Business

The New Old Oakland

Business Makes a Resurgence

    When Gloria Dominguez opened her stylish Mexican restaurant in Old Oakland, people thought she was crazy. A friend warned her that the only thing passing through Oakland was bullets. But her son, Alfonso Dominguez, had fallen in love with the neighborhood, and the family wanted to invest in the city.
    A native of Guadalajara but keen to include tastes from around Mexico, Gloria went to work developing her menu of Mexican small plates, or antojitos. Meanwhile Alfonso Dominguez, an architect, was enlisted to design the space and painstakingly install Venetian plaster. They opened Tamarindo Antojeria Mexicana in 2005 to strong reviews, though at least one publication, San Francisco Magazine, was lukewarm about the area, noting the “trash-strewn streets” and “untapped potential” of the neighborhood. But word spread, and Tamarindo’s popularity grew, cementing the Dominguez’s belief that investment in Old Oakland was sound.
    The restaurant opening marked the beginning of Old Oakland’s most recent resurgence, one that businesspeople and city officials believe will finally take hold. And Gloria Dominguez, Alfonso Dominguez and Alfonso’s fiancée, Johnelle Mancha, are at the forefront of a group of young business owners in Old Oakland who are bringing the soul back to the historic heart of Oakland’s original downtown.
Involved in the neighborhood in a much deeper way than previous profiteers, they’ve helped form a new civic group, the Old Oakland Neighbors, and believe this new organization has forged stronger bonds as a community than previous retailers. “There’s so much opportunity here it’s ridiculous,” Alfonso Dominguez proclaims.
    Around the time Tamarindo was taking off, Johnelle Mancha noticed a vacant, well-lit corner storefront and decided to pursue one of her dreams. Together, she and her mother, Kimberlee Mancha, opened Mignonne, a shop inspired by their love of France. The space, at Jefferson and 10th streets, is across the street from a neighborhood park and near City Center. Johnelle Mancha is an Oakland native who says she relished the chance to bring more retail to Old Oakland. Her vision is to make the area another Fourth Street—a retail magnet like the Berkeley retail hub, but even better. “It’s really cool but has a little less pretension,” she says of Old Oakland.
    While the Manchas collected antiques from France, work by local artisans and delicate glasses and stationery for their store, opportunity struck again: A retail space became available within a block of Tamarindo. Alfonso Dominguez was adamant—they couldn’t let something mediocre open across the street. So he and Mancha jumped at the chance to develop the spot, which borders Ratto’s Deli and International Market.
    The idea for Drift, a high-end denim dealer, came later, and grew out of Alfonso’s “addiction” to denim. Alfonso designed the interior and built custom furnishings, and Washington Street’s newest fashion outlet was born. Validating Mancha’s belief that “the Drift storefront was meant to be,” the store has become a destination for people looking for top brands. Motivated by their success, a new project is in the works: FIVEten Studio, a furniture showroom featuring one-of-a-kind designs by local architects and craftsmen.
    Together, these four entrepreneurs are responsible for some of the most successful businesses Old Oakland has seen for a long time. By launching them all within a short time, they’ve also helped contribute to a critical mass of businesses drawing visitors to the area. Mancha cites the owners of B Restaurant as a likeminded group. “They have the same ethic,” she says. “They fell in love with the neighborhood so much, they dropped everything to buy property in West Oakland.” The admiration is mutual. Kevin Best, one of B’s owners, says his partner, Misty Rasche, and Mancha “have their hands in everything. If there’s a group that’s meeting, [Misty’s] there. She wants to know what’s going on. Johnelle and Misty are the ones who are out there every evening late, making it happen.”
    Counting Mignonne and a few other stops on the outskirts of the historic area (which lies between 10th and Seventh streets and Broadway and Jefferson), Samee Roberts, marketing manager for the city of Oakland, estimates that at least 20 businesses have opened in the area in the past few years. Additionally, longtime businesses have expanded, with Jesso’s Seafood Restaurant adding live music and the Pacific Coast Brewing Company increasing its menu. Roberts says Old Oakland is coming into its own as a result of the city, developers and passionate businesspeople all arriving at a critical moment together. When Jerry Brown vowed to move 10,000 people into downtown in 1999, the city and the developers got busy. Now, the condos and communities they planned are opening quickly. New condos could drive foot traffic to Old Oakland and increase business on nights and weekends, a critical mark of success for any neighborhood. Roberts says these establishments are “the turnkey,” the businesses that will unlock and open the door to real change.
    That turnkey moment may be just a few months away. With the opening of the East Bay branch of successful S.F. restaurant Levende and the arrival of many new residents on the horizon, the neighborhood may be on the verge of hitting its critical mass. On a recent Friday evening, B Restaurant had diners lining up for tables; Jesso’s and Tamarindo’s patios were brimming with guests, and a wedding party was spilling out of The Washington Inn.
    In sync with the retail and restaurant growth, the city is getting back into the game, with several marketing campaigns about Old Oakland this summer, including bringing back the Old Oakland Outdoor Cinema, relaunching the popular Meet Downtown Oakland brochure (the Web site has remained available at www.meetdowntownoak.com) and promoting awareness of the area’s unique history. They’re even kicking around a slogan to draw visitors: The New Old Oakland. It’s a far cry from the early 2000s, when vacancy rates were high and bank foreclosures forced the original redevelopers to sell.
    But it’s impossible to quantify the ways in which a passionate few are driving this change. Roberts lauds the Dominguez and Mancha families for their dedication. “It’s  an Oakland-rooted-family kind of success story,” she says, “and they’re just such lovely people too; that has been a factor. They’re from this area, their roots are here. They really love Oakland and want to be here.” The neighbors agree. Kevin Best, a fresh-out-of-S.F. local, says the camaraderie of the business community brings him heart—and customers. “The difference [between Oakland and San Francisco] is night and day. Everyone is so genuine,” he says. “Every business owner here, they’re in it for the neighborhood, and it’s really refreshing. People need to be coming down for the neighborhood.”
    And they are. They’re coming for the neighborhood that Best, Rasche and the Mancha and Dominguez families are building storefront by storefront. They are true Old Oakland neighbors, finally realizing the area’s potential in a blitz that seems less crazy with every opening.