Photograph by Christy Kinskey

Mugging It: Willow Glen resident Trent Rothenberg, 6, received a free giveaway from KARA radio at the Willow Glen Plaza grand reopening Sept. 15.




Willow Glen Plaza looking like new

After waiting a year, shopping center businesses, patrons cheer reopening

By Moryt Milo

The Willow Glen Shopping Center, renamed Willow Glen Plaza, on the corner of Curtner Avenue and Almaden Road, had its official grand reopening Sept. 15.

With multicolored balloons lining the parking lot and KARA Radio hosting the event, neighbors walked into a shopping center they had steered clear of for years.

The shopping center, which has been completely remodeled, now offers local residents a place to shop, dine and go to the movies without worrying about vagrants and panhandlers. Shoppers and business owners alike said the rundown state of the center and some of the prior tenants, including a liquor store, kept business away.

Joe Kovalik, the center's owner, confirms these sentiments. "In order to upgrade, we needed to get rid of the things that were bad," he said.

Kovalik credited the "orchestration" of the grand opening, which included an astro jump, more than $4,000 in gift certificate give-aways and lots of free food, to account manager Joe Fernandez from KARA radio.

Both Fernandez and Kovalik debated whether the event should be held in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast. But Fernandez said, "I figured everyone didn't want to stay locked up in their homes. People need a sense of security and to remember we still have joy and peace in our nation."

The Vanished Children's Alliance brought added comfort to the community with a table set up to fingerprint children. The San Jose Police Department was at an adjoining table, which provided safety literature for parents.

The shopping center, which many described before the revamp as seedy, was facing hard times even during remodeling. Fernandez said he drove by and although the businesses were open, the parking lot was empty.

One man, a Willow Glen resident who didn't wish to give his name, said he was pleased to see the changes and glad he could shop at a Safeway closer to his home.

Safeway store manager Fred Demarest voiced the same enthusiasm: "I'm really excited," he said." My old customers think the changes are great, and other customers ask if this is a new shopping center."

The overhaul has brought new tenants such as Burger King, Starbucks, Unlimited Potential and Quizno's into the complex. Unlimited Potential, a one-on-one training center that opened its doors on Sept. 15, thinks it will be very successful in Willow Glen. Manager Gary Caravalho says the shopping center is bringing in younger people, ages 25-35, who are its target customers. He was upbeat about the new "ambiance" and about opening a second location.

Although the facelift was sorely needed, many of the older tenants who'd been through the ups and downs of the complex said they were relieved all the construction was behind them.


Photograph by Christy Kinskey

Palms Together: Willow Glen resident Emma Bowman, 22 months, gets her handprints taken by the Vanished Children's Alliance at the Willow Glen Plaza reopening.




Irron Neal, manager of World Nutrition Center, said, "I'm still working a second job." He is trying to recover from his business' loss of visibility and customers during the reconstruction. "A lot of people didn't even know I was here," he said. Now he is optimistic things will turn around.

Roula Tsagaris, owner of Tina's Restaurant, who was instrumental in getting merchants to offer give-aways and promotions at the grand opening, agreed with Neal. "I lost a lot of my customers. The work took a lot longer than anticipated." Tsagaris says her business is down 30 percent. "It's been a very tough year for all of us. There have been times when we barely made it."

But she is excited about the future, which includes a new outdoor patio for dining at her restaurant.

Many of the tenants credit Starbucks with bringing in new customers and more foot traffic. Starbucks supervisor Dennis Bernard says his store has the largest floor space in the area, and customers seem to enjoy it. They have been operating for four months, and Bernard says, "Our business is really smooth." Customers that used to go to the Starbucks on Lincoln Avenue are now coming to Willow Glen Plaza.

Mike Hawkins, a Willow Glen resident, agrees. "This Starbucks is a lot more convenient," he said. And Cinda Hollinger, who was sitting inside the store with her 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter said, "It's the nicest Starbucks in the area."

Barber Craig Inman, who has been cutting hair at Frank's Barber Shop for 15 years, said, "This place needed to be shaken up. There are no more drunks or bums hanging around. With the stores now around, the clients are completely different."

Although his shop is located in one of the far corners, Inman said business has already increased.

Vinay Khaladkar, a Willow Glen resident waiting to have his hair cut, liked the new look of the plaza and said, "[The remodeling] brought in many more choices."

Grace Pichola of Grace's Beauty Shop, expressed what many of the older tenants such as How's Doughnuts and Patrician Dry Cleaners felt--excitement and reassurance at seeing young and new faces entering their businesses.

According to general contractor Jim Kuehne, there is only minor work to be done. Some landscaping needs to be completed, but none of it will be disruptive.

Many of the neighbors, especially those with children, expressed a great deal of satisfaction in finally having a safe and accessible full-service complex in their area.

One Willow Glen resident, David Bohrk, said the plaza used to look terrible. He said he would drive right by and shop elsewhere. But on Saturday he took his family to eat at Tina's Restaurant. "I didn't even know it was here," Bohrk said. "Now we will go to Tina's."

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