Businesses on Lafayette Circle Shine for the Holidays
By Sophie Braccini
Lamorinda Music, (LtoR): Janet Stroud (store manager), Emily McCormick, Scott McCormick
and Colleen McCormick Photo: Sophie Braccini
As the spirit of the season of giving spreads across the broad boulevards of Lamorinda, on one little side street a group of merchants are organizing some musical fun of their own. Lamorinda Music, Massage Cottage, Lafayette Health Club and The French Bakery invite the community to join them at Lafayette Circle for a Sing-along on Thursday, December 10th from 6:30p.m.-9:00p.m. Remax real estate broker and violinist Mark Shaw, with his string trio, will be there to help keep us all in tune.
It was Jana Lynn, of the Massage Cottage, who first envisioned the festivities. "I'd been doing this many years ago," she said, "it's a lot of fun, and when I met Mark Shaw at a Chamber event it just clicked and we decided to do it again, with my neighbors on Lafayette Circle."
Guests can enjoy hot cider, pastry samples, and maybe even receive a gift. No worries if you suddenly forget the words. "We will have booklets for the traditional Christmas songs we will perform," says Shaw. If you plan to attend, the organizers have asked for donations of non-perishable food items. "Don't forget a flash light, your own mug for the hot cider and warm clothing," suggests Lynn.
Among the gifts that will be given out are a couple of one-month free memberships from the Lafayette Health Club, teas from the French Bakery, lessons with some of Lamorinda Music's teachers, massage gift cards from the Massage Cottage, a $100 gift certificate from Sonia's Beauty and Body Salon, and other surprises.
For Colleen McCormick, who opened Lamorinda Music last July, this is a fine example of why she wanted to start a new business in Lafayette, a way to serve and get the community together around her life passion, music. McCormick, who has been a Lafayette resident for 16 years and a science teacher for the Lafayette Art and Science Foundation, personifies the passion for music that runs in her family and that led to the creation of Lamorinda Music. "Mom had other business ideas before this one," recalls Scotty McCormick, a freshman at Acalanes (and a brass player), "but one day when we came home from school and saw a U-Haul full of instruments, books, and partitions in front of the house, we knew this one was serious."
McCormick says the party on the 10th is a way to give back to the community. "We are sponsoring the event to help pay for the musical trio that will be performing," she explains, adding, "We feel so blessed to live in a place that has phenomenal community-sustained music programs, we are proud to be part of it and will support it as much as possible."
It was Jana Lynn, of the Massage Cottage, who first envisioned the festivities. "I'd been doing this many years ago," she said, "it's a lot of fun, and when I met Mark Shaw at a Chamber event it just clicked and we decided to do it again, with my neighbors on Lafayette Circle." 
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA