Lafayette Chamber of Commerce Blog

Shop Local with the New “Try Lafayette First” Gift Card!

Written on May 12, 2013 by Lafayette Chamber in Merchants, TLF Update, Uncategorized, Why Join Lafayette Chamber?

That’s right! Your Lafayette Chamber of Commerce has partnered with GiftCards.com, and we are launching a program that will drive more business to you and your chamber members in Lafayette.

This is a “branded” gift card that people can be purchased on line or bought at the Chamber.

Your business can participate for $59/year. This cost will link you to the network that will recognize and credit your business when a purchase is made.

Only Chamber Member businesses will be invited to participate.

In the first two days we have signed on over 30 businesses. We are always working on new ways to help promote your business. We invested in this program because we see a huge upside when you take advantage of this offer.

To learn more about Lafayette’s very own Gift Card, please contact Ken Seagle at 925-580-8896 or email Ken at ken.seagle@giftcards.com. You must enroll with ken.seagle@giftcards.com to be included in the program

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Queen Bee is Closing! Sales Begin.

Written on April 22, 2013 by Lafayette Chamber in Merchants

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It’s sad but true. Queen Bee, a favorite local Lafayette store that has operated at 261 Lafayette Circle for 8 years is closing.

(NOTE: We had originally thought that the building had been sold but have since learned that it is actually still available for lease or sale — see comment below this post!)

“We are still receiving new inventory, (beautiful wood frames, jewelry, fun wood signs and much more!),” owners Cheryl Sass and Jane Omick write in their email blast announcing the closing, adding, “All good things must come to an end. Its been so wonderful doing business with all of you. Thank you for 8 great years!”

Read our original blog post about Queen Bee, written in 2010.

Closing sales are starting. Shop early for best selections.

Queen Bee
261 Lafayette Circle
925 283 7900
Mon – Sat 10:30 – 5:30
Sun 12:00 – 5:00

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The Storyteller is Lafayette’s Small Business of the Year

Written on April 16, 2013 by Lafayette Chamber in Merchants

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Congratulations to The Storyteller for being named Lafayette’s Small Business of the Year.

Independent Book Stores have been on the endangered species list for some time. Mega Stores opened and swallowed the little guys. Then came online sales and downloadable versions. In Lafayette, though, we value being able to walk into a book store with our children, and getting lost in the magical world of stories. Not only is The Storyteller a top-notch store with great selections for children and young adults, they employ the friendliest knowledgeable sales staff around. The store experience includes puppet shows, story telling and gift wrapping.

Have you stopped by The Storyteller’s new location? The store just moved last week from Lafayette Circle to the Shops at Plaza Center, just behind Peet’s and Whole Foods, at 3506E Mt. Diablo Blvd. This is the fifth location since 1986, including 3 at La Fiesta Square, before it was renovated. Do you remember all the locations?

Linda Higham is no stranger to books and children. She was for many years a local school teacher. About her secret to success, she says, “My employees are educators and librarians who are dedicated to children’s literature, and the surrounding community is loyal to our store.”

Linda will be honored at the 13th Annual Contra Costa Council Small Business Awards Luncheon on Friday, May 10th at the Hilton Concord. If you are interested in attending this event, contact Linda Carlson at 284-7404 or linda@lafayettechamber.org.

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Chef Philippe Chevalier of Chevalier Restaurant Named to Best Chefs America

Written on March 28, 2013 by Lafayette Chamber in Restaurants

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Phillippe Chevalier of Chevalier Restaurant in Lafayette, CA

Photo courtesy of Chevalier Restaurant

Congrats to Chef Chevalier on being included in Best Chefs America. Read more from the related press release:

Chef Philippe Chevalier, of Chevalier Restaurant restaurant, has been honored as one of the country’s top culinary talents in the inaugural edition of Best Chefs America.

This is the first-ever peer review guide of U.S. chefs, who were chosen after extensive interviews between their fellow chefs and Best Chefs America analysts. Chef Chevalier has been showcased in the informative and exquisitely produced 386-page coffee table book that was released on March 1, 2013.

