Everything in the universe is becoming high-tech “smart.” When refrigerators, clothing, shoes and vehicles talk to people more than people talk to each other, the craving for low-tech, no-tech escape is no surprise. Especially when it comes to gift giving, handmade or homemade items are treasures. Turns out, the old-fashioned bounty is huge, with plenty of options for folks seeking retro respite.
Curated and limited to just five categories from the dozens possible, these vendors and resources add a bonus by keeping those dollars local. Jumping off the AI and digital train to walk barefoot through the close-to-home landscape of low or no technology commerce is fun, creative, economically sound and community-building. In a word, it’s smart.
Paper Goods
Local sourcing for no-tech products is especially powerful when a Bay Area publisher is involved. To round up some of the best, a visit to publisher outlets or their websites yields a basket of possibilities from books to word-centric items.
The 2025 wall calendar from Berkeley’s Laurel Burch Studios offers spectacular displays of color with the late Burch’s world-renowned art featuring animals, people and earth-supportive imagery (September is especially gorgeous). Note cards, journals and other items round out the paper products.
San Francisco-based Chronicle Books has beautifully designed calendars, coloring books, games, cards and day planners, but also keep-worthy books by local writers or those from afar that center local icons like the Golden Gate Bridge or East Bay cities and hills.
Don’t forget smaller publishing entities: the cornerstone shop and imprint of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, quality children’s books from publisher Creston Books, the venerable Heyday Books’ output that highlights California’s Indigenous and environmental richness.
For extreme low-tech, investigate the market of independent zines to discover a remarkable array of words-on-paper from Unity Press in Oakland, San Francisco/Los Angeles-based Wasted Books and many more.
laurelburchstudio.com, chroniclebooks.com
Food
Frog Hollow Farms
The 280-acre organic fruit farm in Brentwood is legendary. Everything is hand-picked by full-time workers, some of whom live on the land with their families in a housing program begun 20 years ago. Frog Hollow offers in-season fruits, harvest fruit clubs and a kitchen pantry with baked goods, soups, olive oil, nuts, beans, spices and more.
An education section on the website presents their experimental insights and brief essays written by experts addressing best practices in regenerative agriculture. Online, there are dozens of recipes and an introduction to the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program and membership.
Last, but not least, the boxed gift sets available are creative—and tantalizing. One may start small-scale with the “S’mores Kit Box,” then move up to medium with a “Mixed Fruit & Cheese Box” or splurge large with “Le Grande Gift Basket.” Holiday-theme boxes are plentiful. Although for a year-round, anytime treat, we’re opting for the Ice Cream Sandwich box. Moist, homemade wafers embrace creamy peach, pluot, apricot, cherry chocolate and pear caramel ice cream.
Shipping is broadly available, and Frog Hollow participates in roughly a half-dozen East Bay weekly farmers’ markets. Is there a superlative for “Yum?” Whatever it is, Frog Hollow is that word… times 10.
Personal Art
Lireille
Jewelry designer and founder Yan Liu established this marvelous gallery in 2005 to showcase her designs. Current director Monica Schmid joined the Oakland studio in 2007 and today curates the events and artists represented—mostly women, immigrants from around the world or owners themselves of small studios and businesses. Lireille offers primarily high-end jewelry, wall art, handmade crafts and gemstones.
The jewelry and original artworks are heart-stopping: because they are transcendent and due to the realization that a one-of-a-kind treasure one adores has just been sold (website labels show items’ availability).
Accepting temporality means it’s essential to jump into action and load one’s cart with Jenny Reeves’ boldly elegant Chrysoprase Pinnacle Pendant, Claudia Berman’s understated Natural Blue Green Flawless Sapphires Earrings, Ben Cooke-Akaiwa’s earthy Rust Pebble Necklace or artwork in a range of media created by Valerie Corvin, Reiner Keller, Karen Stanton Art and others. Best advice: Don’t wait to find the perfect gift for a loved one—or oneself.
Home Garden:
Curious Flora
After Richmond’s Annie’s Annuals and Perennials abruptly ended its reign as one of the East Bay’s premier gardening nurseries, horticulturists and home gardeners throughout the region and beyond mourned the loss. Although Annie’s name, website and catalog were purchased by another entity, out of the ashes a plant-savvy phoenix arose. The nursery and retail shop were purchased and, led by Colleen Wheeler with other former Annie’s workers, Curious Flora Nursery opened in early November.
Featuring the same spirit, knowledge and practices of the original owner, the business is open every day and features the same unique assortment of familiar, exotic or native plants. Staff offers expert, PhD-level knowledge with practical advice even the least-green-thumbed person can follow. Events and workshops are likely to happen when everyone is up and running at full speed. Filling one’s home and yard with plants is earth-friendly. Every purchase helps this new/old local business thrive for decades to come.
Entertainment:
At Home and Outdoors
Saving the hardest for last, finding things to do at home and in the East Bay’s marvelous outdoors demands nuclear suggestions that branch into multiplicity.
For music and dance lovers (with parenthetical emphasis noted), key into Berkeley’s Freight & Salvage (bluegrass, Americana, roots); Cal Performances (classical, jazz, early, world music and big-name dance artists and companies); The Ivy Room (funk, rock, soul, hip-hop and more); or Paul Dresher Ensemble Studio (contemporary new or concert music of all genres and music/dance collaborations with choreographers).
Outdoor enthusiasts and athletes may hit the supreme trails in Charles Lee Tilden Regional Park; dive into the pool at Richmond Plunge; explore land and sea at Berkeley Marina; or pedal all the way to the peak at Mount Diablo State Park along the recently upgraded roads that improve bicycle safety.
Access to the visual arts, dance, theater and film is easier than ever. Attending in-person instead of streaming a performance online directly supports local artists and companies.
Again, the options are seemingly endless. Highlights among them include theaters Berkeley Repertory and Shotgun Players; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, and Oakland Museum of California for visual art, films, community workshops and events; and neighborhood cinematography houses such as Rialto Cinemas Elmwood in Berkeley and Grand Lake Theater in Oakland that specialize in independent and foreign films and documentaries, with the latter also screening current, first-run and major studio flicks.
