This week's news stories

Lots of buzz this week about the new farmers market at the Alto Center in Mill Valley. "Where's the Alto Center?" was the question most asked, because most people know the strip of stores as "y'know, next to Albertson's", or "by the MV Post Office". Alas, poor Albertson's still stands empty, despite being snatched up by Whole Foods after it closed in 2007. According to a WF manager quoted in the IJ, we won't be seeing the store open until 2010 because the City has asked for a traffic study. Do they really need a traffic study when the building is changing hands from a market to... another market..? Anyway, apparently the farmers market was a hit and will be a regular attraction Friday mornings until at least November. Anna has some photos here.

More great news if, like me, you can think of nothing more enjoyable than wasting the occasional hour hanging out at Sports Authority. The store at Vintage Oaks is set to expand into the adjacent space that was vacated by the Shoe Pavillion bankruptcy last year.

Meanwhile, design firms are among the retailers being forced to shut their doors by the slow economy. The Marin IJ reports on Paper White and Green Fusion, two such businesses that are closing in San Rafael.

Finally, worth checking out is the Tavern at Lark Creek, which opened in Larkspur last week.