Sprouts & Shutters: American Oak Reopens After Arson, Wescafe's Second Location, Art Studio Opens and Silk Road Closing

After American Oak shut down in December after an arson claimed around $450,000 worth of damages, co-owner Melanie Hartman said the eatery located at 2319 Santa Clara Avenue has finally reopened. 

Artistic Home Studio and Boutique, a do-it-yourself home décor art studio and store opened on May 11 inside Park Street Plaza (also known as Pillow Park Plaza).

Located at the end of the shopping plaza at 1419 Park Street, the art studio specializes in offering workshops in decorative painting techniques for the home, as well as class-related arts such as mosaics, stained glass and kiln-formed fused glass art. You can see some students at work in the video shared above.

Also expected to open soon at Park Street Plaza is a coffee merchant, according to owner Debbie George. She said Gothom Harbor Coffee Company plans hold its grand opening the second week of June inside the shopping plaza. 

Among retail stores that are closing is Silk Road at 1412 Park Street. Signage on the store window said it is closing down and inside the shop, another sign said everything is 25 percent off. The store was closed when Alameda Patch stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to get further details.

A reader announced that the Chestnut Encinal Market has reopened. "The new owners are the same owners that had the market before the last owner," he said in a post. The store at 1202 Chestnut Street reportedly closed in January. 

Along Webster Street, Wescafe is opening a second, bigger space about a block away at 1518 Webster Street. An employee at the cafe told Alameda Patch the new place is expected to open sometime next month. 

At 1545 Webster Street, you will also find the restaurant Greek Meze with a sign saying "coming soon." However, a reader noted in our directory that this sign has been up since 2010.