The El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce is set to host its annual Women Mean Business event, showcasing the economic, social, and cultural contributions of women-run businesses. The event is open to everyone, regardless of gender, age, or background.

Panelist Skye Christensen, Principal Strategist at Sum & Circle Communications, expressed her enthusiasm for the event, stating, "It's an honor to be recognized by the Chamber and our local community. Giving women a chance to showcase our valuable work will benefit everyone who wants to grow and support small businesses. I look forward to sharing communication and marketing strategies with participants and meeting other ambitious, talented, and skilled folks in the community."

The Chamber is bringing back the Women Mean Business event following last year's overwhelming success. Chamber Board Member, Event Chair, and Strive Real Estate Executive, Detra Harris, emphasized the gathering's focus on economic empowerment and growth, saying, "This event is about inspiring diversity, fostering innovation, and strengthening community."

Here are the top four reasons to attend Women Mean Business 2025:

1. Support the Local Economy

Women-owned businesses are rapidly becoming a vital part of the economy, generating jobs and revenue while contributing significantly to overall prosperity. Supporting women entrepreneurs directly enhances their financial independence and wealth-building efforts, resulting in positive changes that benefit families and local communities.

2. Break Down Barriers

Women entrepreneurs frequently encounter unique challenges, from funding access to societal biases. Celebrating their successes helps dismantle these barriers and paves the way for future generations to come. Research shows that despite receiving less funding, women-founded businesses often yield a higher return on investment, highlighting their potential and the importance of investing in them.

3. Get Inspired with Fresh Perspectives

The visibility of successful women in business serves as inspiration for others, encouraging them to pursue their own entrepreneurial aspirations. The diverse experiences and viewpoints of women lead to innovation in products and services, enhancing creativity and problem-solving. 

4. Reinvest in the Community

Female entrepreneurs tend to invest their earnings back into local communities, supporting other small businesses and initiatives, creating a cycle of growth. Many women-led businesses prioritize values such as inclusivity, and sustainability, promoting a responsible business landscape.

Celebrating women-owned businesses fosters a network of mentorship and collaboration among female entrepreneurs, promoting opportunities for success. The Women Mean Business event promises to serve as a platform for empowerment and innovation, paving the way for a brighter business future for our local community.

Register here

Rachel Melby, founder of the Little Hill Real Estate Team, has once again been named the Best Real Estate "Rising Star" in the 2025 Best of El Cerrito awards. Melby says her first win two years ago helped launch her business and build momentum. “Winning Best of El Cerrito in 2023 was a turning point,” she said. “Displaying the BOEC logo on my website, Yelp, and emails instantly signaled credibility. It continues to open doors and validates my work in the community I love.”

A marketing and brand-building maven, Melby launched her real estate business with a simple philosophy: care over contracts. Melby believes clients deserve to feel informed and respected, rather than pressured into making quick decisions. That philosophy has earned recognition and loyalty from countless clients.

The Little Hill Real Estate Team leans into its community ties, presenting as more than just realtors. “We’re neighbors, hikers, volunteers, and local connectors,” Melby said. “We live here, we love it here, and we want that energy to ripple out to every client.”

For Melby, the 2025 award is more than a title. It’s validation of the trust she’s built, and in a competitive housing market, trust may be the biggest win of all. “As someone committed to building a business rooted in El Cerrito, there’s simply no higher honor [than winning BOEC],” she says. “It’s recognition that resonates with the people I most want to serve.”

Find out more about Best of El Cerrito here https://bestofelcerrito.com

Autumn is here, pumpkin spice is showing up on menus, days are getting shorter, and we’re gearing up for the holiday season. Pretty soon, we’ll be gathering with friends for holiday parties, wandering up to see the Sundar Shadi display up on the hill next to Moeser Ave, or visiting the Farmer’s Market to see the persimmons, apples, and grapes replace the summer harvest. In a region with only two seasons (fog or sun), it’s nice to be able to taste the turning of all four.

We have a few Chamber activities coming up soon. But first, a few words of thanks. This year, many businesses were honored through our Best of El Cerrito campaign — powered by your nominations and votes. I had the privilege of hand-delivering some of the awards, and let me tell you: the smiles, the surprise, the genuine joy — it was heartwarming. For many of these hardworking folks, it was a rare moment to feel truly seen and appreciated.

Running a business is no small feat. It’s long hours, tough decisions, and showing up day after day — often without any guarantee of appreciation. And while our minds tend to hang onto negative feedback, your votes and kind words broke through that noise. You reminded these business owners that what they do matters. On behalf of the entire business community, thank you for lifting them up.

