Sierra Deli: Welcome and Good Luck
After a long and tantalizing wait during construction, the Sierra Deli and Market has opened up on Third and Madison. I've eaten there several times, stopping by for a pastry in the morning or a baguette in the evening. The food is great, the service is friendly, and the decor is perfect (plasma screen included). No longer will neighborhood residents have to hop in their car to quickly grab some eggs or milk, or chocolate.
I've spoken with the proprietors, and business is going fairly well for them. They are quite busy in the morning and at lunchtime, but slow in the afternoon and evenings. I think the reason for this is that many neighborhood residents simply don't think of their neighborhood as a place to walk around, buy a magazine, have a burger. They commute out of the neighborhood in the morning, commute back in the evening, and drive to Alameda or Emeryville or Lakeshore to do their errands.
As we get more businesses in Jack London, hopefully this will change. It would be great if our neighborhood had busy sidewalks and thriving businesses, so that more entrepreneurs would be interested in the area. We need a pizza place! A record store! A neighborhood grocery store! A used-book shop! It's a chicken/egg problem, of course. But we can start by patronizing places like the Sierra Deli.
I've spoken with the proprietors, and business is going fairly well for them. They are quite busy in the morning and at lunchtime, but slow in the afternoon and evenings. I think the reason for this is that many neighborhood residents simply don't think of their neighborhood as a place to walk around, buy a magazine, have a burger. They commute out of the neighborhood in the morning, commute back in the evening, and drive to Alameda or Emeryville or Lakeshore to do their errands.
As we get more businesses in Jack London, hopefully this will change. It would be great if our neighborhood had busy sidewalks and thriving businesses, so that more entrepreneurs would be interested in the area. We need a pizza place! A record store! A neighborhood grocery store! A used-book shop! It's a chicken/egg problem, of course. But we can start by patronizing places like the Sierra Deli.
posted by Andrew at 2:29 PM
2 Comments:
I happen to like the fact that the sidewalks are empty and quiet. If I wanted all that hustle I would have moved to the city.
Anonymous,
I actually sort of like the post-industrial-empty-look too. But this is and urban area, and urban development is inevitable. If that development is to lead to a healthy, safe neighborhood, we need to have a modicum of sidewalk activity -- retail shops, cafes, recreation.
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