Saratoga News
News
Scholarwear will move into space once occupied by Patrick James
Former Saratogans move 'home' to open business
By Jason Sweeney
The building that once housed the Patrick James men's clothing store is vacant no more. After 18 months without a tenant, the storefront has a new occupant.
Doug Ferrari and Dixie Divine of Prime Retail Inc. recently completed a transaction that has put a school uniform supply store, called Scholarwear, into the long- vacant location at 14527 Big Basin Way.
Scholarwear is owned and operated by Marcelle Jacobsen. According to Marcelle's husband, Elliot Jacobsen, the store might open mid- to late July.
Elliot and Marcelle Jacobsen live in Salt Lake City with their six children. "My wife and I both grew up in Saratoga," Elliot said. "We've been away for 20 years."
After Elliot was hired by eBay, he and his wife decided to take up residence in Saratoga once again. "Saratoga has a big piece of our heart, having grown up here," Elliot said. "It's pretty fun thinking about coming back and having a business here. The store is about a mile from our new home." The Jacobsen family will move to Saratoga in early July. Of the six Jacobsen children, four will go to Challenger School and two will go to Saratoga High School.
The Scholarwear store will provide uniforms for students who go to Challenger Schools. Challenger Schools are private schools that offer a rigorous curriculum for students in preschool up to the eighth grade.
There are approximately 8,000 to 9,000 students at 12 Challenger Schools in the Bay Area. Of those 12 schools, most are located along Highway 85. Nine more Challenger Schools are located in Nevada, Utah and Idaho.
When the Jacobsens were scouting locations for Scholarwear, they discovered Saratoga was centrally located close to most of the local Challenger Schools. The Saratoga Village seemed like the ideal location for a flagship store, Elliot said. Marcelle also plans to open additional Scholarwear stores in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. Marcelle will initially focus on selling school uniforms but may add ancillary school products down the road, Elliot explained.
"We found this location, and Marcelle fell in love with it," he said. "It is a convenient location on a great street with other good places to shop. I think the parents will be pleased. It should bring a lot of parental traffic to Big Basin Way."
In 2000, a difficult economic climate in the Saratoga Village prompted the Saratoga City Council to offer the Patrick James clothing store a $20,000 subsidy to move into the storefront on Big Basin Way.
But in late 2004, Patrick James closed its doors. The building has remained vacant since then.
Councilwoman and Village Ad Hoc Committee member Kathleen King said the new tenant could be a good fit for the Village. "It might bring shoppers from elsewhere."
Saratoga Chamber of Commerce office manager Sharmaine Nunes said she senses a buzz in town. "I think people are very excited that a space that has been available for leasing for so long is now being filled. We have people that stop by our office wanting information about other retail space available in the Village." But Nunes said some potential tenants have concerns about the cost of rent in the Village and with obtaining conditional-use permits from the city.
