Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "old soul"

Old Soul Kind of Morning

2010-11-26T22:25:23Z

A pastel sky welcomes the new day-after Thanksgiving. This was the scene from in front of Old Soul on Broadway at 7am this morning. SacPress Photo |Kati Garner

Old Soul meets Rockabilly

2010-10-30T09:39:30Z

Sacramento (Oak Park), CA | What do you get when mix great coffee, food and Rockabilly? Tess & Hip Trash at Old Soul 40 Acres.

It was nearly standing room only, or dancing room only, when you entered Old Soul at 40 Acres Friday night. Now the new coffee house for the new international terminal at Sacramento International Airport, Old Soul hosted "Tess & Hip Trash" Friday night as customers and fans took in the Rockabilly tunes, fine coffee and great eats.

It wasn't long after the first set of music started that toes were tapp'en, heads were bobb'en and feet were danc'en to the tunes and elegant voice of Tessie Marie.

Per the band's web site, "Tessie Marie met her bandmates in prison.... no they weren't doing time, they were playing music for the inmates as part of a blues society project to educate juvenille offenders, real "Jailhouse Rock". Part of this gig was a songwriting contest that had bandleader/guitarist Paris Clayton write and record songs using the young inmates lyrics. One of those songs "Life", is on the new CD. When the group recorded this song Paris was so impressed with Tess's killer vocals that he asked her to record some other songs he had written. And the rest, as they say, is history.

"Blues, Soul, and Roots Rock influenced original tunes and heartfelt covers, all done in a smart, unique, and sometimes humorous style Tess is backed by a group of veteran pros who have played with a long list of legendary artists. Produced and recorded by Paris Clayton,with bassist Allie Marcel,and "Ratatat Pat" Balcom on Drums."

The quartet ended with a rousing second set but the full house at Old Soul begged for more. Tess and company kicked in with an encore set that raised the roof and had most of the attendees on their feet.

Old Soul at 40 Acres regularly hosts local bands on Friday evenings. Be sure to follow their Twitter (@OldSoulCo) to keep informed.

Photos: MaverickPhotography.us | Ed Fogle

CLICK HERE TO SEE ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THIS EVENT AT SacMav.com>>

Experience Old Soul 40Acres with our new interactive SacMav360 JUMP INTO OLD SOUL>>

Old Soul Needs More Love in the Evening

2010-08-21T05:52:10Z

Ignore the dust. Ignore the tractors. In a few more weeks, the alley won't be a complete disaster and soon the whole thing is going to be paved and beautiful. In the meantime, give some love to your favorite local coffee-shop in the warehouse.

Old Soul at 1716 L Street is open from 6am to 9pm every day (except Sunday, until 4pm) but the crowd dwindles to a slow trickle after about 3:00, which is unfortunate.

Sure, we stop serving lunch after two o'clock, but we still have pastries and quiche and some wicked banana breads. There's free wi-fi and air-conditioning. The coffee, served at all hours, is delectable. Try a french press of your favorite bean. Try a cappuccino. Did I mention the granola? Did I mention the delicious aroma of freshly-baked muffins wafting out from behind the counter as the evening bakers prepare treats for the next morning? There's plenty of seating, readily accessible outlets, an eccentric book collection, a chess board, and soothing artwork hung against the red brick walls. Did I mention that the coffee is fantastic? Try the new El Salvador, try the Panama. I recommend the Brazil. Come talk to the bakers. Come look at the roasting machine and chat with our renowned roaster, Lucky. Look over our tea selection, give them each a sniff, and find your favorite evening pick-me-up. Come study for that exam or finish that assignment. Bring a date after dinner. Bring a friend from out of town. It's a coffee-shop in a warehouse in an alley... How much cooler can you get?

I say all this to plead for my sanity. I say all this because I'm the main closing-shift barista at Old Soul in the alley and I am growing weary of dull, uneventful evenings in the warehouse. I want more customers. I want more people to chat with. I love Old Soul. I know that it gets a lot of love in the morning from our much-appreciated regulars, but I think the evenings deserve some of that attention, too. So next time you're in the area and you're looking for a neat place to visit, try Old Soul in the alley. We're open late and we're always happy to see you.

Disclosure Note: The author of this story is employed by Old Soul.

