Willow Glen Resident

Business

Business district has new website, directory with small-town feel

By Alicia Upano

The Willow Glen Business and Association's new website is as unique as downtown Willow Glen.

The improved website, launched July 31, features individual business profiles, coupons, electronic newsletters and a community calendar for businesses on Lincoln Avenue. Prior to its launch, the association trained local businesses on how to personalize the site.

"This is going to be a big enhancement," association executive director Norma Ruiz said. "It will give the businesses opportunities to tell their story."

The individuality of businesses on Lincoln Avenue is what defines the business district, she said.

The business association has worked with Social Wave, a Campbell-based Internet company run by Sheldon Chang, to create the new site. Chang has done similar work for downtown Campbell, but has made modifications to suit the Willow Glen group's needs, such as adding a community calendar. Ruiz hopes the calendar will become a one-stop bulletin board for news on businesses, schools and the larger neighborhood.

The website is the latest in a series of efforts to brand Willow Glen. The association's board spent months interviewing business and property owners about Willow Glen's standout qualities. It also looked at surveys that identified people's perceptions of the business district.

The researched showed Willow Glen was viewed as a community that was eclectic, relaxed, family- and pet-friendly with a small-town feel. Consumers said they liked the personal service, noting many businesses are still run by local owners, Ruiz said.

The association then worked with Willow Glen-based etc...group to develop a design. The board agreed to adopt a design depicting a streetscape with the tagline, "Personal Friendly Different," which will appear on all downtown Willow Glen-related materials.

"The branding drives everything," Ruiz said. "It really starts defining the personality of the district and starts unifying the businesses."

In late June, the association also distributed a Willow Glen directory, its first since 2000. The directory lists the contact information for all downtown businesses and contains a map.

The projects were possible because the business district received an infusion of monies through mandatory business improvement fees. The business district doubled the fees last year, for the first time since 1988.

For more information on the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, visit www.downtownwillowglen.org.