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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.
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.
This year, the United States Post Office announced that they plan to close hundreds of post offices nationwide. While the list is still not final, many postal workers are wondering what will happen if post offices are closed.
On a bright stretch of Broadway in downtown Oakland, Sacred Tattoo’s blood red awning and boldly lettered windows beckon both the ink-obsessed and merely curious. “A lot of people come [to this neighborhood] to come to Chinatown,” said co-owner Allison Fudge. “We get a lot walk-ins.”
Oakland’s Children’s Hospital & Research Center is attempting to inspire parents and kids to create nutritious meals together with their recently launched “Mix & Match Brown Bag” healthy lunch plan.
Perhaps you’ve seen one around town. You might have caught yourself doing a double-take or stopping to ogle its long, supple lines, the graceful curvature of its frame, the straight-up beauty of something so simultaneously striking and functional.
Tamales, a Mexican dish of wrapped cornmeal dough filled with meat or vegetables, are a traditional favorite for holidays, especially Christmas. At La Borinquena Mexi-catessen and Specialty Shop, a family-owned business that has been open since 1944, tamales are a regular feature on the menu, but it is during the holidays that they sell out the most.
Powell’s Sweet Shoppe on College Avenue caters to every candy lover’s dreams. With over 6,000 confections in stock that range from the chewy, taffy, peanut butter-centered Abba-Zabas to all varieties of creamy gelato, this local business carries treats from every era.
When entrepreneur Alfonso Dominguez and urban planner Sarah Filley teamed up to create “popuphood”—a cluster of locally owned pop-up stores aspiring towards permanence in downtown Oakland—they hoped, simply, that Oakland shoppers would actually show up.