
Bringing Healing Into Focus
Image Nation connects veterans with the arts in Nevada County
As a photographer and owner of the Morrison Hotel Gallery with locations in New York, West Hollywood and Maui, Peter Blachley understands how powerful the arts can be. So when he heard about Image Nation, a local photography program to help veterans, he wanted to get involved.

Press Play
As a child, working in her family’s print shop in Grass Valley, Judith Berliner’s job was to help her father produce custom maps and limited-edition books on the antique machinery. She now works those same presses as owner of Full Circle Press.

From the Editors: September Business Recap
Comstock’s monthly look at business news in the Capital Region. Want to know what happened in September? Then read on, my friends.

Art Exposed: Marianne Bland
Comstock’s interviewed artist Marianne Bland about her artistic direction and recently being named the first recipient of the Gloria Burt Sacramento Region Arts Fellowship.

Actor Kevin Rahm On the Record
Sacramento resident offers his career advice
On a sunny August afternoon at Selland’s in East Sacramento, I had the pleasure of sharing some French press coffee with Kevin Rahm. You probably know him as Lee McDermott from Desperate Housewives, Ted Chaough on Mad Men or maybe even as your neighbor.

Entrepreneurialism a Safer Bet Than Grad School?
Miel Apothecary owner passed on further education to open boutique in Oak Park
Miel Apothecary, housed in the old Pedroni’s Pharmacy building constructed in the early 1900s on Broadway and 34th Street in Oak Park, is a potpourri of healing salves, locally-sourced perfumes and vintage clothing.

First Festival Looks Toward Growth
Homegrown music festival applies for City of Sacramento Creative Economy grant
While many supporters of local music may agree that Sacramento needs a homegrown music festival, this type of event isn’t easy to produce, and doesn’t always get the financial backing it needs.

Gather & Mill, a Boutique and Gathering Space, Opens in Grass Valley
As the sun rises on Mill Street in Grass Valley, Erica Henderson starts the opening routine in her new store Gather & Mill. She rolls out a decorative bicycle and sets up sandwich boards indicating to customers that they are welcome. The sounds of Amos Lee drift through the space as she slips kaftan-style dresses on hangers. When everything is perfectly in place, she opens the coral-colored French doors.

The Untold Story of Used Records Stores
Sacramento area record store owners balk at talk of record sales’ decline
There was a moment leading up to 2013 when it looked as though the record store would join the dodo on the extinction list. Record sales were plummeting due to rampant pirating, digital sales became the primary metric and the major labels were scrambling to shut down the piracy, while appealing to the modern user. Then, reports began circulating that vinyl sales were up.

Make It Work
To build a successful creative career, entrepreneurship is as important as aesthetics
Believe it or not, it’s possible to make a living as an artist in Sacramento. All it takes, according to those who’ve succeeded, is a base of communication, community, willingness to treat your work as a business and a good share of bull-headed persistence.