Newberry Market Takes Prime Retail Space in Oakland's Uptown Station
Oakland, Calif. (PRWEB) March 26, 2015 -- Newberry Market, a new specialty market offering high-quality and organic groceries, convenient cuisine and community-focused amenities, will be the ground floor anchor tenant at Uptown Station, located at 1954 Telegraph. Locally based owners and Managing Partners Ann Thai and Loren Goodwin are planning a fall 2016 opening for Newberry Market, bringing a much-needed destination for fresh meats and produce, prepared foods and household staples to Oakland’s thriving Uptown neighborhood.
Recently acquired and currently undergoing a complete renovation by real estate investment firm Lane Partners, Uptown Station is a historic, seven-story, 400,000-square-foot mixed retail and office building formerly known as the Sears building. Gensler is the architect for the project, with CBRE leading the retail leasing. Newberry Market will be on the ground floor of Uptown Station, with at least 20,000 square feet. The market will be flanked by Telegraph Avenue, the building’s interior atrium and main corridor (called the Paseo), and will have direct, in-building access to the new 19th Street & Uptown BART Station, making it an easy stop for daily commuters.
Guests of Newberry Market will enjoy a modern, expertly designed shopping experience offering a range of affordable amenities, including organic produce; household goods; convenient and healthy hot and cold pre-prepared cuisine such as sandwiches, salads, rotisserie meats, soups and sides; a full-service butcher shop, charcuterie and cheese counter; “grab and go” pizza by-the-slice; and a café and flower shop. Much of the Newberry Market product selection, whether in household goods, the grocery aisles or café, will be made and sourced locally. The wine, beer and spirits selection will be carefully curated to offer choices at a range of price points and from a wide array of regions.
“Newberry Market, and the amazing local team behind it, will provide Uptown Station and the surrounding neighborhood with an invaluable haven for locally sourced products, quality ingredients and healthy prepared foods,” said Drew Haydel, principal at Lane Partners. “We have no doubt that Oakland residents, the people who work in the area, and even those who are passing through, will be thrilled to experience what Newberry Market is delivering in 2016. Newberry Market is the ideal anchor tenant for Uptown Station and we’re thrilled to partner with them.”
Newberry Market is the creation of Ann Thai and Loren Goodwin, who bring complementary backgrounds to their managing partnership. Thai, an eight-year resident of Oakland, has enjoyed a 15-year career in hospitality and event management in the Bay Area, and overseas with Sheraton Hotels. In addition to opening two of Oakland’s favorite haunts, Lake Chalet Bar & Grill in 2009 and ERA Art Bar & Lounge in 2010, Thai owns LUX Premier Events and is a highly sought-after wedding and event planner. Goodwin, a professional chef originally from Santa Cruz, Calif., trained at the California Culinary Academy before cooking at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., from 2007 to 2010. For the past several years Goodwin, who currently lives in Oakland, has been an in-demand private chef throughout the Bay Area. Goodwin and Thai also co-own the popular Rock & Polish salon in Jack London Square.
“Ann and Loren’s infectious energy and creativity make them wonderful partners for this important development. Newberry Market couldn’t be a better embodiment of our vision for the project,” said Laura Sagues of CBRE. “Newberry Market is an exciting catalyst for the balance of the ground floor retail that we are actively curating and we are thrilled to see this excitement reciprocated by the community.”
Thai and Goodwin have hired Allison Ball as consulting general manager for Newberry Market. She focuses on launching retail spaces by providing support from concept through opening, with a emphasis on hiring and management development, product assortment and merchandising, and creating operational systems. Prior to launching Allison Ball Consulting, Ball was essential in the growth of the Bi-Rite family of businesses in San Francisco, sourcing product and developing grocery staff for more than four years at Bi-Rite Market on 18th Street, and then as head of grocery and store manager at Bi-Rite Divisadero.
Newberry Market will create 150 to 200 new jobs in Oakland by the time it debuts in the fall of 2016. Thai and Goodwin are passionate about hiring from within the community, and partnering with local nonprofit organizations on an ongoing basis.
“Newberry Market is an absolute dream project for us. We have always wanted to create a business that feeds our community, and this is an incredible opportunity to do just that,” said Thai. “It is important to us that we support our local economy and keep our money in the city where we live. Why not fill a void and create a locally focused, community-infused market in the heart of our city?”
“Our goal is to be the most viable option for people who live and work in the East Bay. Being located mere steps away from the new Uptown BART station gives commuters and the people living and working around us convenient access to healthy food,” said Goodwin. “We also look forward to providing avenues for local vendors to expand their market, and will do our part in pushing our city and thriving neighborhood forward. We think it all starts with high quality food at reasonable prices.”
For the latest news about Newberry Market, please visit http://www.newberrymarket.com, Facebook and Twitter.
Diana Haven, Ellipses Public Relations, 415-728-5803, [email protected]
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