The K Street Plan: Local, Green, Historic and Affordable

2010-07-02T06:09:33Z

Disclaimer: This article is my opinion, given as a central city resident and board member of the Sacramento Old City Association. I am not an employee of any of the firms involved, nor the city of Sacramento. I am enthusiastic about this project because it represents the best combination of historic preservation, new development, downtown infill, fiscal responsibility, and promotion of local business, culture, and heritage.

In December 2009, the city of Sacramento asked local developers for plans to revitalize the 700 and 800 blocks of K Street. The project area occupies about one city block, around 2.5 acres, on two half-block lots. Four teams submitted proposals, and a five-member committee met three times to review the responses and select a recommendation to the city council. Their recommendation was based on experience, quality of vision and concept, relationship to local goals, proposed tenants, financial feasibility and delivery schedule. Based on these criteria, the committee chose elements of two proposals: the Promenade on K, proposed by D&S and CFY Development, for the 700 block, and a proposal by David Taylor, CIM, Zeiden Properties and Domus Development for the 800 block.

The Recommended Plan

The proposal for the 700 block includes 136 apartments along the alley side of K Street in a new mid-rise structure, with underground parking at Sacramento’s original street level. The apartments range from 450 to 1200 square feet, studios to 2-bedrooms. 37,840 feet of retail will occupy the ground floor of the existing structures on K Street. The front 90 feet of each building will be retained, and the two landmark buildings on the block retained entirely. The second floor of the historic buildings will also become apartments, and the building basements will be retained for storage or retail use. Because the 700 block has abundant street space, outdoor patios and kiosks will surround the walkway on K Street, creating an expansive outdoor room adjacent to the newly-remodeled St. Rose of Lima Park.

The 800 block will include new buildings on the corner of 8th & K and 8th & L, and the historic Bel-Vue Apartments will be restored and returned to residential use, a total of 110 market rate and mixed-income units, including three-bedroom units intended for families. Parking will be accessed via the alley and L Street, and will not be visible from the street. All buildings will have ground-floor retail, totaling 32,530 square feet. This project team is also considering acquiring the historic Kress and Montgomery Ward buildings, for conversion to mixed-use residential, but because these buildings were outside the project scope (the city does not own them) they were not included in the proposal.

Keep It Local

The proposal for the 700 block includes Letters of Intent from retailers interested in participation. Rather than seeking chain or out-of-town tenants, the D&S proposal sought local businesses. These include popular local eateries, like Old Soul Coffee, who plans a French bistro and wine bar, or Kru, who plans a ramen/yakitori restaurant and sake bar. Three of these potential tenants (Crepeville, Shady Lady and and Burgers & Brew) each plan live music venues in addition to a restaurant and bar. The Shady Lady letter points out Sacramento’s lack of mid-sized music venues, and suggests that this project could fill the glaring need for venues larger than small Midtown bars but smaller than the Memorial Auditorium or Crest Theatre. But it’s not all about music and drinks; the owner of “Top This” Frozen Yogurt wants to create a late-night dessert diner, adding cakes, pies and sundaes to their product mix. Rima Boutique and Muse Salon want to open boutiques selling clothing, accessories and artwork. Specifics on the 800 block’s retail mix were not available, but their team includes Z Gallerie’s Joe Zeiden, who has extensive experience bringing retail to downtowns throughout the state. Because all of these businesses can also operate during daytime business hours, they are useful to the tens of thousands of downtown commuters for lunch, daytime shopping, or after-work dining and entertainment.

Local business is complemented by the local residences included in the project. Affordable housing means employees of a yogurt shop or boutique can live in a nearby unit instead of commuting to work from the suburbs, and downtown office workers can walk from office to home, utilizing local retail options in their own neighborhood. Housing directly above K Street on the second floor, and along the alley, means greater safety through “eyes on the street,” complemented by evening activity in restaurant patios and street vendor kiosks. Many of K Street’s problems take place on vacant, disused properties where there are no residents or tenants. Bringing more housing and late-night business back to K Street means more safety by design. In many ways, this plan is a larger, more ambitious version of D&S’s recent success at 14th and R Street, where a dark, unused warehouse was turned into 12 residential units and a row of eateries and mixed retail, using a historic building, local businesses, and green design.

