If Gilroy tourists want a Garlic Festival apron, a G-Fest
Cook-off booklet or a Herbie bobblehead, they can shop the online
mercantile, pay a visit to the Association’s headquarters downtown
or wait until the 2012 festival
– but they won’t find it at the brand-new Gilroy Welcome Center
in a busy outlet mall.
If Gilroy tourists want a Garlic Festival apron, a G-Fest Cook-off booklet or a Herbie bobblehead, they can shop the online mercantile, pay a visit to the Association’s headquarters downtown or wait until the 2012 festival – but they won’t find it at the brand-new Gilroy Welcome Center in a busy outlet mall.
“This whole thing has turned into a political firestorm. With all the political dust that’s lying around, we didn’t feel like we wanted to be involved with it,” said Hugh Davis, vice president of the festival’s board of directors and incoming future president of Garlic Festival 2012. “Our main focus is taking care of the charities in this town, so that’s where our focus is at, and that’s where it needs to be.”
During a Sept. 26 board meeting, the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association backed out with a 6-3 vote from a verbal agreement that would allow the Welcome Center (formerly the Gilroy Visitors Bureau) to sell souvenirs on consignment. Davis did not remember who voted for and against the motion; nor were the specifics revealed in meeting minutes.
The vote follows on the heels of a bitter and explosive City Council meeting on Monday where brothers and small business owners Alex and Charlie Larson, heatedly objected to the city’s decision to fund a Welcome Center. Calling it a “shameful spending spree” and a “crisis of conscience,” Alex said the Center’s retail offerings will provide potentially damaging competition to other local shops.
On Tuesday, Howard countered: A majority of welcome centers throughout the state typically have a retail component, which serves as an “enhanced opportunity” to promote local entrepreneurs.
“The way we see it, we are a marketing arm for the businesses in Gilroy,” she said. “The small amount of retail here that we have available would not have an impact in terms of a competitive edge, at all.”
The minutes from the Gilroy Garlic Festival Association’s Sept. 29 board meeting, which take up half a page, state director and 2010 president Greg Bozzo “felt it was not fair and equitable to all retail businesses and did not see this as a good fit for the Festival. After much discussion, a motion was made to maintain our consignment agreement with the Welcome Center. The motion failed 6-3.”
Newly re-located next to the New Balance athletic store in the Gilroy Premium Outlets, the Welcome Center opened Sept. 29 and sells a modest assortment of items from Casa de Fruta and Gilroy Gardens. It also touts Gilroy-themed goodies, such as tote bags, magnets, mugs, key chains and postcards, and advertises restaurants and local businesses. Center Executive Director Jane Howard said area wineries have asked the Center to consider selling local wines, but “we’re going to wait until 2012 and get a feel for the interest level,” she said.
Originally, Howard said, a verbal agreement would have allowed the Center to sell Garlic Festival merchandise as well, but Davis, who voted out of the deal – said the board is steering clear of inflamed tempers following the Welcome Center’s decision in May to stock its new pad with regionally themed items for sale.
“I’m sorry it’s turned into the story that it is,” he said Tuesday. “I think there’s a lot of good things that are going to come out of the new visitor center.”
Davis called Howard “a great person,” but made it clear he is opting to wash his hands of the drama – for now.
He couldn’t say if re-visiting consignment is a future possibility, but pointed out the current board of directors is only together for a little bit longer. In less than a month, five new members will be ushered in, he said.
“Maybe the new board will take a different look at it,” Davis added, leaving the matter to question. “If it comes up and needs to be agendized, we’ll review that and renew it at that time.”
The board did discuss the exposure it may forego by opting out of consignment opportunities with the Center, according to Davis, who reasoned “it just didn’t feel like it was worth the gain. We didn’t feel like the sales are going to be this giant revenue stream that we’re going to miss out on.”
In terms of selling tickets at the Center as Garlic Festival 2012 approaches, however, Davis said the Association will “absolutely” accept an invitation at any location to sell tickets for the festival, which has pumped more than $8 million back into local charities during its 33-year existence.
“But would it be a year-round endeavor? Probably not,” said Davis.
Eight other members on the board, including Secretary Ken Fry, Treasurer Dennis Harrigan, past president Greg Bozzo and directors Shawn Keck, Lanny Brown, Susie Connell and Ed Mauro were also contacted. No calls were returned as of press time, save for Mauro, who politely directed all inquires back to Davis.
Bozzo did, however, submit a letter to the Dispatch, wherein he expressed “concern” and “surprise” over the proposal to sell retail products at the Welcome Center. As a government-funded entity, he wrote, the Center should not be selling items on consignment while similar products are being sold by local, private enterprises, which are “faced with normal challenges of operating a business.”
Bozzo reiterated he doesn’t doubt the Center’s “100 percent sincere” intentions to promote local businesses, restaurants and wineries, but feels the potential problems – such as including some retailers and excluding others – “outweigh the possible gains.”
While Howard agreed the decision to withhold Garlic Festival tchotchke was a letdown, she noted the Association’s wares come from a limited supply, and wouldn’t have constituted the bulk of the Center’s merchandise.
“Their decision is certainly a decision that worked for them,” she said, of the Association. “I don’t doubt their board has full, good reasons for doing that.”
On Tuesday, Howard reported the Center’s walk-in traffic during its first week was approximately 500 people, which more than doubles walk-in traffic for all of October last year, compared to its previous location north of downtown on Monterey and IOOF Avenue.
So far, visitors haven’t been coming for the retail, she said.
According to Howard, the facility – which pays $1 a month in rent and is modeled after a state tourism group with 20 locations throughout California – plans to keep $10,000-$15,000 in net profit per year from retail sales, which it will feed back into its marketing budget.
The Garlic Festival board of director’s vote is the latest development in a series of hiccups surrounding the city-funded tourism group, which most recently fueled a combative episode between Gilroy City Council and the Larson brothers. The pair own and operate the Garlic Shoppe and Rapazzini Winery, located on the south end of Gilroy along U.S. Highway 101.
Monday’s council meeting at 7351 Rosanna St. erupted into a shouting match, culminating in Mayor Al Pinheiro threatening to kick a boisterous Alex out of the Council chambers if he didn’t keep quiet.
While the Council had some big fish to fry Monday night – like voting on whether to remain a part of the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Conservative Plan – the evening was eclipsed by the harsh, biting comments flung during the Welcome Center debate, which escalated to a personal level as the Larsons and several Council members traded expletives and insults following a presentation by Howard.
Howard acknowledged Wednesday the rather heated, sometimes personal remarks spawning out of the issue are “disappointing,” but maintained bolstering locale venues in the Garlic Capital is the Center’s No. 1 priority.
“Retail has been less than $150 for four days,” she told Gilroy City Council during Monday’s meeting. “It’s not about the retail side. It’s about getting information out.”
VISIT THE WELCOME CENTER
Located: Gilroy Premium Outlets next door to New Balance Shoes in Building A.
Open: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Details: 842-6436 for more information, or visit gilroyvisitor.org.
