| | Published January 25th, 2017
| Business Bites
| | | By Paula King |  | | Lindsay Pirkle Photo Wendy Scheck |
Moving close to home: As an avid baker and world traveler, Lindsay Pirkle was immediately drawn to Orinda's Republic of Cake while managing the Orinda Theatre. When the opportunity to buy the quaint bakery in Orinda Theatre Square recently presented itself, she jumped at the chance.
"I liked the atmosphere of Republic of Cake immediately because it reminded me of the charming little bakeries that are found all over France," Pirkle said..
After seven successful years in Orinda, Republic of Cake won't change much under the new ownership, according to Pirkle. She noted that regulars will still find their favorite cupcakes and there will be an expanded selection of assorted baked goods in the near future.
"Republic of Cake is so well-known in the Lamorinda area and we use all-natural ingredients," she said. "We bake fresh every day. We don't even own a freezer. It is hard to find bakeries today that bake everything fresh daily."
To reach Republic of Cake, visit www.republicofcake.com or call 925-254-3900.
Coming full circle: Dr. Richard Filinson returned his family medical practice limited to homeopathy back to Lafayette last fall after starting his career here in the late 1970's. Filinson spent many years working on the East Coast and in Marin and decided to come back for his fondness of the Lamorinda area.
Filinson noted that homeopathic doctors treat all of the same conditions as traditional physicians but use homeopathic medicines only.
"My pleasure comes in finding the remedy," he said. "The real challenge is getting to the underlying root of their problems."
To reach Filinson, call 925-283-6348.
Tax Rates Down: As of Jan. 1, shoppers may have seen a tiny relief at the cash register, as the statewide sales and use tax rate decreased one quarter of one percent (0.25 percent) from 7.50 percent to 7.25 percent. The decrease in the statewide rate is effective for all cities and counties in California; however, in many jurisdictions in California the actual sales and use tax rate may still be higher than the statewide rate due to the addition of district taxes.
To find the correct rate in your city or county, visit https://maps.gis.ca.gov/boe/TaxRates/ and enter the address as prompted. Additionally, a listing of sales and use tax rates for each city and county is available on the California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates website, https://maps.gis.ca.gov/boe/TaxRates.
A retailer who continues to charge and collect the higher statewide sales and use tax rate after Jan. 1, must either refund the excess tax collected to their customer or pay the excess tax to the Board of Equalization . If the excess tax collected has been paid to the BOE, the retailer may request a refund on behalf of their customer by completing form BOE-101, Claim for Refund or Credit, -www.boe.ca.gov/pdf/boe101.pdf.
Chamber Music
Lafayette Chamber of Commerce
www.lafayettechamber.org (925) 284-7404
Mark your calendars: With spring approaching, home improvement and renovations are on the minds of many homeowners. The Lamorinda Home Expo on Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. will feature designers, contractors and landscapers who all service this area and want to help guide those projects.
The Lafayette Chamber of Commerce is one of the expo's sponsors. It will take place at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Building, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Check out www.homeexpoevents.com for more details.
MaidPro Lamorinda will have a ribbon-cutting event on Feb. 9 at 5 p.m. The professional home cleaning company is located at 3375 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette.
Moraga Chamber of Commerce
www.moragachamber.org (925) 323-6524
Going the extra mile: Seasoned auto mechanic Crescencio "Jun" Ybanez of Moraga Motors was named Moraga Employee of the Month for December by the Moraga Rotary and Moraga Chamber of Commerce.
"He's worked here for 13 years and has never missed a single day. He's great with our customers and always goes the extra mile to get the car done right and on time," said Moraga Motors owner Ron Schumacher.
Known for his fine diagnostic skills, Ybanez is an Automotive Service Excellence certified mechanic. He will be honored at a Rotary meeting in February with gifts cards to Safeway and Peninni's.
Orinda Chamber of Commerce
www.orindachamber.org (925) 254-3909
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 | | From left, Kevin Reneau, Rotary president, Jun Ybanez, Ron Schumacher, Wendy Scheck, Chamber president. Photo provided | | | | | | | | | | | |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA