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The Work Of Reading EDUCATION

TH E 20 SECO N D I DE A THAT CH AN GED A CO M PANY S E P TE M B E R 2 02 6

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LIFESTYLE LETTER

From the Publisher Hi neighbors, September in Palo Alto always starts with the closet. The summer clothes go into storage, and the fall pieces come back out. Half of them still fit, and a third definitely don't. The rest are just hanging there year after year, mostly because getting rid of them feels like closing a chapter. Every September, I try to be real with myself about what actually works and what doesn't. My wardrobe is one thing, but the rest of it is a bit harder. The jacket I bought for a job I don't have anymore. The shoes I keep for a wedding I already went to. This is our Fashion & Style issue, but at its core, it’s really about taking stock. Abby Young sits on client bedroom floors with a rolling rack, editing closets down to what actually makes sense. Dr. Angela Bymaster spends an entire hour with each patient at Healing Grove, bringing back a level of care that feels rare today. And Stan Acton designs backyard homes for local families who realized their space simply didn't fit their lives anymore. Three different spaces, but the same question: What still fits? What just needs a little adjustment? And what is it time to let go of? Read this one by an open window, maybe while you're taking a break from sorting through your own piles by the door. See you around!

September 2026 PUBLISHER

Ellie Chan | ellie.chan@citylifestyle.com E D I TO R I AL C O O R D I N ATO R

Tentmakers Creative Co. | will@tentmakerscreative.co CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Tentmakers Creative Co.

Corporate Team CEO Steven Schowengerdt President Matthew Perry CRO Jamie Pentz CoS Janeane Thompson AD DESIGNER Matthew Endersbe LAYOUT DESIGNER Liz Nixon QUALITY CONTROL SPECIALIST Hannah Leimkuhler

ELLIE CHAN, PUBLISHER @ PA L O A LT O C I T Y L I F E S T Y L E

Learn how to start your own publication at citylifestyle.com//franchise. Proverbs 3:5-6 Palo Alto City Lifestyle™ is published monthly by Lifestyle Publications LLC. It is distributed via the US Postal Service to some of the Palo Alto area’s most affluent neighborhoods. Articles and advertisements do not necessarily reflect Lifestyle

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Publications’ opinions. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Lifestyle Publications does not assume responsibility for statements made by advertisers or editorial contributors. Information in Palo Alto City Lifestyle™ is gathered from sources considered to be reliable, but the accuracy of all information cannot be guaranteed.

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inside the issue SE PTE M B E R 2 02 6 | STYL E

20 Featured

26 28

WHY CHOOSE BETWEEN PRESTIGE AND PLACEMENT?

Departments

The Work of Reading

Lifestyle Letter

A former English teacher now reads people and wardrobes with an eye for detail.

City Scene

Business Monthly

Artist’s Palette ARTS + CULTURE

Concierge Clinic For The Underserved

Chef ’s Selection FOOD + BEVERAGE

Must See EDUCATION

Local Limelight HEALTH + WELLNESS

Inspired By HOME + DESIGN

Happy Hour FOOD + BEVERAGE

Events

The San Jose clinic where one paying member covers two neighbors

The 20 Second Idea How a Campbell contractor traded nearly thirty years of custom homes for backyard cottages.

On the Cover Photography: Courtesy of Emily Kim

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SEPTEMBER 2026

business monthly A ROUNDUP OF NEWS F R O M LO C A L B U S I N E S S E S

Bringing Hope to Bay Area Children— One Neighborhood at a Time Showing Up Where Hope Is Needed Most Through a fleet of outreach trucks, Mobilize Love meets physical needs, teaches personal life skills, and brings hope directly into underserved Bay Area neighborhoods. Together, we're helping children and families move toward a full and flourishing life.

Four Regional Wins for Harrell Peninsula home design and remodel firm Harrell Design + Build won four 2026 Regional Awards from the National Association of the Remodeling Industry, in the Southwest region. The recognitions span basement, residential interior, and residential addition categories. The Mountain View based firm has been building and remodeling Peninsula homes for decades. Photography Courtesy Harrell Design + Build

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DISCOVER YOUR GIFTS Victoria Ballet Opens a New Season

DEVELOP NEW LEVELS OF CONFIDENCE

Victoria Ballet, the studio Victoria Lee opened at 370 California Avenue in 2022, has begun its 2026-27 season. Classes run from Petit Ballet for the youngest students through Elite levels and adult classes, with a Vaganova method throughout. Registration is open. Former San Francisco Ballet principals Cynthia Drayer and Andre Reyes are on the faculty. Photography Courtesy Victoria Ballet

Scan to read more

Seventy Years on University Avenue Peninsula Optical has fitted eyeglasses at 415 University Avenue in downtown Palo Alto for more than seventy years. The independent shop carries Lindberg, DITA, Lunor, MYKITA, Oliver Peoples, Persol, Tom Ford, Ray-Ban, and Barton Perreira, among other designer lines.

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Photography Courtesy Peninsula Optical

Scan to read more S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

DIY textured ART

PHOTOGRAPHY BY JANIE JONES

A RT IST ’S PA LE T T E | ARTS + CU LT U RE

ROPE TEXTURE ART

Supplies needed: • Window insulation strips • Canvas • Kilz Interior primer • Staple gun • Spray paint, color of choice • Super glue, optional

Instructions: Create the desired design using insulation strips. Simply peel off the sticky backing and attach to the canvas. Be sure to wrap each strip around the back and press firmly. Use a staple gun to secure strips to the back of the canvas. Add a dap of super glue to any curved areas that appear to loosen. Once your desired design is created, apply a thin coat of Kilz interior primer. Spray paint the entire canvas the color of choice that you would like. Allow to dry for a minimum of 24 hours.

This trend-forward DIY art piece adds texture and dimension to your walls and is easy enough for anyone to do regardless of artistic ability.

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

EAT

KEEP YOUR PLATE IN STYLE WITH THESE FOODS THAT WILL HELP YOU LOOK AND FEEL GOOD

ARTICLE BY HAYLEY HYER

C HE F ’S SE LE CT ION | FOOD + BE VE RAGE

PRETTY

PUMPKIN S W E E T P O TAT O E S CARROTS BU T T E R N U T S QUA S H

Vitamin A is essential to protecting the corneas of our eyes. By taking care of your corneas, you can extend the health of your eyesight and reduce vision loss with age. An easy way to remember what to eat for healthy eyes is to look for orange foods. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and butternut squash are all high in vitamin A.

HE ALT H Y EYE S

CONTINUED >

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

H EALT H Y SK IN

NUTS FLAX SEED CHIA SEEDS FISH

C HE F ’S SE LE CT ION | FOOD + BE VE RAGE

Did you know that vitamin A is also imperative for skin health? So while you’re caring for your corneas, you’re also boosting your outer glow. If you want to kick it up a notch, be intentional about eating plenty of foods with omega-3 fatty acids to reduce acne and inflammation and help your skin produce its own collagen. For your healthy fats, go for flax seed, nuts, chia seeds, and fish.

MIX IT

SW E E T P OTATO SCRAMBLE ( fo r o n e)

INGR EDIENTS • • • • • • • • •

2 eggs Dash of flax milk Cumin Salt + pepper ½ sweet potato, cubed ¼ green onion, chopped ¼ cup spinach Handful of broccoli florets Ghee butter or avocado oil for cooking

TOPPING IDEAS • • • •

Cooked salmon Hot sauce Chia seeds or flax seeds Fresh parsley

DIR ECTIONS 1. Whisk together your eggs, milk, and spices. 2. Prepare a skillet over medium heat with your ghee butter or avocado oil. Cook the sweet potato, green onion, and broccoli for 5-8 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 more minute. 3. Pour your egg mixture into the skillet and scramble together until the eggs are your desired texture, roughly 3 minutes. 4. Immediately add your cooked salmon, seeds, parsley, or hot sauce and enjoy while it’s still hot!

CONTINUED >

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

HE ALT H Y HAI R

BROCCOLI SALMON EGGS SPI NAC H

For soft, flowing tresses, make sure you’re getting an equal amount of B vitamins in your diet. We naturally get plenty of B-6 because it’s in most grains, but it’s easier to end up with a biotin or B-12 deficiency if you don’t pay attention. Focus on foods like salmon, eggs, spinach, and broccoli for a healthy balance of B vitamins for your hair.

C HE F ’S SE LE CT ION | FOOD + BE VE RAGE

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Book Now S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

A former English teacher now reads people and wardrobes with an eye for detail.

