Happy Memorial Day
The backbone of San Jose is made of its neighborhood business districts. District 6 has three viable ones: Lincoln Avenue, The Alameda and West San Carlos. These neighborhood business districts provide tax revenue for our city. In addition, they are a compliment to the residential neighborhoods they border.
The business districts in D-6 have had empty storefronts; however, those empty storefronts might be becoming something of the past. This past week, I attended one meeting and one grand opening of two small businesses owned by people who live in the area.
On May 23, I attended the opening of Powell’s Sweet Shop on Lincoln Avenue. Powell’s is a Northern Californian chain that started up in the North Bay. They sell vintage candy, gourmet chocolate and gelato. The store was packed with excited patrons who couldn’t wait to unwrap the candies. Although it took a long time for Powell’s candy store to move through the process, its new home is sure to attract an anxious crowd.
In addition, directly across the street from Powell’s is the upcoming 3 Dog Café, a new concept restaurant from the creators of Aqui’s. As many people know, Aqui’s started on Lincoln Avenue and is owned by a gentleman who grew up in San Jose. I hope the process for 3 Dog Café is not backlogged. I will be tracking this process to make sure that the city departments charged with helping small businesses actually provide assistance. Willow Glen residents want more neighborhood-friendly businesses on Lincoln Avenue; therefore, I do not want to hold up private investment in our neighborhood business district.
I also attended a community meeting this week for a new business on The Alameda, Wine Affairs, which will locate on the same block as the Towne Theater. The woman opening the business formerly worked in high-tech. Now she is pursuing her dream to open a wine bar that serves desserts and also offers classes. Her target audience is the nearby neighborhood.
City staff, neighborhood and business leaders and various community members attended the Wine Affairs meeting. Usually at these meetings there is disagreement, especially with alcohol being served. However, no one in the room disagreed. Everyone was happy and delighted with the proposed business.
One member of the audience asked how much money was needed to start a business like this. He was told that the start-up costs were over a quarter of a million dollars. I am glad the question was asked. I am not sure if folks understand what a financial commitment small business owners make when they open a business.
These enterprises chose to locate in these areas because they wanted a central business district feel. They also appreciate the neighborhoods in which the business districts are located. The city needs to continue to provide infrastructure for these areas like pedestrian safety, slowing cars down, trees, benches, bike racks, lighting, etc….
What are your ideas for neighborhood business districts San Jose?
PO—Another thoughtful and well-expressed posting on an important topic for SJ! Too bad everyone’s sleeping late or packing the cooler or whatever, or even better, somberly celebrating Memorial Day (one that seems to be more observed than usual, for obvious reasons). Your blog will be looked at tomorrow, probably. Wonder what you thought of the Murky story on city workers having among the highest rates of workers comp claims of any large city. I’ll bet a lot of resources are spent on paying folks not to work for a living wage. That total would not appear in the Murk. But it might explain the lack of effort obvious at the Rose Garden (and elsewhere, park-wise) before you intervened. George Green
Pierluigi,
Neighborhood business districts are a very
important part of the community. Historic buildings are vital to making a business district successful. PAC SJ will be hosting a seminar on “The Economics of Historic Preservation, A Community Leadership Guide”. The speaker will be the highly respected Donnovan D. Rypkema. He authored a book by the same name. You should get the book and attend the event.
Pierluigi,
You need to start thinking about the Burbank Business District. Here is your big chance to show some leadership. It is a classic mid-century business district. It has fallen into disrepair over the past 40 years, but has great potential. It is my understanding that this unincorperated area is soon to become part of San Jose. It was once known for being the location of San Jose’s first super market. Now all it is known for is its strip joint and empty theater.
I could only shake my head over the circumstances surrounding the relocation of the Farmers’ Market on The Alameda. The complaint was that too many people had to cross The Alameda to get to the market when it was in the old Hester School parking lot. Now it’s been moved across the street to the postage stamp lot that used to be a gas station, but parking will still be over at the old location, which presents the same issue with crossing The Alameda.
Until several years ago, a pedestrian underpass existed in front of the old Hester School to allow people (students) to safely cross under The Alameda. There were other similar underpasses, one at Park Avenue and Randol for Hoover Jr. High, One at Nagee and Dana for Trace and Lincoln, and one on East Santa Clara in front of the old Roosevelt Jr. High. All of these underpasses were systematically covered up, and in the case of the one on The Alameda, a signal was installed at the corner of Lenzen as an alternative. How any of this improved the situation for pedestrians, I don’t know. The business district on The Alameda would be better served if this underpass was still functional. Why the city spent money to undo something perfectly useful I will never understand.
Wine shops are a pretty non-threatening way to upscale your neighborhood I suppose. I go to them, for sure.
I hope there is enough market for all the wine shops popping up through D6 and the surroundings. Especially when they all now compete with B*v*o, C***co, and all the grocery store chains.
Great post as always, P.O.
One of the facts we have to remembers is that neighborhood business districts can’t play the same role they were played when our n’hoods were created back in the 20’s, 30s, 40’s, whatever. To wit: big mass-market stores in large car-friendly places (big markets, big box stores, etc.) environments have taken away much of the day-to-day business.
