GILROY
– Within the past few months, three business have packed up shop
from their previous Gilroy locations and moved downtown, and
developer Gary Walton is confident it won’t stop there.
GILROY – Within the past few months, three business have packed up shop from their previous Gilroy locations and moved downtown, and developer Gary Walton is confident it won’t stop there.
The owners of Got Memories, Dilly Dally Alley and Wize Owl Bookstore and Gifts, all of which once were located on or around First Street, said their decision to relocate primarily stemmed from the desire to increase sales.
Their wish was granted.
“I’d say we’ve at least doubled our sales since moving downtown,” said Michelle Martinez, owner of scrapbooking store Got Memories. “It’s like a family there. Everyone downtown works together and looks out for each other.”
Katina Knapp, an employee of children’s clothing store Dilly Dally Alley, said the new downtown location has been key to the store’s success.
“We were kind of hidden away where we used to be, but we’re definitely getting more business now,” she said. “The foot traffic has picked up considerably. We’ve gotten some great exposure and also a bigger space.”
Eli Collier, a supervisor at Wize Owl, summed up why that business decided to relocate.
“We wanted to be part of the action,” he said.
The businesses’ moves fit in nicely with the plans of the Downtown Specific Plan Task Force, which was organized by the City in February 2003 to help revitalize downtown.
Walton, a member of the task force, said both residents and developers have been expressing more and more interest in investing in downtown property. Additionally, a handful of existing property owners are considering tearing down their current, outdated buildings and starting from the ground up.
Despite a series of setbacks and frustrations resulting from federal-denied funding, Walton said the task force remains upbeat and hopeful about downtown’s potential.
“We’re very optimistic. The things we’ve done so far have been great,” Walton said. “I’ve seen excitement building downtown, and I think the community can and will see changes in downtown, especially within the next year.”
Regardless of what pans out, Walton has big plans of his own. The vacant building at Fourth and Monterey streets that once housed South Valley National Bank, bought by Walton, someday will blossom into an office and retail complex. The final project envisions an outdoor pedestrian plaza complete with arbors and other landscaping, as well as an outdoor fireplace and courtyard intended for community gatherings. Walton said he hopes to have the plans approved by the end of the year.
Other proposals in the works include a three-story, 7,000-square-foot retail complex with apartments on Monterey and Lewis streets, Walton said.
The task force’s optimism apparently is contagious, Walton said, as several existing downtown property and business owners have asked the task force for advice pertaining to possible improvements to their architecture.
Ensuring downtown’s continued success is a responsibility to be shared among the City, merchants and property owners, Walton said. He cited the mayor’s downtown informational forum, held in July, as an opportunity for stakeholders to take charge of downtown’s future.
“Merchants and property owners should meet the mayor’s challenge and say, ‘OK, let’s make this work.’ If we can we just accomplish that, we’ll have a really nice downtown,” Walton said.
Property owners are warming up to the idea of city-implemented incentives such as a temporary lift of impact fees and some parking requirements.
The owner of the Dragon Phoenix Restaurant on Monterey and Ninth streets, for example, is considering building a three-story mixed use complex while taking advantage of the exemptions.
“These folks have given it all they can. They’ve really hung in there,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said of task force members. “And thank God they did, because they’ve come up with some great ideas that have certainly stimulated more ideas for downtown.”
Pinheiro estimated that the task force’s efforts will begin to materialize in September.
The committee’s next meeting, open to the public, will be at 6 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Gilroy Senior Center, 7371 Hanna St.
