August 30, 2011 Grand Lake Merchant News This month, we're reporting on two new, Grand Lake businesses that are in the pipeline and both have raised at least some concerns amongst adjacent businesses and/or members of the neighboring community. A few insiders have been hearing for months that Good Vibrations was looking at the long vacant space at 3217-3219 Lakeshore. It's now official that they've signed a lease contingent on getting city approval of a Conditional Use Permit. Here's the abbreviated text of a message from David Valeska, the City Planner handling their application: "This application, Use Permit CMV11-142, for the adult business Good Vibrations, is tentatively scheduled before the Planning Commission for 6 pm, Oct. 5, 2011. You may attend and speak if you have comments. Please let me know if there are any issues to discuss at: dvaleska@oaklandnet.com". Mr Valeska goes on to note that Good Vibrations has recently opened a shop in San Francisco across from Bloomingdales/San Francisco Center and that in Oakland, "they would eliminate the window coverings and make it more like a regular retail store, though without adult merchandise in the most forward windows." As for the second proposal, a Wingstop franchise has allegedly signed a 20-year lease for the Szechuan Restaurant on Lake Park which is sandwiched between Caña and Heart and Dagger Saloon. Their permit application in July was apparently approved by a counter clerk in the Planning Department who classified their proposal as a "limited service" as opposed to a "fast food" restaurant. The latter would have required a stiffer review and would have allowed input from the community, Councilmember Kernighan's office and the Lakeshore Business Improvement District. To further complicate matters, El Toliver, Inc. (the Wingstop franchisee) has since applied to the Alcoholic Beverage Control District for an on-sale beer and wine license which would, in fact, require a Conditional Use Permit and open the process for community input. For the present, please direct any comments regarding Good Vibrations to Mr. Valeska and any comments regarding Wingstop to another City Planner, Aubrey Rose at: arose@oaklandnet.com. In addition, I'd highly recommend that we start an online dialogue about both projects using the Grand Lake Neighbors website as a venue. David Flack has been regularly posting this newsletter and you'll be able to leave comments by clicking on a link at the top and the bottom of the page. The newest shop on Lakeshore is Collage Clothing Lounge at 3344 Lakeshore (next to Sleep and Beyond). The owners, Amanda Robinson and Massoud Wiggins, specialize in affordable women's clothing and accessories including a large selection of jewelry and clothing produced by local artisans. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, they have a live DJ. Amanda previously operated a boutique in Chico and she has a wealth of ideas on how to better promote the local business district and the energy to match. Please drop in and give Amanda and Massoud a big welcome. Last month, I wrote about China Lake Express closing. According to a source at Arizmendi, the space has been leased to another restaurant but exactly what, I haven't a clue. Last month, I also wrote about the closing of Good Chemistry Baking at 3249 Grand. That space was very quickly leased by Boniere Bakery which opened today, August 30. I dropped by this morning to take this photo of the owners and another of one their many highly photogenic creations. Boniere was an Alameda institution--the oldest operating bakery in California with roots going back to 1876 but the owners were forced to move after a hefty raise in their rent. They should be an extremely good fit for the Grand Lake neighborhood since the Grand Lake Retail Advisory Group (GLRAG.org) survey had a dessert bakery near the top of the neighborhood want list. With a menu featuring a vast array of cookies, cakes, danish and croissants (in half a dozen flavors), Boniere should thrive in its new location--particularly since they have a loyal customer base that is thrilled to see them re-open. I talked to one such gentleman this morning who drove down from Castro Valley for one of their Italian Rum cakes made I'm told with the genuine article. Coincidentally, Dr. Abu Pigott's Next Level moved for the same reason but in their case, their new location is just up the block at 3354 Grand where he's sharing a space with Emerson Personal Training. In one of life's, delightful little ironies, they're next door to the all too tempting delights offered by Michael Mischer Chocolates--as is Weight Watchers on the opposite side. Last month's prediction was that Top Dog should be opening in "a week or so" which turned out to be overly optimistic. This photo which was taken just under a week ago shows that they are extremely close. This afternoon I met someone who has just been hired by Top Dog and he expects to begin work there the first of next week--if not this weekend. Another business that's just opened is HM Facial & Foot Massage at 3734 Grand--a space that had been vacant for far too long. It's just a couple of doors down from Stu Sweetow's Audio Visual Consultants. Stu had alerted me to the new tenants and kindly introduced me to the owner. She seems quite pleasant and they've done a nice job decorating the interior. If you haven't checked out "Chi, Wind & Water" at 3227 Lakeshore, I'd highly recommend you do so. They've got a great assortment of merchandise including a 750 pound geode that's been custom-cut for use as a glass-topped coffee table. A number of recent, Grand Lake store-front improvements are worthy of note: Russell Moore of Camino and Charlie Hallowell have been hitting the airways of late. Russell was featured in a Foodography video posted on YouTube and he and Charlie were both on a panel that included Alice Waters and Michael Bauer in a KQED Forum entitled "Chez Panisse turns 40". As an aside, this month's Monday night special at Camino (Paella) was so well received, it will be featured through September as well. Marcia Lam's Lin Jia Asian Kitchen should be joining the publicity parade next week with a feature article in the Oakland Tribune and its sister "Bay Area News" publications. I captured this photo of D. Ross Cameron as he was about to wrap up a photo shoot at Lin Jin early this afternoon. Farmers Market The Grand Lake Farmers Market suffered a double-whammy this month. Yank Frances resigned after working at the Grand Lake Market for five years. Chances are you didn't know him by name but he did all the "dirty work" making sure the johns were clean; the trash cans emptied and all the chairs and tables in place for our