Berkeley: Change underway on block of Telegraph Avenue

BERKELEY -- Changes are in store for a pair of Telegraph Avenue properties, each involving longtime businesses, that are now on the market.

The iconic Caffe Mediterraneum -- synonymous with the Telegraph Avenue Bohemian scene and birthplace of the cafe latte -- is for sale.

But, building owner and current cafe operator Craig Becker said that if he has his way the caf's character and tone, and even its renowned coffee, will stay.

The business, also known as Caf Med, has been at 2475 Telegraph Ave. about four blocks from the UC Berkeley campus, since 1957, and Becker said it is not closing.

The block on which the cafe sits also includes the former Tienda Ho clothing store (now vacant,) part of a corner parcel at Telegraph Avenue and Dwight Way that is also on the market.

Craig Becker, owner of Caffe Mediterraneum in Berkeley, poses in front of his Telegraph Avenue business on Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012. (Doug Oakley/Staff file)

Tenants of that corner lot include Shakespeare & Co. Books, which has occupied that site since 1964; and Maxi Hair Care in business in its spot for four decades.

The corner property itself has not been on the market for 95 years, according to Gordon Commercial Real Estate Services in Berkeley, which is handling the sale.

The Telegraph Avenue commercial district has had its struggles and changes in recent years and Becker said the area is not for everybody. But he added he is staying on as the cafe building's owner.

Becker said he is looking for someone to lease the spot who can provide strong management and do some remodeling.

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Berkeley: Change underway on block of Telegraph Avenue