The timing is ripe for an ode of homage to the Garlic Capital,
and a healthy boycotting of Morgan Hill comparisons. In a recent
online survey, dozens of participants pointed out Gilroy should be
more like our neighbors to the north
– specifically when it comes to downtown. We staked out a modest
sampling of offbeat, totally random, quirky, funny, weird, lovable,
interesting elements that infuse our town with a dash of
eccentricity.
The timing is ripe for an ode of homage to the Garlic Capital, and a healthy boycotting of Morgan Hill comparisons.
In a recent online survey, dozens of participants pointed out Gilroy should be more like our neighbors to the north – specifically when it comes to downtown.
Measuring aside, Gilroy houses a handful of dedicated nonprofits, committed educators and standout community leaders – not to mention esteemed attributes such as our wineries, the Garlic Festival and an abundance of environmental jewels.
But it’s also attractive for a slew of inglorious, localized facets: From the small, discreet and niche, to the places, people, funny stories and recognizable landmarks.
We staked out a modest sampling of offbeat, totally random, quirky, funny, weird, lovable, interesting elements that infuse our town with a dash of eccentricity.
Downtown dino
“That’s money! Monet if you’re French,” joked Mike Pierce, owner of Predators Archery & Supplies at 7350 Monterey Street.
One of his students had executed a near-bull’s-eye shot during a Friday afternoon archery lesson.
The toothy Tyrannosaurus rex standing constant vigil in front of Predator’s is one of those wacky oddities we get used to seeing every day, but our subconscious takes mental note of, nonetheless – as if its absence would be subject for concern.
By now the reptile with its stunted outstretched arms is such a recognizable presence downtown, the thing is almost as iconic as City Hall.
“We’ve been around almost 18 years,” said Pierce, laying a hand on the synthetic beast – a target made out of foam he ordered online.
“Even though we’ve got a dinosaur out front, we’re not scary.”
Good brews, good books
Garlic City Books serves French press coffee, a hands-on brewing style that fosters a sort of baroque, epicurean mentality.
This stuff is gourmet. Sip. Savor. Socialize.
Designate a brief break away from the TV, computer and iPad. Cruise down to Garlic City Books at 7490 Monterey St., where Michael Ramoneda or Sam Smith will fix your choice of fair trade, organic French press coffee from the Santa Cruz Roasting Company and maybe a scoop of rocky road – they sell ice cream, too.
While you wait for a tiny sand timer to designate when your beverage is ready, grab “The Life and Death of Andy Warhol” or a vintage copy of “Moby Dick,” then relax as you drink from a mug instead of dashing out the door. Observe the hand-painted chairs by local artist Sue Pedersen, which sport fanciful caricatures such as garlic bulbs reading books.
Like to cook? Pick up some packets of herbs straight from the Gilroy Demonstration Garden on the way out at 50 cents each.
Avenue of Americana
If you frequent downtown, you may have noticed the house at 7690 Third Street on the corner of Church Street, which has antique engines accenting the front porch steps and nostalgic Texaco, Flying A, Shell and Mobil gas station signs hanging on the fence.
Driving by, you can also catch a glimpse of the memorabilia garden rooted in the back yard, which includes classic paraphernalia such as a massive Coca-Cola sign, railroad crossing signal and old-school gas pump.
Ever wonder who’s behind it?
We caught up with resident Mark Sendejas, 50, Gilroy native and hard-core collector of 20 years whose house is even more fascinating on the inside.
“It’s all about visceral,” said Sendejas pausing in front of a “High Noon” movie poster he said took 30 years to hunt down.
“There’s no acting anymore.”
Sendejas said he condemns the computer – specifically eBay – “to hell” because it undermines the thrill of the hunt; the journey it takes to find that 1961 Seeburg jukebox or the vintage Dukes of Hazzard lunch pail.
Half-jokingly, he compared his endeavors to Alexander the Great, lamenting there’s nothing left to conquer.
“Getting up early in the morning and driving two hours to a swap meet and getting first in line,” he mused, walking past a framed and mounted club jacket that said “Pathfinders, Gilroy,” which belonged to his father.
“To me, this is Americana,” he said. “A better time when nothing was made overseas.”
Deli gargoyles
Depending on how you look at it, these humorously bizarre items are either kooky lawn ornaments for the funky humored or the greatest white elephant gifts you’ll ever happen upon.
In Arteaga’s Super Save Market at 6906 Chestnut Street, a posse of kitschy statuettes sits perched atop the cheese and lunch meat section, staring down at shoppers as they mull over Feta or Swiss cheese.
