Made in Petaluma: A ‘buying local’ gift guide

New Vibe Gallery showcases the cool creations of local makers

There is a story behind every piece of art, every book and every handcraft on display at downtown Petaluma’s new Vibe Gallery, which had its grand opening in early November. If you have the time, any one of the gallery’s quartet of owners would be more than happy to share those stories with you.

“I could take you through the gallery, item by item, and tell you the story behind all of them — who the artist or the author is, and when, where or how that particular piece came to be,” said Margo Gallagher on a recent Saturday afternoon. As a demonstration, she points out a carefully arranged display of Wild Oat Hollow goats milk soaps on a shelf nearby.

“Sarah Kaiser, from Penngrove, has her own goats,” Gallagher said. “She sources all of her milk from her goats, and the flowers are pollinated from local bees.” A regenerative family farm, Wild Oat Hollow employs sustainable soil-building methods of pasture management and grazing, and produces an array of climate beneficial skin care products and fiber goods. Said Gallagher, “What she’s doing is really very interesting.”

Gallagher, an artist herself — whose own vivid, photographic kaleidoscope prints are among those items on display — is one of the four co-owners of Vibe, along with Rachel Usher, Maude Bradley and Jessica Jacobsen.

Usher, busy putting prices on a stack of calendars, pointed out a few additional local makers.

“Jessica, one of our other partners, who also lives in Petaluma, makes these beautiful beaded earrings,” she said, indicating a display of delicately-crafted jewelry on a top shelf. “And she does these gorgeous drawings, mostly featuring women and birds, that are just marvelous.”

Jacobsen’s work, like many of the art pieces in the store, are available as prints and originals.

“We’re interested in promoting artists and authors who work and write with a socially relevant focus,” said Gallagher, indicating a book section filled with titles by Petaluma authors. Added Gallagher, happily, “I’ve read every single one of those.”

Intentionally designed to have what Gallagher calls “a little bit of an urban feel,” the Vibe space is pleasantly open and airy but aesthetically full, every wall artfully packed with colorful, eye-popping things to look at. Part gallery, part bookstore and part gift shop, Vibe is a space where everything is clearly curated to highlight the work of mostly-local makers. Though not exclusively Petaluma-oriented, a large number of the artists on display — including most of the owners — do live or work in Petaluma.

The current featured artist is Petaluma’s Peter Stein, whose breathtakingly realistic, large-scale drawings are on display at Vibe through Dec. 19. in an exhibition titled “Inheritance.” Of those works currently hanging on the gallery’s north wall, most feature a bright blue Earth held by a human figure, a child with wings or a woman with a crown of flowers and twigs, gazing directly at you with a soulful, melancholy expression. Stein’s meticulous, emotionally vibrant drawings, said Gallagher, “highlight the fragile and volatile world the next generation must face and the challenges to come.”

Vibe Gallery blossomed from conversations the four friends had during the height of the pandemic shutdowns. In May of this year, just 10 days after deciding to open a downtown gallery as a hub of activity for local creators, they signed the lease for the space at the corner of Petaluma Boulevard and B Street.

“Coming out of COVID, we’d all been doing a lot of artwork, and we just had this feeling that all of the art we’d been seeing for months was on a screen,” Gallagher said. “Let’s bring it off the screen, let’s bring it downtown in real time, let’s create a place with a welcoming ‘vibe’ where people can soak up some beautiful artwork and maybe purchase something to help support the artists. So we said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’ And we did it. In record speed.”

In 2022, the Vibe creators plan to host dance parties, clothing swaps and author events.

“The whole idea of Vibe Gallery is to promote and support and celebrate local artists,” said Gallagher. “This is a place where the community can gather to make all kinds of amazing things happen together.”

Vibe Gallery is at 1 Petaluma Blvd. North. The gallery is open Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 12-5 p.m., Thursday from 12-6 p.m. and Saturdays from 12-7 p.m. VibeGalleryPetaluma.com.

