YOUR HOMETOWN WEEKLY NEWSPAPER
Vol. 19, No. 47
READ NEWS YOU CAN TRUST AT WWW.THEPRESS.NET
Eclectic co-op prepares for season by Deanna Gordon Staff Writer
G St. Mercantile recently celebrated its fourth anniversary, and now the store is ready to ring the bells on the holiday season. The cooperative, located in downtown Antioch, houses the work of 25 vendors who exhibit a variety of things new, old and everything in between: handmade soaps, repurposed furniture, clothing, home decor, dolls and, around this time, virtually anything holiday-themed, from ornaments to trees to nativity scenes. “This time of year, our store transforms into a winter wonderland,” said co-owner Michael Gabrielson. Gabrielson and co-owner Brandon Woods, his fiancé, opened the store in 2015 in an effort to fill what they felt was a void in town. Although they
Photo courtesy of G St. Mercantile
G St. Mercantile in Antioch is kicking off the holidays as a participant in the upcoming Winter Wine Stroll, Dec. 7, in downtown Antioch. both work other full-time jobs — Gabrielson is a realtor and broker, and Woods works in financial services — they’re both
creative-minded and wanted to offer a space for others who are, too. “We love the downtown,
and felt there was a place for us, too,” said Gabrielson. “(Owning a business) is very expensive. This co-op helps eliminate overhead; it fills up a lot of time for our vendors to create.” Woods, who attended San Francisco’s Academy of Art College for photography, is the creative mind behind the business. He does G St. Mercantile’s window displays and teams up with one of the store’s vendors to teach furniture painting classes. The pair of owners sell many of their own items they’ve created, and Woods — who refinishes furniture as a hobby — finds a lot of enjoyment in teaching customers how to paint their own items. “People were asking, ‘How do you do this?’” he said. “In this space, we can do it all.” Woods says the store hosts see Co-op page 22
County supervisors ban vaping sales by Kyle Szymanski Staff Writer
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has extinguished the sale of vaping, flavored tobacco and menthol cigarette products in the wake of nationwide safety and youth addiction concerns. The prohibition, which includes both tobacco and cannabis vaping products, applies to unincorporated county areas only. It comes as vaping products have been blamed for many nationwide lung ailments and deaths, and widespread evidence suggests flavored tobacco and electronic cigarettes are driving up youth smoking rates. “While there have been many successful efforts to re-
“ Vaping was kind of marketed as a transition product to get out of smoking, and what we are seeing now is it’s been an entry level into tobacco.
”
District 3 Supervisor Diane Burgis duce underage tobacco use, the growing availability of electronic cigarettes and flavored tobacco products has reversed positive trends in public health,” said Ryyn Schumacher, the county’s tobacco prevention manager. Most alarming is a nationwide increase in serious and sometimes fatal lung injuries tied to electronic cigarettes or vaping product use, county health officials said this week.
SAVE NOW
In recent months, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have documented 1,888 such cases, including 37 deaths. California alone has documented 150 cases (two in Contra Costa County) and three deaths, said Dr. Chris Farnitano, a county health officer who noted the cases have been tied to multiple devices and products, including cannabis vaping, can-
10% OFF Any Service
FAIRVIEW HEATING & AIR CONDITIONING, INC. Connect with The Press!
Scan QR code with your mobile device.
Service • Repair • Installation
Contractor’s Lic. #533790 C-20
925-625-4963 • www.fairviewair.com
nabidiol (CBD) oil and nicotine. “There are probably multiple factors and multiple causes of this that we are still trying to understand,” he said. “Until we know more about the causes and which vaping devices and products, if any, are safe, the prudent measure is to place a moratorium on all vaping sales until we can learn more about the safety.” The sale of menthol cigarettes, vaping solutions and other flavored tobacco products were already prohibited within 1,000 feet of schools, parks, playgrounds and libraries in unincorporated parts of the county, but the new regulations will ban all unincorporated county sales. see Vaping page 22
Citizen of Year
www.thepress.net/news/webextras
Nominations are open for Antioch’s Citizen of the Year and other honors.
November 22, 2019
A Show Of Support
Two local charities step up to offer support, friendship and a special wish. Page 6A
Here Come The Holidays
The holidays are here, and The Press has a list of local events to make the season bright. Page 11
Lions To Take On Pirates
Liberty Lions defeat Cal High 50-18, setting the stage for rematch with Pittsburg. Page 15 Calendar................................23 Classifieds.............................20 Cop Logs................................18 Entertainment.....................11 Food........................................10 Milestones..............................9 Opinion..................................14 Pet of the Week...................13 Sports.....................................15
Laying Wreaths
www.thepress.net/news/press_releases
Wreaths Across America program is coming to East County.