Tei Makes Downtown Brentwood Brighter

Lynn Tei, new board president of the Downtown Brentwood Coalition, describes seeing all the happy families at Brentwood parades, celebrations, and cornhole tournaments as being like a Hallmark movie.

“I think it just made me love Brentwood more,” she says of the experiences.

Tei recently took time from her busy schedule to discuss the Downtown Brentwood Coalition (DBC), a driver of those priceless community moments, whose mission is to enhance economic growth in the downtown area.

Tei and husband, Randy, have a lot on their plates, literally. They own Zephyr Grill & Bar in McCauley Plaza in Downtown Brentwood, among three upscale East Bay restaurants, also including Zephyr Grill & Bar in Livermore and Smith’s Landing Seafood Grill in Antioch’s Rivertown District.

Tei, who moved to Brentwood in 2018 after living in Discovery Bay for 20 years, took over as DBC Board President on Jan. 1. She joined the board 2½ years ago after being a DBC member, a big part of the attraction being the DBC’s great impact on the downtown scene.

The San Mateo native has already helped run two successful downtown events this year: the inaugural Crab Feed that packed the Brentwood Veterans Memorial Building on Feb. 1; and the popular Bestie Bash. Next up is the MamaPalooza 2025 on May 8, three days before Mother’s Day.

Two big DBC fundraisers down the road are Bubbles and Broomsticks around Halloween that attracts 500-600 people (mostly women) downtown, and the wildly popular Oktoberfest that brings in about 7,000-8,000 people.

“Everybody down here benefits from that,” Tei says of the big events. “From restaurants, retail, bars, they all benefit from having those events.”

The DBC, a California Main Street Program for its economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization, has about 80-90 small businesses and nonprofit partners. They have core downtown business members and, including affiliate members, extend from Sand Creek Road to the Police Station on Brentwood Boulevard.

The DBC, a nonprofit, is looking to identify a new Executive Director to replace go-getter Amy Tilley, who recently resigned but remains closely connected to the organization and is an invaluable asset to Tei

“We had our first two events, and Amy still helps,” Tei said. “I call her and text her constantly asking questions, and she will help in whatever way she can.”

Tilley describes Tei glowingly as “extremely capable and kind.”
"Lynn Tei is a remarkable leader whose passion for our community and commitment to fostering small businesses is truly inspiring,” Tilley said. “As the new president of the Downtown Brentwood Coalition, she brings a wealth of experience and a generous spirit that will undoubtedly guide us toward continued revitalization and economic growth in our historic downtown. I am excited to support Lynn, the Coalition, and the new Executive Director as they work together to strengthen our community and empower local business owners. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated advocate steering us into the future!"

What is Tei’s vision for Downtown Brentwood?

“Just seeing Downtown Brentwood continue to thrive,” she says “There’s no vacancies downtown. Everybody wants to be downtown, to the point of we’re getting issues about changing the downtown-specific plan because of that. We’re going to be voicing our opinion on that when it comes up at the City Council meeting again probably in two weeks. We love the way it is right now. The only problem about it is it’s not bigger, that there weren’t a couple more blocks that we could have other businesses on.”

Being on the DBC board has lifted Tei, personally and professionally, during a time of rapid revitalization and excitement downtown. She had noticed how people wanted to come downtown in droves, especially after COVID.

“Being on the board and being able to help facilitate some of the reasons why people are coming downtown makes it very special to me, that I get to say that I was a part of that,” she says happily.

Kevin Erickson, DBC vice president and local realtor, gives Tei high marks and agrees that she calmly gets things done.

“She’s amazing as far as dealing with the city and the local business community and orchestrating our events with her leadership skills,” he says.

Likewise, Tei appreciates Erickson’s support and counsel.

“Kevin’s been my savior, because whenever I have a question or a problem, I go to him” she said.

Clearly, the inaugural DBC Crab Feed, along with the Bestie Bash, started the year off with a bang.

“That was fun and a lot of work (at the Crab Feed) and we’re looking forward to doing it next year,” Tei said. “We’re probably going to grow it a little bit and hold it at the Community Center instead of Vet’s Hall because we were able to sell out. The Community Center can hold a few more people.

“Our Bestie Bash is our downtown retail event. We’d like to do events periodically though the year that encourage people to come down and shop and dine.”