Inside the Artist’s Studio 2.0

Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes.
I absolutely love this event. LOVE IT.
I don’t think that there is really anything left to say other than a HUGE «Thank you!» to our wonderful hosts for letting us invade their living quarters with our craziness once again. You two are amazing.

Better late than never, right?
Don’t take my tardiness as a negative. I absolutely loved this YEE. Nique and the team did a fantastic job The food, drinks, entertainment and the loft were great. I would love to live at Cotton Mill Studios, it was such a comfortable space. If only I was more artistic!
I learned how to properly drink vodka by the gentleman from Zu, snapped some funny photos in the booth, and drank my fair share of beer from Lagunitas. The wine was tasty and the pizza was was so good that Hot Italian had to do a run for more.
I can’t wait for another one of Nique’s great events.

Commuting home on 880 S., I always had wondered what Cotton Mill Studios had inside it’s restored building that overlooked the freeway. Well, I finally got my chance to see for myself on a beautiful Friday afternoon in the Bay Area.
My first stop was in the studio reserved for Unilocal Elite, where I got to sample Hot Italian Pizza and a freshly brewed beer from Lagunitas Brewery. Other businesses that were showing off their goods in the Unilocal space were Kunde Family Estate wines, Zu Vodka with tasty cocktails, Guayaki Yerba Mate, Glow Salon and Photobooth Royale (because you always have to have a photobooth at a Unilocal Elite event!)
My friend and I made our way out to the artist’s beautiful studios and lofts and admired their paintings, photography, sculptures and more.
We stopped in for a Improv performance of Charlie’s Angels (funny, but maybe a little too long) and then made our way to the upper floors to check out the other studios.
Hungry, we made our way out back where Five Ten Burger Truck was serving up their tasty burgers and Fist of Flour was cooking up wood fired pizzas in their pizza oven trailer. After waiting in Five Ten Burgers line for Five to Ten min, we decided to leave and eat elsewhere.
Many thanks again to Nique and Cotton Mill studios for a fun event!

Nique wasn’t kidding when she said to take BART and avoid driving! We took BART to Fruitvale and waited with some others (both Unilocal and non-​Yelp people) for the black vans from F3 for about 10 – 15 minutes. Getting there was an adventure navigating through a one lane road where large trucks from lots were using as well as many people using it to park on… crazy! However we arrived in one piece and didn’t have to deal with the stress of parking!
It was so fun to attend this event and have a little look into many of the artists’ lofts and their work. Such a cool concept for artists to live and work in such a great space with others like them! It was great to attend this event because it was a starter to the larger event that was going on and followed after this ended. We explored the other floors and food trucks at Cotton Mill which were all very interesting and wonderful!
The vendors here were awesome as well! Always a fan of the photo booths and hope we have one at every event! Great beer from Lagunitas (my husband loved it), great wine (I enjoyed it), yummy pizza from Hot Italian (just wish it was warm), and great other vendors present.
Thank you Nique for another fabulous and fun event!!!

I love this event. It’s Unilocaly but also linked up to the F3 event at Cottonmill. I live in a similar community to Cottonwood so it’s interesting to see what the folks at F3 are up to. I would love to have a similar event at Pacific Cannery!
Lagunitas is one of my favorite breweries so I was elated to see they had not one but two different kegs on tap. the IPA is an incredible beer and the blonde was perfect for the warm evening. Before I got carried away with the adult beverages I made sure to make a stop by Hot Italian Pies. They were so friendly and had several delicious thin crust pies for us to sample.
It seemed like F3 had a lot of different cool art events going on (From what I recall there was some sort of activity on at least four different floors of the complex). My buddy and I watched some belly-​dancing on the first floor. Five Ten burgers as well as some other food vendors were around but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to try any of them.
Thanks Nique & Unilocal!I look forward to seeing you all at the next one.

