Preserved

History

Elizabeth Vecchiarelli opened Preserved in Oakland in 2015. The business began as a small pop-up shop on Piedmont Avenue, operating out of a 100-square-foot shed. Despite its size, the shed held kitchen tools and preserving supplies, and offered hands-on workshops every weekend.

Preserved later expanded into a standalone shop in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, offering a larger selection of kitchen tools, preserved foods, and ingredients. Its workshops also expanded beyond preservation and fermentation to include other cooking skills.

In 2025, Preserved moved to a larger space in Rockridge. Today, the shop continues to focus on preserved, fermented, and handmade foods. It sells kitchen tools, fermentation supplies, and pantry staples, and hosts weekly workshops in a dedicated space.

A NEW LOCATION IN ROCKRIDGE

About the Interviewee

Elizabeth Vecchiarelli started Preserved because she wanted to create a community space for people interested in preserving and fermenting food at home. As a self-taught fermenter and canner, she wanted to open the kind of store she wished had existed when she was first learning.

She hoped to create a local shop where people could buy kitchen supplies, ask questions, attend workshops, and meet others interested in food.

Community

Vecchiarelli believes small, local businesses are important for building community. Without small businesses, especially brick-and-mortar stores, she believes neighborhoods would become more isolated and "fractured."

She also believes small businesses encourage creativity, connection, and different perspectives by bringing people with different backgrounds together.

As she explains, "They create community because they are a part of the community."