Now, mark your calendar! Our second annual Women Mean Business event returns on Thursday, October 23rd, and you won’t want to miss this powerful afternoon of connection and inspiration. This year’s panel features an incredible lineup of local leaders: Esther Goodstal of Elevation 66, Skye Christensen of Sum & Circle, and Toia Mengesha of Gymboree.

Then on November 3rd, we’ll be joining our neighboring local Chambers of Commerce for a Fall Mega Mixer at El Agave Azul restaurant. These events have been restorative and full of great conversations. At the August Mega Mixer held in Crockett, we proudly hosted five tables and won some great raffle prizes!

A final request: let’s commit to shopping locally. Amazon and Walmart are hoovering dollars out of communities. But, when we shop in our local towns, we support the employees, the owners, their families, and the city services we enjoy like parks and recreation, public safety, and festivals — promoting the arts and culture that make this town special. Vote with your dollars — vote for El Cerrito.

Looking ahead, we’re preparing for 2026 with new networking opportunities, including more multi-chamber Mega Mixers, Member-sponsored mixers, a golf tournament, a classic car show, and events designed to support and grow your business. If you’re not yet a member or haven’t been active for a while, now’s a great time to jump back in.

As always, thank you for all you do to make El Cerrito vibrant, creative, and connected. Let’s keep the supportive spirit going — and continue to show up for one another.

Warmly,

Kevin O'Neal

President, El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce

The El Cerrito Farmers' Market has blossomed into a vibrant community hub, offering a range of experiences for visitors. With its recently expanded footprint, the market now features a diverse selection of vendors, showcasing fresh produce, artisanal baked goods, tasty treats, and handcrafted items. Patrons can enjoy the upbeat atmosphere, enhanced by the sounds of live music from local artists, which creates a festive ambiance on market days.

In a significant move towards inclusivity, the market is now fully accessible to all customers, proudly accepting EBT transactions. This initiative ensures that healthy, fresh food options are available to everyone in the community.

As a Certified Farmers' Market, it meets the high standards set by the State of California Department of Agriculture, assuring consumers of the quality and authenticity of the products available. The market has been operating since 1994, serving as a platform for local certified growers to connect directly with consumers while fostering a sense of community.

The Regional Farmers’ Market Association began operating the Market in May 2025. Manager, Greg Pursley, notes, “This is one of the more unique markets in the Bay Area... It’s not huge, doesn’t have huge crowds, but it’s got a good variety of products. It’s the place to come to because it’s a nice, casual market.”

The Farmers Market at El Cerrito Plaza welcomes visitors every Tuesday and Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM, inviting everyone to come out, explore, and support local agriculture.

Find out more at ElCerritoChamber.org/Farmers-Market and on Instagram @ElCerrito_Chamber and @El_Cerrito_Plaza_Market

By Jon Bashor

Mark Figone still remembers the excitement of driving the streets of El Cerrito at the wheel of a garbage truck owned by his family’s waste disposal company, East Bay Sanitary Co. He was in high school, had just recently received his driver’s license and filled in during summer vacation.

“I’ve always been fascinated by cars and trucks and I loved driving a garbage truck,” Figone said. “I felt like the king of the world.”

And it sure beat another job he had working weekends at the company’s yard in Richmond. On weekends, he’d use steaming hot water and a pressure washer to thoroughly clean two or three trucks inside and out. That meant opening the large trash compartment, climbing in and spraying down every surface to remove the dregs of a week’s worth of garbage. The pressurized hot water and the waste created a steamy stench that still sticks in Figone’s memory.

Today, he works out of the company’s office on Kearney Street, running the company with his sister, Cara Figone. They’re the third generation to lead the firm that was started by their grandfather, Victor Figone, just before World War II. When the contract for collecting El Cerrito’s trash was opened to bid in 1939 or 1940 (the records aren’t clear), Victor Figone won out and the company has retained it ever since, renewing it at various intervals.

Such long-term contracts are essential in the industry, Figone said, given the necessary investment in equipment. A new diesel trash truck costs $400,000 or more and an electric version would cost upwards of $1 million, including the needed charging infrastructure.

Through the years, the Figone family has been active in the community, sponsoring a wide range of events dating back to the 1948 Fiesta del Cerrito. It has sponsored several El Cerrito Youth Baseball teams and continues to support the city’s annual 4th of July festival. Mark Figone followed in his dad’s footsteps and became active in the EC Chamber of Commerce in 2002, serving multiple terms on the board and serving as president for several years. He’s currently the chamber’s treasurer and the president of East Bay Sanitary.

With his sister, he oversees the company’s fleet of nine trucks, seven of which are on the road during the week, with two in reserve. Each day, the trucks run three residential routes, one-and-a-half commercial routes, one-and-a-half green waste routes and they handle debris boxes on a daily route as well.

