New 27West renders

A skinny 22-story residential tower in Downtown San Jose's historic neighborhood is moving forward, albeit with a less unique design than what was originally proposed. The tower--currently named 27West--would be at 27 S. First St. in one of the more lively sections of Downtown. You might know the space as Local Color or remember it when it used to be Ross (or a furniture store called Black Sea Gallery before that). Good Karma, Paper Plane, Temple Bar, Nomakai, CREAM, Tea Alley, 55 South, and Original Gravity are all steps away from the proposed building.

27West would have a total of 350 residences and 5,100 SQFT of retail. I don't want to call the new design bland, but it is quite a bit less exciting than the previous renders. I also wish they did something with the roof like a small park, pool, or amenity space. It does appear to better blend into the neighborhood which features several historic buildings.

The developers behind 27West are hoping to begin construction by the end of the year and complete the tower in 2020.

Source: The Merc

Alaska Air offering a new San Jose >> New York flight

In an effort to keep Southwest at bay, Alaska Airlines is continuing to add new flights at San Jose international. The latest is a new nonstop from SJC to JFK that starts on July 6th.

JetBlue already has a redeye to JFK and Delta will start a new redeye on June 8th. Both Alaka and United have flights to Newark International as well.

One major convenience the new Alaska flight offers is that it's not a red eye. The flight leaves at 7:05am from SJC and arrives at JFK's Terminal 7 at 3:43pm. The return flight leaves JFK at 4:45pm and arrives back home at SJC at 8:23pm. The route will be served by an Airbus A320 (twin-jet, single-aisle).

San Jose went from having one direct flights to New York to five nonstops within a few years. It feels like there is still a lot more to come.

Source: SVBJ

VTA moving forward with single-bore subway for BART

There has been a heated debate on whether to use a twin bore or single bore subway for BART's extension from Berryessa to Downtown San Jose. Proponents of the single bore argued that it would greatly minimize disruption to Downtown businesses as it would avoid gutting all of Santa Clara Street. It would also cut the construction timeline by as much as a year. On the other hand, this type of subway has never been built in the United States and would not be consistent with the rest of the BART system. In the end, VTA staff has officially recommended single bore.

The $4.7 billion tunnel will have a diameter of 47 feet, enough to accommodate two lines stacked on top of one another (see image below). This also means that all of the stations will be on one side of the street.

Two other important related decisions were also made. There a couple options for the Downtown Station: City Hall and on Market and 1st Street. By choosing single bore, VTA was able to select the more central Market/1st Street location without having to shut down the Light Rail line during construction. The second decision was the alignment of the Diridon station. With single bore the station can be built right under Santa Clara Street with easier access to SAP, all without having to close the street down during construction.

Source: SVBJ

Local developer contemplating 1.5 million SQFT project in North San Jose

SiliconSage Builders submitted an enhanced preliminary review request for a 31 acre site in North San Jose near Cadence. The massive 1.5 million SQFT project would have 500,000 SQFT of retail, 700,000 SQFT of office, a 350 room hotel, 3,250 residential units, a 50,000 SQFT theater, a 30,000 SQFT amphitheater, and 4.5 acres of open space.

If that sounds ambitious, that's because it is. Those kinds of numbers are very similar to Santana Row. If you look at the massing below, the residential component would both be on top of the retail and in a high-rise cluster off of the side that could reach up to 20 stories.

The project could keep some tax dollars in San Jose after City Place is completed in Santa Clara next to Levi's Stadium. This North San Jose proposal is still very early on, but shows that developers are being more ambitious about future San Jose development.

Source: SVBJ

Easter Brunch

Rick Jensen has a great suggestion for last-minute Easter Sunday plans in the latest edition of the Downtowner Online. Ludwig's is one of my favorite restaurants Downtown and they are using Easter to kick off weekend brunches. If you haven't been to Ludwig's before, you're in for a treat. They have an amazing outdoor patio, specialty German beers, and a great menu. It's a unique restaurant that you will only find Downtown. For more info, click here.

Sunday – Happy Easter! – Happy Easter, San Jose! Have fun spending the day brunching or Easter egg hunting with friends and family! Starting this Sunday, Ludwig's Brunch is back every Saturday and Sunday from 10 am - 2 pm. Downtown Dining. 

HP Enterprises is moving HQ to San Jose

Hewlett Packard Enterprises has long been an anchor tech tenant for Palo Alto. However, yesterday they announced that they are relocating their headquarters to San Jose by the end of the year.

The company will take 220,000 SQFT at 6280 America Center Drive near Alviso. That is large enough to relocate about 1,000 employees. Flextronics, Polycom, and Versa Networks also have a presence in that office park along with a brand new Aloft hotel. The location is minutes away from the @First shopping center and Levi's stadium. While there are few public transit options, BART will soon have a station in Milpitas about 12min away.

This is another big win for San Jose, both in terms of tax dollars and brand. Also, no financial incentives were required to make the deal happen.