“It is a great honor to be nominated by my peers and included in Best Chefs America,” states Chef Chevalier.

“Chefs themselves truly understand what it takes to be successful in this competitive industry, and Best Chefs America offers them a forum to express their views,” states Elizabeth Fishburne, Best Chefs America Lead Analyst. “Based on the overwhelmingly positive response from more than 5,000 participating chefs, it is clear that the chef world was ready for us.”

About Chevalier Restaurant

Chef Chevalier is the Owner/Executive Chef of CHEVALIER restaurant, located at 960 Moraga Road in Lafayette. Since opening in 2008, Chef Chevalier has been honored with 4 Michelin Bib Gourmand Awards, Voted Best Chef of the Bay Area and Lafayette’s Business of the Year 2012. He started his training at the age of 14 in his native France and after heading Michelin starred kitchen in Paris and St. Tropez, has opened his own Chevalier Restaurant in Lafayette. Dinner only, Tuesday – Sunday, 5pm. Full bar, garden patio seating, nightly blackboard specials. www.chevalierrestaurant.com. 952.385.0793.

About Best Chefs America

To create Best Chefs America, analysts conducted more than 5,000 confidential telephone interviews with chefs who were nominated by other chefs, culinary professionals and food enthusiasts across the country. The interviews consisted of a series of proprietary questions, and software was used to aggregate the data. Chefs earning the highest scores among their peers in their region were included in the guide.

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3 New Intro Social Media Workshops Announced – LinkedIn, Facebook and Youtube

Written on February 19, 2013 by Lafayette Chamber in Training, Why Join Lafayette Chamber?

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Jump Start Your 2013 Marketing with Special Intro Social Media Workshops@ Lafayette Library and Learning Center

Free for Lafayette Chamber & Moraga Chamber Members, All Others $15

Quick Link to Registration Form

Our next three workshops in the Social Media Strategies Workshop Series will be Intro Level workshops on critical social media platforms. We’ll spend a portion of each workshop on the basics, including set-up, and profile optimization, then move to strategy and first steps towards goal-focused use of that platform.

Please also join us immediately after the 2/20 workshop for a KKDV Coffee Break. You don’t have to go to the workshop to participate. Just meet us just outside the Library’s Art & Science Classroom at 9:30 a.m.

Details about the 3 Intro workshops are below. All are welcome, but these workshops are designed for beginners to beginning/intermediate platform knowledge.

If you’re wondering if its a good fit for you, please feel free to contact Robin Fox at Robin@ClientDrivenMarketing.com

Quick Link to Registration Form

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92.1 KKDV Contest – Your chance to win free radio advertising. Just enter and listen.

Written on February 11, 2013 by Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director in Lafayette Business News

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Thank-you to 92.1 KKDV for inviting me into their studio on Thursday to record a short spot about the Lafayette Chamber’s longtime partnership with them. Extra credit goes to Tricia Ferguson, DJ at KKDV, who produced it. Let’s just say she was really patient with me!

I’m a long time listener to KKDV, and it feels like every time I walk into a business with a radio on, they’ve dialed into 92.1, too.

When you hear the radio spot, you’ll see that I talked about some of the wonderful reasons people love to live, work and relax in Lafayette – our amazing restaurant row, pedestrian-friendly downtown, easy access to BART, miles of walking and bike paths, the Reservoir and Briones, and, of course, the annual Lafayette Art & Wine Festival. The truth is, there really wasn’t enough time in a 60-second radio spot to do it all justice, but I did try. Let me know what you think when you hear it.

Meanwhile… Enter to win $5000 in 92.1 KKDV advertising, just for listening!

Keep that radio dialed to 92.1 KKDV! If you hear your favorite business announced at 9:50 a.m., give them a quick call. They only have 30 minutes to call the station to be entered in a drawing for $5,000 worth of free radio advertising. The contest runs from now through March 8^th .

NOTE to businesses: You have to enter your business first to even have a chance at any of this. Do that by emailing KKDV at contests@kkdv.com with your name, phone number and your company’s name. When you do, you’ll also be entered in a weekly drawing for an office visit from KKDV with an Ultimate Coffee Break.

Plus – check this out: The Lafayette Chamber wins when you do. The chamber that the winning business is a member of will also win a $2,500 advertising campaign with KKDV. Wouldn’t that be handy?

To learn more about KKDV’s $5,000 Business Boost, visit www.kkdv.com or contact Promotions Director, Angela Ruffoni at (925)425-5018

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Coffee with Mayor Anderson, Part II: Answers to the Questions

Written on January 30, 2013 by Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director in Events, Lafayette Business News, Why Join Lafayette Chamber?

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Thank you to all who joined us for the “Q&A Coffee with the Mayor,” hosted by the Lafayette Chamber on Friday, January 25, 2013. It was a great opportunity for casual conversation — and a chance to ask questions. Anticipating the event, I posted two of my questions in an article the day prior.

With this blog post, I am reiterating the questions and summarizing Mayor Anderson’s responses: For additional background information for each of the questions, please refer to the original blog post titled, “Jay’s 2 Questions for Mayor Anderson at Friday’s Coffee — What are yours?”

Question #1: Balancing Growth in Lafayette (Including Parking Issues)

Mayor Anderson, what do you see as the balance between keeping Lafayette as a semi-rural small town while still positioning ourselves to take advantage of the future growth of Contra Costa County?

Mayor Anderson’s response (paraphrased):

The Downtown Specific Plan (“DSP”) is going to help move this process forward. We are now completing the Design Guidelines for future downtown construction. The next step will be to communicate the vision to the developers who want to come to Lafayette. We now have a plan we can help guide us. The Chamber can become a very helpful partner is this phase.

On the related issue of parking, Mayor Anderson agreed that traffic and circulation are and will be a problem. The mayor wants the discussion to begin. There is a lot of parking in the downtown but it is in the wrong places and people can’t find it. Employees need to find a new place to park, not in front of their employment. The Chamber has asked about permitted parking and Mike will bring that up again. There is also talk about consolidation of parking in the core.

Question #2: Service Priorities: Keeping us safe and healthy as well as educated

Mayor Anderson, we’re always concerned about having enough money to keep our education in our community at the very highest level, how will we find a way to keep our police and fire services at that same high level?

Mayor Anderson’s response (paraphrased):

The real problem here seems to be the pensions. Mike told the story of a fireman walking into a bar and everyone there says “Hey, let me buy you a drink! You do great work!” Now when the fireman walks into the bar, everyone yells “Hey buy me a drink. You’re so rich now, you can buy the drinks.”

Debt has gone up and services have gone down. The county is working on several alternatives to keep service levels up. They include having an Emergency Medical team separate from the regular fire crews that could be located centrally in Lamorinda. 80% of emergency calls are medical related. Other ideas include joint fire station between Lafayette And Moraga, Mutual Aid, changes to the schedules and availability of AMR.

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Are You Adjusting Your Business Practices for the New Normal?

Written on January 28, 2013 by Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director in Lafayette Business News, Training, Why Join Lafayette Chamber?

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I was asked recently if the “fiscal cliff was creating a slower economic start to 2013?”

Who am I to answer this question? And let’s face it — what happens in Lafayette is not indicative of the rest of our country’s spending habits.

However, I have a few observations.

Our City Manager has predicted that our property and sales tax will grow this fiscal year. 2% in property taxes and an increase of almost 15% in sales tax. This represents not only the largest gain since 2007 but also the one of the fastest growing cities in Contra Costa County.

Have you been to Walnut Creek since the holidays? The streets are packed with shoppers. The restaurants are busy. Can’t tell we are in a “slow-down” from my view. Lafayette has been quite lively, too! Does that translate into cash register tallies at all our store, though? No. But there are some who appear to be doing really well. Have you figured out their formula for success?

2013 vs. 2006

Are there still businesses that will tell you they still have not gotten back to 2006? You bet! That is because WE are never going to get back to 2006.

The new normal is different. It’s different for the Chamber, too. Today we are still in the business of supporting local business but now that also includes providing more educational opportunities like our weekly SCORE appointments for anyone wishing to discuss their business plans. Social Networking workshops and “Content Marketing” are also subjects that have created a “buzz” with small businesses. As a matter of fact, we could spend hours on why small businesses always leave marketing out of their business plan and their budgets — and why that’s increasingly a mistake.

Time to adjust? We’ve adjusted. So can your business. It starts, though, with a willingness to focus on accepting change. What are you doing differently so that you’re on the winning side of the new normal? Your competition is simply not the guy down the street or in the next town. They could be thousands of miles away, doing what you do for less. Or even worse, doing what you do, better. Local businesses have the gift of knowing their community and what makes us tick. Use this information to win back your “local” share.

My last observation about the fiscal cliff is about change, too. We avoided the most recent fiscal cliff with temporary solutions.

Until the Federal debt ceiling is addressed, we are merely getting by. At some point the rubber is going to meet the road and I think we will see a stall as we all adjust to another new world.

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Jay’s 2 Questions for Mayor Anderson at Friday’s Coffee — What are yours?

Written on January 24, 2013 by Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director in Events, Lafayette Business News

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I hope you’re planning to join us for the Coffee with the Mayor event on Friday, January 25, 8 a.m. at the Chamber. This is a great opportunity to ask your questions.

Here are two of mine:

Question #1: Balancing Growth in Lafayette

Last week’s San Francisco Business Times had both an article and an editorial speaking about the ways that Lafayette and Walnut Creek have been embracing (housing) growth around the BART station and downtown shopping areas. Did you read them?

Here’s what the SF Business Times Editors had to say about us in the Viewpoint article titled, “Refusnik cites have to get with the housing program”:

“And with projects now off the drawing board and into the ground, they are about the reap the benefits: Fees related to development. Additional customers for local business. Downtowns that become less car-centric and friendlier to pedestrians. And, critically, an influx of younger residents drawn by more vibrant environment that’s being created. That’s the only way communities regenerate themselves: With a sharper eye towards the interests of the next generation, rather than the last.”

With this in mind – and knowing many people in Lafayette want to make sure we don’t lose our small town charm:

Mayor Anderson, what do you see as the balance between keeping Lafayette as a semi-rural small town while still positioning ourselves to take advantage of the future growth of Contra Costa County?

Question #2: Service Priorities: Keeping us safe and healthy as well as educated

With the recent closure of a Lafayette fire station, the uptick in downtown crime, and the growing awareness about school safety issues, I have budgets and service priorities on my mind, so:

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Lafayette Chamber’s Entrepreneur’s Club Starts 2013 with a New Leader

Written on January 21, 2013 by Jay Lifson, Lafayette Chamber Executive Director in Why Join Lafayette Chamber?

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We began our 2013 Entrpreneur’s Club series on Thursday, January 17, with the announcement of selecting a new Chair for the group — Eric M. Halverson, a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones Investments who lives in Lafayette. Eric has built his career around managing money, building relationships and ultimately doing what is right for his clients. Eric is also the new Offensive Line coach for the Campolindo High School Cougars.

Welcome, Eric, and congratulations!

Are you an Entrepreneur? Whether your business is large or small, three generations in the making, or just starting out, you will be in good company with us. You will find the atmosphere of our meetings loose, friendly and fun.

Learn from top speakers on relevant topics.
Brainstorm on specific issues and challenges members face as entrepreneurs, including business development tips.
Introduce yourself and your business.
You are not required to be a Lafayette Chamber member.
There is no cost or fee, So… if you are an Entrepreneur or want to be…

Eric will be working with a small advisory committee to prepare this year’s Entrepreneur’s Club meetings, speaker line up and other programs.

Last Thursday, the speaker was Sue Breedlove, who gave us some really important information on the changes in health care in California.

Are you interested in attending Entrepreneur’s Club meetings? We meet the third Thursday of each month at the Chamber office, 8:30am.

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