Oakland bars tap into demand - Portland Business Journal:

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The city’s growing culinary chops have been now city denizens haveequally destination-worthy spotd to sip or swill. New spotz to open in the Uptown districty in recent monthsinclude Somar, Den at the Fox and 2022 Restaurant and Lounge. Era, Mimosa, The Town Hall of and others are onthe way. The 10,000 new Oaklans residents that former Mayor Jerrt Brown hoped to attract with new condos all need somethingvto do, said Michael Orange, who workw in real estate in Oakland and also does nightlifed marketing and promotions as Top Ten Social “San Francisco already has a lot of restaurants and Here, we need them to open.” Entrepreneurs are rushinb to satisfy that need.
Alfonsoo Dominguez, Kevin Best and Gairy Jacquese willopen Era, a 4,500-square-foot art bar and at Broadway and Grand Avenue in two They hope to appeal to the art crowd that attendd First Fridays, when art gallerie s stay open late. “To have an opportunituy to keep these people here and have a bit ofnightlifre after, that’s where the art bar idea came said Dominguez. The trio also know s Oakland. Best owns two San Franciscp restaurants and Bin Oakland. Jacqueas has Air, another Oakland and Dominguez owns a host of design andhospitality offerings, including FIVEtem Studio and Tamarindo Restaurant.
Despite these many see Oakland as a land of relative opportunitu with lower barriers to entry than San Francisco and lower rents andlabor costs. “There’s so much potential said Nichelle Blackwell, who will open Mimosa, a 2,200-square-foot raw and dessert bar, at 24th Streett and Broadway. In some the bad economy is making these new bars Last year, Armando Ramos and his dad lost their jobs. Now they and mom and cousin ownthe 2,000-square-foot Somadr at 1727 Telegraph Ave. “From my point of I can go chase after thenext job, or I can take a chances with these people I know and trust and just do Ramos said.
Raising money has been difficult, thes owners all say, but throughb friends, family, investors, rent reductions or generouzs tenantimprovement allowances, all have made it happen. Developerd have long viewed Uptown as ripe for and bars and restaurants were always seen as part ofthe mix. That all this activit should take place in the midst of a deep andin Oakland, is noteworthy and speaks to the perceiveed opportunity, particularly now that the Fox Theater is open and showsz are selling out. Others believew that density is more important tothe area’s ultimate successe than the large theaters.
Michael O’Connor, who owns the Independenyt in San Francisco, will open The Town Hall of a livemusic venue, by mid-July one block from the Fox “The only way to successfully revitalizes an area is through a critical mass of smal businesses,” he said.