Visited prominently located jewelry store thrice, once for a purchase a subsequently year later…read morefor a repair. Ryland was very helpful with the sale. And Jamie was incredibly helpful with the repair. I appreciate it how Jamie worked with me to find the best solution and/or resolution. They had quite a selection of popular designs for rings. The store and customer service sparkled.

I don't get why people like this place. It may be OK for watch or jewelry repair, or to buy an…read moreengagement ring or piece of jewelry, but it not a great place to sell gold or jewelry. I am considering selling a couple of pieces of gold jewelry and was hoping to get estimates. I also have a ring that needs to be reshaped and possibly resized, and a necklace I want shortened. The jewelry was inspected but not weighed, and the price quoted was probably 1/4 of what I received from other places. They criticized the ring and initially told me it was chipped, which it was not, and said the time and cost to cut a simple gold chain would be high and take a long time. Based on the customer experience, I would never go back. Take your time and shop around, as there are a lot of better options, including The Gold Drop in San Rafael, and Prince in Sausalito, both of which excelled at customer service and provided much better pricing.

Tatjana Kopp is what's known as a designer's resource and secret weapon. If you have a priceless…read moreantique rug or a rug that is only priceless to you she can probably restore it. She just finished mending a rip that required removing a 1' long piece on a ripped up border. She added a backing and hand stitched a new border. Unless you knew what to look for you would never know! I'm thrilled. This rug is only valuable to me but she instructed me on how to maintain it better (which included no vacuuming!). Her prices are very reasonable, she is professional, fast and very easy to work with. I have used her for clients as well and she makes me look great.

My bf's hand woven wool rug had experienced the wrath of an angry ex wielding a box cutter knife…read more We both got sick of looking at his beautiful war torn rug. I was pleasantly surprised to find Tatjiana to come to the rescue! The destruction to the rug transcended all the repairs she had ever taken on. However, she offered her expertise and explained the game plan to us after seeing the rug. Unfortunately, it had gone years without being repaired, was vacuumed over and used in the interim. Subsequently, this exacerbated the damage. She applied a practical and cost effective solution as she saw fit for the challenge. Ultimately, the repair ended up being way less than expected, and she delivered the results which were prefaced. Her skills, expertise and honest business dealings are highly appreciated. I would definitely recommend her to anyone in need of some rug restoration!

First time here. They put the clearance swimsuits up front, which was so unexpected but…read moreappreciated. The longtime staff were really helpful and nice. The young clerks didn't quite know how to help, but tried. They have a good assortment of sports gear and cater to kids teams as well. Wish they had kids mirrored goggles. Appreciate the community support!

Every time we come here, we get the best service and best quality sports gear!! Love T & B!!read more

I hired Robert for professional pictures to update my linked in & social media pages. He was very…read moreflexible & helpful. he took the time to understand what style I was looking for. The pictures turned out amazing & I highly recommend him.

I worked with Robert to shoot some headshots for my portfolio and some fun shots for social media…read more If you have never hired a photographer before, I recommend making a moodboard to help you identify what style of shoot you'd like, which can help you communicate your vision to the photographer. I reached out via Instagram, and talked through my goals. I did include a moodboard and Robert made helpful suggestions that aligned with my vision. During the shoot itself, he was professional, and did a great job helping me to relax since I had no idea what I was doing and was a little bit nervous having my picture taken. The shots turned out great, and I'm loo

Lisa is an extremely talented artist who specializes in acrylic paintings. Her use of the knife is…read moreexquisite and really brings her work to life. I particularly enjoy her many captures of nature and the calming effect of the environment. Lisa, like her art has a radiant personality and is truly a joy to be around.

I only recently met Lisa through my wife Kimmy and I must say Kimmy has very good taste in people…read more My mother was an accomplished artist herself and I think Lisa shows real talent. She uses mainly Acrylic Paint and a knife to paint and has a gift for perspective, color, and balance. I was especially impressed by her subtle use of blue in a small painting of birches, which really pops out at you almost like 3D. I know too how difficult painting water can be and she tackled that nicely in a recent boat painting. Again I was both surprised and pleased by her use of color here. I am getting ready to publish a new book of poetry and hoping that I will be able to talk Lisa into doing some painting that will capture the mood of my work! Keep your eye on this young lady! I know that I am!