Source: NBC Bay Area

Retro arcade and upscale bar on tap for Downtown this summer

"miniBoss" is the most anticipated new Downtown bar in years. The owners of Original Gravity (San Jose's first bar exclusively dedicated to craft beer) and Paper Plane (one of San Jose's first craft cocktail bars) are now opening a third venue at the corner of Santa Clara Street and 2nd Street. This is a very high-profile and easily accessible space that was last occupied by Toons years ago.

Clocking in at 5,528 SQFT, miniBoss will host dozens of old-school arcades and pinball machines. Given its pedigree, craft beers and cocktails are guaranteed. The venue will also have a full kitchen which will likely serve up surprisingly good pub fare if Paper Plane and Original Gravity are any indication. It will provide a unique entertainment option that simply does not exist in Silicon Valley right now and be yet another "cool" thing to do in San Jose.

Downtown San Jose is finally getting the traction and attention it deserves and miniBoss will undoubtedly be an anchor tenant for the growing numbers that live, work, and play Downtown. I'm greatly looking forward to its grand opening this summer.

Source: The Merc, SVBJ

7th Annual Taco Festival of Innovation

San Jose's epic taco festival returns for its 7th season on Saturday, May 6th. History Park will once again host over 20 food trucks from all over the Bay Area serving their vest renditions of tacos. Expect everything from short rib tacos, nacho tacos, Vietnamese shrimp tacos, and a few surprises. While you're stuffing your face, wash everything down with local craft beers.

Like previous years, there will be plenty of entertainment programming. The popular Lucha Libre wrestling match will be back along with live music. San Jose Made will also be there with local arts & crafts vendors.

Ticket prices are only $8 ($10 at the gate) while craft beer tasting passes are $30 for five 7oz pours. ($35 at the gate). Kids aged 3-11 are free as part of the presale.

For tickets and additional info, head over here!

Tea Alley now open Downtown

The Historic District in Downtown San Jose has a new boba spot. Tea Alley serves up their drinks in cool little light bulbs that twinkle while you drink--a neat techie twist to milk tea. They also have a kitchen serving up stuffed chicken breast and other snacks.

The location is conveniently located next to a Light Rail stop at 40 South First Street. Given there is plenty of nightlife within two blocks, Tea Alley is also open late. They open at noon and close at midnight Monday through Thursday, 2am (!) Friday and Saturday, and 11pm on Sunday.

Source: SJ Economy Blog

BALDWIN opened their first Bay Area store at Santana Row

San Jose has scored another exclusive retail launch. BALDWIN is a boutique clothing retailer featuring premium American-made denim. The Kansas City-based label was lauded by both GQ Magazine and Vogue. Their first location in Northern California just opened last week at Santana Row.

To celebrate, BALDWIN is hosting a grand opening celebration from March 22-25. Visitors will receive a complimentary tote bag and 20% off a purchase of $200 or more.

For more about BALDWIN, check out their website over here.

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference is returning to Downtown San Jose

WWDC 2018 will take place in San Jose for the second year in the row. This is Apple's largest event and it will take over the McEnery Convention Center as well as various other parts of Downtown from June 4-8.

The conference starts with a keynote that goes over the latest software releases for MacOS and iOS devices. Often times, major new hardware is announced as well. Last year the Apple Homepod as well as new iPads and an iMac Pro were all revealed.

The 2017 event appeared to be a huge success. Thousands of attendees roamed Downtown and multiple parallel events related to the Apple community also took place in the area. Feedback from attendees on location was very positive. The true test of success was that Apple chose to run the event in San Jose again this year instead of returning the conference to Moscone in San Francisco. Hopefully the 2018 event will be even better than last year's conference.

If you are a developer and are interested in attending, all you need to do is sign up for a lottery by March 22nd for a chance to spend $1,599 on a conference pass.

Source: SVBJ

St. Patrick's Day in San Jose

Rick Jensen from the San Jose Downtown Association has some great recommendations for St. Patty's in the latest edition of Downtowner Online. O'Flaherty's is always going to be a great option, but if you can't make it in (and it is guaranteed to be packed), there is a new Mexican Irish bar on E. San Fernando called San Patricios that is worth visiting. Check out Rick's recommendations below and subscribe to the newsletter over here.

Saturday – St. Patrick’s Day – Happy St. Patrick’s Day, San Jose! Don’t forget to wear green while you celebrate in downtown SJ at one of our many dining options. Spend the evening feeling festive and lucky with a drink in hand at O'Flaherty's Irish Pub St. Patrick's Day Celebration, a downtown favorite venue which is packed every year on this holiday!
Besides O'Flaherty's, Liveandlocalsj.com reports other music options: 

• St. Patrick’s Day Concert with Peter Daldry, Cap and Iain at Art Boutiki
• Jay Meduri Tribute to Van Morrison at Poor House Bistro
• Casey Wickstrom & the Irish Rogues at the Brit

San Jose's Vietnam Town getting major upgrades

Vietnam Town is a 20-acre commercial and retail development near Happy Hollow and Kelly Park. The project has had ups and downs including multiple sales and bankruptcies, but it does feature several great shops, Vietnamese restaurants, and cafes.