Glancing up at a 2-foot bulldog hunched overhead as you ponder turkey brands isn’t something that happens to the average shopper on a weekly basis, but the magnificent randomness of unusual product placement is a hard thing not to smile at.
So what does one do with a grinning pig dressed in double-button coat and a fez on its dome, a white-faced clown cradling a canary, a little boy in yellow overalls holding a trout or a replica of the Lombardi Trophy?
They’re not toys, and they’re not antiques …
They’re felt-covered cement figurines with spray-painted facial features: Bright red lips. Fiery orange beaks. Baby blue eyes.
Doorstops?
“It’s weird, you know, because they’re not piggy banks,” chuckled a friendly cashier named Juliana. “But people do buy them.”
Not-so-little treasure chest
It looks like an unassuming pawnshop on the outside, but there’s more than meets the eye to Littlejohn’s Fine Jewelry, Museum & Antique trading Post.
Enter and you’re greeted by Bob Littlejohn, the ever-present, hospitable owner who has a gruff laugh and wears one of those visors with fake hair coming out the top.
Littlejohn said his store is 35 years old. Usually he can be found sitting behind a case of vintage jewelry; two 6-foot Spanish suits of armor standing guard on either side.
“That gun was a gift from Clint Eastwood,” he said, twisting and pointing to a rifle hanging behind him.
A portrait of Eastwood hung directly above it.
Several feet to the left, a massive buffalo head was mounted on the wall with a single kerosene lantern dangling from one of its horns.
The jewelry here is eccentric and mesmerizing, but dually amusing is the unexpected cache of American Indian artifacts, historic 1779 currency, figurines carved from mastodon ivory, a model 1866 “Yellow Boy” Winchester rifle, stuffed ducks, tomahawks … the list is varied and fascinating.
“It’s like a general store. We’re old-fashioned guys,” said George Keniston, who runs Gilroy Coin & Collectibles out of Littlejohn’s. “We love Gilroy. We are Gilroy.”
Mushroom swings
In the words of Dispatch columnist Erika Mailman, we’re one of the “very, very few cities whose theme park has rides fashioned after vegetables.”
Atypical, but having the only horticulture-themed amusement park with “circus trees” and an artichoke dip ride is a far-out hook to hang your hat on.
Fun fact: The olive trees surrounding the garlic twirl ride are more than 100 years old.
Cowboy comeback?
The Garlic Capital’s beloved statue of that famous bronc rider, Casey Tibbs, and his bucking horse, War Paint, disappeared from downtown in 2008 more than 50 years after the real life pair delighted rodeo-enthused Gilroyans. The ensuing mystery ruffled many a local feather as Tibbs’ uber-secret hideout has since been guarded like a national secret.
Rumor has it that the legendary cowboy is preparing for a smashing reappearance.
“Apparently, Casey Tibbs is in a safe place,” wrote Susan Valenta, Gilroy Chamber of Commerce CEO. “It is my understanding that Casey Tibbs will reside in his original position at some time in the future … all the right people have Casey’s best interests at heart.”
According to Sendejas, Tibbs is staying with George Hall – the Morgan Hill resident who sold his 7401 Monterey St. downtown property where Tibbs formerly resided.
“Apparently George Hall likes to keep people thinking,” agreed Tom Howard, a volunteer at the Gilroy Museum. “I don’t see why he wouldn’t have it. I heard it was stolen … and all this other nonsense.”
Tibbs, if you’re reading this, we miss you.
Dairy Capital?
That’s right – Gilroy was once the capital of something other than garlic. You know the old Live Oak Creamery at 88 Martin St.? It’s vacant, deteriorating and in need of some serious love, but it’s also a historic gem that once encapsulated the epicenter of an industry.
According to the City of Gilroy’s Historic Resources Inventory, between 1910 and 1940 Gilroy was once the Dairy Capital of California, pumping out 1.3 million pounds of cheese annually – one-fifth of the total production in the state. The Live Oak Creamery opened in 1908 and served as the town’s centralized dairy hub, producing 1,000 pounds of butter every day using cream from outlying dairies.
Plethora of Panaderias, Train of Taquerias
Yes, we know. There’s a lot of them here, and some residents would like a little variety.
But let’s face it, in Gilroy you can stand on most street corners and be within walking distance of either. Not every town can say that.
A Sunday morning stroll downtown to Los Arcos Market and Panaderia for some fresh baked cuernos or conchas is not a bad way to start the day.
Herbetta
Little did Linda Ashford know that what began as a playful garage project would yield one of the most popular photo-ops for tourists passing through Gilroy.