The residential trucks each make 700 to 800 stops a day. The average truck load collected each day is between six and eight tons – well below the legal load limit of 10 tons. The total weight of household discards has remained about the same over the years, Figone says, but it’s now distributed between the bins for landfill waste, recycling and green waste. The amount of recycling is inching up.

Customers can also arrange for two pickups of bulky items twice a year. Years ago, all such items were collected twice a year – the first Saturdays in May and October. Figone remembers that as a high school and college student at UC Davis, he would return home for those two weekends to help collect the items – and often brought a few fellow students with him to help out.

At Davis, he earned his degree in environmental studies, with a focus on plant and soil science with the goal of a career in land reclamation. But the call of the big trucks was strong and the money was good, so he returned to the family business.

And while he never knows exactly what each day will bring, there have been some freaky surprises.

Back in the days before the trucks could mechanically grab and empty the bins, one of the crew on the truck carried a large can on their back. They filled it with the contents of customers’ smaller cans before lugging it back to the truck.

Figone recalled a day when he climbed up two steep wooden steps to get the produce waste from two 30-gallon cans behind a small market. With his can full and weighing about 100 pounds on his back, he was lumbering downward when he heard some scrabbling inside the can. He couldn’t stop and only realized the noise was from an opossum climbing out when the marsupial slid down the side of his face and landed in front of him, opened its long jaws and hissed loudly.

“It scared the ever-loving crap out of me,” he admitted.

Even with that, he has no regrets about his career path.

“I love coming to work and I love the industry, and the other people in the business,” Figone said. “And we’re very proud of our family history that’s been given to us. It’s been grand.”

By Jon Bashor

Offering two knowledgeable speakers discussing “Ways to Increase Business Profits” and a lunch catered by California Fish Grill, the Chamber’s June 26 noontime program drew an engaged crowd of local business owners. To sweeten the deal, desserts were provided by Sara Jaffe Bakes and Tish Charles’ Cakeish Bakeshop.

The speakers, Professor Nancy Mangold from Cal State East Bay and Thao Tao of Mechanics Bank, offered complementary views on increasing profits and dealing with business ups and downs.

Mangold, who has taught at Cal State East Bay for 38 years and is the Executive Director of the East Bay Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the university, offered straightforward advice.

Create a business plan and effective business strategy: Identify the problem your business will solve and describe the solutions you are offering; What is your target market, and how will you reach those customers?

Then figure out how to execute your strategy with a marketing plan and decide on which metrics will show how well you’re doing. Is it sales? Net income? Do you have a financial plan?

She saved her best advice for last: Take advantage of the free training programs and one-on-one advising services provided by the SBDC. Learn more at eastbaysbdc.org or call 510-885-4801.

Thao Ta is the Senior Area Production Manager for retail banking at Mechanics Bank. His main advice was to dig into your business's financials – all of them, not just last year’s net income – and know your overall financial situation. Next, learn about what financial services are available to local businesses from your bank. Get to know your banking rep and consider setting up a line of credit before you need it. By then, it may be too late. For example, Ta cited a local business that had established a $100,000 line of credit and successfully maintained it. But they didn’t tap into it until a $130,000 tax bill arrived unexpectedly. Having the funds readily available kept the business open.

Learn more at mechanicsbank.com or call (510) 558-2300.

By Kevin O'Neal

Summer is in full swing, and there’s something about it that brings out the best in our community—sunny sidewalks, outdoor concerts, and small businesses buzzing with energy. This month, I want to take a moment to reflect on what makes El Cerrito special and share a few Chamber updates.

First off, a big thank you to everyone who voted in this year’s Best of El Cerrito campaign. It was inspiring to see so many local favorites celebrated—and a reminder that shopping, eating, and hiring local really does strengthen the heart of our town. Big shout out to our sponsors: El Cerrito Honda, El Cerrito Royale, El Cerrito Natural Grocery, Little Hill Real Estate, Red Oak Realty, Prospect Sierra, City of El Cerrito, NUG, Anime Island, East Bay Sanitary, and more!

At the Chamber, we're keeping that momentum going. We’re actively building partnerships that connect businesses and the broader community. One recent success was finding the Regional Farmers Market Association to take over operations of the El Cerrito Farmers Market. This partnership offers opportunities for Chamber Members and community groups to utilize market booth space, as well as adding more vendors, CalFresh, and live music.

Whether it’s co-hosted events, such as our Lunch and Learn, or having Members engaged in our booth at the July 4th worldOne Festival, or initiatives like our new Chamber Ambassadors program, we’re seeing firsthand how much more we can accomplish when we work together.

Looking ahead, we’re preparing for a busy Fall with new networking opportunities, workshops like the Women Mean Business forum, and events designed to support and grow your business. If you’re not yet a member or haven’t been active for a while, now’s a great time to jump back in.

