![\"Natera_SanPablo_250321_05\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766774828_100_Natera_SanPablo_250321_05.jpg\")
The shuttered 7-Eleven is one of three currently vacant storefronts at the intersection of San Pablo and University avenues. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local Local<\/p>\nTime is running out! Your donation to Berkeleyside can be matched\u2014but only until midnight on Dec. 31. Give now and double your support of our nonprofit journalism.<\/p>\n
The shuttered 7-Eleven is one of three currently vacant storefronts at the intersection of San Pablo and University avenues. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local Local<\/p>\n
Editors\u2019 note: This week we\u2019re republishing some of our favorite stories of 2025. This story was first published on May 14.<\/p>\n
The intersection of University and San Pablo avenues, which tattered banners proclaim is named International Marketplace to recognize the area\u2019s many multicultural businesses, was once the gateway to Berkeley and its university for those arriving by ferry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
More than 100 years later it continues to play that role for drivers coming off the nearby I-80 off-ramp. The intersection is also at the heart of Berkeley\u2019s original neighborhood, Ocean View, which has gradually morphed from a landscape dominated by wharfs, factories and lumber mills to a mixed-use area of commerce, light manufacturing and housing. At its heyday, two movie theaters served the area, and it was home to a melting pot of immigrant communities. It\u2019s still in Berkeley\u2019s most diverse district<\/a>, a result in large part of redlining<\/a>, but as housing costs rise, the area is becoming increasingly wealthy, white and Asian<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Today, the block of San Pablo south of the intersection is among the most vibrant in West Berkeley, a trendy corridor catering both to new arrivals and what remains of the neighborhood\u2019s working class \u2014 with a Michelin-recognized tapas bar doors down from a light-filled laundromat; popular bars where Berkeley politicos grab drinks after council meetings; a low-cost donut shop sharing a wall with a cafe boasting weekly concerts in its redwood-shaded back patio; and well-stocked Latin American and Middle Eastern grocery stores selling lengua tacos, menudo by the liter, and hummus, dolmas and baklava alongside fresh produce and aisles of specialty goods. Nearby, to the east and north, are several Indian and Pakistani stores and restaurants, and two Halal groceries.<\/p>\n But the intersection of San Pablo and University, at the heart of it all, is desolate.\u00a0Since the 7-Eleven closed on the southwest corner<\/a> late last year, three of the intersection\u2019s four corners have been standing vacant. Wells Fargo, which held down the northwest corner, closed in 2022, part of a wave of branch closures<\/a> driven in part by a rise in online banking.\u00a0Alpha Design Custom Furniture, on the southeast corner, is the lone survivor.\u00a0<\/p>\n That may soon change, however, as a tenant has recently signed a lease for the building on the northeast corner, according to realtor Kevin Gordon. The space has been empty since 2018 when Pet Food Express moved out. Berkeley Patients Group briefly considered moving<\/a> its dispensary there, along with a marijuana vape lounge, but abandoned its plans during the pandemic. The 5,516-square-foot space is listed on Gordon Commercial\u2019s website for $2.50 per square foot, which would bring the monthly rent to $13,790.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gordon, who said he could not yet share details of the building\u2019s new renter, said he had his work cut out for him finding a tenant. The size of buildings like this one alone make them hard to fill, he said. Fewer businesses require large spaces because of the rise of online shopping and online banking. \u201c\u200aBanks don\u2019t need big spaces or big parking lots,\u201d he said. \u201cPet food doesn\u2019t need a huge space anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n University Avenue brings people from one of the biggest freeways in all the Bay Area into Berkeley. When you get to that intersection, and there\u2019s three out of four storefronts vacant, that\u2019s a bad, bad sign. \u2014 Anand Patel, operations manager, Holiday Inn Express<\/p>\n The 2022 closure of the 99 Cent Store<\/a> \u2014 a refuge for low-income shoppers inside a grand century-old former movie theater<\/a> \u2014 has also dealt a blow. \u200b\u200bEvents celebrating the neighborhood\u2019s multicultural heritage were once held in the 99 Cents Store\u2019s parking lot, where local business owners now say abandoned cars and safety concerns scare off customers. And it\u2019s unclear if a seven-story mixed-use development planned for the site will move forward.<\/p>\n Much like the city\u2019s other commercial districts, businesses come and go, retail being a challenging sector.\u00a0Heads and Tail Barbecue<\/a> opened last year, while Highwire Coffee<\/a> closed last month.<\/p>\n But at this key intersection, one of Berkeley\u2019s central crossroads, neighbors and merchants wonder what story the empty storefronts tell.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aSan Pablo Avenue brings people from Emeryville into Berkeley, it brings people in from Albany into Berkeley,\u201d said Anand Patel, operations manager of Holiday Inn Express on University Avenue, and current president of the University Avenue Association. \u201cUniversity Avenue brings people from one of the biggest freeways in all the Bay Area into Berkeley. When you get to that intersection, and there\u2019s three out of four storefronts that are vacant, that\u2019s a bad, bad sign.