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Fashion Designer Turns Liquor Store Owner: Embrace Cordial Bottle Shop
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Fashion Designer Turns Liquor Store Owner: Embrace Cordial Bottle Shop

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Fashion Designer Turns Liquor Store Owner: Embrace Cordial Bottle Shop

The classic neon LIQUOR sign stays put. But the interior of the store is evolving. In a great way! Though the neighbors and new owners cherish this neon sign that lights up the corner as the evening progresses, they also welcome the interior shop changes.

How did this young couple come to buy this business at 1111 MacArthur Blvd in Feb. of 2016?

“I wanted to leave the apparel business, “ claims fashion designer and now liquor store owner, Stacey Tingstrom. “I have always wanted to run my own business. Something I could call my own.” Stacey has been working at North Face in design and production (which she loves) and is still there part time, though most of her heart is at her new store. How did she pick this business?

“Well, this store is close to my home and seemed like something I could manage. I looked at franchises – like LEGO’S® and SUBWAY®. But it still was not my own business. I had to follow their branding rules. I had to use their signage and verbiage to perpetuate their brand.”

Being a passionate designer with her own creative spirit, Stacey kept looking. And what spurred her on was the change happening in her San Leandro neighborhood – houses were selling for over $800,000– very close to this possible business opportunity on MacArthur that she had stumbled upon in her research.

”This business stood out. It was close to home. When I learned more, I knew exactly what business it was. And we just wanted to run our own business.” When she asked her husband, “How about we buy the liquor store? And he said to me, how about no!” Simon finally came around. He had been in the restaurant business in the past and is a craft cocktail mixologist in the present, so he brought that customer knowledge and expertise to the table.

Stacey made an offer in July and it was accepted in August of 2015.

Escrow closed Feb. 16, 2016, and that month they went in and dismantled one set of shelving and moved their new freestanding display shelves they had created. The next month they took out another layer and Voila! – it was a changed place. Now, it is the Cordial Bottle Shop, exuding nuances of conviviality, and friendliness – a warm, beautiful and jovial place to spend time and find what you were looking for or something close to it.

It’s all about community. You will find neighbor Traci Ramos there working the shop or helping pull the visual displays together, as Traci is an interior design specialist. Cordial Bottle Shop’s strategy is to transform the store into a boutique shopping experience, yet maintain the corner store spirit with conversation and the lottery tickets! Stacey also aspires to becoming a boutique BevMo!, offering cheeses, deli meats and crackers. “I am trying to represent the neighborhood the way it is – we have craft beer and IPAs as well as Bud Light in the 24 oz cans. Our neighbors have a wide range of tastes and we hope to have something for everyone. I want to embody the neighborhood.”

Stacey and Simon live in San Leandro.

Cordial Bottle Shop

Address: 1111 MacArthur Blvd in San Leandro

Store hours: 1-8pm

Phone: (510) 686-1585

By Mary Lou Thiercof|2016-07-11T14:24:19-07:00July 11th, 2016|0 Comments

Hanging Out At The Cooler

40 spigots for beer on the wall. 40 spigots for beer. Where do you begin? With a tasting from a curated selection of local beers. If you already know a beer you love, order the 16 oz. If not, ask for a tasting. You can order a 5 oz. or an 8oz also.

The Cooler opened its doors in downtown San Leandro to cater to all the craft beer enthusiasts in and around the greater Bay Area and to focus on local beers, wines and other drinks. They will be serving 25 local and regional beers on tap at a time and several wines, kombucha, bottled craft beer and High Wire Coffee Roaster’s Iced Coffee (deemed delicious by patrons).

Though not serving food at this time, you are welcome to bring in food from nearby restaurants. You can order from your phone for quick delivery! The Cooler also offers up the fastest WI-FI in downtown San Leandro, as it was the first to install a receiver inside for Downtown Wi-Fiber.

After a long search around the Bay Area, the three owners ended up in the downtown location through a referral from Drakes Brewing Co. Arne Johnson, Brewmaster at Marin Brewing, Jeff Botz from BJ’s Brewhouse and Eric Keyes, executive chef at Kincaid’s and McCormick & Schmicks, joined together to launch this Tap Room venture and are pouring their beer and hearts into making it a great experience for their neighbors.

San Leandro wins. Besides three of the best of the top four East Bay Breweries – Cleophus Quealy, Drakes and 21st Amendment, plus two Brewpubs – The Englander and Harry’s Hofbrau, Sons of Liberty Alehouse is opening up soon around the corner from The Coole r. We will have to start calling San Leandro “BeerTown” from now on.

The Cooler already has that established neighborhood watering-hole vibe, and patrons are friendly and eager to share their craft beer intelligence. According to young beer specialist Jamie Waldear, ” It’s only a few blocks from my house and they offer a superb selection of West Coast IPAs, of which my favorites have been Happy Hops by Russian River Brewing, Hella Hoppy by Altamont Brewery, Party Ghost by Cellarmaker Brewing and Limey Saison by Social Kitchen & Brewery with Marin Brewing. I tip my hat to these guys. They entered the San Leandro micro brew scene with a relaxed presence, yet a strong boldness in flavor and attitude.”

Location: 1517 East 14th St. at Juana in San Leandro
Hours: Sun. – Thurs. 11am -11pm
Fri. & Sat.11am – 12midnight

By Mary Lou Thiercof|2016-09-13T11:06:10-07:00June 18th, 2016|0 Comments

And Now… ‘Pizza Selfies’ in San Leandro!

Spicy Southwest: White Crust, olive oil, red enchilada sauce, mozzarella, cheddar, roasted red peppers, jalapenos, cilantro, all natural chicken, topped with optional red sour cream

Newly opened in the Marina Square Shopping Center at 1269 Marina Blvd, Pieology Pizzeria insists that you can express yourself by creating your own pizza and/or salad.

With house-made pizza dough and lots of fresh ingredients, toppings and sauces to choose from, your personal pizza bakes in their open flame oven in just three minutes. Not feeling creative? Recipes are also available, for example – the Rustic Veggie has whole wheat crust, house red sauce, olive oil, Mozzarella and Ricotta cheeses, green peppers, roasted red onion, corn and garlic, topped with fresh Basil.

Salad assembly

You can order their Classic or Caesar Salads, but Pieology hopes that you will express your uniqueness and custom build your own salad from a huge array of garden fresh ingredients and dressings, starting with or mixing organic field greens, romaine hearts and fresh spinach. You have the options of adding shaved Parmesan, pineapple, bacon, avocado, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, garbanzo beans and 36 other fresh choices to build your masterpiece. Watching your weight? You can even build a vegan or Weight Watchers salad, as recipes are available. Gluten-free pizza dough and non-dairy Mozzarella cheese are also available for those with dietary restrictions.

Go ahead – try it. Pieology challenges you to be as creative as you like – in a culinary good way! You can reach them at (510) 357-3950. Photos from Pieology Pizzeria.

By Mary Lou Thiercof|2016-05-21T15:12:53-07:00May 21st, 2016|0 Comments