"Branden Nichols is readying to open an oyster bar this December in the Temescal neighborhood of Oakland, and one thing he’s firmly settled on is he doesn’t want to open that kind of oyster bar. “We’re differentiating and getting away from your traditional oyster bar that’s full of anchors and buoys and boats,” he says. “I just don’t want my place to look like a shipwreck because everyone’s done that.” That’s just one of the ways Nichols is looking to separate himself from the pack as he moves into the former Doña Tomas space at 5000 Telegraph Avenue to serve up oysters under the name Small Change." - Dianne de Guzman
