September 8, 2010 Grand Lake Merchant News In our last issue, the good and bad news regarding our Grand Lake neighborhood divided into almost equal parts. Happily, the good news this month far outweighs the bad. In the case of L'Amyx, the bad news about its closure is more than offset by Marcia Lam's plans to re-open as a family restaurant to be called Lin Jia asian kitchen. Everything I've seen and heard so far bespeaks quality and watching their first video online made my mouth water in anticipation. In order to accommodate the new restaurant, major construction is currently underway with mid-October as the target date for their grand opening. You can follow the progress of construction and watch for additional videos and/or announcements on their Facebook page. As an aside, if you need a L'Amyx tea and dessert fix, their Piedmont Avenue location is still thriving. Further down Lakeshore, the news is strictly positive. Earlier this year, Richard Weinstein purchased the long-vacant Baby Gap Building. Richard is one of the most responsible commercial property owners I know of with a long track record for upgrading his properties and finding long-term, successful tenants. The facade and interior improvements at Noah's/Starbucks, Di Bartolo's (now Boot and Shoe Service) and Sway were all done under his stewardship. After assuming ownership of the Baby Gap building, Richard quickly signed two tenants with long ties to the Grand Lake neighborhood. Silver Moon has been a fixture on Grand Avenue for 12 years. The owner, Dima Hart, told me she is moving to take advantage of the higher levels of pedestrian traffic on Lakeshore. She will be occupying approximately 1,000 square feet and will continue to offer an eclectic mix of new and gently used, children's clothing (including shoes) toys and accessories. The other two-thirds of the Baby Gap space will be occupied by Namaste Yoga which has operated a very successful Yoga studio on College Avenue since 2003. The owner, Kimberly Leo, grew up in the neighborhood and attended Crocker Highlands School Her plans for the Lakeshore location include two Yoga studios, a health and wellness center, a community gathering space and tea bar, as well as a Yoga and gift boutique. The Namaste press release includes many other details--but doesn't include mention of the latest of Kimberly's plans. Although the details are not yet finalized, look sometime soon for a regularly scheduled, free Yoga class in Splash Pad Park. Last month, I mentioned in passing that a bedding store was coming to Lakeshore adjacent to Silver Lining Jewelry. As it turns out, that's much like saying that Faberge made Easter eggs without further elaboration. Sleep and Beyond is rather unique. All their bedding is made from the wool of the finest Merino sheep. It is 100% organic, hypoallergenic and chemical free. Like the owners (brothers Sardór and Sarvár), the bedding originates from the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan. If you watch the introductory video on their home page, you may or may not end up buying a luxurious wool comforter--but you will almost certainly develop a longing to travel to far-away, mysterious places. Closer to home on Lakeshore, they've done a beautiful job with the shop interior and equally so with the landscaping out front. Sardór and Sarvár (along with General Manager, David Anderson) are planning a Grand Opening Celebration for Saturday, September 25 from 10 AM until 6 PM with food, beverages, entertainment and balloons. They have a five-month old Merino sheep pastured in the Montclair hills that will make a one-hour appearance around Noon that afternoon and this cute bundle of fur will also be at the Farmers Market the Saturday before (September 18) for the entire day. Mezze has re-introduced Happy Hours from Monday through Thursday beginning at 4:30pm. Around the corner on Lake Park, Alan Lopez reported (in an article in last week's Montclarion) that the final hurdles in the permitting process were about to be cleared allowing Gary Rizzo to begin heavy-duty construction at the long-abandoned Kwik Way. Three doors east, Caña has just posted a storefront sign over the entrances to their combined cabaret/Cuban restaurant. Inside, I captured this photo of the light fixture and art work over the order counter while standing astride a three-foot high pile of dirt with a matching pile of concrete rubble alongside. As was the case with Lin Jia, building a new, up to code commercial kitchen almost inevitably requires extensive replacement of existing drains. Nonetheless, partners Daniel Brajkovich and Yusuf Spears are hoping to open within the next couple of months. Meanwhile, Grand Avenue is turning into campaign central. Joe Tuman has just opened a mayoral campaign office at 3219 joining Jean Quan at 3237 and Jennifer Pae at 3231--all within a stone's throw of one another. Two more blocks up the street, Pat Kernighan has scheduled the Grand Opening of her campaign office at 3734 Grand for this Sunday. Late last year, we gave a big welcome to Tania Leullieux who had just purchased the vacant building at 3501 Grand (at Mandana) to serve as her own home as well as the location of her flamenco studio. We're all exceedingly grateful for all the improvements she's made-- transforming what was until recently the most blighted property on this section of Grand and contributing further to the ongoing Renaissance of the Grand Avenue commercial district. Also on Grand, the only truly bad news on the merchant front this month is that Taste of Joy has permanently closed. I'm very sorry that Chef Brian Hill was unable to make a go of this location. The folks at Safeway told him the space was cursed and my recommendation that he arrange an exorcism came months too late. Brian is, however, still doing catering and can be reached through the Taste of Joy website. Speaking of Grand, we rarely mention the Ace Hardware and Nursery even though the latter was a major contributor to the Splash Pad Native Garden. I'm afraid I sometimes take their presence for granted and, if so, I'm glad to see that Oakland Magazine honored them as the 2010 hardware store of the year. In addition to providing marvelous