Hat monsters and monstrous art (plus some truly weird books)

At Petaluma’s Word Horde Emporium of the Weird and Fantastic, a number of items and “oddities” have Petaluma origin stories, beginning at the shelf of delightfully strange hardbacks and paperbacks from Word Horde Books.

The small locally-based publishing company, run by Ross and Jennifer Lockhart, focuses on fantasy, horror and science fiction, from such titles as the multi-author anthology “Eternal Frankenstein” and Molly Tanzer’s psychological horror novel “The Pleasure Merchant” to John Langan’s award-winning “The Fisherman” and (for the right person on your list) the murderously giftable “Tales of Jack the Ripper.” On Halloween (of course), Word Horde opened up its first Emporium in Petaluma’s atmospheric Warehouse District, a brick-and-mortar destination point for all things off-the-wall.

Additional made-in-Petaluma offerings include a series of “Monster on My Head” hats, whimsical hand-knit beasties with names like CeeWii. Crafted by local teacher Janine Arendt, each monster comes with instructions on the “Care and Feeding” of the thing: “Ceewii loves the ocean, though he is terrified of getting wet. His favorite snacks include margaritas and dish soap. Baths should be short and cold. Scrubbing frazzles him. Keep away from washing machines.“

Continuing the monster theme, the emporium also features original paintings by Ray Lawrason, aka Zero the Artist, portraying some of the world’s best-loved baddies (or are they just misunderstood?), including Frankenstein’s Creature and the Creature of the Black Lagoon.

The Word Horde Emporium of the Weird and Fantastic. Open 11-5 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and 11-5:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday Our Best Friends gift store (open 12-4 p.m. Thursday-Sunday) are at 301 2nd St. For information visit Wordhorde.com/emporium.

Art with a heart: Alchemia Gallery supports artists who are often overlooked

The Alchemia Gallery is a downtown treasure-trove of hand-made creations, ranging from ceramics and paintings to fiber arts and junk journals.

If you're not looking for a full-sized canvas, Alchemia also offers clever greeting card prints of many of their larger paintings and drawings. The art styles include whimsical and beautiful multicolored creatures, and imaginative human and animal portraits.

One of the best things about the gallery is that all of the creations are made by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Alchemia is a nonprofit assisting adults in expressing themselves, using visual and performing arts. The Gallery, located right downtown on Kentucky street, is just one element of this awesome community organization..

Purchasing artwork and other creations enables the Alchemia artists to continue pursuing their creative passions as artists in a world that often does not provide them that chance.

The Alchemia Gallery is open on Saturdays for holiday shopping. You can also find out more information about Alchemia, both the organization and the artists they support, at Alchemia.org.

Tarot deck sparks feminine power: Petaluma artist puts woman-centered spin on traditional imagery

A large number of existing Tarot decks are scary.

Or so Kary Hess has observed.

“Many are very medieval feeling, kind of overly masculine, sometimes,” said the Petaluma artist and writer, explaining part of her motivation for creating her own female-powered Tarot deck. “I wanted a very woman-centered deck, one that was more contemporary.”

Last May, she released the Spark Tarot deck, with imagery she painted herself over the course of a year, often working in Petaluma coffee shops.

“I changed some of the card names so they make more sense to that whole idea of a nurturing deck.”

Instead of swords, for example, Hess changed that suit of the Monor Arcana to serpents, something more mysterious and ancient. in the Major Arcana, the Knight is now the warrior and the Hanged Manhas become “the Hanging one,” a woman joyfully dangling upside down from circus silks, Cirque du Soleil-style.

Not surprisingly, all of the human imagery in the Spark Tarot deck is female, a significant change from many traditional Tarot decks. That reclaiming of the Tarot was always a part of Hess’s original inspiration.

“It just feels exactly right, seeing and working with these images,” said Hess, who does do readings using the deck she designed, a practice she says gives her a great deal of satisfaction. Said Hess, “It’s just the best.”

And for what it’s worth, a Tarot deck is just the right size for a stocking stuffer.

