety-nine. I love how quickly a game can get people talking.
I wanted everyone who walked through the door at Manifest to feel like there was a seat for them, too.
The idea was simple. Bring my favorite things and the people behind them under one roof, and see what happens when everyone shows up.
So I gave up sleep and did it in under 30 days. I handpicked furniture from Almond & Co. in San Francisco and brought in artwork from Stephanie Breitbard Fine Art and custom mahjong tables by Stephanie Breitbard. I found mahjong teachers who could get anyone playing, vinyl DJs, and records worth flipping through. I called everyone I could think of and asked them to come build it with me.
Now, when someone walks past and asks, “What is this?” my favorite answer is, “Come in.”
Play a hand. Put on a record. Bring a friend or pull up a chair next to someone you haven’t met yet.
Come build community with us. Come Manifest.
Ashley Rutberg, Founder, Manifest