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AMALIE ORRANGE, EMILY KIM, AND LISA WHALEN

The Work of Reading 20

M UST SE E | EDUCATI O N

In her junior year of college, Abby Young was watching The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo. She was captivated by Zoe’s work, from personal styling for celebrities to commercial and music video styling. Young was studying communications and literature, but the show made her recognize something familiar: she had already been doing this for years with friends and family, helping them decide what to wear, which pieces worked together, and what felt right for the occasion. “My passion,” she realized, “is an actual career.” Young still had one semester of college left, so she decided to finish her degree and begin teaching. She gave herself a timeline: six years in the classroom, then permission to pivot if styling still called to her. She went on to teach eighth-grade English, but fashion was never far from the surface. She brought the same eye for detail to her wardrobe that she brought to teaching. As she walked between rows of desks, her students would tell her, “Ms. Young, it looks like you’re walking down the runway.” In her sixth year of teaching, Young decided it would be her last. She planned to resign, move to California, and launch her styling business. Only afterward did she realize she had reached the timeline she had set for herself years earlier. Six years in, Abby Young Styling serves clients throughout Los Angeles, Orange County, Silicon Valley, and the broader Bay Area, as well as clients nationwide. Young and her team have worked with more than 250 clients, including executives, founders, and leaders at companies such as Google, Meta, Porsche, Charles Schwab, CBS, and Ropes & Gray. Abby Young Styling’s signature New Client Collection process begins with a complimentary phone consultation, followed by a style questionnaire that CONTINUED >

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

M UST SE E | EDUCATI O N

"Clothes hold symbolism, and the wearer can actually take on that symbolism." ~ Abby Young explores each client’s preferences, daily routine, and goals. From there, Young conducts a silhouette and color analysis, edits the existing wardrobe, shops across multiple brands, and finishes with an in-home fitting where each new piece is tried, tailored, and worked into the client’s real life. Much of the discovery happens here, in the client’s own home. Young arrives with a rolling rack of pieces selected around the client’s lifestyle, career, preferences, and budget. The experience introduces clients to brands and silhouettes they may never have considered on their own. “Abby, I never would have grabbed that in the store,” clients often tell her. In many cases, that unexpected piece becomes one of their favorites. For Young, that is where the magic happens: after building a strategic foundation, she helps clients discover new possibilities and create outfits that still feel unmistakably their own. Young grounds her practice in clothing psychology, including a concept known as enclothed cognition. In a 2012 study, participants wearing the same white coat performed differently depending on whether they were told it belonged to a doctor or a painter. The garment had not changed; the meaning attached to it had.

“Clothes hold symbolism,” Young says, “and the wearer can actually take on that symbolism.” Her approach to strategic styling applies that idea, using clothing to help clients express who they are, how they want to be perceived, and how they hope to feel. The goal is for the confidence communicated outwardly to be felt within as well. The psychology is not lost on Young’s clients. One of her clients, a psychologist, told Young that she is deeply aware of what it means to feel truly seen—and that this is what Young creates for her clients. She said the experience felt less like working with a stylist alone and more like being with a therapist. Young understood how clothing, pattern, and color can shape not only how a person is perceived, but how they feel in their own body. What stood out most was her ability to bring those details together in a holistic way that reflected both her client’s personal and professional identity. Young approaches styling with the same patience and attentiveness that once shaped her work in the classroom. She reads the person before she reads their wardrobe, listening closely even when a client’s answers are uncertain. She identifies the useful details and helps clients express what they may not yet know how to articulate about their personal style. CONTINUED >

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

That ability to synthesize a client’s preferences, hesitations, lifestyle, personal brand, professional goals, and sense of self is one of Young’s strengths. She brings those pieces together in clothing that feels distinctly their own. Young’s work also extends beyond one-onone styling. Companies, nonprofits, and startups bring Abby Young Styling in for corporate presentations, professional development, and team-building experiences such as color analysis, silhouette analysis, and individual style profiles. The firm also works privately with executives, founders, and directors preparing for presentations, panels, keynotes, and other high-visibility moments. In each case, the goal is to help clients align their image with the role they hold—or the one they are working toward—while strengthening their confidence, credibility, and presence. Young is preparing to extend that approach even further. Abby Young Styling plans to launch a virtual styling membership in the coming months, giving more people a way to experience the firm’s thoughtful, strategic guidance from wherever they are. The details are still being refined, including how to make the experience feel personal without becoming one-size-fits-all. That distinction matters to Young. The goal is not to hand members a list of trends, but to help more people discover clothing that reflects who they are and how they want to feel. Across every setting, her approach remains personal. Whether it is a rolling rack in a client’s home or a presentation before a team, Young shapes her guidance around the people she is serving.

