In mid-2020, when chic cocktail bar North Light in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood was just out of its infancy, co-owner Dan Stone decided to capture what it felt like running the business within the midst of the pandemic.
He wrote a 4,000 word essay for California Sunday Magazine – where his wife is an editor – concerning the gigantic task of keeping the bar afloat and his understanding that on daily basis could possibly be North Light's last.
There was no sign of stress at North Light, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this month. Bartender John McKenna poured the special cocktail of the day, a powerful tequila and mezcal-based concoction of his own creation that he called Monarca.
Then he rummaged through a shopping bag and thoroughly pulled out a brand new record to position on the bar's turntable: Frank Ocean's “Blonde,” an album stuffed with melodic themes of heartbreak and nostalgia. Next to the record player was a tall, crowded bookshelf with a library ladder. An everyday on the bar was leafing through a novel she'd brought along with her.
This is the sort of sophisticated, hip-but-not-hipster vibe that has taken hold as bars have entered a brand new chapter of providing social experiences post-pandemic.
“People can have a cocktail in the comfort of their own home and it's much cheaper than going to a bar,” Stone explained. “It's not about what you can mix – it's about how you make people feel when they're in your home.”
North Light is one among many “book bars” which have sprung up within the Bay Area in recent times. The shelves, specially installed within the bar's 11-foot-wide interior, are filled with books really useful by Stone's friends within the literary world.
Stone's favorite book from North Light's extensive offering is a rare cookbook, “Wild Raspberries,” edited by Andy Warhol and chosen for the bar by chef and food critic Samin Nosrat.
“There is a wealth of knowledge in Oakland, and people want to be around other people who are interested in learning about the world and finding out more,” said Lukas Dellios, the bar's assistant manager. “And what better way to physically represent that than with books?”
Outside on the back patio, guests sit in reserved booths with plates of potato chips and luxuriate in the evening. There are also burgers, ribs and salads, however the potato chips, says Stone, are “an emblem of the place – they're comfort food from everyone's childhood.”
For North Light, finding an identity was crucial. The bar went through a series of short-lived experiments – serving breakfast, being open all day – before evolving right into a viable business model.
Co-owner Lee Smith steadily took care of the bar's funds, while Stone focused on making a relaxed atmosphere where visitors could end the working day with a drink and quiet music or just discover a corner to read.
But above all, Stone believes, it's North Light's appeal for mental stimulation that sets it other than other, more traditional offerings in Temescal, corresponding to the historic Kingfish Pub and Cafe or The Avenue, a well-liked dive bar.
North Light's cocktail menu tends toward clearer spirits like tequila, mezcal and gin, but there's also a house Old-Fashioned made with bourbon, in addition to a growing list of non-alcoholic offerings.
Much of the bar's record collection was left to Stone by Daniel Hyatt, a Bay Area restaurant veteran who died in 2018.
Quietly, North Light has also turn into often known as a premier space for inclusivity, particularly for queer identities. Dellios, who uses they/them pronouns, has played a big role on this natural evolution by creating an everyday drag show that has brought the bar a bevy of loyal customers.
“It's been incredibly successful,” they said. “Personally, I've worked in a lot of bars where pronouns weren't respected or there were little microcosms of hate. I've always thought about how I can create environments where that doesn't happen. And I've tried to bring that here.”
Under the nice and cozy lights hanging from the ceiling, the group slowly grew louder that evening. But the Frank Ocean record clearly drowned out the chatter.
“Hold a seat for me,” Ocean crooned to an ex-lover on “Self Control.” Stone hopes North Light can just do that.
DETAILS: Open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. or in a while weekdays and a couple of p.m. until late on weekends at 4915 Telegraph Ave. in Oakland; https://northlight.bar.
Originally published:
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