Stopping by Tamalpie on any given night, there’s a good chance Karen Goldberg will be found sitting at the bar with her sister (Susan Griffin-Black, who I interviewed in January, and who introduced me to Goldberg) and a mix of their friends. Come on in and say hi!
What do you do? I’m a mother of two amazing daughters; I own two small businesses, Tamalpie and The Warehouse Mill Valley; and have two labrador retrievers. … So I’m always problem-solving, hiking, cleaning, moving furniture, shopping for furniture. I’m in constant motion.
Where do you live? Downtown Mill Valley, right near the Sweetwater.
How long have you lived in Marin? 30 wonderful years.
Where can we find you when you’re not at work?
To be honest, I’m never “not at work.” I’m always on; it’s become ingrained in my lifestyle. Even when I’m dining out, I’m thinking about how I can make my own restaurant better.
If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin is, where would you take them?
A walk to Tennessee Valley Beach, the hike up Railroad Grade, the bar at Tamalpie, a secret beach in Sausalito that I can’t disclose, Playa restaurant (I would say this is my best work as a restaurant builder/designer), Marin Country Mart, “thrifting” Marin style starting at Tivoli, Karl The Fog, Diamonds in the Rough, The Warehouse, Swan Dive, Petersons, Home Consignment, Design Plus … I love to shop and have managed to turn the art of finding beautiful things into a career.
What’s one thing Marin is missing?
Diversity.
What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites?
If I could give myself one piece of advice, it would be to slow down and soak it all in. It’s special to have kids who have moved away from home because they’ve now realized how unique it was to grow up here. It’s a nice reminder for me as well.
If you could invite anyone to a special dinner, who would they be?
Definitely Babs and Larry David.
What is some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago?
Don’t forget you can always reinvent yourself. Do what you love, and the rest will follow.
What is something that in 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy?
Fad diets! Eat what you want, and just keep moving.
Big question. What is one thing you’d do to change the world?
I think our healthcare system is a mess, and health and all insurance is a burden. I would work toward a more compassionate and caring system like Europe.
Keep up with Goldberg at @tamalpie and @thewarehousemv on Instagram.
Nish Nadaraja was on the founding team at Yelp, chauffeurs his daughter to Tam High and attempts to play pickleball at Fairfax’s Cañon Club.
What a fabulous woman!
I’m so in admiration of you and love you so very much, my amazing sister! ??♂️??????⭐️?
Why and how do such things get published here? I love this local publication – so many things are done right and there remains a printed version – kudos! Nikki Silverstein is a regional treasure. But these seem like paid advertisements for certain for-profit local businesses. There’s no need to showcase these people – they will find their own ways to promote their ventures. This woman is profiled this week – why? She sells expensive pizza to busy Mill Valley parents – whocares? We have big time givers to local culture residing in Marin – why not feature their brave efforts? This woman’s sister who runs a soap company was featured last month. Why, again? (I hope you don’t mine this family for even more of this type of material.) I hope these features are not in the end paid advertisements as that is not made clear if so. I would rather not see these types of features in Pacific Sun – focus on worthy noble efforts instead.