Subway shop at Carles Apartments takes out classic storefront

Carles apartments in 1958.  (courtesy Oakland history room)

I so wanted to go into this with both barrels blazing, but I can’t.  The whole thing started when I saw a sign in a window that said, “Coming soon! Subway!”  Okay, so what, another subway, big deal. They make sandwiches and fill the air with a weird, burning plastic smell from their “freshly baked bread”. The only time I ever ate a Subway sandwich was on the way to a funeral, about a hundred miles east of Denver. The best thing about it was that it was open, and it gave part time employment to the few teens in the area.

Front entryway.

It is too easy for me to dislike Subway; they are everywhere and they smell bad. I think there are six of them in DTO alone, and now a seventh will open. Wow. Great. The thing that got me is that this seventh one is on the corner of 10th and Jefferson, right in the corner storefront of the old Carles Apartments. The Carles is a classic apartment block circa 1910, three stories of brick and bay windows. The front entrance is decorated with terra cota motifs of cherubs and a beautiful stained glass window depicting a sailboat setting out to sea. The ground floor is all commercial; there is a hot tub place with a suggestive mural on the side of the building, a frame shop, a pet salon and now Subway.

The corner entrance, under construction for the past 3 months at least.

Sadly, I don’t think this particular Subway location will fly. The foot traffic is fairly low here, and the office workers generally stick to Clay St. and Franklin St., or to City Center Plaza. It’s a shame because the entryway, with its old tile work, is being altered as per ADA regulations for restaurants––never mind the corporate blah that the interior is suffering. It is too bad that nobody could make a go here with a different idea. I hate to think that in times of economic downturn, only a corporate tenant can make a landlord feel secure.

Corporatization of the old storefront. Sigh, more demo for the next person....

The other day I was walking up on the formerly beautiful storefront, silently cursing, when I saw two men standing outside. I suspected that I might be about to meet Mr. Carles himself so I introduced myself and was pleased to learn that indeed it was Emil Carles; raised in the building he now owns. I asked him about the Subway, kind of bemoaning the choice of business, and he answered, “what? It’s going to be real nice.”  And it hit me, we were coming from two very different places––Mr. Carles saw an empty storefront finally being rented and I saw an unneeded eyesore.

Ugh. What my neighbors and I have to look forward to in terms of "graphic art."

We wound up talking for the better part of 45 minutes about the building, the neighborhood, his former tenant Mignone (an “antiquing" shop with a penchant for painting things with a “weathered look”), and the economy. He described several business proposals for the space, none of which he thought were promising enough to pay the rent with regularity, or to stay out of trouble. It dawned on me that here was a man doing what he thought was best for his building and the neighborhood. While I might not agree, I understood and respected his position. I walked away gaining a new point of view and a new acquaintance who is kind and generous––he even invited me to go sailing with him.

Carles apartments, 2011.

For sure, one day the Subway will close and another business will try and make its way at 10th and Jefferson. Who knows what it will be? Perhaps an urban agriculture supply shop, gluten free bakery, wine shop, cupcake stop, hydrogen jet pack warranty repair center, chip implant service, pet robot repair? I hope I will be around to see it. Even more, I hope the Carles Apartments will be around long after I am gone.

Purple basement skylights, and entry tile work, likely to be a thing of the past.


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all photos k. thomson unless noted