Update August 2018 - Phase 2 is in Effect!

As you may know, we have come a long way in a short time, and currently we are preparing to undertake some much needed renovations now that our home is our own.  If you’d like to contribute to our cause, please click the donate button below.  And if you’d like to join forces with us in some other way or have questions regarding some housing troubles of your own, please email us at info@shadetreeartisans.org.  We're here to stay.  And we're here to help.

All the best to you & yours,

The Residents of Shadetree

The Short Story

We, the residents of Shadetree, one of Oakland’s longest-running and most unusual live work properties, have purchased our home.  In the fall of 2016, the current owners decided to sell the property.  So after two months of research, 18 of us entered into a purchase agreement with the owners, formed a nonprofit, found a lender, and began raising the money to take out a loan for the purchase.  Ten months later, after an unimaginable journey marked at every turn by the incredible support of our community and the diligent perseverance of our residents, our home is our own.

Shadetree is a very special place for many in the bay area.  Often referred to as “the Jewel of Oakland,” it has historically been home to unusually talented characters from far and wide, providing goods, services and entertainment to the people of Oakland and the world over.  For nearly forty years, musicians, carpenters, sailors, artists, teachers and tradespeople of every kind have left their mark on this property, as each carved out a place to call home.  Most of us here at Shadetree cannot remember a time when this property wasn't being threatened by some impending development project.  Our current achievement marks the beginning of a new era, one which we look forward to sharing with our long-time community and new friends, as we demonstrate what is possible when people come together to carve out a piece of the land and make it their own.