Is your business Oakland Grown? Review the Oakland Grown membership Application and all the benefits of becoming an Oakland Grown business. Continue Reading »

If you would like to receive an email notice of our monthly forums and announcements of workshops for merchants, click here.

The Shop Oakland website has a list, descriptions, and links of all of the shoppping districts in Oakland. It also has listings of retail businesses in the districts. If you’re not on the site, you should be — it’s free!

OMLF surveyed Oakland business owners about crime and safety throughout Oakland. To view the results of the survey click on the link below.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=SWdHeaM7wIn_2bJvsebw_2bUlMRadeIe3CAynoFMwQFqs9A_3d

On July 28, 2010 the Oakland Merchants’ Leadership Forum will have a meeting with Oakland Chief of Police Batts and Oakland’s Commercial District Leaders. The meeting will be held at City Hall, hearing room 4, from 8:00 am - 10:00 am.

If you are an Oakland Business owner please fill out this short survey Click here to take survey“> and let us know if you have any questions that you would like the Chief to answer related to business/commercial districts.  Click here to take survey“>. The survey results will be available on this site and at the forum on July 28. Thank you.

Oakland Grown and The Oakland Raiders have teamed up in 2010 to offer tickets to Raider home games through a special fundraising opportunity. For more information about available games, pricing, seating locations, and how to support this fundraiser, please contact Tina ‘Tamale’ Ramos with Oakland Grown at 510/839.3854 or email oaklandgrown@omlf.org. *Oakland Grown is a non-profit (tax exempt) organization.

Get your tickets for Oakland Grown Day at the Raiders on September 19, 2010. Raiders vs. Rams

Click here to download ticket order form, fill it out, and fax it in. Payment can be made by filling out the credit card info or you can mail a check or pay on-line at http://www.oaklandgrown.org/join.php and scroll down to the blue “Donate” button and enter the correct amount for the number of tickets you are ordering. You will receive your tickets

A message from the City of Oakland: 
The trial of former BART police officer Johannes Mehserle is underway in Los Angeles and moving quickly; a verdict could be announced in late June.

Simple Steps to Help Keep Oakland Safe
We anticipate that regardless of the verdict reached by the jury, demonstrations could occur in downtown Oakland, and potentially throughout the city. The City is committed to facilitating peaceful demonstrations. And we are prepared to deal with the situation if it turns violent. Here are some simple steps you can take:

• Stay tuned to your local TV and radio stations for information. Continue Reading »

On June 30 the Express is going to publish a unique 4th of July co-op advertising page. Inspired by Sunday inserts for Safeway, Home Depot and other big box retailers, this page is dedicated to deals and sales on things people will need for Independence Day outdoor entertainment (and other summer-time camping, picnics, beach outings and leisure activities).

Local, independently owned businesses can post their featured product(s) for sale on the co-op page, along with their business name, address, item sale price(s) and short description. The more independent businesses that participate, the more impact it will have and the more useful it will be for our readers!

Attached is a rough comp just to give you an idea of direction we’re going with the page and how each business will be uniquely featured. There are two size options available and we’ve dramatically reduced the rate to just $200 (1/8 page) or $125 (1/16 page) - both sizes are roughly represented by the size of the wood crates in the flier attached.

The Express will incorporate into the group page information about National Independents Week, celebrating the positive cultural and economic impact our locally owned, independent businesses have in our communities. This is a message supported by our partners and indie champions: Buy Local Berkeley, Sustainable Business Alliance, and Oakland Grown.

Publication date: June 30

Advertising deadline date: June 23

510-879-3700

Indie Business ideas:

Markets selling beer, wine, meats, outdoor cooking goods.

Retailers selling outdoor furniture or outdoor tableware.

Clothing stores selling swimsuits, sandals, hats and beach attire.

Home stores selling beach towels and lounge chairs.

Garden stores for supplies, plants and seeds.

Boutique hotels, spas and destination locations for tourists or staycations.

Boat charters, Bay tours, and marina services.

Camping and outdoor supply stores.

Bike shops and services.

Holiday supply shops from flags to fireworks.

… and more!

Trade Adjustment Assistance For Firms Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration in Washington, DC is offering a program that pays half of consulting services to improve your manufacturing competitiveness. This is not a reimbursement program.

See how they can provide substantial financial assistance to defray the cost of projects aimed at strengthening operations and sharpening competitiveness for manufacturers in a variety of industries. This customized business assistance is used for a wide range of initiatives, including marketing, information technology, manufacturing, engineering, and quality.

Please contact Lowell Rice, Business Services Manager at Oakland Private Industry Council at lrice@oaklandpic.org if you are interested.

Click the link to see frequently asked questions.
http://www.taacenters.org/faqs.html#q1

Click here to take survey“>Oakland Parking Survey 2010

Click on the parking survey link if you are an Oakland Business owner and let us know how you feel.

Now that the new parking kiosk have been in place for over one year OMLF would like to get your feedback on Oakland’s current parking situation. Please take this Click here to take survey“>parking survey by June 18th. We will use this Click here to take survey“>survey to continue the dialogue with the City of Oakland’s staff in Parking Enforcement, Transportation Services and the Mayor’s Parking Task Force in an effort to assist the city in the creation of a comprehensive parking plan for the City of Oakland.

The results of this Click here to take survey“>survey will be available at the OMLF June 23, 2010 forum and on the OMLF website at www.omlf.org.

Guest Speakers include:

* Noel Pinto, City of Oakland, Parking Enforcement

* Bruce Williams, City of Oakland, Transportation Services

* Alton Jelks, Mayor’s Parking Task Force