\u201d<\/p>\n Commercial vacancy rates are down Perhaps surprisingly, commercial vacancy rates have actually fallen on San Pablo Avenue after rising for three straight years, according to a recent city report<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ground-floor commercial vacancy rate for the avenue as a whole for 2024 was 7.1%, down from 15.6% the previous year. The vacancy rate on University Avenue also went down, from 17.7% in 2023 to 7.6% in 2024, the lowest rate in five years. These decreases were in line with most of the city\u2019s other commercial districts. Only West Berkeley as a whole saw a significant increase, from a vacancy rate of 2.1% in 2023 to 6.5% last year.<\/p>\n But if the vacancies are falling in the area, why does one of the busiest intersections in the city still have so many empty storefronts?<\/p>\n Alexander Quinn, Senior Director of Economic Research for JLL, a commercial real estate brokerage firm, said he doesn\u2019t believe the answer is a lack of people. \u201cIt\u2019s a very high-traffic area, so it\u2019s not an issue of traffic counts,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n But Quinn does think the location has its challenges for people on foot. \u201cThe street environment, of course, is difficult just in terms of a pedestrian who\u2019s accessing these retail spaces. So that creates its own issue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Many successful commercial districts create what are known as \u201cloops,\u201d said Quinn, walkable areas connected to multiple retail assets. He cited Berkeley\u2019s Fourth Street shopping district as an example.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got that retail loop, and that creates a comfortable environment,\u201d he said of Fourth Street. But at San Pablo and University, it\u2019s another story. \u201dIt\u2019s not as comfortable in that intersection,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Bank building with historic ties is up for grabs Wells Fargo sold the building on the northwest corner last year to an entity registered as 1095 University LLC.<\/p>\n The new owners are \u201cexploring conversations with both buyers and tenants\u201d for the building, according to Catherine Macken, an associate broker with John Cumbelich & Associates, who added that the current owner will retain the adjacent parking lot parcel \u201cfor a future residential development project.\u201d The asking price for the building is $2 million.<\/p>\n The building was originally the home of West Berkeley Bank. It was built in 1905 and designed by architect Charles Dickey, who also designed the Claremont Hotel, according to Daniella Thompson, an architectural historian based in Berkeley. Just a year after it was built, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck, severely damaging the building.\u00a0<\/p>\n As Richard Schwartz wrote in his book, Earthquake Exodus, 1906: Berkeley Responds to the San Francisco Refugees:<\/p>\n Police officer W. H. McCoy, working his beat in the Oceanview, was standing at San Pablo and University avenues when the earthquake struck. The stone walls of the elegant West Berkeley Bank on the northwest corner shattered, the building shifted off its foundation, and the masonry cornices fell to the ground. One section weighing thousands of pounds flew past McCoy\u2019s face and crashed at his feet. Dust blanketed his cup of coffee as he stood frozen and stunned.\u00a0<\/p>\n Walter Gordon, Berkeley\u2019s first African American police officer and the first African American to graduate from Berkeley Law, opened a law office in the building in 1923 according to an article written by his grandson<\/a>.<\/p>\n Around the time that he was setting up his law practice, an arch was constructed on the north side of University spanning San Pablo with a lighted sign reading \u201cBerkeley,\u201d welcoming passengers aboard Key System trains that passed through the intersection. Painted hands pointed the way to the Manufacturing District to the west and the University of California to the east. A sign was later attached to the arch alerting the growing fleet of car owners to \u201cturn here\u201d to catch the Golden Gate Ferry to San Francisco. The arch was removed in 1942.<\/p>\n Pictures of the arch show the West Berkeley Bank building, with many of its original architectural flourishes that are absent today.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately that building has been modified significantly,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cSo you really cannot tell that it is 120 years old.\u201d<\/p>\n Life-size Snoopy made trips down the street Alpha Design, known for its life-size Snoopy doll sitting in an oversized chair outside the shop, has been a fixture on the northeast corner since 2012.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alpha\u2019s location was once a liquor store, and sat empty for several years before being renovated by the building\u2019s owner.\u00a0<\/p>\n The 1930 building, designed by Spiveck & Spiveck and known as the Weisbrod building, is a Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association Structure of Merit<\/a>. It also houses Califa\u2019s Greens on the University Avenue side and ACE Cash Express on San Pablo Avenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hans Reinhardt, the store\u2019s owner, grew up in Germany, and came to the U.S. in the early 1990s. He moved to San Francisco in 1999 where he got his first job in the furniture industry and ultimately decided to start his own business.\u00a0<\/p>\n Alpha operates more as a showroom, where customers pick from a variety of shapes, sizes, colors and fabric types. Each piece is then manufactured in Los Angeles and delivered straight to the customer\u2019s home. Reinhardt pays about $7,000 per month for his 1,800-square-foot space.