The Gilroy Dispatch will further establish itself downtown by moving its office to Monterey Street in October.
The newspaper will relocate from 64 West Sixth St. to 7455 Monterey St., sharing the space with the long-established Nimble Thimble.
An affiliated entity of the Dispatch purchased the building from Nimble Thimble owner Linda Williams, marking the first time in more than six years that the newspaper will be housed in a building it owns. The Dispatch has rented its West Sixth Street location since it moved there in 2016 from its previous spot at 6400 Monterey Road.
“We’re excited about being in the center of downtown,” Publisher Dan Pulcrano said. “Of all the historic downtowns in Santa Clara County, Gilroy seems to be the only one that hasn’t yet achieved its potential. That means exciting times are ahead and we are looking forward to being part of it.”
Pulcrano said the new Dispatch office will be accessed through Gourmet Alley, adding to a revitalization effort led by downtown property owners to upgrade the alley with new restaurants and other businesses.
“We’re excited about investing in Gilroy,” he said. “We have high hopes for what downtown will become.”
The 2,400-square-foot building was constructed in 1920. According to the Gilroy Historic Resources Inventory, it housed the Ladies Benevolent Society in 1926 and served as a place to train and employ women. Other businesses have been located in the building, such as Gavilan Electric and before that, Galvan’s TV. Williams purchased the building and Nimble Thimble in 2013.
Williams said the Dispatch’s purchase of the building will allow her to focus on what she loves most: quilts.
The Nimble Thimble, which has been located in various locations throughout the city during its more than 50-year existence, carries more than 5,000 bolts of quilting cottons, sewing machines and other supplies for quilters. A lifelong quilter, Williams said her business has picked up right where it left off after a brief closure early on in the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We are having great sales to make up for the time lost to Covid,” she said. “Quilters never stop quilting.”
The transaction was handled by Christian Renz of Renz & Renz and Brian Costello of Ritchie Commercial.
