Popup Hood in Old Oakland had its grand opening on Friday night. Popup Hood is the brainchild of Alfonso Dominguez (of the bar and restaurant Tamarindo) and Sarah Filley, and fills some long-empty store fronts in Old Oakland.

There was another chance to shop local for some unique, vintage gifts for the holidays yesterday. In Cleveland Heights east of Lake Merritt was the latest of a number of popup markets around Oakland. This one was focused on vintage Christmas gifts, from old LPs (actual vinyl) to vintage clothes to photos of old signs. Tina Tamale (and the indefatigable Gil) of La Borinqueña served up yummy Tamales, and Monique of Semita Dulce sold sweets. There was a lot of interesting, cool stuff for sale. It was also fun to check out the art cars, listen to music played on records, and just hang out.

The big events this week are Thanksgiving, of course, and a great opportunity to shop local or make a point to buy nothing at all.

The Friday after Thanksgiving has been known as "Black Friday" since the 1960s, and has become one of the biggest shopping days of the year in the U.S. On one hand it means discounts and new items for consumers before the year-end holidays, and increased sales for retailers. On the other hand, it's led to a frenzy of buying things we don't necessarily need or can't afford, and even the trampling death of a security guard a few years ago.