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Nearly every waking moment since the Bay Area-wide shelter in place order went into effect in mid-March has been rife with stress for Mill Valley business owners.  But few moments can compare to the harried period of applications filed to the Small Business Administration‘s Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Impact Disaster Loan program, when owners worked with local bankers…

Paula Purcell, at top center, owns the Paula James shop 365 Miller Avenue. Two years ago, Mill Valley resident Paula Purcell dove headlong into opening the Paula James clothing, art and accessories retail shop at 365 Miller Avenue, the space formerly occupied by Anne Taylor’s Sienna Rose store. In doing so, Purcell hoped to build a deeper connection to her…

In their nearly 35 years in business, Mill Valley Coffee Shop owners Phil and Lorraine Adams thought they had seen it all: Economic upturns and downturns; a flood of new residents and families into town – and actual floods, literally washing right through their door; vast turnover among the businesses around their corner of Locust and Miller…

Makers Market‘s regular series of outdoor markets at the Mill Valley Lumber Yard has been on hiatus for a bit during the COVID-19 crisis, but owner Suzy Ekman and her team are continuing to dip their toes back into outdoor, socially distanced gatherings with a “Meet the Maker” event on Saturday, August 15 from 10am-6pm. The event features an…

Six years ago today, Mill Valley residents were floored to learn of the death of Robin Williams, the legendary comedian and actor and longtime Mill Valley fixture. Word of the tragic loss sparked tributes from around the world, as well as tributes close to home, including at the 37th Mill Valley Film Festival, where some of…

The owners of Nail Motif at 94 East Blithedale Ave. “It’s emotional whiplash.” That’s how one restaurant owner described the series of false starts and reversals for various industry types hoping to reopen over the past six weeks, all driven by key COVID-19 metrics like positive case rate per 100,000 people and the percentage change of…

From bacon-scented air freshener to inarguably the best collection of greeting cards in Marin, Bob Bijou’s Two Neat shop at 111 Throckmorton Ave. has been an institution in Mill Valley for more than 34 years – with a little something for everyone. Two Neat regularly extends its product lines, launching a section a few years back to…

Golden Gate Village in Marin City. Two years ago, the Marin County Civil Grand Jury published “The Clock is Ticking,” a report highlighting the Marin Housing Authority’s history of decline and neglect of its only low-income family apartment complex, Golden Gate Village in Marin City.On Aug. 6, Golden Gate Village residents made it clear that,…

Mill Valley City Council and staff. The Mill Valley City Council this week unveiled its choice to facilitate its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Task Force it is forming, dove deeply into its police department’s use of force over the past three-plus years and received a lengthy, in-depth presentation on how MVPD’s policies align with the…

A scene from Happy Feet Dance School’s performance of “If I Only Had a Brain.” Music by Harold Arlen, Choreography by Cece Bechelli. Of all of the things we’ve had to put on long-term pause during the COVID-19 crisis, the limitations on our ability to gather in groups and shake those hips and tap those…