About Bay-Made

Bay-Made is a retail gift shop in the Grand Lake District in Oakland, CA. Owned and operated by two Lake Merritt makers that live in the neighborhood, it was founded in 2017 with the help and blessings of their community. Seeking to connect the many talented artists and makers of the Bay Area to the people that wish to support them in their community, Bay-Made's goal is to act as a permanent local art and crafts fair curated with the best of the best.

Currently in addition to our local best sellers, we host about a dozen local makers with a booth of their own so folks can buy from them directly.

About the founders:

Sarahjane Bernhisel (she/her), an illustrator, and Schuyler McAlister (he/him), a fabricator and engineer, saw the need of an accessible local art space in their neighborhood. Sarahjane managed the toy store in their shared building, was asked frequently by customers if there was anywhere they could get something gift-y that was actually made locally, and a shop idea was born. They happened to be in the right place at the right time, and are very grateful. 

Sundae the cat (Title: Meownager) lived at Bay-Made from February of 2022 to April of 2025. Due to our new restructure and some health issues, Sundae has moved in with Sarahjane permanently and has retired from her job as shop cat. She has been a deeply beloved member of the Lakeshore Ave community of cat-lovers and people under 3 feet tall. Sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy, she fits the classic calico archetype easily. She enjoys chasing toy mice, antagonizing dogs, ripping tissue, and snoozing in sunbeams. Sundae was found by friends under a deck in Petaluma, but was originally chipped with a rescue organization that brings dogs from Mexico to Southern California. We have no idea how she ended up in Sonoma. She has a crook at the end of her tail from possible inbreeding, but we love her anyway.