La Farine, vintage clothing and flowers add new spice to Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue

August 27, 11:37 AMOakland Hills ExaminerMichael Libbey

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The owners of three new shops joining Caffe Trieste on Piedmont Avenue were attracted to the Oakland district for much the same reason – it’s a defined neighborhood with a concentration of shoppers who weren’t being offered what the merchants wanted to provide.

That was true for Jeff Dodge, owner of La Farine French bakery, who has been looking to expand his business in Oakland, and was attracted to Piedmont Avenue partly because it has no full-service bakery.

Dodge said his bakery tends to draw customers who live in the surrounding neighborhood, much as the original La Farine draws from its area around College and Claremont. He will offer a full range of baked goods, from pastries to cakes, cookies, tarts, breads and some sandwiches. He’ll also sell coffee with the beans ground for each cup, so as not to compete with the Starbucks two doors away.

A bakery display will be on one long wall and oak-bench seating on the other. People can hang out, he said, but there’ll be no wireless internet. Dodge said he also likes to be a part of neighborhood development and growth, which is something Piedmont Avenue can use more of.

“We tend to get very involved in the neighborhood,” he said. “What we’ve done at our Fruitvale Avenue location is work with the merchants, sponsor cleanup crews, hand out fluorescent vests to volunteers, and give them a coupon redeemable for a pastry in return for helping with cleanup…. Businesses like mine, the owners are the catalysts.”

Jenny Della Santa, co-owner of the Mercy Vintage Now clothing store, said the avenue just had the right feel for her and partner Karen Anderson. They picked a site next to the Piedmont Theater that seems to fit the vintage ambience to a T.

Della Santa couldn’t be happier with business so far. It’s been so good that she’s had to stay busy just to keep the store stocked with dresses, shoes, hats and jewelry from the ‘20s to the ‘80s. She looks at estate sales and other venues primarily for women’s clothing, but also has an interesting rack of men’s clothing.

Mina Bolouri (right), owner of Arjan Flowers near Fenton’s Creamery, also liked the avenue because of its similar feel to the north Berkeley area where she and her sister operated a flower shop for the past 15 years.

She describes her approach to bouquets and other flower arrangements as a “garden style,” in contrast to the stylized approach of the long-established florists located up the street. She serves customers who drop in for a bouquet, as well as weddings and other events.

The other new addition is Tutti Frutti, a serve-yourself frozen yogurt shop located two doors from Arjan Flowers. The shop is part of a chain of 75 stores in the states and several overseas. Customers can make their own yogurts from a choice of eight flavors plus an array of toppings, with the cost determined by weight – 37 cents an ounce.

More about Caffe Trieste and other stores bringing new energy to Oakland’s Piedmont Avenue

Links:
La Farine: http://www.lafarine.com/
Mercy Vintage Now: http://www.mercyvintage.com/
Tutti Frutti Yogurt: http://www.tfyogurt.com/
Arjan Flowers: www.arjanflowers.com/