May 2021

Welcome Arise Yoga

Welcome, Arise Yoga! Founded and owned by a former Namaste Yoga teacher, Jillian Schiavi, Arise Yoga opened at 3229 Lakeshore Avenue in early April. Arise Yoga has small masked and distanced classes in the studio now and plans to start offering outdoor classes on its back patio in May. Arise Yoga is community-minded and has plans for monthly member events, community, and BIPOC-centered classes, hosting group art shows, and making charitable contributions to organizations whose missions center on creating equality for all. School teachers can enjoy 15% off of class packs and memberships. View their schedule here and email oakland@arise.yoga for more information.

Welcome and Celebrated Re-Openings

Gymboree is now open and invites you to join their classes. Their staff is all fully vaccinated and would love to have you join us safely on the playfloor. See Gymboree’s schedule here.

Bardo Lounge and Supper Club re-opened on April 15th. Their team is so excited to be back and to welcome you back! Due to limited capacity, they are taking reservations for all their seating, including in the bar and lounge (snag a spot here).

Not ready for indoor dining quite yet? You can still grab our take & bake casseroles and cocktail kits for pickup here.

For ALL Moms – Mother’s Day on Lakeshore

May 9th is Mother’s Day and Lakeshore is ready! Urban Indigo has beautiful cards and jewelry, Bay-Made makes locally made gift baskets that delight the senses and carries gorgeous flowers. Find a gem or perfect outfit at Maribel or buy a gift card for fitness at Hipline, the Oakland Bar Method or Arise Yoga. Find fun activities for the whole family at Adventure Toys and Silver Moon Kids.

Arizmendi has their famous tres leches cake ready to order here. Scrumptious brunch at Lakeshore Cafe and Shakewell or dinner with fine wine or cocktails from Shakewell and Bardo Lounge and Supper Club. There is something for everyone and every Mom on Lakeshore. Love Mom and Shop Local on Lakeshore Avenue or order (locally) online!

Lakeshore in the News

Where to Eat and Drink Near Lake Merritt

Several Lakeshore Merchants made The Infatuation’s SF Guide: Where to Eat & Drink Near Lake Merritt.

A few experts from this article that can make Lakeshore businesses proud:

Arizmendi is the “perfect spot to load up your tote bag with scones, croissants, cinnamon-sugar twists, and other tasty baked goods en route to a lakeside picnic.”

Holy Land Restaurant is where “You can get everything from matzo ball soup and sabich sandwiches to falafel plates served with creamy hummus and thick, warm pita.”

Vegan Mob: “The menu highlights entirely-vegan versions of shrimp, spicy fried chicken, brisket, and more – our favorite dish is the lumpia made with Impossible meat and served over fragrant garlic rice.”

Rico Rico Taco: “What makes Rico Rico Taco special? Let us count the ways. First, their tacos come on thick, flavorful, house-made corn tortillas, the perfect base for all the delicious toppings – like the well-marinated al pastor finished with chunks of pineapple and the lightly battered fish slathered with an incredible chipotle crema. Then there’s the carnitas, which are flattened like a pancake and fried, making each bite perfectly crispy.”

Colonial Donuts: “It wouldn’t be a Lake Merritt guide without a nod to an Oakland institution: Colonial Donuts… From sprinkle cake donuts to maple bars and classic glazed old-fashioneds, if you need something sweet, you’ll find it here.”

A New Drink Courtesy of Heart and Dagger Saloon

*Heart and Dagger Saloon’s Lobos 1707 Joven Tequila*

Chilled Magazine and Lobos 1707 tapped Heart and Dagger Saloon’s Allison Sadauskas to create a new signature cocktail featuring Lobos 1707 Joven Tequila! The result: The Oaktown Lavender Mandarita! Come by and enjoy!

Hipline featured in Oaklandside Article

Hipline is featured in Oaklandside’s article Oakland’s fitness centers can reopen, but is operating indoors worth it?

In this article, co-owners Gabriela Nassar-Covarelli and Samar Nassar explain how offering virtual courses allowed them to keep their business going throughout the pandemic. Interestingly, Hipline does not have plans to resume operating indoors, even though they technically could. Nassar-Covarelli explains that their community “was built on strong in-person connections and we’ve always tried to be an inclusive space, and it just didn’t feel inclusive to open at 10%”. They are going to wait until they can get to 60-100% to re-open.

Hipline did have an Outdoor Shimmy Pop Express in the Hipline parking lot a year after offering only virtual classes. They are looking into offering a few more outdoor classes and keeping their virtual classes going for now. See their schedule here.

Earth Day on Lakeshore

April 22nd was Earth Day and Lakeshore businesses shared some practices and ideas for awareness and conservation:

Proposition Chicken uses 100% earth-friendly packaging is that is 100% compostable or recyclable. Their cooking oil is collected by SFgreasecycle and used to manufacture clean-burning fuel used in city vehicles.

Bay-Made carries locally made art and artisan food products. Co-owner Sarahjane Bernhisel encourages Bay Area residents to donate to organizations like Sogoreate Landtrust, an urban Indigenous women-led land trust based in the San Francisco Bay Area that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to Indigenous people. You can see her illustration of otters above.

Adventure Toys has several activity kits to get the family outside and raise awareness of nearby nature. They also carry books and toys that teach about the earth.