Keeping it Green on K Street

“Green” is a word that gets used a lot, so much that the meaning is sometimes obscured. This proposal for K Street is green in several important ways. It proposes using green and sustainable methods, plus solar and wind power generation on rooftops. Both blocks include green roofs as inner courtyards for tenant use. Adding downtown housing and the units’ proximity to transit means less driving and consumption of gasoline. Restoration of the existing buildings, instead of demolition, saves those buildings’ embodied energy, uses less energy than new construction, and reduces the load on our landfills.

This project is located at the nexus of both existing Light Rail lines and the Green Line to Richards Boulevard now under construction, with local bus access on both side streets. Recent changes allowing bikes on K Street, and proposed additional bike parking on the street and in the buildings, encourages biking to and from the project. Enhancing the streetscape, adding dense residential and greater security by design promotes walking and transit use. Project residents who work nearby, instead of in distant suburbs, won’t have to drive to work, and won’t have to go far for entertainment or dining.

“The greenest building is one that’s already built” is an old adage of the preservation community. Construction of a new building requires tremendous energy, an amount equal to decades’ worth of the building’s annual energy consumption. Old buildings, especially those built prior to 1940, were built when energy was more expensive, and were designed for more efficient use of energy. They are generally built of durable materials like brick, stone, and old-growth timber. They required less energy to create than high-energy materials like concrete and steel. Their energy cost has long since been paid. Demolition of old buildings is also energy-intensive, and sends most of those irreplaceable building materials to landfills, where they are joined by new buildings’ construction wastes (which makes up about half the contents of our landfills!) Saving old buildings is about more than aesthetics; it is the greener, cleaner and less wasteful choice.

Restoring K Street’s Legacy

K Street has been the heart of Sacramento since the Gold Rush, and it has played many roles over time. Younger people know it as the home of Light Rail and the Downtown Plaza mall, those in middle age remember the old pedestrian mall with its “tank traps” and fountains, and the older generation recalls the era of cruising K Street in hot rods in the 1950s and 60s. But all of these eras took place while K Street was in decline, and represent desperate efforts to bring suburban visitors back downtown. The era of K Street’s greatest vitality was during the early 20th century through the 1940s.

American downtowns boomed during this time, and Sacramento was no exception. K Street was a shopping street, home to every department store in town, with small specialty shops ranging from herbalists to bookstores. It was also a place for entertainment, including theater, vaudeville, movies, dining, live music, and dancing, although even then it was not Sacramento’s only entertainment district. It was also a place that thousands of Sacramentans called home, living in apartments above retail storefronts. These included modest rooms with a bath down the hall for working people, efficiency apartments for middle-class professionals, and elegant “palace hotels” for wealthy businessmen and legislators who wanted close access to the capital and the city’s financial district. Public transit reached through the city and the region, bringing visitors to K Street, but many called it home.

Teenagers and adults walked downtown on summer evenings, enjoying the respite from the heat, knowing that even at midnight, something was happening on K Street. Because people were always there, it was a safe place to visit. In the mid-20th century, this changed as suburbs grew, shopping centers and malls appeared, and redevelopment emptied the central city. Highways intended to bring people back downtown only made the central city easier to leave, and expensive redevelopment plans brought a few visitors during the day but the city still emptied at night. Sacramento’s legacy as an urban place was ignored, suppressed, and almost forgotten.

This project brings K Street back using a proven method: provide an experience and a place that cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the region. Residential options and transit means that the automobile takes a back seat—you can have a car and live here, but you don’t need one. Unique entertainment and local retail means that shopping and dining and music is different than what you find in any suburban shopping center. Preservation of historic buildings means that K Street’s true history as a vibrant, urban place is apparent to visitor and resident alike, not simulating the past in Disney style, but using the lessons of the past to shape Sacramento’s urban future.

Putting the “Fun” in Funding Sources

In these cost-conscious times, many criticize the use of public subsidy for downtown reinvestment. However, when compared to the costs of subsidized suburban sprawl, subsidizing downtown infill levels the playing field. The “free-market” solution would mean allowing downtown Sacramento to decay entirely, until property values became lower than undeveloped rural land—a nightmare scenario. However, those calling for frugality have a valid point. City resources are limited, and any project on K Street must make the best use of public funds.

