Ramen Shop Co-Owner Helping to Revamp Starline Social Club

Oakland's historic Starline Social Club (2232 Martin Luther King Blvd.) is about to get a new lease on life. As Inside Scoop reports, Sam White, one of the partners in Oakland's Ramen Shop, is teaming up with artist Adam Hatch, who's been renovating Starline and hosting events there for the past few years, and another artist, Eric Siemens, to revitalize the enormous nightlife venue, which can hold up to 320 people. Most notably for Uptown drinkers, the venue's bar will be revitalized and opened to the public, with a still-undisclosed food component; the space features a full kitchen.

The Starline dates to 1893, when it was opened as an Odd Fellows hall; in the intervening years, it was a saloon, a dance club, and a social club for the deaf, among other incarnations. The new triad in charge hopes to use it primarily as a live music venue, but with a strong art component, hosting classes and rehearsals during the day and performances in the evening. It'll also be available for events and fundraisers. The current plan is for the Starline's new bar to open in December, with events following shortly thereafter.