The Owners

In 2001 Christopher and Amber Marie Bently founded Bently Holdings, embarking on their dreams in San Francisco. The Bentlys have a strong entrepreneurial and artistic spirit, relishing in restoring once grand buildings to their original splendor. They are drawn to properties that are beautiful, timeless, or capture the beauty of historic San Francisco.

Although not native to San Francisco, the Bentlys have considered it their home for many years. Christopher moved to San Francisco in 1984, calling it "the most beautiful city in the world." Amber Marie moved to San Francisco in 1999, one year after the couple met. Both have a deep love for the city, its architecture, and its people.

Christopher and Amber Marie also love to travel; South America and Asia are among their favorite destinations. They have an affinity with language and enjoy experiencing the cultures of the world first hand. The couple took a two month journey through India in 2004, and again in 2006, to research the practice of Ayurveda. They were inspired to open what was to become the Bay Area's most exclusive spa and salon, Kamalaspa. Kamalaspa was an Indian Ayurvedic retreat on the 7th floor of 240 Stockton at Union Square. "We had a vacant floor and a creative moment, so we went for it," said Amber Marie, "it was built to sooth the most discerning of spa junkies: us!"

Amber Marie has studied jewelry design at the Revere Academy in San Francisco. She puts her creativity and fascination with other cultures to use in her unique work at Amber Marie Bently Jewelry, crafting sustainably sourced gems into sophisticated designs that are inspired by the Far East. Her handmade one-of-a-kind pieces are unique in today's marketplace, and are available for purchase at Thomas Barbèy galleries and vie luxury design. Amber Marie Bently is a San Francisco fashion icon, and the founder and inspirational figure behind Spring into Fall, the Bay area's first sustainable fashion show featuring the city's finest eco-couture designers.

Christopher's early career was in music. He grew up playing drums, becoming accomplished in keyboards, vocals, and percussion. He acquired a love for electronic music and wrote and produced two albums. Christopher Paul was how he billed himself and took his music on the road for several years. He then brought his musical talent to others by working in production and sound design until 1998. Although Christopher no longer practices music professionally it is still in his soul, driving his passion for the arts. Christopher serves on the advisory board of the Black Rock Arts Foundation as well as the Burning Man Project.

The couple are avid environmentalists, insisting on nothing less than strict green operating fundamentals for all their businesses. Bently Holdings's property at 240 Stockton Street in San Francisco, as well as their commercial property Belvedere Place, were converted to Energy Star Rated buildings and led the way in San Francisco's green building movement. Their touchstone property, the historic Bently Reserve, was meticulously converted to one of the West Coast's first LEED Silver certified spaces — this years-long project was personally spearheaded by Amber Marie.

Amber Marie also sat on the Green Business Council of San Francisco in 2006. She also created her own all natural, organic skin care line for Kamalaspa. Both Christopher and Amber Marie are on the fund raising committee for Global Green. Christopher takes the stairs up to his office every day, so as not to waste electricity on the elevator. "It's just mind boggling to me to when people leave their garbage behind in the park after enjoying a nice lunch outdoors," he says. "People think I'm crazy for going in behind them and throwing their garbage away, but I think they're crazy for having not done it themselves."

The Bentlys are well-known philanthropists; the majority of their contributions go to environmental issues, the arts, or to the welfare of animals. They plan to continue investing in San Francisco, and have many endeavors planned for their current properties. Christopher and Amber Marie live in San Francisco with their two pugs, Bandit and Ché.