For this project, the city provides the land and existing buildings on the site. The recommended project utilizes the buildings, instead of demolishing them, making use of these valuable resources. For the 800 block, the project team has asked to use $16 million in funds that were set aside for a future redevelopment project by David Taylor’s company, and about $6 million in local, state and federal funds for the south half of the 800 block, including rehabilitation of the Bel-Vue. On the 700 block, the project team asks for two $8 million loans, one forgivable upon completion of the project, and one that would be repaid with interest.

One consideration when cities fund public projects is local benefit. Construction projects create jobs, but not all construction projects create the same number of jobs. New construction projects spend about half on materials and half on labor. Rehab of existing buildings spends closer to two-thirds on labor and one-third on materials, because fewer materials are needed and rehab is more labor-intensive. This means more local jobs per public dollar spent. Those dollars directly benefit the local economy, because workers spend the money they earn in their community. Materials for preservation rehab also tend to come from local sources, rather than materials from outside the community, so more of the construction costs also benefit the local economy.

Really Good, But Not Perfect

While the project has many strengths, there are some weaknesses. Downtown Sacramento lacks a grocery store. Existing corner markets and drugstores have limited options, and farmer’s markets do not operate in winter, creating “food deserts” for downtown residents. The closest market is Safeway, accessible by light rail, but downtown needs a more complete neighborhood market offering fresh meat and produce. The development team should consider a market as part of this project.

While transit is close by, service ends after 9 PM, making transit useless for late-night visitors. While transit budgets are outside the scope of the project, better public transportation would complement a transit-oriented project like this.

Finally, while developer David Taylor is well-known for his ability to complete a project, his projects are often criticized as being architecturally conservative and plain. The 800 block plan includes only volume sketches, not detailed renderings, so we do not know how it will look. Similarly, the 700 block’s new residential units must measure up architecturally to the historic buildings they will complement. The eclectic existing architecture of K Street, from Gold Rush brick to Art Deco terra cotta to 21st century high-rise steel and glass, means an unlimited palette for a talented architect.

On July 13, Sacramento’s City Council is scheduled to select a project for K Street. The recommended project is an excellent choice for Sacramento. It embodies and builds upon our city’s history and culture, promotes local business, and brings more housing across all income levels to K Street at a reasonable cost.

For more details about each of the four proposals for K Street, check the city of Sacramento's website:

www.cityofsacramento.org/econdev/development-projects/700KStDevelopmentProjectConcepts.cfm

Old Soul at 40 Acres To Host Thanksgiving Food Drive

2009-11-26T00:17:11Z

Old Soul Co. is hosting the "Soul of the Soul" Food Donation Drive on Thanksgiving Day at it's newest location in Oak Park. The local coffee company is slated to open its doors to the neighborhood in early 2010 with it's third retail location. Old Soul will replace the now closed Starbuck's that once anchored the 40 Acres Art Gallery complex when it was remodeled back in 2003.

According to the company's website, One of the guiding principles of Old Soul from the beginning has always been "to be better tomorrow than we are today"; in our minds, this principle includes everything from our own individual self improvement to our overall product improvement. We recognize how these principles have shaped both ourselves and our business and have made them both successful; along those lines, we have started a community outreach program called 'The Soul of the Soul".

With Soul of the Soul we will be planning monthly volunteer projects within our communtiy in which any Old Soul employee, customer or client can participate. All projects will be based as locally as possible in order to maximize our influence on our immediate community. Old Soul will try to provide transportation and arrange carpools whenever feasible.

All are invited, FREE T-shirts, coffee, pastries & yummy food from Rick Mahan of The Waterboy!

When: Thursday, November 26, 2009 - Thanksgiving Day
Where: Old Soul at 40 Acres in Oak Park, Broadway @ 35th Street
When: 12:00 - 3:00 PM
What: "Soul of the Soul" Food Donation Drive

Alley renaissance envisioned

2009-08-03T03:43:50Z

The two Midtown alleys stand largely quiet and deserted, except for the occasional rumbling delivery truck and dumpsters crouched behind buildings. The alleys have a hidden, tranquil feel in contrast to busy streets they run between.