We can argue pro and con about this development, and there are good arguments on all sides, but it’s the state of things.
What this does do for smaller local NBD businesses, however, is the opportunity to offer n’hood services that the Big Boxes can’t or won’t: this tends to be more niche services (chocolates, wine, ethic restaurants) or start-up business offices. As a result, the more we can make our processes quick and simple to aid smaller entrepreneurial business, the better.
And of course, we need to patronize and support those stores.
Think global. Shop local.
#6, The underpass by the old Hester School is still there, I used it just two days ago. The only problem is that it smells from urine.
Pier, The city should maintain the infrastructure. I was riding the #22 bus from downtown to the Rose Garden area. When we got past Race Street, this is how the driver called out the stop, no joke, “Next stop, Hester-The Alameda, preceded by a preponderance of pot-holes.”
Daphne, thanks for the info on the Hester pedestrian underpass. I guess that one is the sole survivor of this visionary 1930’s public works effort. Why they felt the need to place a signal at Lenzen that is basically for pedestrian use is beyond me. As for the smell, there are some things you can’t escape no matter where you go. Walking along the Seine in Paris I got the same smell at every picturesque bridge I crossed under.
RG Dad, I think the neighborhood business districts are coming back from their comatose state. The cycle is repeating and now people want the convenience of a nearby business instead of having to fight the masses at the mall or big box stores. While not exactly a business district in and of itself, the ACE Hardware near me is my first stop before resorting to OSH or HD. They carry items peculiar to the stamped-out 50’s homes in the neighborhood that can’t be found in the bigger chain stores, and their prices are often lower than OSH. It’s also crawling with employees who are ready to help you find whatever you’re looking for. This is what a neighborhood business is all about, and I think more people would support them if we saw a re-birth of the neighborhood business districts around town.
No offense to the business owners in district 6, but I don’t believe residents are being served properly. I would like to see the city use their power of eminent domain to seize the businesses along West San Carlos Street, The Alameda and Lincoln Avenue. The Redevelopment Agency could then have large developers come in and demolish existing buildings. The buildings that are there now are old and obsolete. New buildings of massive proportions could then be built. Thirty story highrises along Lincoln Avenue could be built. The first floor of these buildings would contain retail businesses. Such as gun shops, liquor stores, methadone clinics, medicinal marijuana clinics, subway sandwich shops, hazardous waste collection facilities, massage parlors, pool halls, Mrs. Fields Cookies and Auto Body Repair Shops. The upper floors of these buildings would contain rental and for-sale apartments.
We have a golden opportunity to turn three blighted areas into thriving business districts. We should be bold and seize the moment.
There it is! #3, #4, & #5 illiustrating in microcosm what our city is all about. One neighborhood in D6 is held up as an example of success when the other neighborhoods in D6 scream and complain about being left out. You’re like children in a large family, accusing mom and dad of loving one of their siblings more. It’s pathetic. But that’s San Jose.
Why is it pathetic? Why shouldn’t all neighborhoods be treated equally?
#11, You’re way off base. We’ve already torn down many nice old buildings in San Jose. Let me know what neighborhood you live in and I’ll petition the City Council to open a mental health clinic there.
Danielle
Business Owner
West San Carlos Street
Pierluigi,
How is it that you always forget about us? The western edge of your district, Winchester Blvd.
Our businesses are large contributors to the local economy and we are the newest Neighb orhood Business District.
We have never seen you at one of out business association meetings, or our NAC meetings – not even during the campaign.
Please remember that you don’t represent just Willow Glen and the Rose Garden, we are your constituents too.
Or maybe you can give us to district 1, since Pete Constant comes to all our meetings – and has been for years. He took care of us when we didn’t have a council representative, we hoped we would elect a representative – but apparently not. I guess we will have to keep counting on him to look out for our interests!
“The backbone of San Jose is made of its neighborhood business districts. District 6 has three viable ones: Lincoln Avenue, The Alameda and West San Carlos.”
It’s too bad Pierluigi doesn’t see Winchester Blvd. as beind a viable business district.
Or maybe he just doesn’t see us fitting in in Willow Glen.
Either way, it’s too bad!
Another nothing article about nothing from someone who knows nothing.
Young bar-guy pretending to be cute.
How would you encourage people to patronize independents rather than chain establishments. I always felt for the Willow Glen Coffee Roasting on Lincoln. They were there for years, yet when Starbucks opened across the street, you can guess who the majority of people patronized. And, it wasn’t a question of superior tasting coffee at Starbucks, quite the opposite; yet the herds just followed the trend.
It would be nice if we could align Santa Clara St. with these cute quaint shops..
The Rose Garden area is pathetically lacking in places where neighbors can eat and drink, shop, meet and mingle. The last thing we need is another medical-type place, tax prep and similar business.
The pedestrian underpass at Naglee and Dana was closed after some idiot drove his car into the railing and destroyed it. I guess they figured it was cheaper than replacing the railing.
Those underpasses were put in the 1920s, I think, after a child was killed by a car on the way to school.
It would be a big asset to a shopping area to have pedestrian underpasses, given the quaint obsolete traffic lights in use around here, but I suppose it would be costly to put them in without ripping up the street.