College Avenue @ Elmwood: A Neighborhood In (Rapid) Transition

Another venerable retailer is calling it quits on the Elmwood stretch of College Avenue — Health & Mercantile, the old pharmacy on the corner of Russell, is having a closing down sale, 8 months after the beloved Ozzie’s Soda Fountain, which the pharmacy used to house, also called it a day for the final time.

This is an area I know well as it’s in my back yard so to speak — and even in the short three years I have lived in Berkeley it has seen dramatic change. After more than 80 years in business, Bolfing’s Hardware recently closed its doors — and, although renovation works appears to be in full swing, nobody is really sure what form the store will take when, or if, it reopens.

Red Oak Realty moved out of the neighborhood a little while ago to be replaced by natural cosmetics place 100% Pure, the photography store became What The Traveller Saw; the refurbished Victorian on the corner of Ashby is now home to chic yoga apparel supplier LuluLemon; “I don’t remember what” became gourmet ice-cream store Ici, and home decor shops Lola and Treehouse. While the health food market property has been vacant for a long while, although work seems to be progressing.

Going going gone: the pharmacy, market and camera shop on College that are no longer.

You don’t need a PhD in urban planning to spot the trend — the place is undergoing full-blown gentrification. That usually means frippery at the expense of usefulness. And I do miss having a good hardware store and soda fountain within walking distance of home. But I like Mrs Dalloway’s, the bookstore, which feels like a veteran even though it only opened in 2004. And you can’t argue with a scoop of honey saffron and pumpkin ice cream on a balmy autumnal evening after browsing the bookshelves — although you might flinch at the cost. That’s the price of going up in the world I guess.

The cost of homes in the area have been on the high side for a long time and are staying up there, recession or not. Here are three new listings:

2813 Kelsey Street: Two interesting properties for the price of one. A golden duplex of architectural interest on a lovely, quiet street. Price: $1,295,000.

3154 College Avenue: a 1/1 condominium with private patio and carport parking. Price: $485,000.

6422 Benvenue Avenue: a 2/1.5 two-level condominium on another great street (featuring on this year’s BAHA spring house tour — not this condo though). Price: $649,000.