Loved it! Such a great way to start the weekend — noms from my fave pizza place in the East Bay (for now), good Kunde wine with their awesome sea salt chocolate, met some lovely ladies from a salon in Oakland and had Remi do my awesome do, and got to take great pictures and catch up with great company aka fellow Unilocaly Elites that I’ve just met!
Also, never heard of Cotton Mill studios and definitely had to read more about it. So intrigued about its history, and it’s got me contemplating moving here or to Oakland in general one day! Another fabulous job, Nique!

Hm… so apparently this particular event is a yearly thing! Yay — I get to look forward to next years now (…maybe?!?)! Well this was my first and — wow — it was sO Ahhh-​frickin-​mayy-​zing! I don’t even know why I’m so surprised (or amazed) at how well the turn out was or how awesome the activities/​samples were because Nique just does an outstanding job throwing us our shindigs every single time!
Not only was weather super perfect for this night but there was Great music, Great beer (Hello Lagunitas!) and wine (Kunde! They offer hikes through their vineyard!) as well as stiff drinks from Zu Vodka or a nice cool organic tea, there was a fun photo booth, yummmy pizza from Hot Italian and while enjoying any one of these you can even get your hair done! And if you were super hungry (like me) fivetenburger truck was right next door! I got the truffled tater tots from them and it was mouthwatering delicious. The five minute wait was worth it!
A peek into many of the Artists’ lofts was also fun! I imagine this building would be a really cool place to live in, despite the fact that it’s right Next to all the freeway noise.
Once again, thank You Nique for an outstanding evening! :)

«Bison grass is a miraculous item, an agent for inebriation and it doubles as an aphrodisiac.» The Zu Vodka representative remained straight faced as he uttered these lofty lines, I read between them with the not-​so-​intricate detail of a borderline drunkard. Throughout the night I referenced the drink as a sex amplifier and made every attempt to steal little snippets of bison grass from Zu’s stand.
Drunk people should not be left to their own devices and I proved that Friday night. Unilocal naturally answered this issue with a non-​ending supply of Hot Italian’s…Pizza. This Sacramento transplant has some tricks up its sleeve! Get ready for the 1 – 2 knockout effect of pears and honey on a slice of pizza. Some more Italy inspired dishes were being slung across the way at Fist of Flour, plus some FiveTenBurgers were causing heart congestion in the same area. Unfortunately they were not offering free bites and my cheap ass wasn’t coughing up the moolah. (Jokes aside both companies are quite decent. Find them on Unilocal!)
Speaking of prices, I got a perfectly awesome free pair of Unilocal adorned stunna shades before waltzing the F3 event. The most memorable part of this waltz is my threat to «pew pew» peasants with powerful cyclops beams. Ironically, no one felt threatened. There was a lot of art in between the «pew pewing». Dainty necklaces and hipster elite clothing lined the second floor like wild stucco from a bad home interior renovation. The 3^rd floor was boring. The fourth floor had an expensive photography section, artwork by people with sexually exploitable names, and a virtual reality simulator curiously hanging from the ceiling. It all looked great behind the veil of my stunna vision.
(Shout out to Photobooth Royale, and Kunde Family Estate Wines aswell!)

Oh where shall I begin??? Ms. Nique and team planned another event that was oh so much fun. From the moment we walked in, we instantly were greeted with the fun photo booth, ladies from Glow can put together an updo like noones business, Kunde wine (Sauv Blanc was my favorite), Zu vodka concoction with the apple cider was refreshing (if your nice they might take you through a proper vodka shot tasting), organic Yerba tea just the right amount of sweetness and the pizza from Hot Italian is just my new favorite I tell ya. Overall great soirée, met new friends, ate good food, drank delicious drinks, took great pictures and had the best night ever all before 10pm!

