Bridal Registry

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• Niche marketing

  Niche marketing

  A little over two years ago, interior designer Jennifer Alderman moved to San Luis Obispo from New York City. Having left much of her furniture behind, she began to poke around local shops.

  “I wasn’t thrilled with offerings in new furniture,” she said. “I started to look at antique stores, estate sales and yard sales. I thought, this is just too big a community to not have a consignment store.”

  Alderman opened SLO Consignment on Sept. 1, selling lightly used furniture, accessories, lighting, rugs, art and tableware. It’s what she calls the “new model” of consignment stores.

• Want more space and maybe some extra cash?

  Want more space and maybe some extra cash?

  Bryan Coppedge got the idea for his business while helping his grandparents prepare for a big move. As they weeded through decades of accumulated belongings, he had an epiphany.

  “They didn’t have the strength, energy, or resources to figure out what to do with it all,” he said. “They needed more than just a 1-800 junk service.”

  His solution was Sorters. The Atascadero-based company performs junk removal, shredding, recycling, donation, consignment, organization and estate liquidation. Sorters’ services fall somewhere between those of a haulaway company and a professional organizer.

• Forden's of SLO offers tips for a fantastic holiday feast

  Forden's of SLO offers tips for a fantastic holiday feast

  As a clerk in the kitchen shop at Forden’s in San Luis Obispo, Jackie Donatelli fields questions on a range of topics. This time of year, they skew toward subjects like pie crusts and turkey brine.

  Some customers, however, wonder how they’ll pull off their holiday baking and cooking without hiring a fulltime sous chef. Her answer is simple: plan ahead.

  “We try to plan months in advance for events, so it makes sense to do that at home too,” she said.

• Varietal gifts help make holiday spirits bright

  Varietal gifts help make holiday spirits bright

  Holiday shoppers don’t have to spend a bundle to please the wine aficionados on their gift list — or even those who simply enjoy an occasional glass.

  To make wine a special gift, local retailers advise buyers to look for something unusual or from a limited production.

  “People who love wine, they appreciate what each varietal has to offer,” said Erik Fredrickson, the owner of Fermentations in Cambria. “They appreciate the fact that it’s from a small producer and there are only 200 cases made.”

• Viewpoint: Living with loss during the holidays

  Viewpoint: Living with loss during the holidays

  The holidays are intended to be a time of great joy, family togetherness, gift giving and thankfulness. Instead, if someone has died, the holidays can evoke extreme sadness, loneliness and emptiness. While there is no right or wrong way to approach it, the following are some suggestions and guidelines that may be helpful to those experiencing a loss during this time of year. They are adapted from the book “How Do I Get Through the Holidays” by James Miller.

  1. Accept the pain. Don’t pretend everything is normal. Remember this first year is one of adjustment.

  2. Feel whatever it is you feel. Feelings are a sign you are human, that you have loved deeply. Those can include: