Grand Ave. Art Walk continues on

In this issue of Splashpad News, publisher Debra Chaplan reports that the Grand Avenue Art Walk on July 11 was a huge success. As good as it was, I’m convinced this event has the potential to continue growing exponentially over time.

Meanwhile, three of the art exhibits featured at the Art Walk remain open for viewing and purchases:

• At Alkali Rye, the fabulous 1950’s living room created by Adesha Adefela is being regularly re-stocked until it closes on September 30. For the record, shop co-owner Jessica Moncada Konte acknowledged that it will be a “hard act to follow.”
• At Panorama Framing, “Cross the Line”, featuring abstract landscape paintings, assemblage, and sculpture by Oakland artist Christina Knapp closes August 31.
• At Alyce on Grand, the show of artwork by Roosevelt Washington will likely continue long-term. If you haven’t already read it, I highly recommend the profile of Roosevelt by Susi Vogler and Madhavi Athanikar in last month’s News.

Lee’s Discount Flowers

On July 16, when we learned that Lee’s Discount Florist had been sold, we immediately shared that info on our Splash Pad News Facebook page encouraging followers to drop in and say “goodbye.” Four days later, in an interview with all three Lee sisters (Amy, Cara, and Rebecca), I learned that they first opened in 1992 in the small storefront next to Yang Chow restaurant that Lycette Properties is now providing free of charge as a way-station for OPD officers.

They knew that particular location well since Amy and Cara had both worked at Yang Chow — one as the cashier and the other busing dishes.  What they remember most vividly from their restaurant years was the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989 and two years later watching the Oakland hills burning from the restaurant doorstep. Their two favorite repeat customers: George Zimmer, owner of the Men’s Wearhouse and KPIX news reporter Wendy Tokuda.

Initially, they knew very little about the floral business but Amy enrolled in the horticultural program at Merritt College where she learned everything she (and her sisters) had to know about flowers, their care, and arranging.

After 20 years at their first location, they moved to the larger, current location about 12 years ago. Asked about their favorite holiday, they agreed that Valentine’s Day was the best for business but also the hardest — typically involving two to three days of non-stop work. And speaking of long days, Amy recalled when they had to deliver flowers to six different weddings on the same day — one of which was in Livermore.

Asked why anyone from Livermore would have heard about Lee’s Discount Florist, they told me that their secret has always been word of mouth and direct contact — never relying on paid advertising.

Although I’m sorry to see them go, they’re not. As it turns out, the three sisters have sold the shop, as of August 1, to four sisters who are 15 to 20 years younger and far more adept at using computers and social media. Although they don’t yet know much about the flower business, Amy, Cara, and Rebecca will be there as needed during the next several months to teach the new group of sisters and also greet long-time customers.

Ordinaire

Going door to door on Grand on the 20th, I found a good turnout for Wine Works + Côte des Cailloux — the second in Ordinaire’s new series of Saturday afternoon wine tastings. The tall gentleman at the center in the above photo is Cody Mathieu, the owner and winemaker at Wine Works. Parenthetically, I must add that Ordinaire’s owner, Bradford Taylor, was a graduate student in English Literature at Cal and it shows in his writing. Here’s a brief excerpt from a post announcing this event which, to me, sounds like the opening paragraph from a first-class novel:

“Cody Mathieu makes wine in Potter Valley, about 18 miles north-northeast of Ukiah, in Mendocino County. Riding his motorcycle up and down the north coast during the early days of the pandemic, Cody noticed that this tiny town just a few miles off Route 20 exuded a deeper shade of green, a subtle oasis amidst the arid landscapes of fine-grained sandstone that dominate the region. He had been living in San Francisco with his girlfriend Andi, making the trek up to Sonoma to help his dad at Côte des Cailloux. A small winery was lying empty right on Main Street. A ranch house sat adjacent, and a grass lawn sloped down to the riparian zone lining a creek that flows year-round.“

The full text is available at this link, where you can also subscribe.

Good Luck Bakery

Good Luck Bakery is owned by Kelci Moran and Blair Cardigan Smith, who used to prepare all the baked goods for Sister. As we mentioned last month, they’re now doing much the same for Ordinaire but only on Saturdays from 12 to 4. In the above photo, that’s Kelci behind the counter with a loaf of their Oak Porridge Sourdough bread and a variety of tasty treats. In addition to Saturdays at Ordinaire, they do pop-ups and cater special events. For much more info and a great read, I highly recommend this Oaklandside article by Tovin Lapan that incidentally includes a shout-out to Emi Fulea — the Lakshmi Lassi and Chai vendor at the Saturday Farmers Market.

Artist Lauryn Marshall at The Sanctuary

Three doors down from Ordinaire, The Sanctuary is welcoming Lauryn Marshall as their new Artist in Residence. Lauryn (she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist who received her BA in Studio Arts and Psychology from Mills College in 2021. As a budding muralist, she uses public art to spotlight and promote visibility for the communities in which they are located, and in her personal work, she highlights Black culture and iconography. During her residency, her artwork will be on display and for sale and she will be leading mixed media workshops.

Two Two

As we mentioned last month, Two Two didn’t participate in the July Art Walk as it was the same night as the Dream State special event at the SF Asian Art Museum, where owner C.C. Doan displayed the above dress made out of paper. When scanned with a phone, the dress reveals a multitude of images depicting how she realized her dreams of opening her shop on Grand Avenue. Sometime soon, the dress will be on display at Two Two. In the meantime, here’s a link to a video that explains the concept and process by which it was made.

Strategic Bodywork

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting, for the first time, Haley Winter (owner of Strategic Bodywork) as well as his Office Manager, Diana Moskowitz. Asked how he ended up opening Strategic Bodywork. Haley explained that he was once a Minor League baseball player.  Unfortunately, a serious injury ended his career, and long-term lingering pain eventually led him to a Massage Therapist who cured him. He was so grateful and impressed that he decided to make that his life’s work. He took classes at McKinnon Body Therapy Center and later taught there as well.

His first office in 2010 was a small room on the ground floor of Awaken Chiropractic, the practice that Dr. Kenda Burke had just opened at 3515 Grand. Approximately three years later, he moved upstairs, and over time, three rooms were subdivided to create a total of five treatment rooms. Haley was quick to note that wouldn’t have been feasible if not for the fact that his father (who passed away late last year) was a contractor and a very good one at that — as is evidenced by the quality of the workmanship in the tranquil room pictured above with the Ashiatsu Bars. Currently, Strategic Bodywork has thirteen therapists to choose from and all are well-trained and certified to treat injuries.

News in Brief

• MegaDeluxe keeps expanding its line of clothing and bags that depict local landmarks. The latest addition: Lake Merritt.
• As is usually the case, MeloMelo Kava Bar has a very full calendar in August
• Alkali Rye has a tasting event + a pop-up on August 19 and two more tastings the following day.

At the Grand Lake Theatre

The Grand Lake Theatre’s calendar includes three one-day-only special events in August. The last of these, At Her Feet, will be followed by a Q&A with filmmaker Nadya Wynd and members of the cast and crew.

Makin Moves Carnival at Eastshore Park

This may be stretching the boundaries of our monthly Grand Avenue Business update, but after visiting the Community Celebration at Eastshore Park (adjacent to the Lakeview Library) on Sunday, July 14, I wanted to give a shout-out to the Makin Moves Motorcycle Club,which has been organizing this event for the past eight years.

The accompanying photos paint a picture but don’t tell the full story as this is a non-profit organization, and everything that you see (and more that isn’t pictured) was free of charge, including much-needed backpacks and school supplies for those families with limited incomes.

There was a big stage with live entertainment, and the headliner was an Oakland-born vocalist named Dee Dee Simon. She’s worked as a nurse at San Quentin prison for the past 18 years but maybe not that much longer, as last year she was the winner of the Amateur Night at the Apollo competition and just two weeks ago, she got a standing ovation and rave reviews at America’s Got Talent. If you watch this AGT Facebook video, you’ll be kicking yourself for missing her free performance on July 14 — just like me.

Hate to end with bad news

We’re sorry to report that Almond & Oak and The Alley were both burglarized overnight on July 19, which unfortunately, has been a regular occurrence on Grand and Lakeshore. More details are available in this SF Chronicle article.