Hundreds of people came by Charlie’s Kitchen to buy memorabilia and support its co-owner, David Toraji Oshima. Charlie’s, a beloved dive bar in Harvard Square, closed earlier this year due to internal flooding from a dishwasher malfunction. Oshima started the “everything must go” sale to prepare for whatever happens next, which might include relaunching the restaurant and bar.
Re-opening, perhaps at a new location, depends on how a pending insurance claim plays out, since the damage and repair is estimated at near one million dollars. Oshima and partner Derek Luangrath own the bar and restaurant business, while the property is owned by Paul Overgaag, the previous proprietor of Charlie’s and the nearby Red House.
While Oshima hopes to restart, he said the sale was also meant to help to connect with the community and to preserve memories of the place. His sale was slated to start at 3 p.m. Saturday but there were dozens lined up at 1:30PM, which both warmed Oshima and overwhelmed him. “Today was way better than I thought,” Oshima said. “I told everybody 3 to 5, but I started setting up at 1, and by about 1:30, I had hundreds of people here supporting me.”
The crowds may have been bolstered by attendees at the Thai Market Festival that took place along nearby Brattle Square, but most who came seemed to be loyal patrons, there for nostalgia and keepsakes. Among the items for sale were beer taps, menus, the Charlie’s Beer Garden sign, the retro classic bar stools, beer buckets and coasters.
A beaming Tracy Breen scored some beer koozies and said “I used to work at Bailey’s Ice Cream in Harvard Square in the ’80s and came to Charlie’s Kitchen all the time. It was my favorite place to come and have a drink, and I wanted to get some memories.”
Similarly, Tristan Dalbey and David Schmitt, who are seniors at Harvard and on the swim team, said they were “bummed” it had closed.
“We came by every Tuesday night for karaoke,” said Dalbey. “It’s a special place. Everyone, all the staff, was so nice. It’s sad to see.” They bought beer taps and a beer bucket to support the business.
The money raised from the sidewalk sale will help Oshima and Luangrath in their effort to keep Charlie’s alive. “My goal,” Oshima said, “has been and always will be to keep it going for another 75 years, no matter the location.”
That would please Patrick Harry, a bartender from Medford, who snared a beer sign at the sale. “They’ve seen me at my best and my worst. So, it feels cool to be able to grab a piece of the merch and help support them a little bit.”
Earlier this year, Oshima and his team raised approximately $25,000 dollars to help staff who had to suddenly transition via a GoFundMe campaign. Oshima said he put out only a tenth of the inventory out for sale Saturday, and would continue it Sunday and the following weekend, if he still has items to sell and there is no sudden change with the insurance claim or the property’s designation.
Oshima is a Somerville native who grew up going to Charlie’s. After spending time in Japan learning judo and attending college in Hawaii, he became intrigued by those cultures’ cuisines and when he came back to the area he worked at Café Sushi, Yume Ga Arukara and Yume Wo Katare before opening Cornerstone, in a location that had long been R.F. O’Sullivan & Son. He converted the classic burger joint to a Japanese and Hawaiian gastro pub with dishes like the Big Island comfort classic, moco loco (loosely akin to a classic Salisbury steak) and tuna steak frites. Then in 2024, when Overgaag wanted to step away from the 75-year-old business, Oshima and partner Derek Luangrath jumped at the opportunity to take over Charlie’s, adding their infused flavors to its classic menu. But then came the fateful night in January when the dishwasher malfunctioned, halting operations at Charlie’s.
Founded by Charlie Lambrose in 1951 as a diner, Overgaag bought the business in 1996 and added craft beers, live music and opened the Beer Garden in 2010. The Beer Garden lot, owned by Banker Real Estate and leased to Overgaag, and then Oshima, was reclaimed by the owner earlier this summer and is currently for sale.
Charlie’s is the latest longstanding Harvard Square establishments to close. Whitney’s closed in Dec. 2024 after 71 years due to a court dispute with its landlord. Meanwhile, the Red House also closed, when Overgaag transferred the restaurant to his daughter Molly and son-in-law, Ryan Lindbergh, who are currently reimagining it as the Cox Hicks Club. They had plans to open it this summer, but the structure is still under construction.
Besides cleaning out Charlie’s, Oshima is keeping busy helping open the Curry Chapter around the corner at 16-18 Eliot Street. “I’m not doing this just for me,” Oshima said of the sale and future hopes, “I’m doing it for people in Cambridge.”
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