Emebet Korn’s renowned Desta Gallery continues to showcase gorgeous art at her gallery at 100 Throckmorton Avenue.
Now the renowned local gallerist is expanding her palette, leading a new art curatorial program at the venerable Depot Café and Bookstore starting on June 8 with a showcase of the work of artist Katheryn Holt, a long-standing resident of Mill Valley who first showed her work at Desta Gallery in 2018.
The first collaborative display is dubbed The Promise of Feeling at Home, running from June 7th to July 19, with a reception on June 10 from 5-6:30pm, an artist talk at 5:30pm and live music at 6pm. Holt’s abstract paintings are infused with half-remembered landscapes. She has been documenting her interior and exterior life through painting since she was four years old. Her recent work reflects on “Home.” Holt says, “What for so long felt nearly impossible: the simplest idea of sharing oneself with family and friends has become once more a reality filling us with gratitude for the promise of feeling at home in our surrounding world.”
Upholding the Depot’s tradition, the primary focus of the new program will remain on showcasing works from local artists. The inaugural exhibit will feature the work of Holt, who studied painting at the University of Southern California and graduated with a B.F.A. from the Art Center College of Design. She taught at New York’s School of Visual Arts, has won awards from the Society of Illustrators, and was included in American Illustrator and Outstanding American Illustrators.
“Desta Gallery is delighted to collaborate with the dedicated ownership group of The Depot, led by Paul Lazzareschi, former owner of Vasco Restaurant, and Mark Martini,” Korn says. “Situated in the heart of Mill Valley, The Depot seamlessly combines a charming café and a unique bookstore, crafting a sanctuary that caters to the needs of both locals and visitors.”
The Depot has served as the town’s quintessential hub since its inception in the early 20th century. The building was originally constructed in 1929 as the Mill Valley train station, serving as a hub for the Northwestern Pacific Railroad until its closure in 1940. The building closed until it was renovated in the 1970s and converted into the Depot Bookstore. In the years that followed, the bookstore became a popular destination for locals, known for its wide selection of books on topics ranging from literature and history to travel and cooking. In 1987, the bookstore expanded to include the Depot Cafe.
Fun fact: According to a letter Henri Matisse wrote to his wife, SFMOMA had an exhibition and Matisse was one of the visitors who took the Mount Tam Railway to the summit of the revered Mount Tamalpais over a century ago.
In 2016, Lazzareschi, Martini, along with a number of involved investors, bought the iconic Depot from the family of the late Mary Turnbull, who founded the famed bookstore and cafe with her husband William Turnbull in 1987. They navigated a lengthy renovation of the City-owned building within which it resides, and have seen the the multi-faceted space blossom in the years since it re-opened in January 2021 and having it referred to as Mill Valley’s security blanket.
Those investors just made another significant step forward by serving Equator Coffees, the remarkable, award-winning brand that got its start as a wholesaler in Marin County, opened its first cafe in Tam Junction in 2013, another in downtown Mill Valley in 2014 and now boasts locations across the Bay Area and in Los Angeles.
Today, The Depot Cafe and Bookstore remains a beloved fixture in the Mill Valley community. The cafe offers a menu of delicious, locally sourced fare, including seasonally inspired menus, sandwiches, salads, pastries, coffee, and wine. The bookstore continues to offer a diverse selection of books, with a particular focus on works by local authors and on topics of interest to the community. In addition to its offerings as a cafe and bookstore, The Depot also hosts a range of community events and activities, including live music performances.