Becoming a Unilocal Elite is definitely a highlight of 2012 and this event tops the list of reasons why. The boyfriend and I appreciate date night, as adorable as our little one is, and we thoroughly enjoyed our first F3 visit at Cotton Mills Studios. From the minute we lined up for the free shuttle, I knew we were in for a memorable night. The line was a cross-​section or microcosm (choose your metaphor) of Bay Area fabulousness. We were all laughing and chitchatting as if we’d known each other for years. The friendly vibe continued during the entire event. Everyone, from the talented artists to the food and drink servers, were unpretentious and down-​to-​earth.
Arts: Gorgeous burlesque dancers. Eerie video. An impressive woodworking shop. One of our faves was «Hot Chicks and Homeless Peeps,» a stunning photography show opening officially this weekend.
Eats: We enjoyed some Lagunitas IPA and Hot Italian pizza (after our delish dinner courtesy of FiveTen Burgers food truck.)
Fun: We had such a good time we forgot to grab our cool photo booth pics.
And I finally got to meet our hostess, Nique!

Best Unilocal event yet! My favorite winery, my new favorite pizzeria, my home countries finest vodka, got my hair and makeup did to the T (with some crazy photo booth pics to prove it), couldn’t have been more great things in one space. I must admit I got lost in the Cotton Mill, so many rooms and so little time but I would love to go back to see more.

LAHVED it!
Glow left me glowing, Zu left me zu zu-​ing, Lagunitas left me full of dee-​licious beer and Hot Italian was well, hot! I may have taken 12 too many photos in the photo booth but that’s what happens when you’re having too much fun.
This was by far one of my favorite of the Unilocal events I’ve attended. I loved the Cotton Mill Studios. Tinkering Monkey was by far my favorite of the galleries. I’ll be back for one of the quarterly F3 events.
Many thanks Mizz Nique for another amazing evening!

OMG two fantastic YEE in one week! I’m such a lucky girl to be able to enjoy so much fun.
We were greeted by Jessica and Joceyln, they were so pumped up for the event.
Once we made it inside we had to take some fun pics with props in the photo booth. It is a great momento to remember the event.
Next it was time to enjoy some heavenly pizza made by Hot Italian. I fell in love with the pear and gorgonzola.
What goes good with pizza? Wine and beer! I had a tasting of the red wine provided by Kunde which was light and fruity. For dessert a piece of chocolate from their table so good on the taste buds and paired well with the sips of wine.
After the snack and bevy we walked around the side show/​F3 event and watched some dancing and checked out some art then we crossed back over.
Then we saw a new table set-​up of Zu vodka. We chatted with the rep and learned about the process of their spirit while enjoying a cocktail. It tasted so sweet and had me wanting more.
Before I knew it, it was time to go. I have always wanted to know what the brick building next to the freeway was all about. It was a mystery until this night thanks to Unilocal I had a blast, learned some new things and now can say I have been to the Cotton Mill Studios.

I’ve always wanted to go to Cotton Mill Studios and even more Side Show. Love the space and aura this place induces. Saw some old faces and new, but nonetheless is was all a good time on a HOT Friday in the O – just the way I like my Oakland. Bravo Nique, Joceleyn, and of course our favorite ginger, Jessica for making an appearance. ;)
Brought my sister Erica with me (who btw, does photography and will hopefully be making appearances for Unilocal sometime soon) and I really enjoyed the unique displays of art, being able to see inside people’s loft space, and golly the food and drinks. This night gave a while new meaning to 420 with bison grass flavored vodka and some truffle oil tots. Yea, I enjoyed myself nicely and thoroughly with this combo. If you weren’t able to check out the improv show, be sure to next time – I like to label it as a one-​of-​a-​kind, get loose, fun show filled with some quirky peeps. I mean who knew an alligator-​esque striptease existed?
Definitely coming back, definitely finding me some of that vodka (did it have you jonesin too?), definitely stuffing my face with more of those truffle oil tots, and definitely loving the Cotton Mill Studios and all it invokes as another one of Oakland’s many good times.

This was definitely one of the best Unilocal events I have ever attended. I have been saving my 100^th review for something special, and I’ll gladly give it up for this event. Getting there from Berkeley was tricky, but well worth the trip.
I am extremely grateful to the hosts, the planners, and the vendors. The space at Cotton Mill Studios was simply amazing and truly the real deal. I rarely get a chance to interact with real artists and be surrounded by contemporary art at the place where it is conceived and created. I am really thankful that Unilocal gave me this opportunity. At the actual event I had a chance to try pizza from Hot Italian, Guayaki Yerba Mate, freshly kegged Lagunitas Beer, and more.
That was just the beginning of the evening. After the Unilocal event, the Studios were holding an open event for the public. At different rooms and locations throughout the communes the residents were hosting different events, offering food, and showcasing their crafts. Everything from pole dancing lessons, to improv comedy, to virtual reality demos. I had a great time and it was a very unique experience for me. I definitely recommend going to the Cottom Mill Studios to check out any upcoming events.