As always, thank you for all you do to make El Cerrito vibrant, creative, and connected. Let’s keep the summer spirit going—and keep showing up for each other.

Warmly,

Kevin O'Neal
President, El Cerrito Chamber of Commerce

El Cerrito, CA — In a community that thrives on diversity and creativity, a local gem has emerged to captivate home, music, and design enthusiasts alike: Freddie's Lifestyle Shop. This distinctive store, with its carefully curated assortment of fine furniture, music, and unique home goods, offers a unique flair likely to inspire everyone who steps through its doors.

Freddie's is the brainchild of husband-and-wife duo Jon Amolo and Linda Hong, who are committed not just to running a business but to nurturing their family in El Cerrito. Their passion for discovering hidden treasures and revitalizing them with a modern twist is reflected in an array of pre-loved and well-crafted items, epitomizing a playful and bespoke lifestyle that resonates with the local community.

The shop operates both as an online storefront and a welcoming physical location at 7523 Fairmount Ave, which is open Thursdays and Fridays from 11 AM to 6 PM. The brick-and-mortar shop has been running for about two years, but owners Amolo and Hong have been collecting for decades, with deep roots in the Bay Area. Their background and experience offer a unique aesthetic, with one-of-a-kind curation.

A notable highlight of Freddie's is its role as a distributor of USM Haller units, renowned for their modular and timeless designs. The store offers a selection of custom new and used pieces, complete with free delivery in the Bay Area and affordable shipping options nationwide. Shoppers can explore a variety of storage units and credenzas, with items frequently on sale.

One customer discovered a USM unit on Freddie’s Instagram account, which showcases their latest finds (@freddies.shoppe), only to find that Freddie’s shop was right around the corner from her house. She was able to walk in, photo in hand, and make her vision a reality with a custom-built turntable for her record collection. She could have conveniently browsed for new records while she was there. With a new stylish storage unit, might as well add a classic music selection to the mix.

In addition to its furniture offerings, Freddie's Lifestyle Shop features an eclectic mix of designer chairs, beautiful rugs, and a variety of home accessories that can enhance any living space. Music aficionados will find a treasure trove of vinyl records featuring classics from legendary artists such as John Coltrane and the Art Ensemble of Chicago.

For those seeking the perfect gift for design and music lovers, Freddie's offers convenient gift cards. Whether shopping for a new favorite piece for your home or expanding your music collection, Freddie's Lifestyle Shop invites the community to discover something special. With its convenient online shopping and a welcoming physical location, they make the shopping experience as accessible and enjoyable as possible. For more information or to start shopping online, visit the Freddie's Lifestyle Shop website https://freddies.shop/

By Austin Garon

Richmond Pizza House, a beloved local eatery, continues to draw a significant following with its gourmet pizzas and inviting atmosphere. Boasting an impressive 4.5-star rating on Yelp, based on over 400 reviews, it stands out as one of the area's most cherished dining destinations. Indeed, I am now one of the many who can attest to the excellence of this establishment.

When I walked into the colorful, brick-framed eatery that sits on San Pablo Avenue just south of the I-80 overpass, the mouth-watering aroma presaged some sumptuous pizza pies. The first bite didn’t disappoint. The freshness hit my taste buds first. The salami had a robust, salty, savory flavor, and the red onions lent a nice crunch, balanced with a hint of sweetness. The decadent mozzarella was melty and rich. The marinara sauce had a fresh, tangy flavor that accented the toppings.

The locally sourced, quality ingredients help set Richmond Pizza House apart. The crust was deftly crisped on the outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Overall, this pizza, dubbed the "Jay Special" in honor of its creator, was a masterpiece – salty, cheesy, a trifle sweet, and bursting with flavor without feeling too heavy.

Beyond its outstanding pizzas, Richmond Pizza House takes pride in its meticulous cleanliness, creative menu, and the exceptional friendliness of its staff. The ambiance is casually inviting, making it a versatile spot suitable for a quick lunch, a serene dinner, or a lively gathering with friends and family.

In summary, Richmond Pizza House offers a truly delightful pizza experience, with the "Jay Special" being a must-try. Its winning combination of flavorful crust, fresh toppings, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere firmly establishes it as a must-visit for any pizza enthusiast. Pick out your own pizza at richmondpizzahouse.com

The Farmers Market at El Cerrito Plaza is open every Tuesday and Saturday from 9 AM to 1 PM. It was established as a certified market over 30 years ago, but a tragic loss ultimately led to a moment of renewal. After a careful vetting process, a new operator was chosen to run the market as of May 2025. Regional Farmers' Market Association will operate our cherished local market.