Willow Glen Resident

Business

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

More to Choose: Footwear etc., a shoe outlet on Lincoln Avenue, is one of the newer businesses in downtown Willow Glen. Some of the merchants would like to create more uniform operating hours throughout the downtown area.

Downtown shops consider later hours and improved aesthetics

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

As downtown Willow Glen continues to revive itself, some business owners say now is a good time to take the next step and create more consistency in merchant operating hours and the downtown's overall aesthetics.

Kubo The Little House owner Alvin Cachaper said stores need to stay open later all year round, not just during the holiday season.

"It's a courtesy to the customers," Cachaper said.

His store is extending its hours to 7 p.m. through November and in December until 8 p.m.

The extended hours make a big difference in sales, but most customers said inconsistent store hours in the downtown make it difficult to know who was open throughout the year, according to Cachaper.

When businesses close up early, shoppers will drive to Westfield Valley Fair and Santana Row, he said.

Cachaper added that he would continue to stay open late throughout the year if other downtown merchants followed suit.

Longer store hours would provide customers with more time to shop after work, but Cachaper said, downtown storefronts are equally important when it comes to luring customers into the shopping district.

"People are very visual," Cachaper said. "If you have a nice storefront, people are more likely to walk in. It's all about aesthetics."

Fleurish owner Natalie Thompson agrees downtown Willow Glen needs to revitalize its look.

"We no longer fit our demographic," Thompson said. "People are spending $800,000 to live here, and our downtown needs to reflect that."

Older buildings need fresh paint, and storefronts need to be swept and cleaned, she said.

"We need to be more inviting," Thompson said.

In addition, a proposed San Jose parking ordinance that would loosen requirements from one parking spot for every 250 square feet to one space for every 400 square feet is going before the San Jose City Council this month. But Thompson said the problem isn't that bad.

"Although our better-known parking lots fill up fast, the Bank of America parking lot has available spaces," she said. "We just need to have a big blue 'P' letting the shoppers know the spots are there."

Lance Maurer owner of Urban Sports, however, said there's more to the parking issue than availability.

Restaurants that want to open up shop in Willow Glen cannot meet parking requirements, he said.

"These restaurants are needed to bring more foot traffic to the downtown," he said.

Maurer said Willow Glen's downtown is at a disadvantage compared to other communities such as Los Gatos and Campbell.

"There isn't a place dedicated to gatherings or community events," Maurer said. "We need a public place, like a plaza or amphitheater."

The Garden Theater has started to become a gathering place by holding the Farmers Market in its parking lot, or as a venue for special events such as the Barbarella and Bella James fashion show in October, but Maurer said more is needed.

"It's privately owned," he said, "and although it's being used this way now, it might not be in the future."