enjoyment. Yank was always very laid back and usually he had a big smile but not quite as big as the one you'll see in this photo that I took on his last day at the market. By comparison, Brad Burger is a relative newcomer having assumed the market management reins in March of 2010. His resignation comes as a big shock as he had impressed us with his intelligence; his grasp of the big picture in terms of the market's role in promoting locally-grown produce and better nutrition; his willingness to implement meaningful change and his ability to enforce regulations without being overly authoritarian. During his tenure, the market began a food composting program; substantially reduced the wear and tear on the lawns; initiated the restaurant tastings program and enhanced the market's educational component by scheduling on a regular basis, Esperanza Pallana's "Pluck and Feather", the Master Gardener's program and StopWaste.org. At this point, Brad's not sure what he's doing next but I, for one, think he has an extremely bright future. Brad's replacement as Market Manager will be Chris Blackburn. He's pictured in this photo ceremoniously receiving a set of keys from Brad carrying on a tradition started last year when Brad posed with his predecessor, Nessia Berger. (Editor's Note: All you rabid, Cal fans please ignore the fact that Chris is wearing an Oregon ducks t-shirt. He really is a good guy and I suspect the devil made him do it). (Editor's Addendum: If there are any Oregon Ducks fans on this mailing list, please ignore the previous comment as I'm getting old and increasingly intemperate.) Earlier this year, the Agricultural Institute of Marin instituted on-site farm inspections to ensure that vendors at all their markets were actually producing what they were offering for sale. A couple of months ago, the seafood vendor at Grand Lake had his membership pulled for this reason and more recently, the flower vendor at the west end of the market suffered the same fate. The latter's replacement is Thomas Farms which is based in Aptos. Over the last couple of weeks, their booth has been crammed with a dazzling array of sunflowers and dahlias. Here's a close-up of one of the latter. The food tasting program hosted by the market management in their Information Booth continues to prove its worth. On August 6, Marcia Lam and Lin Jia provided samples in their own inimitable style on serving platters elegantly garnished with Japanese Maple leaves and "butterflied" carrots. Look for Cafe Romanat Ethiopian Restaurant this coming Saturday, September 3 and Grand Tavern on the 10th. The remaining slots for September are yet to be filled but will most likely include Boniere Bakery. Vesta Flatbread introduced their new, incredibly spiffy food truck a couple of weeks ago. In case you somehow missed it, here's proof-positive. I have good and not so good news to report about parking for the farmers market. The good news is that you should find it much easier to find parking under the freeway. The not so good news is that it will cost $2.00 per hour as the city has installed pay stations that will be activated September 6. The decision to begin levying parking fees was made during this last round of budget negotiations. If at all possible walk or ride bikes to the market or, if you're so inclined, be the one who steps up to the plate and writes a grant application to provide funding for a free neighborhood, Saturday shuttle. I have one last farmers market photo I want to share. I took it on August 6 after someone remarked that the Grand Lake Market is as good as any in Europe and specifically, in Paris. Coincidentally, this photo shows to good advantage the double allée of Columnar Maples that Walter Hood used to screen the freeway facade.
Events Calendar The City of Oakland has designated all of September as Small Business Month. Stu Sweetow informed me that Mayor Quan, in conjunction with this promotion, will be holding a press briefing on Grand at Ikaros, Walden Pond, Michael Mischer Chocolates and Ford's Fine Furniture this Thursday afternoon. In addition, a neighborhood mixer will be held at Milano's Restaurant at the end of the month. For more details, visit the Oakland Small Biz website. As I noted last month, the Grand Lake District will be celebrating International PARK(ing) Day on September 17. Latest plans are for a temporary parklet in front of the vacant China Lake Express Restaurant with musicians scheduled to play throughout the day in front of Arizmendi. As I mentioned last week this parklet is being constructed and installed by Garden Hortica. Here's a photo of the not-completed plywood floor. A second parklet will be on Grand in the street in front of Monkey Forest Road with furnishings provided by Urban Furniture plus treats courtesy of Boniere and Grand Bakeries and most likely, some live music as well. Ace Garden Nursery (which is invariably supportive of community projects) has agreed to loan trees and/or shrubs for both locations. The proposed mini golf course now consists of but one hole--a 6'8" Par 3, Duck-leg to the left, right and center that made its public debut at last Saturday's farmers market. Unless there is a sudden upwelling of creative enthusiasm and volunteerism, we're going to settle for that and it's most likely going to end up as part of the Grand Avenue parklet. On the 17th, we'll need pick-up trucks to move furniture, plants and other materials. We'll also need help with set-up and tear-down and assistance staffing the parklets throughout the day. If you can help with any of the above on Lakeshore, please email Sara Erickson (the Property Manager for Sansome-Pacific) at sara.r.erickson@gmail.com. To volunteer for Grand Avenue, please email me directly at ken@katzpjs.com. To follow and participate in the discussions about PARK(ing) Day and the permanent parklets that are to follow, please check out the Parklet blog that Sara just initiated. October 15 marks the return of Odette Pollar's Lakeshore Neighborhood Plant Exchange. This is always a great opportunity to unload plants and cuttings no longer needed in exchange for the perfect plant in the perfect location. Odd and Ends Barbara Newcomb, who was the inspiration behind the proposed restoration of the Cleveland Cascade and Oakland's 2010 Mother of the Year, is now 88 years-old and still digging weeds on an impossibly steep hillside. A couple of weeks ago, she received some well-deserved recognition in the form of a Dave Newhouse column. If you have friends or neighbors who may be interested in receiving this newsletter, please forward this link: www.splashpad.org/mostrecent.html and invite them to subscribe by sending an email to info@splashpad.org. |