M UST SE E | EDUCATI O N

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S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

CONCIERGE CLINIC FOR THE UNDERSERVED THE SAN JOSE CLINIC WHERE ONE PAYING MEMBER COVERS TWO NEIGHBORS A five-minute drive from the tech campuses, on West Alma Avenue in a San Jose neighborhood called Washington-Guadalupe, Dr. Angela Bymaster sees her patients in extra long concierge appointments. The clinic is called Healing Grove Health Center. She and her husband, Brett, co-founded it in 2020 along with a community organizer named Maria Marcelo, Honduran pastors Jairo and Lourdes Sarmiento, and a talented physician entrepreneur named Dr. Cheryl Ho, in the poorest census block in Silicon Valley. Angela and Brett had already been living there since

LOCA L LIM E LIGH T | HEALT H + WE LLN E SS

2006, with three children they had adopted from South Sudan. They were not commuters, but locals. Healing Grove works the way a concierge clinic works. A paying member gets direct access to a physician, same-day appointments, up to hour-long visits, at $200 a month or $2,400 a year. What Healing Grove does with the money is where it splits from the concierge model. Every paying membership funds care for two low-income neighbors in the same building. Recent political and economic changes are resulting in an increased number of uninsured people in the area; Healing Grove is well equipped to serve these patients, as it does not rely on insurance-based payments. The clinic’s mission statement is to “share the love of Jesus through Health Care, Soul Care and Culture Care in order to bring the ‘Healing of the Nations’ to our community.” A women’s group called Madre-A-Madre, co-founded around 2004 by Maria Marcelo and Washington Elementary principal Maria Evans, has met weekly in Spanish, partnering with Healing Grove since the clinic opened. Maria Marcelo immigrated to the Washington-Guadalupe neighborhood from Oaxaca, Mexico, in the late 90s. She lived, worked, and organized the community through Madre-a-Madre. She sadly passed away while leading a prayer walk during the Virgin of Juquila Novena, on December 7, 2022. Her daughter Maria Hernandez now runs Madre-A-Madre. These strong Latina mothers advocate for neighborhood improvements and plan and implement annual community events, including Dia de los Niños, a women’s conference

for International Women’s Day, a large community party for the International Day of Peace called Dia de Unidad, and a Christmastime Posada. Healing Grove Sports is headed by Coach Noe Guzman, who also lives in the WashingtonGuadalupe community. He runs soccer practices for low income kids from the neighborhood all year with daily summer camps. Approximately 85 extremely low income immigrant children are coming to practice regularly, improving their soccer skills, getting stronger and in better shape, and growing in discipline under his leadership; none of these children could afford recreational or club soccer programs. A group of case managers supports patients suffering with poor mental health, homelessness, drug addiction, or recent incarceration through the CalAIM Enhanced Care Management Program. Through all of these programs, and because of concierge members who choose to put their healthcare dollars toward a positive social purpose, thousands of low income immigrants are supported in their pursuit of a better life.

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

THE 20 SECOND IDEA How a Campbell contractor traded nearly thirty years of custom homes for backyard cottages.

For twenty-seven years, Stan Acton had run a general-contracting business out of a yard in Campbell. Then, one morning in early 2017, he read the new state ADU rules and stopped. He had founded the shop, called Acton Construction at the time, in 1990. It specialized in custom remodels. That January the state of California had loosened a set of restrictions on accessory dwelling units, the backyard cottages that state law now permits on nearly any single-family lot. "In a matter of about 20 seconds, my vision just crystallized, and I realized this is what I want to do for the rest of my career." He spent 2017 studying the shift. By March 2019 the company had rebranded to Acton ADU.

I NSP IR E D BY | HO ME + D E SIGN

Every California session since has widened the statute further. SB 897, signed in 2022, raised the minimum height limits California cities must allow for backyard homes. AB 1033 in 2023 let cities open ADUs for separate sale as condominiums. Demand across the Bay Area has followed, and Acton now works in more than ninety cities and jurisdictions in the region. The company's signature product is a line called Build-Ready. The catalog carries a growing library of pre-designed elevations, all sitebuilt to California residential code, drawn to fit different lots and different neighborhoods. In April 2026, Acton added a Spanish Style elevation to accompany its first move outside the Bay Area, a launch into Los Angeles County.