I’ve driven by this place since visiting (and living in the Bay Area) for nearly a decade plus. I always wondered whether or not this place was abandoned and put out of commission or if they figured out a way to breathe back life into the old Cotton Mill.
Somehow with the new found Oakland Art Explosion, this became an Artist work/​living loft for a select few. This past Friday myself and JTS, hopped on the BART and rode the F3 Caravans to be shuttled to this remote landmark of art, food and Unilocal Elite fun.
We were greeted by Jessica at the door (she was friendly and easy going). Then caught up with our usual suspects (Ed V. and Tisha K.). Sipped on neat Zu grass flavored Vodka cocktails and munched on some late delivered Hot Italian Pizzas. Met a few new Unilocalers here and there and grabbed a sample of Guayaki Yerba mate (just as delicious as the original) tea and Laguanitas Blonde Ale.
The 3 floors were divided, by Homemade Indie Jewelry at the 3^rd floor (with a hidden pole dancing studio to boot), 2^nd floor had a few more galleries to take a peek at and the 1^st floor hosted the Unilocal VIP Suite, Food Trucks and Vendors galore and more galleries for those to check out (a notable one being Float, considering their state of the art, vintage touch ‘floatation’ device).
Good times all around Nique, looking forward to the next couple of events cheers!

I always wondered who lived in these lofts. Thanks to Unilocal,I now know it’s an awesome artist collective. This is an amazing space with lots of room to roam. I really enjoyed the photobooth with the fun props. The art and music was also really great as well. Hot Italian Pizza were serving up tasty thin crust slices. The wine and beer and non-​alcoholic beverages were also perfect for keeping your thirst quenched for the evening.
I liked the mellow vibe of this event and maybe the good weather contributed to everyone being so friendly and welcoming. If you checked out the other art on the F3 side, there was a Side Show with improv, pole dancing, burlesque dancing, more food and drinks as well as jewelry, art and clothing to purchase.
I didn’t get a chance to get my hair done like a newscaster (as Nique described her own updo) from Glow Salon but that’s OK. The owner was really nice and friendly so hopefully, I can stop in sometime in the future.
Apparently, F3 happens quarterly (I think — I’m not positive though so check their website or FB page), so if you’re looking for something to do, come check it out. I believe they offer a shuttle to this event from Fruitvale BART too. Parking is a bit tough so I highly recommend the shuttle. It runs til 10:30pm according to their FB page.
Thanks Unilocal,Nique, Jocelyn and Jessica for introducing me to yet another cool space. It was fun getting an inside peek into «the artist’s studio.»

Gayle was working late and I handling some house chores in Albany on a wonderfully warm and sunny Friday. This wasn’t the usual East Bay Fog Belt weather, so why not enjoy it a little longer on the back patio at Cotton Mill Studios?
I’ve been wanting to check this building out for years and way back to the time when I drove past it on the old double-​decked Cypress Freeway. It was a funky storage building then, and now it’s a vibrant artist-​infused live-​work space.
Driving here from the 880 is a bit of a challenge as access practically hides itself in plain site. Finding parking is even more invigorating, but the F3 Sponsors were kind enough to provide free shuttle service from the Fruitvale BART Station. I declined that generous offer and ended up parking at the end of a nearby cul-​de-​sac. That was after I was «forced» to turn down a visitor’s spot inside the sliding gate. It must have been my elegantly aged demeanor as I was almost immediately waved in. Unfortunately, Nique kindly asked me to give it up, as that spot was really intended for one of the several Unilocal sponsors.
As always, Nique did a fine job with this event and I can only second Markus’ praises. Many thanks also to Jessica and the other folks that helped with organization, check-​in, and execution of this fine summer event. There was also the Glow Salon, Photobooth Royale, and soft DJ music inside, but I was happier being on the patio.
One of the best things I like about Unilocal events is the chance to hang out, people watch, and chat. Rene C.‘s Man Crush was here and I particularly enjoyed chatting with him about some common environmental experiences. It was also fun to spend some time with John Z., all while enjoying a cold Lagunitas IPA and a piece (or 2) of Hot Italian Pizza. Many thanks to those sponsors, plus the Kunde Family Estate Winery for the nice glass of Chardonnay that I enjoyed as I later wandered around all 4 floors of Cotton Mill Studios.
The best thing about this Unilocal Event was as a gateway to the intriguing and inviting open Studios at Cotton Mill. I wrote a separate glowing review about that. I also very much expect to be back the next time these artists open up their home to the greater East Bay Community.