A third alley holding the entrance to Old Soul coffee house gets more foot traffic and cars heading surreptitiously to and from a state parking garage. So many cars, in fact, that they rob the alley of that serene environment.

One group has another vision for what these alleys could become.

They see al fresco dining in an upscale restaurant row reminiscent of San Francisco's Belden Street. They see a small, affordable, alley-front condo building that doesn't add to urban sprawl. They see an inviting pedestrian alley helping to link visitors to a cheap, after-hours parking garage in one of the city's hottest areas.

Cities from San Francisco to Austin, Seattle, Portland and beyond have transformed these old service streets into intimate, charismatic spots for smaller businesses and residential flats. For the last year and a half, several dozen people known collectively as the city's Alley Activation Committee have met regularly to initiate a similar movement in Sacramento. They've also started bringing project ideas to city staff.

"It's an exciting way for a mature, well-developed city to rediscover an asset right under its nose," said developer Jeremy Drucker, who co-chairs the committee and developed 9 on F, the grid's first certified green residential project. "One thing that's great about alleys is there's this whole element of surprise, of discovery. It's a little magical."

On Aug. 11, the committee -- made up of architects, developers, engineers and property owners --
will present the Sacramento City Council with ideas for three prototype alleys: two alleys stretching from 17th to 19th streets between L Street and Capitol Avenue in one of Midtown's hottest areas, the Handle District; and a third from I to J streets between 16th and 17th streets across from Memorial Auditorium. City staff will present an overview of the alley activation efforts.

Council members will be asked to approve naming guidelines championed by Councilman Steve Cohn, as well as staff recommendations that city staff continue working collaboratively on this effort to create three model alleys.

The standard 20-foot width of alleys give them an Old World feel that charms many and entices some to see their potential as prime urban real estate. But these alleys are also being seen as a way to build connected, sustainable communities that are more pedestrian- and bike-friendly and don't require costly infrastructure because it already exists, said committee Co-Chair Julie Young, a developer who kick-started the organized alley-use movement here.

The value of alley-front property has risen recently, especially in the most sought-after areas, after Midtown development has experienced a growth spurt. The people on the committee said they believe alley activation is an idea whose time has come in Sacramento.

"It's very much a Zeitgeist," Drucker said.

The committee has identified 41 Midtown alleys as potential sites for alley activation, which can be as simple as attractive paving and lights, plants and signs. Those would be the alleys between I and J streets, K and L streets, and L Street and Capitol Avenue, from 16th to 28th streets.

The cost of permeable pavers and concrete bands, solar lighting, planters, trees, benches, signs, trash enclosures and electrical hookups for trash compactors (but not overhead utilities) would cost at least $180,000 per alley, Young said.

The committee expects to seek up to $5 million in local funding to pay for alley beautification, said Midtown Business Association (MBA) President Aaron Zeff, a developer/property owner. He proposes creating a restaurant row near Memorial Auditorium.

MBA recently took about 15 committee members on a tour of Pasadena's developed alleys to show what can be done.

"These alleys don't require much at night time to become pretty," Zeff said. "I think it's an opportunity to create something special in an environment that's been successful in other cities. If Pasadena can create nice alleys, why can't Sacramento?"

Upgrades would be expected to cost $150,000 to $300,000 per alley, according to Cohn. The total to improve 41 alleys at that cost would be about $6 million to $12 million.

MBA has already hired a consultant to help locate funding. City funding and grants through the Sacramento Area Council of Governments are two possible sources, Cohn said.

However, the future of those 41 alleys is in the hands of the people who own property on them, said Young, regional manager for Valley Commercial Contractors and a developer through Young Clifford LLC.

"I wouldn't want people to go into this (council) meeting and think we know what's best for the city," she said.

The committee is evaluating potential funding sources, environmental and economic returns on investments and potential alleyscape pieces such as trash containment, lighting, benches, signs and landscaping, she said.

While the alleys are largely lined by businesses, there are some homes and apartments on the north side of Capitol Avenue between 17th and 19th streets. Questions have been raised about emergency vehicle and garbage truck access, access for the disabled, unattractive dumpsters, alley access blocked for residents and funding.

