I don’t remember the precise age, but I can remember everything else about the day I first heard the words: sharkskin suit. My dad, who had just treated me to a cone of Chocolate Malted Crunch at Thrifty, was joking around with one of my older brothers about wearing such a suit to their Winter Formal dance. I laughed too, pretending to get the joke, but was secretly filled with fear and wonder. 

Not even a week later, I would be even more captivated. Two words again, and truly spellbinding: Chicken Slacks. The oldies radio station was common ground for our family and there was a lot of Sam Cooke in rotation. I loved “Twisting the Night Away”, particularly after the very odd dance scene from Innerspace. There is a verse in the song where a guy is tearing up the dance floor with a woman in memorable pants, but instead of hearing “chick in slacks” I thought the line was “…he’s dancing with the Chicken Slacks!”

And I wanted them. I wanted their feathery fabulousness. I would show them all when the time came for my first Winter Formal. But the time would never come. I would quickly be crushed to find out that chicken slacks do not exist and would be teased mercilessly but my older brothers when I had inquired about such an outfit.

There will be no such disappointment for you, my friends. No one will crush your dreams. The whispers and rumors and fantastical tales are true in this case. The wait is over. OAKLAND YARD is officially open. And just in time. We will be twisting and laughing and singing and slinging wines all week, and we have an insane amount of fresh, lively wines that will be perfect for your Thanksgiving weekend. We are open from 4-8pm today and will be celebrating. We can’t wait to meet you. We are kicking off Happy Mondays tonight and all wines (every Monday night!) will be 10% off (and yes, that includes the 60 delicious wines in the $10-15 range we have here as well).

Put your troubles on the run and get down. We look forward to tearing it up together.

See you soon,

Daniel