The Oaks Theater on Solano Avenue, photographed in September 2014. The Oaks was for decades an anchor tenant for the avenue, but it has sat empty for nearly five years. Photo: Mary Flaherty
When French-style bakery La Farine abruptly closed up shop on Berkeley’s Solano Avenue this summer, there was an outcry from local residents. Its departure also created another empty storefront on a street that has its fair share of them, particularly in its easternmost stretch, near The Alameda.
But La Farine owner Jeff Dodge said he misses the North Berkeley commercial district and is actively looking for a way to return there. And Gina Gould, the landlord of the building Dodge vacated, at 1820 Solano, said she’s confident she will sign up a new, likely food-related, business for the space before Christmas.
The new store will join a cluster of new businesses that have opened, or are about to, on the wide shopping street that stretches 2 miles east to west through Albany and Berkeley.
Will they bring new energy to a street that is known for its gigantic annual Solano Stroll event, but which, unlike Berkeley’s Elmwood or Gourmet Ghetto neighborhoods, retains a slightly folksy feel?(...)
Read the rest of Solano Avenue: The pressure is on for North Berkeley shopping district to up its game (2,355 words)
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Post tags: Albany, Albany dining, Berkeley business news, Berkeley dining, Berkeley Oaks Theatre, Boss Burger, By Hand, Eric Panzer, Flowerland, Gordon Commercial Real Estate, Grove Salon, John Gordon, La Bedaine, La Farine, Little Star Pizza, Livable Berkeley, Local 123, North Berkeley, Paulett Taggart Architects, Red Oak Realty, Safeway, Solano Avenue, Solano Avenue Association, Solano Group, The Bone Room, Therapy, Walgreens, Zachary's Pizza
