Lakeshore Avenue has always evolved alongside the community that supports it, and now we’re inviting you to help shape what comes next.
Right now, several storefronts throughout the district are vacant, but we do not see empty buildings. We see opportunity: future gathering spaces, exciting new businesses, and the next chapter of Lakeshore Avenue. LABID has set an ambitious goal of filling every vacant storefront in the district by 2027, and we’re working with the City of Oakland’s Economic & Workforce Development Department and District 2 to help make that happen.
But the most important voices in this process are yours.
We are asking community members, business owners, neighbors, and visitors to take our Vacant Storefront Opportunities Survey and tell us exactly what you want to see on Lakeshore. Be honest. Be direct. Dream big.
Would you love to see a neighborhood café? Specialty market? Bookstore? Family activity space? Wellness concept? Restaurant? Live entertainment? Something entirely unexpected?
There are no wrong answers.
This feedback will not disappear into a void. Responses will be compiled and shared directly with building owners, city partners, and stakeholders actively working to bring new businesses and investment to the district. Your ideas can help influence what comes next.
This is your chance to help shape Lakeshore for years to come.
👉 Take the Lakeshore Vacant Storefront Opportunities Survey today and share your ideas. https://forms.gle/H12VnKdRDoZbGgnF9
Below is a look at some of the storefront opportunities currently waiting for their next chapter:
Again, we encourage everyone to participate:
Take the survey. Share your ideas. Help us fill every storefront by 2027.
Upcoming LABID Dates: Annual Stakeholder Meeting
Monday, June 15, 2026
4:00 PM
3534 Lakeshore Ave
Please join us for LABID’s Annual Stakeholder Meeting where stakeholders will vote on the 2026/27 Executive Board nominees as well as the proposed 5% BID increase.
We will begin with our regular business meeting and conclude with a light dinner and refreshments courtesy of LABID, catered by Rico Rico Taco.
We encourage stakeholders and community members to attend, learn more about the district, and participate in helping shape Lakeshore’s future.
Celebrating Carol Maes-Knight: A Lakeshore Legacy
Every great neighborhood is shaped by people whose dedication quietly strengthens its future. For Lakeshore Avenue, Carol Maes-Knight is one of those people.
After serving as Co-Director of the Lakeshore Avenue Business Improvement District since 2019, Carol is retiring and beginning a new chapter centered on the people she loves most—her family. We are thrilled for her and the time she will enjoy with her five grandchildren, even as we feel the bittersweetness of saying goodbye.
Carol’s connection to Lakeshore reaches far beyond her role as Co-Director. Her history with the district goes back to the earliest days of what would become the Business Improvement District (BID).
Long before Lakeshore Avenue became the thriving district it is today, Carol was helping build its foundation. Under Nona Smith’s leadership and through early merchant association efforts, she organized, advocated, and supported the business community. Later, she worked with John Russo and Barry Gilbert on the BID’s original formation in the 1990s, helping create a model that would grow into something truly special.
To understand Carol’s impact, it helps to remember Lakeshore’s history. Lakeshore Avenue was Oakland’s first Business Improvement District. What began as a vision to support local businesses grew into the vibrant, connected community that thrives today.
That success did not happen by accident.
For more than four decades, Carol has brought leadership, institutional knowledge, passion, and tireless commitment to Lakeshore. She guided the district through growth, challenge, and change, always showing up for the community and working behind the scenes to keep Lakeshore strong.
Her contributions extend far beyond meetings, projects, and events. Carol helped preserve the spirit of Lakeshore—a place where local businesses matter, relationships are valued, and people work together to build something larger than themselves.
Generations of merchants, board members, community partners, and neighbors have benefited from Carol’s dedication. Much of what Lakeshore is today exists because of the groundwork she helped lay and the countless hours she devoted over the years.
From everyone at LABID and throughout the Lakeshore community, congratulations on your retirement, Carol. Thank you for your service, leadership, guidance, and unwavering belief in Lakeshore Avenue and its future.
As you begin this next adventure, we want to express our deepest gratitude. You will be deeply missed, but your impact will continue to be felt across this district for years to come. We wish you joy, new adventures, and many cherished moments with your family.