Downtown additions open, rejuvenating vacant storefronts
Gilroy – An indoor soccer field will replace one of Gilroy’s oldest downtown buildings in coming months, while a new tire business will bring needed renovations to a vacant storefront at the area’s northern gateway.
The movie screen went dark at the Historic Strand Theater more than two decades ago. Since then, the Monterey Street landmark has seen little activity besides the occasional business gathering.
But in two months, kids will have a chance to buy soccer cleats and shin guards and even learn a few trick moves in the historic space, which is re-opening as Soccer USA Indoor.
The 13,000-square-foot storefront will include an apparel store and snack shop facing the street and an indoor soccer field in the rear, where kids can practice moves and take soccer classes.
Raul Arriaga purchased the theater at 7588 Monterey St. after learning his current store in Campbell would be torn down and redeveloped. Arriaga said his ties to local soccer leagues and his desire to own rather than rent space motivated him to settle on Gilroy. Recent downtown renovations reinforced the decision.
“I think that the new street will bring us a lot of new business,” he said, referring to the freshly paved road and sprawling, 15-foot-wide sidewalks along Monterey Street. The two-block stretch between Sixth and Fourth streets re-opened to motorists last month after a seven-month closure, and now city leaders are focusing on rehabilitating old buildings and finding new businesses to populate the area.
Officials hope the facelift to the street and a bevy of new stores will lure customers back to the beleaguered area from the Gilroy Premium Outlets and shopping centers in east Gilroy.
Filling up downtown’s empty storefronts has been a prime goal of Economic Development Director Larry Cope, who said the soccer store is not the only business opening in coming months. A tire store will also re-open at the former site of Big-O Tires at 7700 Monterey St., bringing with it much-needed improvements to the interior and exterior of the building.
Cope said new businesses will help other stores thrive.
“While somebody gets a new sets of tires, they’ll be able to stop and eat something or browse at some other shops or at least drive by some other shops and say ‘Gee, I never knew that was down here,’ ” Cope said. “The same with the soccer arena. The parents will be bringing their kids to soccer and so forth, but while they’re down there they’ll notice that Heritage Bank is next door. It basically generates foot traffic in the area as you start getting all the stores filled.”
The soccer store and tire shop add to a growing list of newly opened downtown businesses that includes an antique car dealer, a beauty salon, a candle shop and a bank, which brought with it downtown’s first automated cash machine.