I have attended the White Elephant Sale since I was 12, and now at 26 I feel that the sale has…read morediminished in quality, quantity, value, and overall experience. The White Elephant sale has honestly felt very different since 2020. Before the pandemic, there were walk up donations, the warehouse was always full, and the March sale was still packed with treasures to be found. Now the warehouse feels empty even during preview, all walk up and drive up donations have been eliminated, and the March sale is advertised as a "clearance sale" because of how empty the warehouse is. Stopping walk up and drive up donations has seriously hurt the sale. The number of small trinket items to be found is much smaller than it used to be. While there may be costs saved by not having to sort through and discard items that are not sellable, is the loss of profit from not having those smaller items greater? People like me used to donate all the time to the sale, but now donate to thrift stores that have walk up and drive up options instead. How many other people also have a bag full of great items but are not donating them because pickup donations are the only option? I have also found that in recent years the staff has become less and less kind. This year there was not a single visit to the warehouse that was not met with rude or unprofessional behavior by volunteers. That is not to say there are not wonderful volunteers, because I have had great experiences as well, but the number of negative interactions I have had seems to be increasing. I have been accused of stealing, had snarky comments made toward me, and have been accused of price switching. It has gotten to the point where going to the White Elephant is no longer bringing me joy, and it is difficult to see volunteers act with such low levels of kindness. You often emphasize being kind to volunteers, but shoppers deserve that same level of kindness and respect. One thing that stands out when it comes to how empty the warehouse has been, as well as the general morale of the volunteers, is the changing culture of reselling. I recognized dealers from Alameda Point and various antique markets as new volunteers, which makes me wonder if they are partially contributing to the diminished quality and quantity of items this year. In the past, almost all volunteers seemed to be there because they believed in the mission of the Oakland Museum. Now it appears that some newer volunteers may be more motivated by making money. It also raises the question that if they are pricing items they later purchase, were those items priced fairly? Especially when their ultimate goal is to resell items and make money. In addition, there seems to be a lack of willingness to receive feedback. As another reviewer mentioned, it can feel like the organization operates under the idea that because it is for charity and run by volunteers, feedback should not be given. That approach is simply unsustainable. I attempted to provide feedback both in person and on Instagram and was met with very combative responses. This is confusing, as feedback is essential when running such a large sale, and experiences like that make me hesitant to return. I have heard from others that the White Elephant has been "cleared out" this year. Without the return of more casual donations, stronger screening of volunteers, and limitations on what volunteers are able to purchase during presale events, the White Elephant will likely continue to decline. As a loyal shopper, I truly hope the organization will begin taking feedback seriously and consider changes that can help bring the sale back to its former glory.

I've gone to the white elephant for years, 10+ to be specific. This year the selection was…read moredrastically different than previous years (I'll get back to this). Not only that, the prices were the highest I had seen. I included photos of some examples of what was priced super high in bric a brac (on your Facebook page the admin said to 'show specific examples') so I took photos of items I couldn't fathom being that high (even after looking on eBay to compare- the prices were just outrageous considering condition and quality). Not only that, but the selection on preview day (im usually in the first 30 people- and first to the department I shop) it already looked picked through. From what I understand the volunteers shop the sale before- but it's very disheartening and worrying when I recognize people who are new volunteers and I regularly see them sell at local things as resellers (nobody is saying you can't do that!), but it's more so the piecing together the lack of vintage and quality goods this year on preview, and the new volunteers, it's easy to assume there is a correlation. I worry that the integrity of the sale may be lost- and will only worsen as the years carry on. I know departments can vary year to year- of course that's a factor I consider. This is not a normal amount of variation- it's not like there was 30% less of something I have ALWAYS seen at your preview sale- it was 100% gone. And when I'm the first person looking- I know someone at preview didn't get it ahead of me. I heard from others who attended- even some people who didn't! They both said the same thing- white elephant was cleared out this year. Culture shifting about second hand and thrifting should be a consideration and something to keep in mind- the structure of this sale will collapse if it isn't. I'd imagine in the next couple years, the amount of resellers volunteering will outnumber the volunteers who have been there for years due to them retiring/ no longer doing it - and in turn will diminish the sale itself. I think how the preview tickets sold out in a little over a day vs a week last year, should convey how there is an increase in demand, to the degree that people will try to covertly get around it and 'ahead' by volunteering. Correct me if I'm wrong, but many new volunteers this year didn't follow through with their commitments after they shopped on their preview- it makes you wonder.

My "oriental" rugs needed cleaning prior to being put in storage, I called Iraj at Silk Road…read moreOdessey in San Rafael (sister company to Rug Masters rug cleaning company) on the recommendation of other professionals who work in the cleaning and restoration of antique rugs. Iraj was very knowledgeable. He clearly explained the cleaning process that he used and his reasonable charge. He cheerfully accommodated my schedule for pickup and delivery, and when I was unexpectedly delayed in receiving the cleaned rugs, he kindly stored them in his facility for a couple of months. The cleaned rugs look and feel wonderful. I am lucky to have been introduced to Iraj and have no hesitation in recommending his services.

Owner is very knowledgeable and friendly. Reasonably priced. Picked up our oriental rug today. The…read morerepair work was exceptional. After repair and cleaning, the rug colors were revived and the repair work was not noticeable. Would most definitely recommend Silk Road Odyssey.