Anthony Celaya is a Napa-based attorney who operates differently than many of his peers. For one, he focuses exclusively on estate planning and elder law, and nothing else. For another, he doesn’t bill hourly. Instead, he charges flat fee only so that clients know exactly what the process will cost them. A former educator at Stanford and UC Berkeley, Celaya holds free monthly workshops to explain the estate planning process, how he works with clients, and what his fees are. P

Photo: Derek Everhart Much More Than a Carpet Store In November of 1985, Janice Clifton and her father, John Hartley, took a huge leap of faith. Janice, a professional accountant, assisted a client who hoped to sell their business. Pat and Jay Sibbett, owners of what was then known as Carpet Remnants Unlimited, were disappointed when the sale fell through. Considering the long relationship they already had with Janice and her father, Jay and Pat offered to sell the business t

These Hungry Locals are at it again. With a hint of spice in our step, we decided it was time to go for some Latin, French, or Asian food. We asked ourselves, “Can we really please everyone’s taste in one place?” A friend suggested we try Las Palmas on Yajome Street, across from New Tech High School. We found the unassuming restaurant tucked behind a flowering trellis of vines, with plentiful seating indoors or out. The atmosphere is casual, come as you are, you will feel at

When Jag Rattu, owner of Audio House at 645 Soscol Avenue, received the Napa Chamber of Commerce 2017 Customer Service Person of the Year award, he was both surprised and humbled. Accepting the honor, he explained how he became a Napa business owner. “Before I bought it, sales at the Napa store were stagnant, and my boss wanted to sell it. I offered to buy it from him, and he countered by saying we could be partners. I thought about it for about a second, and told him that I

If you don’t frequent Downtown Napa and it’s been a while since you’ve visited for a stroll or for dinner – run, don’t walk – to see what’s happening. Downtown Napa’s “hang out” desirability is off-the-charts and is now arguably the best spot to head to for fun in Napa Valley. Crowning the transformation in recent years has been the re-development of First Street Napa. With the goal of adding shopping, dining and a spot to connect as a community, First Street Napa has emerged

Humane societies are a little like astrophysicists – their day-to-day work is typically pretty mysterious to anyone outside the industry. But Napa Humane wants locals to peek behind the curtain, and find out what they actually do to advance their mission of “promoting the welfare of companion animals through protection, advocacy, education, and by example.” Big-Picture Strategy: Prevention is the Solution Napa Humane was founded in 1973 as the Humane Society of Napa County/S

Last year, Main Street Reunion moved a couple of blocks to Third and Main Streets. After all those years on First, the show organizers worried about how the new footprint would be received. They needn’t have worried. “People loved the new layout,” said Napa Valley Cruisers president Mike Phillips. “We used the big parking lot across the street from the County building as well, and it meant the cars were closer together. People said it looked more impressive, and saved them a

These hungry locals decided on a different approach for excursion number three––this time we went to one of our favorite spots, familiar to our group, except one. Lakeside Grill at Vintner’s Golf Club in Yountville has been on our lunch list for a long time. It’s an easy walk, drive or bike-ride from Napa or Yountville, especially considering the Vine Trail leads right to the front door. The indoor dining area is a large club room where golfers mingle and check in for tee tim

August 25 is the 10th anniversary of Blues, Brews & BBQ, so it has to be something special. One new aspect will be heard on the Randolph Street Stage, which, for the first time at this event, will be all Zydeco music. “We’ve done Zydeco in the past at other events, and everyone loves it,” said Morales. “People have been asking us to please bring it back, and this is the perfect year to do that.” The Beer Garden stage will also get a facelift. “The stage there has traditionall

Kindness is in season. This is never a false statement, however, here in Napa Valley, summer is the time to really celebrate this invaluable quality. August 18 marks the 2nd Annual Kindness Day celebration in Yountville. Once again, led by sisters Talulah (11) and Ruby (8) Finkelstein, it will be a day spotlighting the power of kindness to strengthen community. Through speaking engagements at schools across the country, the gifting of their iconic “Be Kind” buttons, and the f

