Heavy metal
RAFI AJL • The Long Confidence
WORK • Wednesday Routine
RAFI AJL • owner • The Long Confidence
Neighborhood you work in: West Berkeley
It’s Wednesday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
I’m an artist and furniture maker, but also a business owner — so it’s a combination of getting my head into materials and designs, followed by computer work. Mornings are quiet and the shop is settled. Things are tidy, but projects are on every flat surface because we’re usually working on a few things at a time, all in different stages. By late morning, everything’s in full swing at the shop. The machines whirr to life, and we start making from metal, wood, and glass.
What’s on the agenda for today?
Today I’m making design documents for projects and taking care of emails. Later, I’ll run into the shop to take a measurement and check on my glass color inventory so I can buy supplies for a set of new, oversized glass-base tables I’m working on.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
We don’t go out a lot right now — we have a five-week-old baby and a five-year-old kid — but Lo Coco’s has been a recent family favorite when we do leave the house. I love the old-school feel, the portion sizes, and its loud, family vibe. I also just heard about Cafe Brusco, the new venture by the Rose Pizzeria folks, which is pizza that I truly love.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I’m a bit of a homebody, and our family spends a lot of time in the garden my wife designed, hacking away at projects or messing around with my 100+ cacti and succulents collection. Weekends are about hikes in Tilden Park with my 5-year-old. And I really like taking him grocery shopping (do groceries count as leisure time?) with me on Sundays at Monterey Market along the Hopkins St. corridor. We’ve been shopping there now for about 10 years, and it’s really sweet to have relationships with all the shopkeepers. The cheese shop always has sports on, so we’ll have an extra long hang there, especially during football season.
What was your last great vacation?
Every winter, we drive down to Baja, and last year, we drove all the way to Todos Santos. The tradition started off as a two-week trip, then we extended it to three weeks, and now I’m fixing for a full month. It’s the most relaxed I’ve ever felt — lots of beach camping, little hotels, and living elementally and simply in a beautiful place.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
I adore the Pablo Bolumar beeswax bubble pendant light I bought a few months ago for my living room.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Understory in Temescal Alley is a deep cut for the most interesting clothing in the East Bay.
Where are you donating your time or money?
The National Forest Foundation. I use so much wood in my practice that it felt important to help regrow trees!