Preserving Culture in West Oakland with Wine, Food, Art, Music and Community 

November 2020

45 Stories for 45 Years

Contributor: Leilani Baugh, Chef and Owner, Magnolia Street Wine Lounge and Kitchen

I had a restaurant on 5th Street in Downtown Oakland, right by the police station, but was looking for a location for a new project I envisioned; a place to bring together wine, food, art and music. A friend of mine familiar with East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation told me about a space they had available in the San Pablo Corridor inside the California Hotel and encouraged me to check it out. 

Having grown up on Magnolia Street just four blocks from the California Hotel, I didn’t feel like doing all that. I have experienced many iterations of the Corridor; I used to sneak into the California Hotel to see all the ladies that lived there as a kid. Because of the impacts of historic disinvestment in the community and the neighborhood being cut off from the rest of the city, the California Hotel didn’t feel like the right place for this big project.

But my friend pushed me to reconsider. They introduced me to then Director of Commercial Real Estate Carolyn “CJ” Johnson, who told me about EBALDC’s vision for the Corridor: to preserve the culture and reignite and reinvigorate the neighborhood into what it used to be. 

So I met with CJ who showed me EBALDC’s plans for California Hotel Live! and the beautiful space they had available for a new restaurant. She also told me how much they wanted someone local — from West Oakland, really — to take over the space. And with that, I said, “Well, I’m your girl.” I realized I owed it to the community to invest in the Corridor and help bring back that culture and contribute to its rich history of music and art. 

We hosted a grand opening for Magnolia Street Wine Lounge and Kitchen on August 8, a date postponed due to the pandemic. We have been doing curbside pick-up and outdoor dining and on October 30, opened the space for folks to dine with us inside. It’s been a challenging time, but throughout the process, from deciding whether to move into the space to getting a grant to support our fledgling business survive the earliest days of the COVID-19 pandemic, EBALDC has been incredibly supportive, doing anything they possibly could to help our small business grow and thrive in our historic neighborhood. 

As EBALDC marks our 45th anniversary, we will be gathering more stories like this one from our friends, family, community members, partners and more stakeholders that have made our impact possible. We would be honored for you to join us:

 

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