If you’ve ever wondered why so many people are willing to spend a whole paycheck more at the highly successful Whole Foods for, say, wild salmon when other markets charge less, here’s the answer: There’s an energetic feel to the Whole Foods stores … a ‘feeling’ of tranquility and health.  A feel that is nurtured and enhanced by the use of classical Feng Shui.

The questions one might ask are:  How do I create the Whole Foods level of ‘feel’ and income for my business in these trying times? Or, how do I improve the feel of my home? Easy.

Decades ago, when I wrote about Feng Shui in my weekly Marin Independent Journal column, people chided me. They laughed. Yet this weekend, before the owners of the home at 122 Alder in San Anselmo arrived to listen to (and accept) a strong offer presented by Beth Sasan of Bradley Real Estate, Beth talked about the ‘feel’ of homes. “Notice how some homes just feel good, and they sell instantly?” said Beth. Indeed, we’d had a Feng Shui consult on the Alder home, and just knowing the issues I believe helped sell it.

Two days before the offer:  “This is a sweet home and I wish I could buy it,” said classical Feng Shui consultant Finola Fitz Clarence, with a smile. “It’s a wonderful property and with a few small tweaks it’ll shine. Notice how the energy flows.  All you have to do is.” 

How much we learn and how quickly our concepts of how we best live change.  Our awareness of ‘energy’ is constantly increasing.  Raise your hand if you’d choose to live next to a PG&E substation or major transformer, and so it is with the energy in real estate, both commercial and residential.

On the commercial end, while working with Theo Banks of Keegan & Coppin to lease the Cimarelli’s building (1003 Third Avenue, San Rafael, next to Kaiser) for estate planning attorney JR Hastings, we had a Finola consult. Here is a property smack dab on the busiest of Marin streets. With a large concern about the rush of cars zipping past, we knew help was needed. ‘The exposure is great but, how do you exist with that much energy rushing past? The prior business left, so we know there are real issues. How do we slow people down so they’ll notice and come in?’

From the classical Feng Shui deck of cards came the answer:  Not the move a desk, put a water fountain in the corner, hang two crystals, a mirror and three red ribbons in the far corner that I wrote about way back when.  That is the popular Feng Shui that we in the west have learned about.  But the answer came from the deeper, classical form which is, according to Joey Yap (multi-millionaire classical Feng Shui rock star from Malaysia, author of dozens of books, designer of the Chinese Olympic village), 80% based on the land forms and stars.

With the help of Finola, who studied with Joey Yap (ah, there are stories here, even a Robin Williams story if you ask) and Alex Stark (who does the Whole Foods consults) the energy at 1003 Third Street has been transformed.

Go LOOK. With the earthy exterior colors, the building on Third Street flows with land, fits in with the hills to the north and south, and it has a ‘tranquil feel’ as well. Then there’s the blue door (which JR, Aaron, Craig, Loic and everybody else working there has led me to) which settles and slows the energy. And the window treatments (quite unique in texture and shape, calming the energy), the blue planters and the red awning. Simple changes that have created an energetic transformation. There’s a glow to everyone who works there. Isn’t this ‘energetic feel’ how we’d all prefer to live and work?

Posted by:  Tom Verkozen