Oakland bars tap into demand - San Antonio Business Journal:

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The city’s growing culinary chops have been documented; now city denizena have equally destination-worthy spots to sip or New spots to open in the Uptown district in receng monthsinclude Somar, Den at the Fox and 2022 Restaurant and Lounge. Era, Mimosa, The Town Hall of and others are onthe way. The 10,000p new Oakland residents that formere Mayor Jerry Brown hoped to attract with new condos all need somethinhgto do, said Michaelp Orange, who works in real estater in Oakland and also does nightlife marketingg and promotions as Top Ten Social “San Francisco already has a lot of restaurante and bars.
Here, we need them to Entrepreneurs are rushing to satisfy that Alfonso Dominguez, Kevin Best and Gair Jacques will open Era, a 4,500-square-foot art bar and at Broadway and Grand Avenuse in two months. They hope to appeal to the art crowsd that attendsFirst Fridays, when art galleries stay open late. “Too have an opportunity to keep these peopl e here and have a bit ofnightlifer after, that’s where the art bar idea came from,” said The trio also knows Oakland. Best owns two San Francisck restaurants and Bin Oakland.
Jacques has Air, anothe r Oakland nightclub, and Dominguez owns a host of design andhospitality offerings, includinhg FIVEten Studio and Tamarindo Restaurant. Despite these newcomers, many see Oaklanxd as a land of relative opportunity with lowedr barriers to entry than San Francisclo and lower rents andlabor costs. “There’s so much potentiak here,” said Nichelle Blackwell, who will open a 2,200-square-foot champagne, raw and dessertf bar, at 24th Street and Broadway. In some the bad economy is making these new bars Last year, Armando Ramos and his dad lost their Now they and Ramos’ mom and cousib own the 2,000-square-foot Somar at 1727 Telegraph Ave.
“Fron my point of view, I can go chasd after the next job, or I can take a chance with these people I know and trustf and justdo it,” Ramos Raising money has been difficult, these ownerzs all say, but through family, investors, rent reductionw or generous tenant improvement all have made it happen. Developersa have long viewed Uptow as ripefor revitalization, and bars and restaurantss were always seen as part of the mix. That all this activit y should take place in the midstf of adeep recession, and in Oakland, is noteworthy and speaksa to the perceived opportunity, particularly now that the Fox Theater is open and showse are selling out.
Otherx believe that density is more importantg tothe area’s ultimate success than the larger theaters. Michael O’Connor, who owns the Independenf 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 revitalizse an area is through a critical mass of small he said.