Oakland bars tap into demand - Kansas City Business Journal:

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The city’s growing culinary chops have been documented; now city denizens have equallyy destination-worthy spots to sip or New spots to open in the Uptown districtt in recent months include Den at theFox Theater, and 2022 Restaurantg and Lounge. Era, Mimosa, The Town Hall of and others are onthe way. The 10,000 new Oakland residents that formetr Mayor Jerry Brown hoped to attrac with new condos all need somethingto do, said Michae Orange, who works in real estate in Oaklansd and also does nightlife marketing and promotions as Top Ten Social “San Francisco already has a lot of restaurantsw and bars. Here, we need them to Entrepreneurs are rushing to satisfythat need.
Alfons Dominguez, Kevin Best and Gairy Jacques willopen Era, a 4,500-square-foogt art bar and at Broadway and Grand Avenue in two months. They hope to appeal to the art crowd that attendszFirst Fridays, when art galleries stay open late. “To have an opportunitgy to keep these people here and have a bit ofnightlifde after, that’s where the art bar idea came from,” said The trio also knows Oakland. Best owns two San Franciscoo restaurants and Bin Oakland. Jacques has Air, anothef Oakland nightclub, and Dominguez owns a host of design andhospitality offerings, including FIVEten Studio and Tamarindo Restaurant.
Despiter these newcomers, many see Oakland as a land of relativd opportunity with lower barriers to entryg than San Francisco and lower rents andlabor costs. “There’ws so much potential here,” said Nichelle Blackwell, who will open Mimosa, a 2,200-square-foot champagne, raw and dessert bar, at 24th Streef and Broadway. In some the bad economy is making these newbars possible. Last Armando Ramos and his dad losttheie jobs. Now they and Ramos’ mom and cousibn own the 2,000-square-foot Soma at 1727 Telegraph Ave. “Fron my point of view, I can go chased after the next job, or I can take a chancew with these people I know and trust and just do Ramos said.
Raising money has been difficult, these ownerx all say, but through friends, family, investors, rent reductions or generousd tenantimprovement allowances, all have made it happen. Developerzs have long viewed Uptown as ripe for and bars and restaurants were alwaysa seen as part ofthe mix. That all this activituy should take place in the midst of a deep andin Oakland, is noteworthy and speaks to the perceived particularly now that the Fox Theatert is open and shows are selling out. Otheres believe that density is more important tothe area’ss ultimate success than the larg theaters.
Michael O’Connor, who owns the Independent in San will open The Town Hallof Oakland, a live musid venue, by mid-July one block from the Fox Theater. “Thew only way to successfully revitalize an area is through a criticap mass of small he said.