In the blink of an eye, summer has flown by and it’s time for back-to-school. Closed toed shoes stifle the freedom of bare feet and sleeping in until “whenever” on a weekday comes to an abrupt end. How do parents survive the transition, or at least make it easier? Here’s some advice to help get you back into the school routine. Take the “whenever” out of your child’s wake up routine before school starts. Easier said then done, but it will help you get out the door on time (or

As a child, I can remember during family gatherings, my grandmother going into her attic and bringing out boxes of old family photos for us to sift through. Amidst pictures of kids in cowboy boots, Sissy the family dog and neighborhood pool parties, there were many images of my aunts dressed in 4-H uniforms proudly showing their steers, dairy cattle and horses. When I was old enough to join 4-H, I can’t remember if I told my parents that I wanted to join, or if I was given th

North Coast SCORE, Business Mentors Serving Napa, Sonoma, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt Counties. Starting a business takes much more than a having a grand idea and running with it, especially if it’s the first time around. Local entrepreneurs don’t have to look any further than the North Coast SCORE Chapter and the Napa Chamber of Commerce for free, professional, business-planning assistance. North Coast SCORE is a group of dedicated mentors who await the opportunity to be pa

Teenagers in Napa County give back to our community in a variety of unique ways. Through local organizations and school service clubs, as well as community events focused specifically on volunteering, more and more teens are happily jumping in to projects that help others; including those that benefit children, seniors, animals and the environment. Volunteering is contagious, and the bug is trickling down to our elementary school children. There are many benefits that come fr

June is the season of graduations, the beginning of summer, warmer days and busier local roads as tourism rapidly climbs. Every June, the Napa Valley steps onto a worldwide stage with Auction Napa Valley, and one of my personal favorites, the Mondavi Summer Concert Series, kicks off too. The kids are out of school, local public pools open and free live music is available several times weekly throughout the valley. With the Vine Trail, and the Downtown Napa River Walk, and now

Home staging has been a term used for many years to describe the process of preparing a property for the market. By decluttering, cleaning and getting a house ready to sell, home staging also helps by placing furnishings and decor to accent the homes’ benefits and appeal to the largest buying audience possible. Many home owners and realtors have known about this process for a while, but with the influence of design television and magazines, home staging has gone mainstream is

Here we go again! A Few Hungry Locals are out on the town looking for restaurants that suit our tastes. Our second dining excursion took us to the North end of town to Foodshed Take Away, located on Old California Way, just off of Highway 29, at the Trancas Street exit. We’d heard about Foodshed, when it moved to the current location, but none of our group had been there yet. Spoiler alert . . . we’ll say it right here, right now––no one was disappointed with our choice of lo

Winter has turned the corner and spring is in the air! The change in season is the perfect excuse to refresh the design of your home. I am always ready to do a little updating that keeps my home fresh. Here are some simple ideas to help you refresh your home for the new season. #1 Clear the Decks / Spring Clean Even if you don’t want to add spring décor to your home, a good cleaning can start the new season off right. I like to clean from top to bottom, starting with the ceil

Sifting through all the information with which we are bombarded daily, keeps us busy and stressed. If you are considering a remodel project in 2018, however, it is helpful to cut through the chaos and isolate several key design trends. Minimalism There is a lot of talk about the minimalist lifestyle, and there are good and bad elements to this approach. Even if you aspire to the “less is more” life, the kitchen still needs to function and be a warm inviting place. We spend m

I have never been much of a trendsetter. The clothes in my closet today, look quite a bit like the clothes that were in my closet in the ‘70s, with the exception of a few Hawaiian shirts that I added ten or 12 years ago. However, today I find myself on the forefront of the trend: growing my own food. When I planted my first vegetable garden in a Chicago suburb in the early ‘70s, I had no idea that what I was doing would lead to me being part of a trend in 2018. A study by the