Rob AriasLeapFrog loses $11.5 million in ‘exceptionally tough’ quarter
Emeryville based educational toy-maker LeapFrog Enterprises Inc. lost $11.5 million in this first fiscal quarter as its sales plummeted 31% from a year ago. CEO John Barbour called the quarter “exceptionally tough” for comparison in lieu of last holiday seasons strong sales that carried on into spring. The company cited the late Easter holiday and a “continued challenging retail environment.” amongst reasons for the lower sales.
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Counter Culture brings coffee roasting, training hub to Bay Area
Counter Culture Coffee wants to bring coffee perfection to the Bay Area. The Durham, North Carolina-based roaster and coffee education center will open its first West Coast roastery and training center this summer at 1329 64th St. in Emeryville. The East Bay hub will bring Counter Culture closer to its West Coast customers and reduce the environmental impact of shipping products.
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California Hotel reopens as a home for low-income residents
Once a venue for jazz, blues and mambo stars and a beacon for African-American travelers who experienced discrimination elsewhere, the storied West Oakland building fell into disrepair in the 1970s, re-emerged as subsidized housing in the 1980s and finally fell into foreclosure and abandon. Now, at the end of a three-year, $43 million rehabilitation, the historic 1929 landmark is a beacon again.
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