Business
The Rent-a-Relic sign—a green-and-purple spiked dinosaur on wheels that sits smiling on top of the office building—is what first catches the eye when driving past the rental auto lot Telegraph Avenue. It was designed by Oakland muralist Alan Leon, who comes back to the car rental shop to touch it up every year.
A look at current and upcoming exhibitions at Oakland’s art galleries.
Pioneer Bicycles is littered with bikes and bike parts. Most of them aren’t for sale. Near the front door of the shop, which is located on Rio Vista Avenue right off of Piedmont Avenue, there are dozens of bikes lined up in cluttered rows near the front door. Only two are new; the rest have been repaired and are waiting to be picked up by their owners. In the middle of the shop, there are boxes of new, unopened bikes…
The New Parkway Speakeasy Theater has a new home, on 24th Street and Telegraph Avenue.
Need a New Year’s drink? Oakland North has put all 21 of our Nightcap bar profiles together on one page, so you can check out the local watering holes at a glance.
Homeowners and apartment renters have several different options from the Alameda County Waste Management Authority about how to dispose of their trees, while two tree lots in Oakland send what’s left of their supply to the Oakland Zoo.
In the heart of Oakland’s Rockridge neighborhood is Yasai Market, a small, independently-owned produce store. The shop is located on College Avenue, directly across the street from a Safeway grocery store, but owner Bo Pak is not afraid of having a chain supermarket as her neighbor.
For Dimitri Thompson, it’s all or nothing. Whether its the rectangular chillers to keep the milk cold and sanitary, the energy-efficient espresso machine that draws little power or the reused materials that make up most of his furniture, Thompson left no detail unattended while crafting the blueprints for his Noble Cafe. His ultimate goal: a carbon neutral cafe — the first in the United States.
Oasis Food Market in Oakland is one of the largest halal (Islam-compliant) markets in the East Bay. The store sells a range of goods, from meat and produce to candy. There are a strict set of rules for slaughter that make meat halal in Islam. The animal must be facing downward and toward Mecca while a blessing is said, as dictated by the Koran. Then, a knife is drawn across the throat in one swift motion. These rituals are designed to give the animal the most humane death possible.