“We wanted it to feel like the carriage house had been there all along.” — Stan Acton, to Blueprint magazine

CONTINUED >

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

The Build-Ready line comes in two tiers, an Investor Series priced for rental yield and a Signature Series with premium architectural details and designer-chosen finishes. Acton's own favorite project is smaller than either. Some years ago the company replaced a hundred-year-old standalone garage in one of San Jose's historic districts with a 540-square-foot carriage-house ADU. Adult children priced out of the neighborhoods they grew up in are common tenants. A parent who wants to stay close to grandchildren without moving in with them is another. The backyard is often what makes those arrangements possible.

I NSP IR E D BY | HO ME + D E SIGN

Healing Grove Health Center TRUE HEALING CONCIERGE PHYSICIAN – Personal cell phone of your doctor – Same day appointments – 30-60min physician appointments

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YO U R D I G I TA L D E S T I N AT I O N FOR LOCAL LIVING

SHOP LOCAL S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

A LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL TREAT

APPLE CIDER

sangria

H AP PY H OU R | FO O D + BE VE RAGE

As the season transitions into fall, it still features the warm, sunny days of summer but nights start to drop into the crisp temperatures. That leaves us in the limbo of wanting cool, refreshing drinks part of the time but also craving the deeper, spice-infused flavors of autumn. This recipe for apple cider sangria is the perfect blending of the seasons, leaving you feeling both refreshed and warmed through the deep flavors and interesting hints of spice. It’s a great drink to add to any dinner party, cocktail gathering, back deck after-hours get-together, or birthday bash. Here’s what you need to make the perfect mid-season cocktail to enhance whatever event you have planned.

ARTICLE BY ALLISON BANKSTON | PHOTOGRAPHY PROVIDED

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

• • • • • •

Combine all ingredients together and stir. Refrigerate for an hour or so (or longer) before serving. The drink can be enjoyed immediately, if desired, but the longer you let the ingredients sit and mix, the deeper the flavors will be. Giving it time to develop will make the drink more captivating and interesting.

1 bottle, standard size, of pinot grigio 2 1/2 cups fresh apple cider 1 cup club soda 1/2 cup ginger brandy 3 honey crisp apples, chopped 3 pears, chopped

NOTE: Regular brandy can be used, but ginger brandy gives it an extra kick of flavor.

S EP TEMB ER 2 0 2 6 | C I TYL I FE STYL E . C OM / PA LOA LTO

SEPTEMBER 2026

events A S E L E C T I O N O F U P C O M I N G LO C A L E V E N T S

SE PT E M BE R 4 T H

Stanford Football Home Opener vs. Miami Stanford Stadium, Stanford University | 6:00 PM Cardinal fans pack Stanford Stadium as the team hosts Miami for the primetime home opener under the lights. Nationally televised on ESPN, presented by Wells Fargo. Gates open early for tailgating. SE PT E M BE R 9 T H- 1 8T H

Fleurs de Villes: The Gilded Age at Filoli Filoli Historic House & Garden, Woodside | 10:00 AM A ten-day floral couture takeover of Filoli's historic mansion honoring HBO's The Gilded Age, with fresh-flower mannequins inspired by the show's opulent characters and costumes. Runs September 9 through 18. SE PT E M BE R 1 2 T H - 1 3TH

Mountain View Art & Wine Festival Castro Street, Downtown Mountain View | 11:00 AM Castro Street shuts down for a two-day open-air showcase of 400+ artists and craft-makers, plus a boutique wine-tasting lounge pouring 23+ curated wines, live music, and curated food. Free admission. SE PT E M BE R 1 7 T H

Solid Pictures Opens at Cantor Arts Center Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University | 11:00 AM Cantor debuts Solid Pictures: Photosculpture and the Making of Modern Likeness, curated by Patrick R. Crowley — tracing the 19th-century imaging technology that anticipated modern 3D printing. On view through January 18. SE PT E M BE R 2 5T H

Palo Alto Weekly Moonlight Run & Walk Palo Alto Baylands | 7:00 PM The 42nd running of Palo Alto's beloved Baylands race under the September full moon. 5K Walk kicks off at 7:00 PM, followed by the 10K Run at 8:15 and 5K Run at 8:30. Family- and dog-friendly. SE PT E M BE R 2 6T H

Stanford Red Out vs. Georgia Tech Stanford Stadium, Stanford University | 7:30 PM Primetime "Red Out" as Stanford hosts Georgia Tech for the first time — every fan in attendance receives a free red T-shirt. Kickoff at 7:30 PM PT, nationally televised on ESPN.

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EVE N TS

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2026 - 2027

NEW REGISTRATION START DATE: 8/17/2026 AGES: 3-16 YEARS OLD

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