Committee members have been meeting with city staff, the area's neighborhood group and residents to ensure pilot alley development meets government regulations and solves other concerns, Drucker said.

One benefit to using the backs of buildings or deep, 160-foot lots for commercial or residential space is that alley-front prices are lower than street-front. Residential units can be priced lower; Drucker's condo project called "Stitch" would be targeted to singles or young couples with $40,000 to $60,000 incomes.

Alleys are also enticing to entrepreneurs. Sidewalk cafes, tailors, tiny art galleries, funky boutiques and other unique enterprises can better afford alley space, Drucker said.

"You can start to bring back the smaller businesses that have been priced out of Midtown," he said.

Committee members are studying ways to eliminate overflowing dumpsters, clean up alleys and improve security through lighting and increased use.

The model projects will develop "baseline" plans that meet city approval for shifting some alleys from primary uses for vehicles and trash collection to pedestrians and alley-front commercial, residential or mixed-use. Those already-approved plans can then be used by other people who want to activate alleys, Young said.

Zeff is proposing to build an alley "restaurant row" in a block where he owns much of the property, between I and J streets, from 16th to 17th streets. He envisions turning two cavernous old buildings into mixed-use space with alley-facing restaurants. The block contains only businesses. Zeff is applying for a permit to close or temporarily encroach on the alley for sidewalk cafe use.

Zeff and his wife, who grew up in Sacramento, moved their family here from San Francisco's Nob Hill seven months ago. Zeff owns Priority Parking Inc. of San Francisco and has substantial business interests in Sacramento, which include property, parking garages and lots, and Harv's Car Wash.

Sacramento's potential and the possibility of creating a Belden Street here helped him decide to move his family from the San Francisco Bay Area just seven months ago.

"Sacramento, I'll admit, has its challenges with the front sides of streets, let alone with its alleys," he said. "But in certain alleys, there are fewer landlords, fewer complexities and, frankly, fewer people that are sticks in the mud."

Another person leading the effort is Sacramento architect Ron Vrilakas. One of Vrilakas' earlier projects was to rehab a turn-of-the-century house where restaurateur Ernesto Jimenez opened Ernesto's Mexican Food at S and 16th streets.

The pair teamed up again when Vrilakas designed an innovative mixed-use building at 18th Street and Capitol Avenue. Anchored by Jimenez' newest restaurant, Zocalo, the building also houses Dragonfly Restaurant and 58 Degrees wine bar. Vrilakas built his architectural office over Zocalo and two residential units on the alley behind Zocalo. He also laid pavers over the existing alley to the end of his building.

Now Vrilakas is one of the architects helping to design these potential urban-infill projects. He's the architect behind the two alley construction projects, which involve restaurants on one alley and a condo building on another.

"Ron has always tried to raise the bar for Sacramento because he has a large worldview of how communities work and how communities become sustainable," said Young.

The two prototype alleys running from 17th to 19th streets between L Street and Capitol Avenue are building on Vrilakas' efforts there, which have turned the intersection of 18th and L streets and nearby blocks into one of Midtown's most popular areas. Vrilakas also built a five-story, mixed-use residential building nearby at 1801 L St.

Young got interested in the city's alley potential through a project to construct a small, mixed-use building on a now-vacant lot at 1813 Capitol Ave., next to the Zocalo building. She and developer Sotiris Kolokotronis, who built L Street Lofts, laid attractive pavers over the rest of the 18th to 19th streets alley.

Now Young proposes turning that alley into an appealing, pedestrian-friendly corridor that, when combined with the 17th to 18th streets alley, will link diners and shoppers to the East End Parking Garage, a state-owned garage where the public can park for a $2 flat fee nights and weekends. Requests to do hardscape improvements and beautification for those two alleys are being considered, said Stacia Cosgrove, a senior planner with the city.

The second prototype alley would contain a three-unit, model condo building constructed behind a house at 1717 Capitol Ave., a deep lot facing Old Soul and currently owned by Jimenez, who's lived in an alley-facing house behind Ernesto's for more than a decade.

Jimenez is not on the committee, but he supports alley activation as a way to create infill development and encourage business owners to be more responsible for their property and garbage. Businesses must pay for their own garbage removal. Improving alleys -- which may include consolidating dumpsters on each alley into one central, enclosed location with a compactor -- should address current problems with alley garbage and overflowing business dumpsters, he said.

