Business Spotlight

Now that it’s the New Year and the rapid succession of fall-to-winter holidays has passed, it’s time to get more organized and properly store holiday decorations away. Most people enjoy breaking out decorations to add a little festivity during the holidays. But sometimes that trip to the garage can leave you scratching your head — like where did you store the holiday decorations or that special set of holiday place settings? Or who put the big tabletop turkey in with the Halloween costumes? There are simple ways to get more organized, and Solana Beach Storage and Morena Storage have some strategies for getting organized in the New Year — and storing things properly to help take some stress out of 2020 holidays to come.

Put sushi on the menu and Nak Joon Kim behind the bar and you have Haru Sushi, La Jolla’s “neighborhood” sushi bar since fall 2018. “I don’t want a big restaurant,” he said. “I prefer a smaller, quiet one (it seats 60) where we’re part of the neighborhood and our customers are our friends.” Kim believes that good food makes you comfortable and 90 percent of Haru’s patrons are locals: “They come in and enjoy the environment, the experience and the food.” They must. Kim claims that 50 percent of first-time customers come back. One customer told Kim he enjoyed Haru because he “didn’t like to feel like a mackerel in a can.”

Upon pre-arranging memorial services for her own parents, Rachel Bennett said she felt “tremendous peace of mind.”

Jackson Design and Remodeling’s award-winning team of designers and architects have compiled their annual list of the top design trends for the new year. Continuing an evolving movement toward expressing individuality in home design, 2020 trends range from the humble to the bold. Organic handmade elements, “lived in” minimalism and “Japandi” design connect with an emphasis on simplicity and wellness. On the other end of the (decidedly retro) spectrum are bold geometrics, 3-D walls, and nostalgia for colors and materials from the 1970s and 1980s.

You can probably count on two hands the number of La Jolla businesses that have been in continuous operation for more than 70 years. Add to that operating from the same location and it’s a very small club. That’s the story of La Jolla Veterinary Hospital — La Jolla’s oldest and largest — with four full-time veterinarians and 18 to 20 support staff members.

When a family realizes they need help for an elderly member, their main choices are assisted living, a private caregiver, or an agency like Senior Helpers. Senior Helpers takes care of many details that private caregivers can’t, like managing payroll, providing insurance, ensuring the caregivers are licensed, conducting background checks, and thorough training. Jennifer Fernandez followed her passion for the elderly and their desire to remain in their homes through their golden years, by purchasing a Senior Helpers franchise. Her Senior Helpers office serves 80 percent of San Diego — from North County to downtown.

Visions of Mary Poppins and Bert, the chimney sweep, come to mind when you think about Steven Carter. He is a real-life, present-day chimney sweep of the highest order. In fact, he’s called a Master Sweep in the old English tradition, and he’s swept more than 40,000 chimneys during his career. Chim Chim Cheree indeed. Carter is founder of Chimney Sweeps, Inc. He started the company in 1985, and is based in Lakeside, although the company services chimneys across San Diego County. He has more than 30,000 customers. His philosophy is simple: “Your chimney is part of your house. If the chimney goes, so goes the house. We take care of your chimney thus we take care of your home.”

ArtPower has been spreading its creative energy across the campus of UC San Diego — and San Diego in general — for more than 16 years. The program’s mission? To present performing and media arts that engage, energize and transform the campus’ diverse cultural life. Each season offers a different experience for the students, performers and community members who witness it. But as always, students come first.

Where can you find fresh produce from local growers, crafts from area artisans, live music and delicious gourmet food for breakfast and lunch — all in one place? Just head to the corner of Girard Avenue and Genter Street in La Jolla on Sundays for the La Jolla Open Aire Market, open 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market has become a tradition for so many, but most who attend probably don’t know how it started. That little-known fact is what sets it apart from all other farmers markets in San Diego: It was started as a fundraiser for La Jolla Elementary School 21 years ago.

La Jolla resident Mary Sue Lindsay knows her way around a classroom. She was a teacher for 20 years and a school principal for another 20 — in elementary, middle and high school. Hoping to use these decades of experience further, she decided to become an education consultant to help parents, students, teachers and administers solve problems that arise at school.