Best Of 2012: Legends

Every week, we here at the Bohemian take delight in letting readers know about everything that’s brand-new. The restaurant that’s just opened; the pioneering green company; the just-formed band; the fresh event on the horizon; the forward-thinking ideas being put into action. As the North Bay’s weekly, this is our specialty in the community.

But a community is not built primarily upon the young. Many came before us, doing things smartly and correctly. Some have been so smart and correct that they’ve lasted 40, 50, 60 years. Some have lasted a hundred years, or even more.

To these landmarks of the community, these legends, we dedicate this issue.

The legends you’ll read about in these pages, apart from the readers poll results, are all local businesses that have survived for 40 years or more. In the past few years, we’ve been heartbroken when some of our favorites have closed down—Sawyer’s News, Heller’s for Children and Traverso’s come to mind, or, going further back, Yardbirds, Village Music, the Old Adobe. But why wait for a funeral to sing the praises of these types of businesses, when there are so many still open, providing local character and deserving of support?

Those singing praises in this issue, identified by their initials, are Leilani Clark, Suzanne Daly, Rachel Dovey, Nick Grizzle, Stett Holbrook, Christina Julian, James Knight, Gabe Meline, Jacquelynne Ocaña, Bruce Robinson, David Sason and Michael Shufro.

Of course, there are too many noteworthy places that have been around for 40 years or more to fit into these pages, places like G&G Supermarket, Marin Joe’s, Stanroy Music Center, Hawley’s Paints . . . The list goes on and on. You know these places when you see them. They have a vibe. They’re rooted in the community. To us, they are legends.

—Gabe Meline, Editor