Monday, November 24, 2025

do briarpatch honest business groups still exist in the SF Bay area?

We had Briarpatch Honest business meetings at our home in the SF Greater Bay area in the late 1990s for awhile. It helps other business owners help themselves and their customers better to learn how to be useful not only to yourself but to your customers in running a business. I have had no contact with them since about 2000 because of health problems I encountered in 1998 and 1999 when I almost died and had to retire then in 1998 to stay alive. However, if it is still going you might want to go to one of their meetings to see if it would be helpful to your business to learn what they have to share with you. 

begin quotes:

Yes, the
Briarpatch Network still exists and is active, primarily in the San Francisco Bay Area. The organization continues to provide a network for individuals engaged in "right livelihood" and honest business practices, offering mutual support and consultations. 
The modern Briarpatch network is less formal and more virtual than its historical incarnation, adapting to current technologies:
  • Monthly meetings are held online via Zoom since March 2017.
  • Consultations and technical assistance from expert volunteers are also available over Zoom.
  • Networking and cooperative discussions occur through monthly meetings and their online presence.
  • The organization maintains a physical mailing address in San Francisco. 

The original Briarpatch was founded in San Francisco in 1974 and included many well-known Bay Area businesses among its members, such as Nolo Press and Greens Restaurant. While it has gone through cycles, the network continues its core mission of fostering a community of small-business people who share values of joy in business, service over massing money, and sharing resources. 
For more information on joining or participating, you can visit the Briarpatch website. Note that the BriarPatch Food Co-op (with locations in Grass Valley and Auburn) is a separate entity that grew out of the same principles but operates as a grocery store chain. 
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