Whole Earth Access

The Whole Earth Access (1969 ^[1] - 1998) was a countercultural retail store in Berkeley, California. Two more shops were later opened San Rafael (1982) and San Francisco (1985).^[2][3] By 1993 it also had stores in Concord, San Mateo and Sacramento. The San Mateo store closed first followed by all others with the Berkeley store finally closing in 1998.^[2]

According to a 1985 issue of the store's Whole Earth Access Mail Order Catalog, (named after, but not connected to The Whole Earth Catalog which it also sold):

Our Berkeley store opened in 1969, inspired by but independent of The Whole Earth Catalog. It began by carrying books, a few woodstoves, a few power tools, and back-to-the-land equipment. Access to a wide variety of products was available at very low prices through special ordering from distributors' catalogs. Gradually the store began stocking the items most commonly ordered, and we now carry a wide range of top-quality products for basic living, still at very low prices. Our newest section is electronics and communications, which includes cameras, video, audio, and computers.^[1]

Larry Farb commented in 1986 to the Los Angeles Times that, "we've grown up with our customers [...] the person who bought wood stoves in the '70s is buying cappuccino makers today."^[3]

Notes

References

• "The Back-to-Wood Boom." TIME. Dec. 05, 1977.
• Whole Earth Access Mail Order Catalog: Access to quality products for good living at the lowest possible prices. Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press, 1985.
• Binkley, Sam. Getting Loose: Lifestyle Consumption in the 1970s. Durham: Duke University Press, 2007.
• Zonana, Victor F. "One of the Fastest-Growing Chains in U.S.: Whole Earth Access Stores are Bargain Basement for Yuppies." Los Angeles Times, May 19, 1986: E1-2.