MONTCLARION: August 6, 2010

Montclair Village Hardware owner Erik Hoffmann

The banner hanging outside Montclair Estates is telling. “Everything Must GO!” it spells out with great urgency in fiery red letters. Montclair, like many retail districts across Oakland and the U-S, is feeling the pinch of a stalled economy. But higher expenses and cautious consumers are just part of the problem facing local small business owners today. Longtime merchant David Sarber, whose family has owned Sarbers Camera for 48 years in Montclair says we need to go back four or five years to find the rest of the story.  Back to better economic times, when “everyone was spending more money and there was more money to give landlords.” Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: July 23, 2010

The rumor mill is alive and well in Montclair.

Almost weekly, I hear reports of shops going under, restaurants struggling and stores closing down in the middle of the night. Maybe the Montclair Business Association should borrow the sentiments of Mark Twain to issue a statement: Reports of our death have been greatly exaggerated.

The way the MBA’s Roger Vickery sees it, Montclair’s new restaurants such as Amba, Grille One Carvery, Metro Montclair, Kakui Sushi and Kotobuki are drawing locals and diners from out of the area. And he says Yogofina is a hot spot for families at night. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: July 16, 2010

Like a long winter’s nap, folks are hunkering down for what looks like a long, pitted road to economic recovery. From the furthest reaches of the planet to our own little village, we’re seeing the effects of a global recession.

Here at home, Montclair Village continues to see a real estate shuffle — higher rents and sagging sales mean something’s got to give, and that something is breaking the backs of many small business owners. Reader David Cloutier thinks the new, higher parking fees are contributing to the problem.

“I cannot justify stopping at Peet’s on a weekday morning, running to get some aspirin at Rite-Aid or picking up a sandwich at Grinders when I have to pay one to two dollars to park,” he writes, adding that most of his neighbors concur. Continue reading →

MONTCLARION: July 9, 2010

Driving in the hills is like driving in a wildlife park. You never know what’s going to come out of the brush. The other day I almost bought the farm when a fawn darted in front of my motor scooter. He was so small and spotted — he was barely visible as I came around a blind curve on Colton. It’s the time of year when young wildlife is everywhere — learning how to survive in their home in the hills. Continue reading →

Jean and Dick Spees

     MONTCLARION: July 2, 2010

     Montclair is losing two of its MVN’s – as in most valuable neighbors. Former City Councilman Dick Spees and his wife, Jean, are moving across the estuary to Alameda. At a going away party thrown by their Piedmont Pines neighbors, Jean told me that last winter’s “freak” snowfall prompted the move. “We went out to check for frozen pipes,” Jean said, “both of us with our canes on the steep hillside, and we looked at each other and said ‘what are we doing?’” They sold their house in one day and are now packing up for the move to a one story home in Alameda. “We’ll actually be closer to downtown,” said Dick, who is a member of several Oakland organizations and just received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce. Continue reading →