“She’s getting dusty. She needs to be refreshed,” said Ashford, owner of Ashford’s Heirlooms at 7547 Monterey St.
She dusted off the shoulders of “Herbetta” – the homemade, female mannequin with an oversized garlic head made of papier-mâche, a ponytail of roots and voluptuous red lips beckoning for a smooch.
Herbetta is to the Garlic Capital what the giant artichoke is to Castroville.
Every day Ashford wheels the bulbous-headed dummy onto the sidewalk via dolly, then watches with amusement as passers-by stop and pause for pictures.
“She’s almost become like family,” said Ashford. “We’ve had so much fun putting her outside … she’s a tourist magnet.”
Is there a male companion in Herbetta’s future?
Ashford says maybe.
The Dispatch would also like to give a holler to Safety Suzie, the smartly dressed mannequin who stands outside the remotely located Applied Industrial Technologies at 6478 Chestnut St. Suzie’s kind of off the beaten path, but her cowboy hard hat, rain pants, protective eyewear, knee pads and reflective yellow vest are a vogue statement.
Hidden Murals
Public art breathes life into a city, and it’s visually refreshing to turn a corner and encounter a sprawling illustration painted on the side of an old building – even if it’s chipped and fading such as the Aztec-inspired mural found on the back of Garlic City Casino & Restaurant. It shows someone cared enough to brighten a blank space, even if major traffic doesn’t see it that often.
Also, note the expansive, pink mural on the building across the alley from Station 55 Bar & Grill on Fifth Street.
Killer coordinates for a day trip
Gilroy is conveniently situated on Highway 101 in a pocket of proximity to desirable locations. However, the Gilroyan cost of living is significantly cheaper than what you’d pay for an ocean view. Driving distance to spots such as Carmel, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Jose, San Francisco and Moss Landing seemingly melt into an hour or two – give or take – no matter where you’re headed.
In one day you can take a gorgeous morning drive up Hecker Pass through Watsonville, grab a Ghirardelli sundae or tap into your inner Steinbeck at the quizzical wax museum in Monterey, cruise over Carmel for a stroll down Ocean Avenue or sip espresso at the downtown Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Co. Local microbrews on tap at the Haute Enchilada Art Cafe plus antiquing at Moss Landing is always an attractive combination, as is stopping at the Giant Artichoke Farm Stand in Castroville for fresh-from-the-field artichokes and an inexpensive bottle of wine.
Rocks of ages
Chitactac-Adams Heritage County Park is a natural time capsule tucked away on Watsonville Road, defined by undulating moss-covered boulders and aging trees with long branches that drape over meandering dirt paths. The bedrock mortars and rock art dotting this peaceful area near Uvas Creek are subtle and worn, but the spot is regionally unique and something to be treasured – especially that 1,000-year-old cup and ring petroglyph. Chitactac is also perfect biking distance from downtown Gilroy.
Exceptional edifices
It’s no news downtown is a work in progress, but when’s the last time you ambled through Gilroy’s older neighborhoods and marveled at its anatomical eye candy?
In terms of surviving the weedlike growth of modern suburbia, earthquakes and termites, a number of these houses deserve credit for giving Gilroy some legitimate architectural class.
The Dunlap house at 7320 Forest St. was built in 1887, flaunts remarkable ornamental features and “is worthy of the highest value placed upon it in support of Gilroy’s architectural heritage,” according to the City of Gilroy’s Historic Resources Inventory.
The two-story home with baby blue window trim and a gambrel roof at 264 Martin St. was built in 1900 and has an interesting mural peeking out from a shed door behind the home, which is visible from the street.
The Caroline Hoxett House at 338 Fifth St., which looks like it came straight out of “Anne of Green Gables,” was built in 1869 and was home to the first baker in Gilroy, plus a former mayor.
Project pigeon
Due to loitering pigeons and the accompanying excrement that becomes a health hazard after it mixes with rainwater on flat rooftops downtown, city officials embarked on an operation to usher the birds somewhere more “conducive to animals,” as Valenta put it.
So, in a conscientiously humane and frugal attempt to save the city some coin, Valenta purchased an inexpensive hawk simulator off the Internet. She rationed it was cheaper than $4,000 preventive bird netting.
After placing the device in the Chamber of Commerce building’s eaves, however, it turns out the automated hawk cries attracted more pigeons than it repelled.
“I thought it was funny – every seven minutes it would go off, and it sounded like you were in the jungle,” said Valenta giggling over the phone.
The hawk machine has since been retired from its downtown post.
