Darlis and Tarsha Recollect 1970s Neighborhood Businesses

Darlis and Tarsha are good friends who grew up together on Apgar Street in north Oakland. They still live on the same block. Tarsha runs an in-home childcare center, the Kindergarten Readiness Academy. Both Tarsha and Darlis speak fondly of the community they experienced growing up on Apgar Street, like shared thanksgivings with neighbors, running into neighbors at church, local businesses, and walking around the neighborhood. 

You get the sense that any given day you could always borrow a cup of sugar, or find someone to help mend a fence, and that children were safe and looked out for while playing in the street. Apgar St. was an on ramp to the Bay Bridge, but had little car traffic.?! [Strange, quaint, and intriguing... Through today's lens - to someone who didn't grow up here before Apgar ended at MacArthur.] They are doing their part to foster a modern version of this localized support network, block by block. Together they have created the 900 Block Apgar Group to encourage the kind of closeness they remember from their youth.

Darlis, who moved to the neighborhood in 1971 at age 10 and returned in 1996 shared her recollection of what sounds like a lovely and self sufficient neighborhood. Here’s her description and a map of local businesses from the ‘70s.

Map of Longfellow neighborhood south of 40th, with highlighted locations

Map of Longfellow neighborhood south of 40th, with highlighted locations

  1. Apgar Street has many memories at the corner was a shoe shop, then church, nail salon, now living quarters. 

  2. We also had a family run real estate where Yoga Love is now present. 

  3. There were mail boxes on every other block

  4. OMI was the k-6 called Longfellow, which I attended 4-6th grade. Everyone walked to school feeling safe and watching out for each other. 

  5. The lot that burned down twice was a family home, and next door was a glass company called MAZ. 

  6. Apgar St. was a through street across San Pablo. Keep straight and SF bridge could be accessed.

  7. There was an original Doggie Diner at the corner on San Pablo.

  8. The liquor store on Market and MacArhtur was Jug Liquor #1. 

  9. Jug Liquor #2 was located where the lane splitter pizza is now. We could walk to both locations without any hassle.

  10. The sound of ice cream trucks came to the Apgar Block often. Everyone ran and got coins to buy ice cream (10-15 cents).

  11. The white building next to 985 was and still today is a whole sale meat market. The dad passed away, and the son kept business alive. The business is now run on the MacArthur side.  

  12. We had no street sweeping. Everyone cleaned up in front of their own homes. 

  13. The parking war wasn’t heard of until they started building condos in the area. 

  14. Apgar St. was fun. You could go bike riding and skating in the streets with no fear of fast cars coming down. There were very few cars coming down the street. 

  15. Next to 1007 Apgar there was a dentist office. 

  16. The aroma of fresh French bread from Toscana Bakery was on the corner of 40th market, now living quarters.

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