Alex B.

Landmark Shattuck Cinema

Located in the center of Berkeley. You go to watch and evening show your greated brightly lit old fashioned cinema.

This is a small cinema with only a few screens. They tend to play more artsey films that are not shown at their larger multiplex counterparts on general release.

The auditoriums are kind of small with the seats crammed close together and the cieling resembles the night sky with little white lights that look like stars. Its not very comfortable but you go for the character of the place and maybe to see a film that isnt on the big screens elsewhere.

Best Buy

This store is pretty large with alot of space between the aisles. It often has companies doing sales demo's on their products. It is considered a Best Buy Business Store i guess the sales staff are better trained to know and understand the requirements of the small - medium sized business owner. Which means that the prices are actually slightly more expensive than the neighboring Best Buys in the Bay Area.

Its located in a large shopping area with alot of other large warehouse stores close by. Of course it has plenty of parking to.

Home Depot

This store is a spin off from the Home Depot they cater more to people with higher budgets for home decorating. The floor layout is very attractive and you can see 'demo rooms' on how the finished product will look as a kitchen. They offer a complete design service for you if you want it and the sales staff are very helpful and willing to assist.

Borders Books & Music

This is a nice store located in the Emeryville Public Market. Check the clearance table for discounted books and sit with a newspaper or magazine in their cafe.

The employees are very friendly and helpful but might be hard to track down at times they get lost in this large store.

The music area has listening posts where you can listen the preselected CD's.

AMC Cinemas

This is a large cinema with a small video game area for the kids waiting to see a movie. There isnt much to write home about the cinema it is a typical multiplex with very little character. The only redeeming quality is the automated machines outside that you can use to buy your ticket if the ticket booth line is long. As is normal the food and beverages are grossly inflated in price. The multi story parking lot is poorly designed and is alway congested so it can take a good 30-40 minutes circling to find parking.

PROS: Lots of movie times to choose from for each film
CONS: nightmare parking

Office Depot

I dont regularly shop only if i see special deals from their circular that are cheaper than the competition since its a bit of a drive for me.

Everytime ive been in the store it looked deserted I guess they do most of their business off the internet or phone orders. They were very williling to come and help me maybe it was to break the boredom of not having customers. The parking lot although small was empty to

Lisa's Nail Care

This is your average, run-of-the mill nail salon. They do a good job, but nothing that would blow your socks off or anything like that. They are a little bit slow. They have back-massaging pedicure spa chairs, but they don't look like the massaging chairs in many nail salons. (I point this out because if you didn't realize then you might not look for the "remote".) The have a nice, large UV drying-table.

PROS: Nice UV Drying Table, Slightly Cheaper than some Nail Salons
CONS: A bit slow, limited selection of nail colors

Sara's Nail Salon

This nail salon has been around FOREVER and has very loyal customers. However, I had a bad experience - they made one of my cuticles bleed. Maybe it was just a freak thing, but I never went back to give them a second chance. I also thought the place felt a little dingy.

Junket

This cafe was located in El Cerrito Plaza even before the rennovation of the Shopping Center that has occurred over recent years.
They serve sandwiches and other light deli-food. They were serving espresso here before Starbucks was a household word. The place has a bit of a European atmosphere and handles a variety of specialty food items in its "grocery" section, particularly specialty items imported from Europe.

PROS: Local Business, Ethical (Not open on Sunday!), Good Quality
CONS:

Farmer's Market at El Cerrito Plaza

This farmer's market is held on Saturdays and Tuesdays in the southwest corner of the Plaza Parking lot. This is the perfect opportunity to buy fresh, organic produce and to buy directly from the farmer - eliminating the middle man. (This is good for the consumer AND the farmer as well.) The market tends to be bigger on Saturdays than on Tuesdays. Be sure to check out the flower stall for really CHEAP and excellent-quality roses. The "orchid man" is also a favorite at the market. There also tend to be other specialty items like honey, fresh pasta, freshly-made salsas, etc. Occasionally there will be a booth selling jewelry and sometimes there is live music.

PROS: Buy fresh, organic produce directly from the farmer!
CONS: Parking/parking lot can be difficult/hectic on market days. Best to walk.