Neighbor Mary C. Daly Uses “Escape Velocity” to Increase Economic Mobility
by C. J. Hirschfield Quick—describe what you think the President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco would be like. If you answered a former high school dropout, an enthusiastic texter, someone with a flair for dressing hip, a lesbian podcaster, and a neighbor of the Grand Lake Theater, you’d be right. […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – June 2021
by Ken Katz As we reported last month, Alyce on Grand owner Alyce Preston was about to move (for about the fourth time) to a new location. This one is two doors up the block at 3231 Grand—the former home of Oak Common. When interviewed on Friday (three weeks after reopening) Alyce confided that this […]
Odds and Ends – June 2021
Doug Stonebreaker has had a presence at the Grand Lake Farmers Market going back to 2003, when Prather Ranch introduced us all to dry-aged grass-fed beef. Two years ago, he and Gary Root formed an innovative partnership operating as StoneRoot Field & Sea. Unfortunately, seemingly out of the blue, Gary made a surprise announcement in […]
Alyce on Grand – Preview
by Ken Katz As we reported last month, Alyce on Grand owner Alyce Preston was about to move (for about the fourth time) to a new location. This one two doors up the block at 3231 Grand—the former home of Oak Common. When interviewed on Friday (three weeks after reopening) Alyce confided that this may […]
Farmers Market Update – June 2021
by Dan Foster While there is no set date yet, we anticipate the return of seating, tables, and entertainment to the Grand Lake Farmers Market in the near future! New Market Participants: Raised Roots – One-man operation farming in Livermore and in Oakland at Castlemont High School. Check him out in the center aisle across […]
The Names in Lights Have a Tale to Tell – Part 2
by Ken Katz Last month, Part 1 of this series of articles about the twenty-seven Names in Lights panels in the Splash Pad Plaza focused on three panels listing the Grand Avenue businesses that donated to the Splash Pad fountain fundraising campaign. This month, we’ll be focusing on three additional panels that list businesses on […]
Splash Pad News – May 2021
The Sounds of Success – and Empathy
by C. J. Hirschfield Glynn Washington is a wonder. He grew up in an apocalyptic cult, holds a law degree, and has worked as an educator, diplomat, community activist, actor, and political strategist. But it was when he beat out 1,400 entries in a National Public Radio Talent Quest in 2008 that he found the […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – May 2021
by Ken Katz This year’s Mother’s Day (May 9) will be particularly memorable, especially for all the mothers and grandmothers out there who, due to COVID restrictions and health concerns, have been unable to see (let alone hug) their children and grandchildren for well over a year. All three of the florists on Grand (Brother […]