service, their prices are highly competitive. I'm installing a floating wood deck on what will soon become a back patio and compared prices for bolts and related hardware at Ace vs. the "Big Box" store and found that the former was 30-50% cheaper. Farmers Market If you're not already aware of it, the Agricultural Institute of Marin has their very own monthly newsletter that covers all their farmers markets. If you'd like to subscribe, send an email to: adriana@agriculturalinstitute.org. Their August 26 edition talked about the composting program that was instituted at the Grand Lake and Newark markets in July thanks to a grant from StopWaste.org. At Grand Lake, approximately 90% of all market waste is either being recycled or composted. Previously, the market generated 15 to 20 thirty-two gallon bags of trash. Now the market produces 2 to 4 bags of waste. Progress indeed, but we can do better! We're looking for local volunteers to help market patrons navigate the new waste stream at our East Bay farmers markets. Please contact us if you are interested in volunteering or know of any schools that need volunteer hours. The AIM Newsletter also alerted me to a food blog that consists mainly of videos shot at the Grand Lake Market by a young woman whose user name is Tarabud. Speaking of local food blogs, a year or so ago I mentioned the Happy Consumptive blog. His most recent post from this past March raves about Almond Milk and Bronx Grape raisins from Lagier Ranch. The make-up of the Grand Lake Market has been pretty stable over the past several months. I was, however, pleased to see the return of Jackie Formanek who was severely injured in an automobile accident just about a year ago. There was also a new arts and crafts vendor who caught my eye a couple of weeks ago. Jane Kelly has been selling her whimsical ceramic mosaics at the Marin Market for some ten years, but this was her first visit to our Oakland market. Splash Pad/Farmers Market Advisory Board Jerry Barclay, the SPFMAB Chair, has provided a summary of the latest developments regarding Splash Pad Park and the Grand Lake Farmers Market. The big news is that the farmers market management has been meeting with Pat Kernighan, other city staff and SPFMAB representatives to talk about the ongoing maintenance issues that are a direct result of the market's popularity. AIM has offered to provide financial assistance and other indirect support to address these problems but the exact terms have not yet been worked out. Full text of Jerry's summary is available at this link. Entertainment Calendar The Grand Lake Entertainment Calendar has just been updated through October 30. One of the highlights should be on October 9 when Garrin Benfield makes his premiere appearance at the Grand Lake Market. He has performed previously at the Fillmore, the Great American Music Hall and on September 26, he will be at Freight and Salvage. Upcoming Events This is the final weekend of the annual Summer Musical series at the Woodminster Ampitheater. Tickets are still available for the final performances of Paint Your Wagon this Thursday through Sunday. Details are available on the Woodminster home page. Fairyland celebrates its 60th birthday this Saturday and Sunday from 10 to 4:00pm. For details, read the feature article in the Oakland Tribune. There's a volunteer work day at the Morcom Rose Garden this Saturday, September 11 beginning at 9:00am. Earlier this year, the American Rose Society named the Morcom as one of the Top Ten rose gardens in the US. Dedicated volunteers working with equally dedicated parks employees made this possible. Grand Lake Neighbors.org is organizing a District 2 City Council debate scheduled for Wednesday, October 6 beginning at 7:00pm in Barnett Hall which is adjacent to Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church. Incumbent Pat Kernighan and challenger Jennifer Pae will be addressing local issues and answering questions from the audience. Speaking of politics and Lakeshore Baptist Church, Rev. Jim Hopkins just kindly emailed me this most timely sign. The next "Lakeshore Neighborhood Plant Exchange is scheduled for Saturday, October 9 from Noon to 4. This free, twice-annual event is the brainchild of Odette Pollar who hosts the event in her yard on Lakeshore. Odd and Ends A small group of folks in our Grand Lake neighborhood have initiated discussions about converting an otherwise, unused paved area in the street in front of Arizmendi into a landscaped seating area. This effort was inspired by temporary "Parklets" that Walk Oakland/Bike Oakland and the East Bay Bicycle Coalition installed during the Oaklavia event. The creation of Parklets has been adopted as a matter of policy in San Francisco and quite a few have already been completed including this one on Divisadero that is quite similar to what is envisioned for Lakeshore. WOBO and EBBC are hoping to convince the City of Oakland to become similarly proactive. On Lakeshore, the Business Improvement District has already approved the concept in principle and made a tentative commitment to provide at least some of the funding while Pat Kernighan's office has been facilitating outreach to the Public Works Department and CEDA. If you want to get involved at the Lakeshore site, send an email to Pamela Drake, Director of the Lakeshore BID. The Katz family has been eating unusually well of late thanks to our daughter-in-law who is staying with us for several months while interning at Incanto in San Francisco. Last night's late-night dinner featured roast chicken on a bed of quinoa garnished with beets from Tomatero Farms. If good eats weren't sufficient reason to rejoice, we're simultaneously enjoying quality time with our not-quite four year-old grand-daughter. Looking for something to do on Labor Day, we drove down to Ardenwood Farms which is part of the East Bay Regional Park District. I've lived in Oakland since 1968 and this was my first visit. If you haven't been there previously, it's well-worth the thirty minute drive with or without kids. You can tour a marvelous Victorian mansion, get up close and personal with horses or ride on an antique train. 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. |
