The opening of the new Gilroy Welcome Center is nearly here.
The Center, formerly known as the Gilroy Visitors Bureau, is
slated to open at 10 a.m. Friday at its new location next to the
New Balance athletic store in the Gilroy Premium Outlets, according
to Jane Howard, the center’s executive director.
GILROY – The opening of the new Gilroy Welcome Center is nearly here.
The Center, formerly known as the Gilroy Visitors Bureau, is slated to open at 10 a.m. Friday at its new location next to the New Balance athletic store in the Gilroy Premium Outlets, according to Jane Howard, the center’s executive director.
Friday is intended to be a soft opening with “no big fanfare,” Howard said. A ribbon cutting and open house are scheduled for mid-October, she said.
The Center opens under some controversy, as some local business owners – led by brothers Alex and Charles Larson – have argued the city funded tourism arm shouldn’t be allowed to sell retail items and compete with other shops.
Howard is scheduled to explain the Center’s retail plans to the Gilroy City Council Monday, Oct. 3.
The Center, which Howard said won’t be in competition with local shops, plans to sell “a small amount” of items from Casa de Fruta, Gilroy Gardens, the Gilroy Garlic Festival and Gilroy themed breath mints, tote bags, magnets and other trinkets.
The Center, funded by the City of Gilroy, is scheduled to received $300,000 per year through June 2013.
