Tenant: California Independent System Operator
Designer: Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects

When Sacramento-based Breuner’s furniture store chain closed its in-house upholstery shop in 1971, the eight seamstresses and upholsterers were told that, if they opened their own shop, Breuner’s would send its work their way.

When photographer Jill Carmel moved to Sacramento in 2008, she brought a bevy of cameras, a keen eye for composition and her dream of launching a niche business in a new city — a risky move, but passion trumped fear.

Sacramento’s performing arts organizations are struggling to keep the curtains from closing for good during the worst economic slump they’ve seen.

Among the Capital Region’s top-notch talents, some designers stand out for their ingenuity, skill and varied contributions to the fabric of local culture.

Tree aficionado Clark Kayler rescues fallen elms, walnuts, sycamores and redwoods — giants that have lined the streets of midtown Sacramento for more than 100 years — and grants them new life in the form of furniture.

Historic allure and prime location are drawing enthusiastic residents to Sacramento’s newly renovated Maydestone apartment building at 15th and J streets.

Carissa Carpenter had her eye on Mare Island for the location of a state-of-the-art movie and television studio plus production company. Headed by Carpenter and studio president Howard Kazanjian, renowned producer of blockbuster films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi,” the studio aimed to be an alternative to Hollywood’s heavily booked and expensive movie sound stages.

Mandi Miculinich is on the hunt — the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. The Manteca resident has been to nearly half a dozen shops and has come as far as Sacramento to scout the gown worthy of a walk down the aisle.

The tricky part is that Miculinich is a size 22.

Mandi Miculinich is on the hunt — the hunt for the perfect wedding dress. The Manteca resident has been to nearly half a dozen shops and has come as far as Sacramento to scout the gown worthy of a walk down the aisle.

The tricky part is that Miculinich is a size 22.

Thoughts of living room wallpaper oft conjure memories of Grandma’s bathroom or a great-aunt’s old bungalow. At Bradbury & Bradbury Art Wallpapers in Benicia, the papermakers think that’s just fine.

For most of his life, Sean Patrick Shadduck had heard — and believed — that hard work yields rewards. When he proved that to himself earlier this year, it was a boost to his self-confidence.

Next month the Crocker Art Museum will open the doors to its new galleries, and some experts say the region could see a museum as notable as those in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

During World War II, the U.S. Army put Depot Park on the map as a central location to collect and distribute war supplies to troops on the West Coast and across the Pacific. The military moved out in 1995, but government, nonprofits and businesses of all sizes have continued to leverage the site as a hub for green activities and technological innovations.

Building a $50 million company from the ground up in six years doesn’t take a rocket scientist, but it does take one hell of an entrepreneur. Deon Taylor, the 36-year-old mettle behind Deon Taylor Enterprises, is that kind of guy.

For Ken Apperson, the pivotal moment came in fall 2002. He was shuffling through the sporting goods section of Walmart in search of tennis balls when his cell phone rang. The caller, his old chum Scott Knorp, wanted them to quit their lucrative sales jobs and start their own telecom company.

The year was 1943, the world was at war and Dick Bertolucci cruised the streets of Sacramento in his first car — a black ’33 Chevy Roadster. He was 13 and didn’t have a license.