by Ken Katz We’re thrilled to report that Panorama Framing has scheduled an upcoming art exhibit curated by former owner, Patrick Cheatham. Titled Beavering Away, it will feature the artwork of two Oakland-based artists, KG Greenstein (mosaics and wireworks) and Nancy Mizuno Elliott (works on paper, stickers). The show will run through the end of the […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News
Grand Avenue Merchant News – September 2023
by Ken Katz The Barbary launched a soft-opening a week ago in the space vacated by The Libertine. On Monday evening, we stopped by to introduce ourselves to the owners, Narges Gardizi and her sister, Nala Gardizi. Between them, they have two decades of experience as bartenders at Trader Vic’s. The revamped interior is gorgeous […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – August 2023
by Ken Katz There were two big events on Grand Avenue this month beginning with an Art Walk on July 20 that was organized primarily by Tracey Williams from Urban University with a big assist from Jason Canepa from Radbird who designed the poster. Originally, seven shops were scheduled to participate: Megadeluxe, 8am Style, Radbird, […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – July 2023
by Ken Katz Last October’s Art Walk on Grand Avenue was a big success and this year’s rendition on July 20 promises to top it. The guided tour will start at Megadeluxe at 6:00pm followed by 8am Style. Next up will be Radbird, Alyce on Grand, Urban Furniture and Boutique, Brother and Sisters Flower Shop, […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – June 2023
by Ken Katz The future of the Grand Avenue business district is continuing to look brighter than ever with folks starting to turn out for special events in pre-pandemic numbers. To cite one example, last Tuesday I popped into the Alley to order their Special Steak Dinner––pricier than it used to be, but still a […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – May 2023
by Ken Katz In last month’s article about vacant storefronts in the Grand Lake District, we noted that the Grand Avenue Business Association (GABA) was doing relatively well with only six vacancies. This month, we’re delighted to report that three of those spaces have since been leased, beginning with Brite Cleaners at 3349 Grand. According […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – April 2023
by Ken Katz Last year, Radbird served as the official stylist for a “Portrait Slam” sponsored by Tamron lenses at the Oakland Aviation Museum and they are even more excited this year to be invited for an encore at a cyberpunk inspired slam on Saturday, May 20 on the USS Hornet in Alameda. Up to […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – March 2023
by Ken Katz The Grand Opening of ReLove on February 18 was simply GRAND! I arrived a couple of hours after the doors opened and managed to get inside but just barely. A line of customers waiting to pay for their purchases extended up the stairway and beyond. Three hundred people (mostly their San Francisco […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – February 2023
by Ken Katz The Noir City Film Festival, which ended on the 29th, was a huge success at the Grand Lake box office, but it also directly benefited at least two Grand Avenue businesses. Attendees attired in period dress ventured up the block to snap up copies of Dark City and books in the film […]
Grand Avenue Merchant News – January 2023
by Ken Katz If you were passing the Grand Lake Theatre during daylight hours early in December, you may have been a bit perplexed by the marquee, which listed nothing but movies that were hot stuff back in 1987. On the other hand, if you were anywhere in the commercial district on the evening of […]