Wazwan Replaced, Hip-Hop Juice Box Closes, Rad Opens Berkeley Showroom, Fresh N Fitted to Bay St, Gobi BBQ?

October 27, 2021
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3 mins read

Some local business news to report since out last update on October 13 including the closures of a Public Market mainstay and a Triangle neighborhood favorite.

In addition, an electric-assisted bike showroom has opened in West Berkeley, a new “streetwear” clothing retailer at Bay Street and possibly a new Mongolian BBQ spot along Hollis.

Wazwan
Wazwan mainstay Sachin Rana has been retained to help lead a new generation of East Indian Street food.

“Konarq” replacing Wazwan Stall at Public Market

While Wazwan has been the last remaining pre-renovation food stall at Public Market, some might view as bad news that they will be closing when their lease expires at the end of this month. The good news is that the stall will be replaced by another East Indian cuisine purveyor with bloodlines to Wazwan and that their longtime employees will be retained.

“While the Wazwan kiosk at Public Market will soon be closed, City Center Realty Partners is delighted that the team behind-the-counter is staying on in the food hall and transitioning to a new eatery called ‘Konarq,’ ” a Public Market representative explained through email. “The familiar faces our customers have come to know over many years will be serving up North Indian street food featuring ingredients, spices and flavors that have stood the test of time.”

Proprietor Meenakshi Singh, one of the former ownership partners of Wazwan, will be leading the new venture. Singh wants to retain what people loved about Wazwan, but also evolve it for the times. “We know the community loves naan!” Singh noted through email. “While there will be items familiar and beloved by the community, such as Biryanis and Currys, we plan to offer some wraps and several vegan and vegetarian items,”

Singh will also be implementing a new profit sharing model at Konarq that will be available to both managerial and food service workers. Konarq aims to reinvest 50% of Konarq’s profits back into the community via this profit sharing model as well as meal donations and nonprofit contributions. “I call this ‘Impact Action.’ ” Singh noted. “It is the right thing to do to reinvest through a variety of ways back into the community.”

Hip-Hop Juice Box Closes

Hip-Hop Juice Box at the corner of Adeline and 39th sadly announce their permanent closure. They first opened in 2019 replacing Scarlet City Espresso.

“It was all a Dream!” proprietor Eric Turner shared on Instagram referencing an iconic Notorious B.I.G. lyric. “It’s hard for us to say this but we are officially closed. I want to first thing all friends and family that supported our dream and vision.”

The small strip of eateries along Adeline between 40th and San Pablo Ave has been ravaged in recent years including the dining room closure of Patatas and Monster Pho 2 going into “hibernation.”

Turner noted that his dreams were not completely dashed and that this was not necessarily the end for HHJB. “We will be back.” he noted although did not provide any specifics or a timeframe. We have reached out to Turner to further elaborate but have not heard back.


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Rad Power Bikes Opens West Berkeley Showroom

Fans and prospective buyers of electric-assisted or “E-Bikes” have another option a tad outside of E’ville. Rad Power Bike announced the opening of a West Berkeley showroom on San Pablo Avenue near Berkeley Bowl West. Rad has established a reputation as among the market leaders in reasonably priced E-bikes.

“Berkeley was the obvious choice for our newest showroom,” they shared through a newsletter. “The Bay Area is the most bike-friendly region in the country and has ideal conditions for year-round cycling.”

Hours: Seven Days, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Address: 2734 San Pablo Ave, Berkeley, CA 94702
Web: radpowerbikes.com/pages/showroom

Photo: Fresh N Fitted facebook page.

Fresh N Fitted Clothing Retailer Opens at Bay Street

Independent clothing retailer Fresh N Fitted announced they have opened a location at the former Sleep Number space at 5683 Bay Street. A Minor Sign Permit for a non-illuminated wall sign was approved by the city on September 20.

Fresh N Fitted features brands including Runtz, Sugarhill, Cookies, Makobi & Jordan Craig. Fresh N Fitted currently has eight northern California locations.

More info on thefreshnfitted.com.

Photo: LoopNet.com

Gobi BBQ to Parc on Powell?

The long vacant space at Parc on Powell complex may finally have a tenant. The City of Emeryville’s October Progress Report noted an application at 1333 Powell Street for a “walk-in cooler.” The city did not have any additional information about the project and the employee we spoke with was unaware of any new locations so we’ll need to monitor wether this comes to fruition.

Gobi offers Mongolian BBQ “bowls” that can be customized with a variety of meats, vegetables and noodles. Gobi has four current Bay Area locations including Sunnyvale, San Jose, Pleasanton and Foster City.

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Rob Arias

is a third generation Californian and East Bay native who lived in Emeryville from 2003 to 2021. Rob founded The E'ville Eye in 2011 after being robbed at gunpoint and lamenting the lack of local news coverage. Rob's "day job" is as a creative professional.

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