Cara Goldstein makes cards, stickers and a calendar of local sites; The shop Smiles Handcrafted offers supplies for crafting and DIY classes.
BERKELEYSIDE – December 2, 2025
Cara Goldstein, an illustrator, and the owners of Smiles Handcrafted, a women-owned craft shop on MLK, will be among the two dozen-plus local vendors at the Berkeley Holiday Gift Fair in Downtown Berkeley this Thursday, Dec. 4.
Cara’s Art Studio
With her whimsical illustrations of beloved Berkeley landmarks, artist Cara Goldstein seeks to honor the “significance of the city’s architecture” and remind Berkeleyans that “each building has a story and a historical relevance.”
If you’ve recently passed through Pegasus Books Downtown, Payn’s Stationery on Solano Avenue, or Mrs. Dalloway’s, ImaginKnit, or Berkeley Organic Market, all in the Elmwood, you’ll probably recognize Goldstein’s art through the prominently displayed postcards, greeting cards and stickers illustrating these storefronts, in her distinctive style.
Goldstein also recently designed a commissioned Pride-themed sticker for Berkeley Mayor Adena Ishii that mashes up architectural gems from various parts of the city, including The Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue, Old City Hall in Downtown Berkeley, a historic Victorian home in North Berkeley, and an antique store in the Lorin District (South Berkeley).
“Cara’s artwork captures the charm and character of our city beautifully,” said Melissa Male from the Office of the Berkeley Mayor. “Cara is a pleasure to work with — collaborative, responsive and thoughtful in her approach.”
A New York native, Goldstein is a Huntington School of Fine Arts grad and former public school art teacher. She said she began illustrating local landmarks in her current digital style while working on her graphic novel about San Francisco.
During COVID, she realized “that the architecture around me had its own story. So it was a story about how architecture gave me hope.”
Her illustrations received an early boost when the San Francisco Examiner published selections from the graphic novel. Shortly after, artist Paul Madonna connected her with an art curator for the then-new IKEA Gallery on Market Street to contribute illustrations for a series on San Francisco architecture. Pegasus Books in Downtown was the first store to commission an illustration, and the postcards, stickers and magnets have been flowing ever since.
Outside of commissions and working on her graphic novel, Goldstein runs her own cartooning academy for children, based on a curriculum she developed specifically for comics workshops and summer camps. She also coaches prospective art school students to help them develop their “dream portfolio.” She’s working on an e-commerce website.
In the meantime, expect Goldstein’s table at the Holiday Gift Fair to be stocked with plenty of stickers and postcards featuring illustrations of Berkeley and wider Bay Area landmarks. Goldstein’s new 12-month calendar, printed locally at Krishna Copy, will also be available, offering yearlong enrichment for the architecture enthusiasts in one’s life.
Smiles Handcrafted
Everyone loves receiving a handmade gift and a new North Berkeley craft studio and supply store aims to introduce people of all ages to the joys of making them.
Jennifer Lopez and sister-in-law, Sophiana Pich, who are both Berkeley natives and Berkeley High grads, opened Smiles Handcrafted in January. The shop is on MLK Jr. Way near Mr. Mopps and they call it a “safe space” for timid crafters, of all ages and any gender.
In the front is a retail store featuring a curated selection of products “designed by your favorite crafty influencers” (yes, there are craft influencers), as well as traditional tools from popular online brands as well. In back is the creative studio, where Lopez, Pich and guest teachers hold classes on paper-craft techniques, such as scrapbooking and cardmaking.
Part of the mission for Lopez and Pich is to give young people, who live in an increasingly digital world, the same opportunities they had as kids to work with their hands and create. Lopez, for example, learned knitting, beading and scrapbooking from her mother, which she “always found wonderful therapy.”
One of the biggest misconceptions about paper crafting is that you need to have exceptional fine motor skills to make an attractive product, Lopez and Pich said.
“What’s wonderful is that the technology that’s out now is more forgiving and it allows you to achieve these really nice results that even children can do,” Lopez said.
Outside of Smiles, both Lopez and Pich work 9-to-5s. On weekdays, Lopez’s husband, who is Pich’s brother, staffs the shop. Previously in biotech, he left his corporate job to become a co-owner. Besides staffing the shop on weekdays, “Rithy really brings in the aspect of community building,” Lopez said. “He always has ideas on how to incorporate community like bringing in artists from different cultures that offer something different from the mainstream.”
For the gift fair, Smiles plans to bring handmade cards that shoppers can use not just for winter holiday celebrations, but for birthdays year-round. For the art-lovers and makers in one’s life, they’ll also have craft supplies, including crafting kits and tote bags stuffed with items manufactured by small U.S.-based mom-and-pops.
“I love when I get feedback from someone, ‘you made this?’,” said Lopez. “Whenever I think of it, I just smile. I want others to do the same.”
WHAT NEXT
- Purchase holiday gifts at the Berkeley Holiday Gift Fair on Thursday, Dec. 4, 3-7 p.m. at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza or peruse the BerkeleyHolidays.com Community Giving Guide for other ways to give this holiday season.
- Check out Visit Berkeley’s holiday events calendar for festivities happening across town.
- Use Berkeley Bucks gift cards at more than 115 Berkeley businesses.
- Visit the Discovered in Berkeley Stories page to find more articles about innovative and creative local businesses.
