Sanctuary shopping

“I wish we had something like this in the East Bay!” is probably not something Sacramentans were used to hearing in 2012, but that's what one Yelp reviewer said about Never Felt Better Vegan, an all-vegan shop in Midtown. Things have changed since then, though: The shop closed a few years ago, and the East Bay does have its own boutique full of vegan specialty groceries, accessories and skin care products. It was called Republic of V in Berkeley, but was recently acquired by the animal sanctuary Animal Place and renamed Animal Place’s Vegan Republic. The shop is hosting a relaunch party on Sunday, July 19, from noon to 6 p.m., at 1624 University Avenue in Berkeley, where partygoers can enter to win raffle prizes, pick up a few treats or a few vegan hotties' digits. Hey, why not? And, of course, the store's profits go to caring for the animals at the sanctuary.