"If I had a kid, his name would be Hank, and he'd be taking over the business." Frank Dryer said that to the New York Post in late August, days before Hank & Frank Bicycles closed for the last time on August 31. The shop had been in Lafayette for 52 years and in business for 101. According to the Post, slow sales and online competition had nothing to do with it. The building at 3377 Mt. Diablo Blvd. had new owners, and Dryer took that as his cue to retire.
That one sentence about a son named Hank sums up downtown Lafayette this year. Look at what changed on Mt. Diablo Boulevard between May and September, and the pattern is plain. Long-running businesses with a named next owner kept going. Long-running businesses without one closed once the building or the lease moved. The newcomers are arriving in the spaces those changes opened up.
Two Counters That Found Their Next Owner
Wine Thieves at 3401 Mt. Diablo Blvd. is the clearest case. On July 9 the Lafayette Chamber held a ribbon cutting for its new owners, Daniel and Gennie Gorback of Orinda, who bought the shop from longtime owner Jim Meyers. The shop has the same address, the same name and a new owner.
Ware Designs Jewelers at 3645 A Mt. Diablo Blvd. handled it differently. Goldsmith Stephen Ware retired and handed the business to his apprentice, Melissa. The Chamber celebrated a grand reopening on August 19. The successor came from inside the workshop, which is the kind of plan Dryer's father once made for him. Dale Dryer started training Frank at age 9 so he could one day run the shop.
Frank Dryer did try. Lamorinda Weekly reported in August that he still hoped to pass the bike shop to "a new worthy operator." The building had already been sold, and the closing date of August 31 held. Patch still described the business as for sale on August 28, three days before the doors closed.
When the Address Changes Hands Instead
The other closures this season also started with a change in who controls the space, with no word from the owners about wanting to leave.
Barranco, the Peruvian restaurant at 3596 Mt. Diablo Blvd., is the one still unsettled. On September 17, Hog Island Oyster Co. announced plans for an oyster bar at that address. SFGATE noted that Barranco had announced only a temporary closure for "maintenance" and had not announced a permanent one. The next day, Bay Area Telegraph reported that Barranco's OpenTable listing said "Permanently Closed," while the restaurant's own website still showed dining hours. The Telegraph said it had not confirmed the final service date or the reason. The restaurant opened in 2017. Chef Carlos Altamirano's restaurant took its name and inspiration from the seaside Barranco district of Lima. Until Barranco makes its own announcement, the most accurate thing to say is that its run at this address appears to be over.
What's coming is clear. Hog Island started as an oyster farm on Tomales Bay in 1983 and runs oyster bars in Marshall, Napa, Larkspur and San Francisco. Lafayette will be its first East Bay location. The plan calls for a 2,200-square-foot restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a full bar, and lunch and dinner service. It will be designed by BCV Architecture, the firm behind several other Hog Island locations, and the menu will include clam chowder, po' boys, raw and grilled oysters, and specials created for Lafayette. The target is early 2027, so Lafayette will go through the holidays without either restaurant at 3596. Co-founder and CEO John Finger told SFGATE he had wanted to expand into the East Bay for years but held off after the pandemic: "We're not growing just to be bigger."
The Starbucks in La Fiesta Square at 3547 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite A, closed permanently on September 25. The notice on the door sent customers to the Starbucks at 3343 Mt. Diablo Blvd. No reason was given, and no new tenant has been named.
As for 3377 Mt. Diablo, the Post reported that the new owners want to turn the bike shop into a dance studio. For now that's only a stated intention. The city's report of planning applications received in August 2026 has no entry for the address, and the September 8 Planning Commission agenda didn't include it.