\u00a0<\/p>\n During the pandemic Reinhardt had to make \u201cabout ten price increases\u201d to his furniture, he said, with prices remaining steady since 2023. But with the new tariffs enacted by the Trump administration, which will affect supplies his manufacturers use from Mexico, Canada and China, he is concerned he will have to increase prices again.<\/p>\n His business challenges at the moment have \u201cnothing to do with the neighborhood,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s what\u2019s happening in the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n Crime is not a major concern for Reinhardt, other than the recurring theft of his life-size Snoopy dolls.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aI cannot put it outside anymore,\u201d said Reinhardt about the dolls, which cost about $500 each. \u201cCustomers called me and said, \u2018Oh, we saw your Snoopy in the middle of the street, all the way down University.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Slated changes could be good for businesses, pedestrians Stakeholders in the San Pablo-University area say they believe the key to revitalizing the intersection is to deepen business owners\u2019 buy-in and interconnection; celebrate non-corporate and minority-owned local shops; and show appreciation for the vibrancy of the neighborhood through art.<\/p>\n The city is also in the early stages of planning for more \u201cpublic right of way improvements\u201d and \u201copen space\u201d along San Pablo Avenue, with\u00a0a proposal<\/a>\u00a0expected to make its way to the City Council this fall, Planning Director Jordan Klein said.\u00a0The\u00a0San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, funded by a grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Association of Bay Area Governments, \u201carticulates a vision for San Pablo Avenue,\u201d according to city documents, and will \u201coutline programs and policies to encourage and support diverse housing, commercial activities, and public amenities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n San Pablo Avenue doesn\u2019t have an official business association, but Councilmember Terry Taplin who represents the southern corners of the San Pablo-University intersection, wants to create either a merchant\u2019s association or a business improvement district, he said in an email. Patel, the new president of the University Avenue Association, said the group \u201cfell off\u201d during the pandemic, but he has recently been going from business to business along the avenue to recruit new members.\u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019re actually a very vibrant hub for the city that is very representative of the international essence of Berkeley.\u201d Amir Razavi, owner, Middle East Market<\/p>\n And over the years, a few homegrown organizations have emerged to support local businesses and community members in the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Perhaps most exciting, a number of restaurants and local business owners have banded together to revive the Berkeley International Marketplace<\/a>, a designation given to the area in 2006 with funding from the city\u2019s economic development office.\u00a0<\/p>\n Along with the banners installed on light posts throughout the area \u2014 some of which remain today \u2014 events were held in the parking lots of the 99 Cent Only Store and Wells Fargo, celebrating the multicultural heritage of the neighborhood.<\/p>\n![\"Natera_SanPablo_250321_06\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250321_06.jpg\")
A new tenant recently signed a lease for the building on the northeast corner of San Pablo and University avenues which housed a Pet Food Express store until it closed in 2018. The space has been vacant since then. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n
\n![\"Natera_SanPablo_250321_09\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250321_09.jpg\")
People cross the San Pablo and University avenues intersection on a Friday morning. The area is a high-traffic area for cars and pedestrians. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n
\n![\"Natera_SanPablo_250321_10\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250321_10.jpg\")
The Wells Fargo branch on the northwest corner of the San Pablo-University intersection closed in 2022. The building was bought in 2024 but still stands vacant. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Archway-San-Pablo-Berkeley-Historical-Society-and-Museum.jpg\")
An arch built in 1924 that spanned San Pablo Avenue on the north side of University welcomed Key System train passengers and car drivers to Berkeley. Credit: Berkeley Historical Society and Museum<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250320_02.jpg\")
Hans Reinhardt, owner of Alpha Design Custom Furniture, and his dog, outside his store, currently the only open business on the San Pablo-University intersection. A giant Snoopy used to sit on the oversized chair. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n
\n![\"Natera_SanPablo_250321_20\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250321_20.jpg\")
People shop at Middle East Market, a specialty grocer on San Pablo Avenue, ahead of Eid, on March 22. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Cheryl-Derricotte-and-Marcel-Pardo-Ariza.jpg\")
Cheryl Derricotte and Marcel Pardo Ariza with artworks that were shown at Kala Art Institute\u2019s Roadwork exhibition that focused on several businesses near the junction of San Pablo and University avenues. Credit: Kala Art Institute<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Natera_SanPablo_250321_17.jpg\")
An employee at Middle East Market prepares tea. Every patron who shops there receives a free cup of tea. Credit: Ximena Natera, Berkeleyside\/CatchLight Local<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766774830_219_portrait_circle-1.png\")
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