Spark Tarot is available in a number of local gift and book shops, and can be purchased directly from Kary Hess at SparkTarot.com.

Happy crows and other giftable art

Gallery One features an array of Petaluma artists

Art is personal.

And so are gifts.

Sometimes, the best gift is a piece of art that captures a loved one’s personality and passions in a way that no mass-produced thingamajig can possibly do. At Gallery One, while the center of the store is filled with hand-crafted jewelry and unusual gifts, all glittering and gleaming like some bling-loving dragon’s treasure hoard, the walls are bedecked with head-turning paintings and other original art.

Many of the painters currently on display are from Petaluma, a detail carefully noted on the paper placards identifying each work.

Currently on display are a pair of paintings by Petaluma’s Joanne Tepper, featuring happy, well-dressed (and apparently married) crows - one painting titled, appropriately enough, “Mr. Crow” while the other is, of course, “Mrs. Crow.” Elsewhere on the walls you can find Nancy Lloyd’s “Shortcut,” a striking oil painting showing a familiar view of Western Avenue as seen from American Alley.

Hella Merrill’s “Full Circle” and “Autumn Moon” are eye-catching assemblages of brass and wood, and for those who are more three-dimensionally inclined, Renee Shipley’s “Girl in a Turbin” sculpture is hauntingly realistic and lovely.

Gallery One is at 209 Western Ave. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. seven days a week. Petaluma-galleryone.com.

Smells like Christmas: Petaluma’s Soap Cauldron makes soaps with festive flair

You may have seen the Three Sisters Apothecary fancy soaps and other bath and body products in shops like Whole Foods and Oliver’s Market all around the North Bay. You know, the ones with the stylish little cauldron on the front? Well it turns out they are made by a company called Soup Cauldron, locally owned by three women, and are made in east Petaluma.

Bar soaps are the perfect size for stocking stuffers for your witchy friends and family.

French Lavender, Gravenstein Apple & Clove, or Mexican Lime & Cilantro not festive enough scents for you? Check out their Winter Solstice Blend. It smells like you’re lost in a very cold forest on Christmas at midnight, aka it’s made with peppermint, spearmint, cedar and frankincense.

Hand-made in small batches with botanicals and essential oils at their studio just down the street from iHop, Soup Cauldron’s official store can be visited at 5400 Old Redwood Highway, or check the website at SoapCauldron.com.

Unleash a ‘Snack Attack’: Barber Cellar’s entertaining food-wine-and-book package

Inspired by the book “Big Macs & Burgundy: Wine Pairings for the Real World,” by Vanessa Price, Petaluma’s Barber Cellars has introduced the perfect gift idea for non-snooty loved ones who like wine. Called the “Snack Attack at Home,” it’s a portable version of the popular tasting room offering that owner Lorraine Barber has been providing in-house for the last several months.

As Price’s iconoclastic books suggests, cheese and crackers — and fancy dinners served one fancier plates — aren’t the only things that pairs well with wine. Barber took the challenge of discovering all the basic grab-and-go snack foods that bring out the flavors in Barber wines, and vice versa.

She eventually figured out that Barber’s 2019 Zinfandell pairs perfectly with chocolate Pockys, and that teriyaki jerky and spicy tamarind candy really brings out the flavor in their 2018 Sangiovese. And guess what tastes great when paired with Barber’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc?

Maui onion chips.

"Give this combo pack to a friend to start their own party and pairing adventure!“ suggests an exuberant description of the Snack Attack pack, which includes four different bottles of Barber wine — sauvignon blanc, barbera, sangiovese and zinfandel) — a set of pairing instructions, and the specific snack foods she’s personally selected to give your gift recipients what she calls ”a very different, very fun and enlightening wine pairing experience!“

The whole thing costs $126, and can be lovingly boxed up and shipped most anywhere you like.

For an extra fee, you can even add a copy of the book.

Barber Cellars is at 112 Washington St. in the Hotel Petaluma building. Hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1-7 p.m., and Sunday from 1-6 p.m. Visit the website at barbercellars.com.