My second five-​star YEE in less than a week. Yes, I am getting seriously spoiled.
And, thanks to a plus-​one invite from the delightful Amy J., my first F3 odyssey at Cotton Mills. What a concept both comfortably familiar and curiously adventurous. Four times a year, residents open their homes, their crafts and arts, and their visions to the outside. Though «outside» seems an unnecessary contrast, as the visitors echo the hosts’ urban artsy vibe. All friendly, all communal, all engaging.
All a perfect match for a Unilocal event. Nique and her team provided the perfect cherry to this artful sundae with the 2.0 of «Inside the Artist’s Studio.»
Well, more than a cherry, as it was easily a meal in itself. Food care of Hot Italian. Thin-​crusted pizza goodness. Of several varieties offered, the Murino — with mozzarella, sliced pear, Gorgonzola cheese and a whisper of honey — is something I would eat and serve for any occasion. Drinks courtesy of Kunde Estates, Langunitas brews, Zu vodka and Guayaki Yerba Mate. Entertainment from Glow Spa & Salon and Photobooth Royale. All to the smooth urban funk of DJ seenMR. Oh, and to the loft’s hosts who gave their living space for our special place, thank you.
It’s good to live in Oakland. And, it’s good to be Elite. While I have my movers to thank for the first part, I thank Nique & her Unilocal team for the second. For experiences both local and new … delivered with style, pampering, and a virtue of graciousness that’s always appreciated and occasionally even osmotic.

Perhaps because it’s so beautiful out and I’m the only lame-​o stuck at work because he let last week somehow slip through his fingers and promises went unfulfilled and now he has to be in the office and it’s so beautiful out.
That certainly must be the explanation as for why I get to FTR. All of you out there in the sprinklers or opening hydrants and directing the stream with opened cans into the windows of unsuspecting cabbies would have written this already. But you’re doing what I wish I could do instead. I live vicariously through you.
Last night I didn’t live vicariously, I lived directly, and thanks to a fabulous beyond words Nique F. community manager extraordinaire I lived a little large. Inside the artist’s studio was, like last year, a wonderful gathering. The event next door to me was a little less than last time, but it was still cool and had Nique anything to do about it certainly I think it would have been even more superb if not perfect but she didn’t and it wasn’t and that’s still ok by me.
This might sound a little gratuitous, but it isn’t. It’s genuine. And if you agree I think you should say so too. Nique puts her heart into our events and it shows. My times here are made meaningful by many things, and I realized last night that the efforts and dedication of our CM are in large part why I keep coming back for more. No question that the other stuff of the experience is special as well, I’ve met many very cool people and explored many cool venues that I’d never have otherwise met or explored, but more than that, the icing on this delectable cake, is being able to keep the company of somebody who truly cares about what she does and the people she does it for.
Last night:
Hot Italian fed me their tasty wares. Lagunitas is responsible for today’s headache. The vodka and wine good people other attendees are going to have to help me out here. The beauty artists from Glow who did the impossible — making already beautiful Unilocalers even more stunning. The photo booth people. Others.
It was a beautiful night, Ms. F. Thanks for making it possible.