There’s nothing like the frenzy of trying to guess the right answer before the time runs out. Board games have always been one of my favorite things to do with friends. And man, I hit the jackpot a few weeks ago when I stopped by It’s Your Move Games & Hobbies in Temescal. It’s Your Move has thousands of games to choose from. There are classics like Monopoly, Risk, Sorry, cribbage, and chess. There are role-playing, language, mystery, city-building, and portable road trip games. Cards, game pieces, Sudoku… games for kids, adults, you name it.

It’s Your Move is becoming a gathering spot for game lovers. The place is colorful and comfy, with comic strip-style art on the walls (courtesy of a local painter), game tables, a big cozy couch, and lots of treats to snack on. Owners Terry Roff and Sally Ambury took over the store almost two years ago, and they live right down the street. They welcome customers to sit down and play a casual game from their stack of open games, or participate in one of their scheduled tournaments. With an in-house game master, the store hosts Dungeons and Dragons tournaments on weekends, and is one of several Bay Area locations for monthly Scrabble competitions (see Cynthia Pughsley, a local Scrabble coordinator above).

Oh, and you couldn’t ask for a better store for gifts! There is literally something for everyone here. In fact, you can host a birthday party here, with a game master to facilitate an adventure, if you’d like. SO much better than McDonald’s…

So forget about American Idol for a night, grab a game to challenge your brain, and engage in a little (friendly!) competition with your friends and family.

It’s Your Move Games & Hobbies
4920 Telegraph Ave
510 547-4FUN (4386)
http://www.itsyourmovegames.com
people@itsyourmovegames.com

Open late most weeknights!
Mon: 2:30-8:30pm
Tues: 10:30am-10:30pm
Weds: Closed
Thurs to Sat: 10:30am-8:30pm
Sun: 10:30am-6:30pm

By Guest Contributor Selma Taylor

Showin’ Out is a hair gallery and boutique located in the Laurel District of Oakland. Lutillian Hudson, owner, has operated the business for 14 years. In 1989, Ms. Hudson — called Tillie by customers and friends — sold 20 pairs of earrings in one day from her car. A friend made her an earring case which held 80 pairs and she sold earrings from the case for 2-3 years until she opened the salon in 1992. Today, she displays the case in the store as a reminder of her beginnings.

Showin’ Out Hair Gallery and Boutique offers unique jewelry, handbags, hats, scarves, greeting cards, bath products, and journals. Tillie travels to Los Angeles and New York to purchase handbags that are different, but moderately priced. The boutique has gifts from $10 and under. Tillie started a $4 bargain basket of jewelry to attract her customers to buy other boutique items. The $4 basket has become so popular, it has become a “must look through it” and a mainstay for her customers.

Tillie is not just a business person; she is a contributor to her community. For four years Tillie was the Events Coordinator for the High Street/MacArthur Avenue - Laurel Merchants Association. In that capacity, Tillie would organize the annual event of activities involving music and community service booths which culminated with bicycle give aways for the youth.

For 10 years, Tillie has hired youth to work in her business. There are at least 2 youths working in her business at any time. She trains them on customer service, responsibility, merchandising, cash management and the like. Showin’ Out Hair Gallery has also been an incubator for many hair stylists, who after a stint with Tillie, open their own businesses.
Tillie’s dream for her boutique business is to “look like the MAC counter at Nordstrom on a Saturday” — full of eager customers. So, if you want to shop in a relaxing environment where you get plenty of customer service, try Showin’ Out Hair Gallery and Boutique. See photos of the merchandise and the salon here!

Showin’ Out Hair Gallery & Boutique
3717 Macarthur Boulevard
Laurel District
510.531.0600

OUT: Styrofoam & Plastic
IN: Corn?

Oakland Councilwoman Jean Quan is proposing an ordinance that will (finally!) ban styrofoam disposable food service ware and require that all disposable service ware is biodegradable, when it’s affordable. You can find out more and get involved by checking out her website: http://www.jeanquan.org.

In the meantime, we thought you might be interested in seeing a water bottle biodegrade. One company that uses corn to make water bottles, Biota, has a video of the biodegradation process. According to their site, it takes 75-80 days for these to completely biodegrade — a plastic bottle will NEVER biodegrade! Very cool technology. Click here for the movie.

Need legal help? Lome Aseron is an Oakland attorney who helps entrepreneurs reduce the legal risks of running a business through incorporation, employment law, and contract preparation and negotiation services. An entrepreneur at heart, Lome is committed to the success of Oakland-based businesses and has represented retailers and professionals throughout the city.
Lome A. Aseron, Esq.
Tribune Tower, 19th Floor
510.348.0101
lome@aseronlaw.com

If you haven’t already, you should check out www.ArtistResource.org. It has an incredible amount of resources for artists, including calendars of shows, events and classes, readings, interactive forums, competitions, jobs, galleries, portfolios, hundreds of art links, art supplies, advice and techniques, and artists’ stories. Artist Resource is a volunteer-supported non-profit organization operating as a project of California Lawyers for the Arts.

April 27 - May 27
100 Families - West Oakland Art Exhibit
African American Museum and Library of Oakland
The project celebrates the creative spirit and power of families and neighborhoods in Oakland through the process of making art. The goal of 100 Families Oakland is to promote hope, action and beauty in our lives.

Saturday, May 13
Fair Trade Day
Music, food samples, cooking lessons, film and more!
Alter Eco/ Justin Herman Plaza - San Francisco
8am - 4pm

Saturday, May 13
BusinessWoman’s Expo
Bay Area BusinessWoman’s Expo offers entrepreneurs, small business owners, professionals, nonprofit leaders, business partners, and readers Critical Conversations designed to expand your knowledge base and build resource connections leading to greater success and fulfillment.
Oakland Marriott
8:30 am
http://www.babwnews.com/expo/

Saturday May 13
Proud Parents Grand Stroll
Celebrating Oakland’s diverse families for Mothers Day. Dress yourselves and your children in festive clothing and stroll down Grand Ave. Sponsored by the Grand Avenue Business Assocation.
Grand Lake Theatre
9:30am
510.763.3342

May 15 - June 28
Blues Masters Paintings, Mixed Media, Drawings
Craft & Cultural Arts Gallery
State of California Office Building
1515 Clay Street-Atrium
Monday - Friday, 10am – 5pm
Free

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Leveraging Technology to Grow Your Business
9:00 a.m. to 3:30 pm
Hilton San Francisco
This course covers how to leverage technology to grow your business; from accounting solutions, how to manage customer relationships, supporting a mobile environment, securing your information, data backup & recovery, foundation hardware and software solutions to web development.
$25/$35 at the door (includes lunch and software give-aways)

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Ella Baker Center for Human Rights “Solutions Salon”
6pm - 9pm
James Irvine Conference Center
Solution Salons will bring together grassroots human rights activists, socially responsible business leaders, government officials, formerly incarcerated people and dyed-in-the-wool environmentalists to find solutions for our community. Includes speakers such as Paul Hawkins.

Thursday, May 18, 2006
Third Thursdays
Over 20 galleries in the downtown area keep their galleries open from 5-8pm on the third Thursday of each month. You can view exhibitions, attend artists’ lectures and demonstrations, participate in receptions and other special cultural events. You can also listen to live music and dine at some of Oakland’s hot new restaurants.