"It adds to the fabric of the city," Jimenez added.

Last week, Drucker turned in permit applications to the city's zoning administrator for the necessary entitlements for his environmentally conscious "Stitch" model. That building would serve as a sales model for three years, he said.

In a meeting last week, committee members said they recognize that proposing to spend money to improve alleys may be a tough sell to some. They're collecting information about how alley activation could generate more local spending and city revenue in the form of permit fees and property and sales taxes.

Jason Griest and Tim Jordan blazed a trail for other small-business operators when they opened Old Soul in the back of a warehouse at "1716 L St. Rear Alley" in 2006. They believe alley activation could make the city cleaner and more walkable, while helping to contain sprawl and protect outlying natural or rural areas from development, said Griest.

"Sacramento, in my opinion, is the only big city in California that can still redefine itself," he said. "I think Sacramento has a lot of potential. It could be the base for a lot of great ideas."

Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. She can be reached at 916-804-2856 or suzanne@sacramentopress.com.

The Urban Hive beginning to create some buzz

2009-06-06T00:02:51Z

When Levi and Jessie Benkert from local development firm LJ Urban decided to leave their Midtown business and pack up their families to start an orphanage in Ethiopia, something had to be done with their workspace until 2010. When Brandon Weber, marketing consultant to LJ Urban, found out about the company's hiatus and downsizing, he wanted to make the warehouse building into a co-working space, and he posted the idea on his blog.

Meanwhile, James Pierini and his friend Janna Santoro, who had been working on bringing co-working to Sacramento, were looking for other work-at-home professionals who would be interested in sharing a physical office space, when they came across Weber's blog. Roughly six weeks ago, these three people got together, realized the great potential in this opportunity, since LJ Urban's space and even some of their furniture was just sitting there, and they acquired the space.

The Urban Hive was born and has been buzzing ever since.

"People who are here now are basically people who heard through word of mouth," said Weber of the space, which just last night held a meetup called Green Drinks, an informal monthly event where people in the environmental field meet up for drinks. The event was sponsored by Green Sacramento, an environmental building and products consultant, and one of the the Urban Hive's tenants.

The Urban Hive has also held such public events as Cereal Creative, a public event to promote a creative environment where participants network over their favorite bowls of cereal, and Buzz Night, an informal after-work social event where participants have a cold brew and stimulating conversation before heading home.

"We had [Cereal Creative] as kind of a brainstorming session, where people come and we had a question that people would discuss," Pierini said. "The question was, 'What can co-working be?' We wanted to get people in the community and see what co-working could mean to them."

"We're likely to leave at 4:30 and crack a beer," said Weber of Urban Hive's working environment. "The goal is to create a collaborative environment — it's a community."

"Basically there are three sections to this warehouse building," Pierini said. "The front section is the Urban Hive, the middle section is Green Sacramento, and in the back we have some artist studios with individual spaces associated with VOX Sacramento [art cooperative]."

Conference rooms, private spaces and hallways fill in the rest of the space. The building is replete with solid steel tables that weigh over 1,000 pounds, artwork and boxes of cereal for Cereal Creatives, but Weber still plans to knock down a wall and create an entire kitchen with an island, so working professionals will visit the office instead of the coffee shop.

"On the scale of coffee shop to office, it feels more like a coffee shop," said Weber, who mentioned that coffee is served in all offices, but French-pressed Old Soul coffee is served at the Urban Hive.

This Second Saturday, VOX will be holding SHE, the third annual women's show benefitting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, displaying art and musical acts such as Ricky Berger and Reggie Gin.

"We not only want this to be something that the community at large embraces so someone who's not a co-worker can be a part of what we're doing here," Pierini said. "We want businesses to come over here and feel like they can spend the day out of the office, and use our space for a brainstorming day. It could be a benefit to everyone."

Instead of seeing Sacramento's other co-working space Capsity Offices (see previous Sacramento Press article) as a competitor, the two have teamed up and have been working closely on some shared events, like an office swap, where each office visits the other office.

"I think that Sacramento has a great culture for co-working, and this is just the beginning of all of it," Pierini said.

The Urban Hive is located at 1931 H St.