Bobby LeeA couple comings and goings at the Emeryville Bay Street Shopping Center in the last month. Pasta Pomodoro and Aaron Brothers both abruptly closed in the wake of the holiday shopping season. Store openings include a MAC Cosmetics store and the expansion of a separate H&M Men’s store. The spaces left empty by the move and expansion of the Apple Store and closure of Elephant Bar remain vacant.
CLOSED: Pasta Pomodoro
Pasta Pomodoro abruptly closed all 15 of its Bay Area Locations the day after Christmas. Employees were notified by this text message not to report to work and of the San Francisco born chain’s decision to cease operations:
PastaP has ceased operations. You are on unpaid furlough. Do not come to work. You will receive more info and final pay by Friday.
No official explanation was given for the closure. An eviction notice was posted at its Bay Street location when The E’ville Eye visited on December 29th:
No word yet on what will replace the restaurant. There is considerable vacancies in Bay Street’s food roster with the loss of Asqew Grill (2012), Zao Noodles (2010) and Elephant Bar (2016) over the past few years. The sudden closure of Pasta Pomodora seems to underscore the recent struggles of the restaurant industry.
CLOSED: Aaron Brothers/OPENING: H&M Men’s
Aaron Brothers Art & Framing shut their doors early January after a Holiday clearance sale. A store employee told The E’ville Eye that their lease had expired and was not renewed. The chain’s Berkeley location on Shattuck Avenue remains open.
Aaron Brothers is owned by Michaels Arts & Crafts, who have a nearby location in the East Bay Bridge Shopping Center at Hollis and 40th Street. Madison Marquette has confirmed that an H&M Men’s store will take over the space. No timetable for opening was provided but we’re told “construction will begin soon.”
OPENING: MAC Cosmetics
MAC Cosmetics announced their intent to open a Bay Street location back in September. Initial signage that indicated it would open in Winter 2016 now indicates it will be “Opening Early 2017”. MAC, which stands for “Make-up Art Cosmetics”, will directly compete with other cosmetic and beauty stores at Bay Street including Sephora and Lush.
MAC was founded in Toronto and is headquartered in New York City. They were acquired by Estée Lauder in 1996.
Cool I like H&M so interested to see what their men’s store looks like. Thx for the article!
MAC cosmetics are tested on animals. Please keep compassion in mind when shopping.
From the MAC website directly
M·A·C does not test on animals and we never ask others to test for us. If a regulatory body demands it for its safety assessment, an exception can be made. Today, M∙A∙C continues to be a leader in the movement to end animal testing globally. We are proud to partner with IIVS (INSTITUTE FOR IN VITRO SCIENCES) and together our mission is to expand the use and acceptance of non-animal testing methods worldwide. M·A·C is working toward a cruelty-free world.
[…] Center over the past few months including openings, closings and new stores. The vacant former Pasta Pomodora and Elephant Bar spaces remain up for […]
[…] in recent years. Zao Noodle (2010), Asquew (2013), Jody Maroni’s (2014), Elephant Bar (2016), Pasta Pomodora (2017), Rubio’s (2019) and now Buckhorn and Fuddruckers. None of these establishments have […]