Longtime Oakland business Mr. Espresso opened its first retail cafe this week, expanding the family business that started decades ago in the East Bay.
The spot joins a trend of new businesses helping downtown's recovery years after the pandemic with foot traffic still not back to the levels seen in early 2020. "We've been getting a pretty good reception so far. People seem to be excited to check out the new spot," said Luigi Di Ruocco, co-owner of Mr. Espresso. "We still believe pretty strongly in the downtown Oakland market, but we also know there are some limitations based on office capacities.
"Our coffee roasting philosophy, the foundation of it comes from an Italian perspective," he told KPIX."We wanted to recreate an Italian coffee bar style vibe here." He's optimistic the recovery for this downtown may be faster than other cities. Experts in the real estate market agree. Oakland benefits from a strong presence of residents in the downtown neighborhood and a nightlife that keeps businesses busy outside of the usual workday, according to the Downtown Oakland Association.
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