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Facade Photos

It's been a while since we posted some photos of the construction of the facade. Here's the new windows installed and a photo of CAFE CREATORS Nik Greene and Alex Zendzian who helped yesterday on our first day of construction for Phase One.

We've got a new team in place and we're on target to open Phase One by New Year's Day!

Click on the photos to enlarge!

Labels: build-out, cafe creator, location

San Francisco Magazine Calls Oakland the "Bay Area's Next Scene"

The cover story from this month's issue of San Francisco Magazine is all about the new cool in Oakland:

"Street by street, the city is coming into its urban own -- one nightclub, art gallery, renovated building, shop, restaurant, and condo at a time. As would-be San Francisco homeowners and businesses chafe at the cost of living and operating there, Oakland finds itself on a relentless drive toward a modern-day revitalization akin to what happened south of Market in the '90s, or the incursion of youthful hipness Brooklyn has seen in the past decade."

Read it online here.

Labels: arts, city of oakland, location, media, san francisco

New Sign!

We've got another new sign up!

Labels: location

Our First Sign!

We posted our first Awaken Cafe sign in the window of the cafe letting the neighbors know we're coming soon! The sign directs interested people to "join the community that is building the Awaken Cafe" by going to this website!

Labels: location

Above the Ceiling

The new home for the Awaken Cafe has a drop ceiling which is obscuring the original 18' tall vaulted ceiling. We plan on removing the drop ceiling and opening up the space.

Dan Antonioli, our green construction consultant, and I recently crawled around above the hung ceiling and found some interesting features and details which we should be able to restore and reveal.

Pictured in the photos below are a corrugated ceiling over most of the bar area, arches over the former Asian buffet area, and some decorated, paned windows in the covered-over transom windows.

Labels: build-out, dan antonioli, location, salvage

We Signed the Lease!

We signed the lease today on the Golden Bull space! See our new location page on the website! (We’re pictured here signing the lease with John "Jesso" Smith, our landlord and owner of Jesso's Seafood in Oakland, CA.)

Thanks to your feedback, we've introduced a special offer to commemorate this occasion: a limited release of $250 and $500 cards! Tell your friends!

We're also pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement with Nick and Laura Neuhausel to become our first investors and partners in the Awaken Cafe!

Labels: friends of the awaken cafe, location, parnters

The Golden Bull

A couple of days ago, a co-worker of Shalene Rose (our realtor and my lovely fiancé) pointed us in the direction of a possible space for the Awaken Cafe. We had reached a stand still in the negotiations on the first space we had made an offer on. We had looked at a few other spaces and then this space came to our attention. Kari and I have both been over to view it and to meet with the owner. Like us, he is committed to transforming downtown Oakland and has already said no to a few other potential tenants because their businesses didn't fit with his vision for a vital and vibrant Oakland. We hit it off right away!

The size is right, the price is right, the location is right (14th and Broadway), and it used to be a restaurant and a bar called the Golden Bull (which means it has many of the correct permits already attached to it and the gas, water, and electric infrastructure we need). It's perfect! Stay tuned.

Labels: location

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Facade Photos

Saturday, October 20, 2007

San Francisco Magazine Calls Oakland the "Bay Area's Next Scene"

Sunday, April 15, 2007

New Sign!

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Our First Sign!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Above the Ceiling

Monday, February 5, 2007

We Signed the Lease!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Golden Bull

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