The Newcomers, Address by Address
Most of the new tenants downtown are moving into spaces that turned over before this summer. Here is where things stand as of the end of September.
| Address | Previously | Now or next | Status as of Sept. 30, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3422 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Horn Barbecue | Mt. Diablo BBQ | Soft-opened July 7 |
| 3518 P Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette Plaza Center | Cuesta Antiques | Flora Lane, art and antiques | Open by Sept. 3 |
| 3637 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Round Table Pizza | Joy Bao, Chinese dumplings | Temporary signage up, no opening date |
| 3596 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Barranco | Hog Island Oyster Co. | Targeting early 2027 |
| 3547 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite A | Starbucks | No successor named | Closed Sept. 25 |
| 3377 Mt. Diablo Blvd. | Hank & Frank Bicycles | Dance studio reported, not filed | Closed Aug. 31 |
The city confirmed Joy Bao's plans for the former Round Table space back in May. As of the September 28 update, there was still no confirmed opening date or final clearance, so the signage is a good sign without being a date.
Flora Lane fits the same handoff pattern on a smaller scale. A store selling antiques left, and a store selling art and antiques moved into the same Lafayette Plaza Center space.
More openings are scheduled into the fall. Griswold Home Care for Central Contra Costa County plans a ribbon cutting at 3696 Mount Diablo Blvd. on October 6. Lamorinda Women's Health follows on October 8 at 970 Dewing Ave., Suite 301. Strings & Keys Music Studio has a grand reopening set for November 5 at 3705 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Suite A.
If Your Bike Used to Go to Hank & Frank
Hank & Frank's closing leaves a practical gap. Dryer told Lamorinda Weekly that generations of riders had trusted the shop "from first bikes to race-ready builds." The Post reported that he was moving the shop's lifetime tune-up benefit to a small family-run shop in Walnut Creek, but it didn't name the shop. If you have that coverage, check with the shop you used before assuming where it went.
For everyday repairs, these shops are nearby:
- First Mile Cycle Works, 3566 Mt. Diablo Blvd., Lafayette, advertises repairs on all kinds of bikes plus routine maintenance packages.
- Sharp Bicycle, 969 Moraga Road, Lafayette, services all makes and models, including tune-ups and overhauls.
- Encina Bicycle Center, 2901 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek, does repairs. Patch reported on September 30 that mechanics from the now-closed Clayton Bikes were joining the shop.
- Big Dave's Bikes, 609 Gregory Lane, Suite 120, Pleasant Hill, lists tune-ups, flat repairs, wheel building and suspension service.
The Lafayette addresses above come partly from a 2023 city directory, so call ahead before you load the bike in the car.
Where Downtown Fills Up This Fall
Even with gaps along the boulevard, the Chamber's fall calendar uses downtown as a gathering place several times between now and Thanksgiving.
- Keep on Truckin, Saturday, October 3, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Golden Gate Way behind the Lafayette Library, with trucks and equipment for families to explore.
- Lafayette Res Run for Education, Sunday, October 18, 7:30 to 10:30 a.m., with a 5K and a 2-mile course downtown and a 10K at the reservoir.
- Witch Way to Mocktails, Saturday, October 24, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at participating downtown shops.
- Trick or Treat Street, Friday, October 30, 4 to 6 p.m., free, along Mt. Diablo Blvd. from Plaza Way to Dewing Avenue, plus Lafayette Circle and La Fiesta Square.
- Community Thanksgiving Breakfast, Tuesday, November 17, 7 to 8:30 a.m., at the Lafayette Veterans Memorial Center, 3780 Mt. Diablo Blvd.
Trick or Treat Street runs right past this season's changes. La Fiesta Square is on the route, and so is the stretch where the Starbucks closed and Hog Island plans to open. Mt. Diablo BBQ, Wine Thieves under its new owners, and Ware Designs, now run by Melissa, all sit along the same boulevard.
A handoff only works if it's planned before the building changes hands, and a home sale is no different. If you're thinking about passing your Lafayette home to its next owner, Tiscareno Homes handles the prep, staging and timeline so the transition is mapped out well before the sign goes up. Request a complimentary staging & market consultation.
