About The Grand Avenue Business Association of Oakland, California

The Grand Avenue Business Association represents merchants in the Grand Avenue corridor between MacArthur and the Piedmont border. Most of the stores on Grand are independently owned and owner-operated, so shoppers can be assured of top-quality service as well as excellent merchandise.

GABA Officers:
Anthony Q. Bennett, Collected at Four 32 – Antiques and Collectibles, President

E. G. Yang, General Computer, Vice President
Nolan Justus, Property Manager

Secretary, Alyce Preston, Alyce on Grand, http://alyceongrand.com, Event Coordinator

Stephanie Burrell, The Sanctuary, http://the sanctuary.energy ,Web Content Manager

Matthew Sewell, Director, Social Media Content

Dr. MacDonald, Advisor, Grand Lake Vet Hospital, http://grandlakevet.com

Suzane Loi, Advisor, The Coffee Mill,www.the coffee-mill.com

History:
Grand Avenue is one of the oldest retail corridors in Oakland. The Grand Lake Theater is over 80 years old, as is the Grand Lake Smoke Shop. Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream started at 3315 Grand in the building in the rear, behind Grand Fare Coffee House.

In the 1950s, mothers would decorate their baby strollers and parade up Grand to the Morcom Rose Garden, just off Jean and Grand, for the annual Mother of the Year Award, that still takes place to this day. In 2005, GABA updated this event to include fathers, grandparents, gay parents, step parents and all sorts of care givers. Called the Proud Parents’ Stroll, you can see a video of it on YouTube. Or view it from our home page.

Today, Grand Avenue is a microcosm of Oakland, with a diverse mix of residents and an exciting array of stores and services that cater to nearly every interest.