In Haruki Murakami’s novels, the melancholic main character will inevitably stave off his ennui by spending time in a smoke-filled, boozy jazz club. The clubs are not only off the beaten path, but they may exist in a parallel universe. In my mind, the interiors look like the subterranean bars in Bell, Book and Candle or Ripley. During a 2015 trip to Japan, Daniel Gahr and Shirin Raza stumbled into one of these otherworldly clubs in Tokyo’s Ebisu district.
In a phone interview, Gahr described his and Raza’s visit abroad to Bar Martha. “It’s a group that has three or four different hi-fi bars, each with a different character and vibe,” he said. “Each one has a beautifully appointed stereo system and an amazing, eclectic collection of records often rooted in American mid-century jazz and soul.”
Photos aren’t allowed to be taken inside Bar Martha, a fact that amplifies its rarefied air of coolness. Of the few images that have leaked into the public domain, it looks like Gahr and Raza managed to evoke something similar when they opened Bar Shiru in 2019, “The Bay Area’s first hi-fi listening bar.”
“What really impressed us [about Bar Martha] was the vision and the hospitality, the way that music was at the center of the experience,” Gahr explained. In Japan, Bar Martha serves whiskey and beer, but the larger goal is to present Western records that aren’t generally available there. “They became these community centers built around music,” he added.
Gahr and Raza are co-owners of Bar Shiru and, since last fall, Gold Palm, which opened in Palmetto’s former space. Raza is the general manager of both establishments, and Gahr is the creative director. Before they opened Bar Shiru, Gahr had been working at Pandora. The offices are nearby in the uptown/downtown neighborhoods. They chose to open a bar there because they loved the musical energy, the overall nightlife and the general feeling of hospitality.
“Certainly in the 21st century, we consider Oakland to be the musical and cultural heart and soul of the Bay Area,” Gahr said.
Although Bar Shiru survived the pandemic, he noted that the landscape of running a business in Oakland remains incredibly challenging for “myriad reasons.” The cost of goods, labor and insurance continues to dramatically increase. Bar Shiru, said Gahr, has never turned a profit. Despite the fiscal challenges, the couple decided to open Gold Palm, which is a few blocks away from Bar Shiru. When Palmetto closed at the end of 2023, their business experienced a proximity-related revenue dip.
“The more things there are in a neighborhood for people to go and do, the more people will make a night of it,” Gahr observed. “That’s just Urban Density 101, right?”
After Palmetto’s doors remained closed for several months, Gahr and Raza started to explore the idea of opening a second bar there. “We thought about the uniqueness of 1900 Telegraph and the fact that it has two fully-built bars with a kitchen in between,” Gahr recalled. It’s one lease and one liquor license, but there are two spaces within it. With that practical selling point, they also wanted to be a part of the revitalization of the neighborhood.
Gold Palm serves alcohol and food. The menu features Pakistani-inspired small plates. Many of the recipes are from Raza’s mother. Moonglow is a second “speakeasy” bar within Gold Palm that has a midnight blue entrance adorned with a crescent moon.
“The music’s totally different, kind of dark and moody,” Gahr explained. “A martini den with underground electronic music as the soundtrack.” That type of music, he said, is normally nomadic. Moonglow provides a home for people to hear house or techno music, “things that are a little more experimental.”
Working within the parameters of a business partnership and a marriage, Gahr and Raza have ongoing conversations about how to implement new ideas. They started “Spoiler Alert” in January, “a get together for film and TV nerds.” Gahr admits that it can be hard to separate their professional and private personas, to sever the conversations between their innies and outies.
The couple is often at one or the other bar for 12 to 14-hour days, sometimes seven days a week. It was a no-brainer for the monthly gathering to start with the new season of Severance.
Spoiler Alert doesn’t screen media but does create a space for “super fans to hang out and talk.” Gahr said he watched the first season of Severance five times, adding, “and I’ve watched every episode of this season at least twice.” His obsession aside, he said the underlying idea for the gathering is to, “tap into something that’s hitting the cultural moment.”
Directly across the street from the Fox Theater, Gold Palm also holds regular mixers and happy hours for nonprofits and community organizations. In March, Restore Oakland and Oakland Rising held a small business meetup called “Togetherness” at Gold Palm. “We want to continue to expand upon these community-minded things and have more reasons for people to come out,” Gahr said.
Since they’ve been open, Bar Shiru and Gold Palm have become anchor businesses on Telegraph Avenue. “We are involved in many collectives, groups and text threads,” he said. “There are so many people fighting for Oakland and so many business owners who really want to be here and stay here.”
Gold Palm, open 5pm-midnight Tue to Sat, 1900 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. goldpalmoakland.com.
Bar Shiru, open at 5pm Mon to Sat, 1611 Telegraph Ave., Oakland. barshiru.com.
