7th West
7th West’s ownership group is composed of Oakland residents Donna Inscho Brinkman, Kevin Pelgone, Assan Jethmal, and Pancho Kachingwe, all mainstays of the city’s rich culture, arts and hospitality scene. After years of owning and operating separate businesses in Oakland, the four came together to build 7th West around the urban planning concept of placekeeping, the active care and maintenance of a place and its social fabric by the people who live and work there. The mindset was simple: A business that preserves the character of the neighborhood while engaging its residents would not only be successful, but a benefit to all.
One of the focal points in developing 7th West as a community hub was keeping the emphasis on Oakland in all aspects of the business. In hospitality, customer service and engagement mean everything. 30% of 7th West staff live within walking distance, while 63% live in Oakland proper, giving customers a sense of neighborhood familiarity when they patronize the bar. The art on the walls has a distinguishable Oakland feel, as most of the artwork in the venue is done by local artists. Owner Assan Jethmal, who also owns downtown Oakland art gallery Good Mother, commissions Oakland-based muralists and artists to periodically update the artwork in the space. This attention to locality even makes its way to what is served in the glass. Nine out of the twelve rotating taps on draft feature beers from Oakland-based breweries including 7th West’s own “”7th West Spray Can””, brewed by West Oakland’s Ghost Town Brewing. By keeping the emphasis of the business on Oakland, customers are treated to an experience that’s authentic to The Town.
7th West joins an already progressive West Oakland business community that practices placekeeping. Adjacent to 7th West is Full Out Studios, a POC-owned dance studio with adult and youth classes. Across the street is The Crucible, a non-profit industrial arts facility which provides summer arts education programs including metal fabrication and blacksmithing for neighborhood youth. Also on 7th Street is Blue Dream, a progressive cannabis art lounge which hosts Black and POC performances and events.
Down the block is Mandela Marketplace, a non-profit organization which works with local residents and family farmers to support the development of locally owned economies and sustainable food systems. These businesses, along with 7th West, serve West Oakland residents as outlets for creative and lifestyle enrichment.
In a rapidly changing Bay Area, “”placemaking”” efforts are commonplace. Entrepreneurs and developers strategically aim to change the physical and social character of a neighborhood to the detriment of the community already existing there. However, businesses like 7th West are providing a counter model to this practice. Through placekeeping, socially responsible entrepreneurs and developers can engage the existing community while preserving what makes these neighborhoods special places to live.