Bayview Buzz: Harvard Business School comes to 3rd St.

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Bayview Buzz is a regular update on changes, tidbits and other news from the Bayview’s commercial corridor. Got news? Send to tips at tips@missionlocal.com.

Cafe Melange, an eatery in the basement of City Hall with a loyal, in-the-know clientele, reopened under new ownership earlier this month.

On March 18, Gumbo Social’s Dontaye Ball took over the restaurant, which has served his gumbo for nearly two years as part of a project organized by the New Community Leadership Foundation to highlight small businesses from several Bayview food vendors, including Yvonne’s Southern Sweets and Radio Africa and Kitchen. 

Ball’s smoked turkey and chicken and sausage gumbo has become a popular draw for beleaguered City Hall aides, supervisors, (and reporters stationed in the City Hall press room).

Now, Ball will run the cafe in addition to Gumbo Social, while also finding the time to serve in his own City Hall position on the Homelessness Oversight Commission, which meets upstairs. 

Somehow, Ball finds the time to do it all. 

Yvonne Hines, the owner of Yvonne’s Southern Sweets, has closed down her bakery, located on Third and Shafter streets, until further notice while she battles health concerns, she shared in a post to Instagram.

While the nearly 20-year-old shop known for its sugar cookies and 7-Up cake remains closed, Hines recently installed a metal security door to stave off any vandalism or break-ins in her absence.

Last year, Mission Local interviewed Hines after her store window was smashed while she was absent picking up her daughter from college, leading to more than $6,000 in damage.

“I felt violated and hurt,” said Hines after the break-in. “I’m just a little bakery, 400 square feet … the only thing in there is sugar, flour, and butter.” 

At the time, Hines, who is supporting her daughter through college, could not afford a roll-down door. A Go-Fund-Me, launched last year, raised over $10,000 to cover the damages, which helped contribute to the purchase of the door. 

Third Street passers-by may have noticed a five-person group clad in crimson Harvard Business School paraphernalia strolling down Third Street. The group, an outfit of the Harvard Business School Community Partners, partnered with the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center to publish a study of the Third Street Corridor — specifically, the section stretching from Evans to Williams. 

The corridor has struggled to financially recover from the pandemic, though many business owners note that Third Street enterprises have struggled for years.

The study will be released in the near future, but the group already published a presentation sharing neighbors’ input on both what makes Bayview a desirable place to live, and how it might improve life for residents without becoming unaffordable. 

Among the ideas: Small, visible improvements like pocket parks, murals, and lighting around Mendell Plaza, the open-air transit hub outside of Old Skool Cafe. Residents also suggested recurring jazz and food crawls along 3rd St, kid-friendly zones, and a “friendly, well lit place” near the Bayview Opera house, like a cafe or bookstore. 

Marcus Tartt, the director of the Renaissance Entrepreneurship Center’s Bayview location, says the study has created a lot of “positive energy” in the neighborhood.

“A lot of people want to see change, they want to see the corridor reimagined,” Tartt said. “The community is starting to come together on this, and we’re starting to realize that if we don’t do it, it’s not going to get done.” 

Frank Grizzly’s hosted its first “Scribbles and Nibbles” event last week, celebrating the lowriders rolling into town for the unveiling of a new lowrider stamp at the Bayview Post Office.

The California-Mexican joint hosted local artists, live music, and tacos galore on Saturday: An artist-curated continuation of their ongoing “Beats and Eats” event. 

It was a big success, and the restaurant plans to continue having similar events in the future, at least “once every quarter,” said Frank Grizzly’s co-owner, Kim Truong.

“We’re surrounded by so many incredible creatives — from musicians and DJs to painters, muralists, ceramicists, designers, and more. So it only felt right to celebrate them!” she wrote.

Anyone who pulled up in a lowrider got a free taco, along with an agua fresca. Truong plans to hold the next event in the coming months.

Next Friday, on April 3, the Ruth Williams Opera House will host a free harp concert by harpist Destiny Muhammad, along with poetry, dance, and vocal performances dedicated to Coretta Scott King.

The performances will be followed by a panel discussion discussing King’s legacy. 

The opera house recently installed an updated surround sound system, increasing their capacity to host a number of musical performances in the coming months, including a Cuban music festival and Chilean reggae artist Quique Neira in April. 

Doors to the harp performance open at 5:00 p.m on April 3. The performance begins at 6 p.m., followed by a panel discussion at 7:15 p.m.