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About three years ago, when business was steady for The Good Hop Bar & Bottle Shop, a craft beer shop in Uptown Oakland, Melissa Myers had one of those fleeting thoughts that barely registered.
“It was at a time when I never even thought about selling,” they said.
But looking back now, the fact that it materialized at all makes perfect sense. That thought was the realization that if they ever felt like selling the place, Adam Clark, who had worked there as a bartender, and their partner, Monica White, one of the first people to become a regular, would be the perfect people to take it over.
“They know this place, they know the regulars and they know beer,” Myers said.
But then the thought was gone, as quickly as it came. That was then.
The GOod Hop Bar & Bottle Shop
2421 Telegraph Ave., #102, Oakland; www.thegoodhop.com
Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 3-10 p.m. and Friday to Sunday, 2-10 p.m., closed Mondays
A party to celebrate the new ownership will be held Oct. 19 from 2 p.m. to close.
Myers and The Good Hop have seen a lot since the shop opened in 2014. It has become a community fixture; a place with a crowd of regulars so steady, that during Covid, Myers called them “TGH South,” as many of them lived alone, and came to pick up their purchases from a side door, and drink their craft brews while socially distancing on a corner south of the bar. Myers even had hoodies and hats printed for them.
Myers recently celebrated the shop’s 10-year anniversary, and the lease expired in August. The landlord wanted Myers to stay. But when it came to signing another lease, Myers realized they couldn’t do it. Those ten years, with the pandemic and pivoting to save the business, and an uncertain economy, had taken their toll.
“Unfortunately, I’ve lost my overwhelming enthusiasm to be creative and come up with new ideas,” they said. Myers was exhausted and couldn’t imagine continuing.
“I knew I could close the doors and walk away, but this bar had become way bigger than me,” they said. “It’s now a huge community and I wanted to save it.”
Putting it up for sale was kind of a “Hail Mary,” Myers said. They did so knowing full well that a new buyer could turn it into something else, too, like a coffee shop (not that there’s anything wrong with coffee shops).
But the best possible thing happened — Myers found buyers from within the Good Hop community. With so many sad stories about favorite places shutting down due to the combination of not finding their footing post-pandemic and economic uncertainty, Myers couldn’t be happier that The Good Hop will continue under new ownership; and more than that, they couldn’t have dreamt up better buyers than White and Clark.
At this point, Myers wasn’t in the bar in the evenings, but felt like the steward of the place. White and Clark understood that sentiment and told Myers they were honored to be its next stewards.
“I think that says a lot,” Myers said. “They understand the power of this place and what it means, that it isn’t just about one person, it’s about a community. They’re very community-oriented people, and it shows.”
Offering one more example, Myers remembered a night when none of the regulars were there. The reason? Because they were at White and Clark’s place for a party.
Clark fell in love with beer as a teenager in New York and was drawn to the Bay Area partly to work in its flourishing beer industry. “The scene was really booming and it seemed so enticing to me,” they said.
Clark has worked in several different roles, as bartender and manager at craft beer bars and at some breweries, too.
White, on the other hand, comes from the nonprofit world, but frequented craft beer places in the city after work. The couple initially met and became friends while Clark worked at City Beer Store – which just closed after an 18 year run – and love blossomed later; they’ve now been together for eight years, married for five.
“I appreciate the role a neighborhood bar plays in bringing folks together,” White said. In addition to helping more introverted people meet others, they serve as gathering spots that foster community and allow neighbors to meet each other, as well.
“Gathering around a collective interest helps people make friends and memories,” White continued. “Some of my best times, I’ve had in breweries.”
Having their own bar was a dream they shared.
“We both come from humble beginnings, but this place had such a reputation and was so community-focused,” White said. They felt they had to figure out how to make it work.
Going forward the pair doesn’t plan to change much. The Good Hop will keep its 16 taps, and still offer a dizzying array of beer choices in cans, from old classics that the pair loves, like Russian River Brewing founded in 199, to the latest breweries to open in the area. They will continue to offer interesting non-beer options, too.
“We want to continue the incredible legacy that Melissa started,” White said.
They want to highlight many of the local craft breweries both in Oakland and the state. They want to partner with other local small businesses, like food pop-ups, and others; Clark mentioned a record store down the street. The Good Hop already hosts a Tuesday trivia night and the new owners are planning to add a recurring Dungeons and Dragons event (White is a self-described nerd). They intend to still serve as a gathering place to watch a WNBA game or other sporting event; they hope to show the art of local artists on the walls.
They still plan on offering customized service; remembering what their regulars like and always at the ready to suggest something new.
Clark said they always ask what beer styles guests like, as they want to offer them something they’ve never had before. Clark never wants the interaction to feel transactional; they want to be a place where patrons can ask a lot of questions and are never made to feel stupid.
“I want to make sure they get something memorable,” Clark said.
While the couple officially took over ownership on Oct. 1, they are throwing a party from 2 p.m. until closing Saturday, Oct. 19 to celebrate the transition.
Said Clark, “People don’t line up down the block for crazy releases anymore. As the industry changes, we want to change with it. We’ve built most of our friendships through this place. We plan to keep a great selection of beer and keep our great friends.”
