Empty storefronts, endless possibilities.

Downtown Oakland has greater than 3 times more empty storefronts than there were before the pandemic. The businesses that remain still struggle with low foot traffic, safety concerns, and high rents. Residents and workers don’t have basic needs, like fresh produce or supply stores.

We’re starting a conversation with our neighbors, organizers, and local entrepreneurs about what it takes to help small businesses thrive in our city. 

If you live or work in Oakland (especially downtown), take our 2 minute survey and follow updates on Instagram. 

1 in 4 storefronts in our neighborhood is empty.

We work around 14th and Harrison in downtown Oakland, alongside our friends at the Oakland Lowdown (a gallery for journalism & art).

We took a quick walk around our neighborhood, recorded every storefront we came across, and took note of whether or not it was vacant. Some merchants helped us along the way by telling us stories of businesses that had recently departed and why.

If something doesn’t look right with this map (or if you want to contribute to it), let us know! Text us at (833) 202-9543, or DM us on Instagram at @lets.studiooo.

But let’s ask ourselves:

What could we fill these spaces with to make our neighborhood a lively, safe, and convenient place? And how can we make that happen?

for residents & visitors:

What kind of resources, social spaces, and more do we want in this neighborhood?

for small businesss owners, workers, and coops:

What policies & services would help local entrepreneurs to fill these spaces and thrive?

We hosted an incredible COMMUNITY CONVERSATION about the vacant storefronts in downtown Oakland yesterday! People with a real connection to the neighborhood talked about the challenges they’ve seen in the neighborhood. More than that, we brains
Lots of our neighbors responded to our last survey about what we should do about the vacant storefronts downtown, and the variety of needs people have that have gone unmet. So next Thursday (November 21), we’re hosting a conversations about the
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