The next phase for Vietnam Town is called District One, a 100,000+ SQFT project with dozens of retail condos (store owners will buy part of the building as opposed to leasing) and another parking garage. The new development is inspired by Santana Row and will feature entertainment/programming centered around Asian holidays and celebrations. Instead of just more shopping and restaurants, the focus will be on creating a lively atmosphere.

The Vietnam Town owner is working on final city approvals and hopes to open District One by 2019.

Source: SVBJ

March 2018 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• Even though the San Jose Redevelopment Agency has been shut down for years, the Successor Agency is still intertwined in several Downtown projects.
• Twin 17-story residential towers are proposed at 255 W. Julian St. with 653 units, 10,254 SQFT of retail, and luxury amenities such as a rooftop pool.
• The City Council has lowered parkland fees for highrise projects given fewer people on average live in each unit versus other types of multi-family housing. Highrises are defined as buildings 12 stories or higher.
• Two new pieces of Burning Man artwork are being added to San Jose as part of the "Playa to Paseo" program. One will be placed in Plaze de Cesar Chavez while the other is on the paseo between the two Fairmont towers.
• Several city streets are going to be resurfaced and sealed in Downtown San Jose, including portions of 3rd Street, 4th Street, Almaden Avenue, San Carlos, St. John, San Salvador, and Viola Street.

To read the newsletter, click here!

Habana Cuba is moving to the SoFA Market

One of the best restaurants in Midtown is moving Downtown. Habana Cuba has been a staple on Race Street for 16 years and features some of the best Cuban food in the Bay Area. Now it will be a part of the SoFA Market, which is quickly becoming as successful as the San Pedro Square Market on the other side of Downtown. If anything, Habana Cuba's cuisine will become more accessible to residents and visitors at the new location.

Habana Cuba is closing the doors on the Race Street location on March 24th, and will open in the SoFA Market shortly thereafter.

Source: The Merc

New hotel proposed for SoFA

A 110 room hotel with two level of underground parking is proposed for South 2nd Street and Reed, which is part of San Jose's artsy SoFA neighborhood. San Jose hotels have been doing well enough to justify several new projects, especially in the Downtown area.

Once concern I have is how uninspired the drawing looks. Again, this is being proposed for San Jose's arts district. We can do better than prison aesthetics for this project. Perhaps the developer could let local artists do something creative with the exterior if they cannot afford a less generic design.

Source: The Merc

sjDANCEco’s ChoreoProject Spring Edition

Who: sjDANCEco

What: ChoreoProject, Spring Edition

When - Friday, March 23 @ 8:00 pm and Saturday, March 24 @ 10:30am, 4:30pm & 8:00pm

Where - Location: SJSU Dance Theatre. One Washington Square, San Jose, CA The theater is located in the Spartan Complex building on the San Jose State University Campus near 4th Street and San Carlos Street. (Nearby inexpensive parking at City of San Jose garage on San Carlos Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

Tickets - $20 (students), $25 (seniors), $30 (general)

BOX OFFICE: 408.520.9854   www.sjDANCEco.org

Why: Since it’s inception in 2005, sjDANCEco has given opportunity to more than 100 choreographers from the Bay Area (and beyond) the chance to present their dances to audiences in the ChoreoProject programs.  

This year’s Spring edition of the ChoreoProject is geared toward Youth Groups. "For Youth - By Youth." Young dancers (age 13 - 18) from around the Bay and beyond are brought together in an unique program dedicated to the future of dance in an opportunity to share vital and vibrant dance by aspiring youth dancers and choreographers. 

More Information: Groups are still be added, but the following are currently confirmed: Los Gatos Ballet, Independence High School (San Jose), New Ballet School (San Jose), East West Music and Dance (San Jose), Spector Dance Youth Group (Marina), Xiaopei Dance School (Pleasanton), Westlake School for the Performing Arts (Daly City), Urmila Vudali Bharatanatyam (Palo Alto) and Northern California Dance Conservatory (Roseville). Other groups expressing interest are from San Francisco, Berkeley, Monterey, Dublin, and Oakland.

New restaurants and stores coming to Santana Row

It does not look like Santana Row is losing any steam even after being open for more than a decade. More trendy and exclusive opening are on the way, including:

• SoulCycle - coming in May, 3,151 SQFT space at 337 Santana Row
• Ozumo - popular SF Japanese sushi and robata restaurant coming in March, 4,200 SQFT location at 355 Santana Row (former Blowfish space)
• Baldwin Denim - American-made denim apparel coming later this month, 2,000 SQFT spot at 334 Santana Row, Suite 1075.
• Everything But Water - a swimwear retailer coming in early April, 1,040 SQFT spot at 333 Santana Row in early April.
• Pizza Antica - one of Santana Row's first restaurants, is relaunching in late April/early May in an expanded 4,186 SQFT space featuring a craft cocktail bar and more seating.

Source: SVBJ

Thoughtful article on Downtown San Jose's revitalization

The Registry has a great interview with the managing director of Gensler's San Jose office. Gensler is a world-renowned design firm that opened a branch here a few years ago and has been heavily involved in catalyzing the Downtown community. Hit the source link below to read the interview.

Source: The Registry

LimeBike coming to take on Ford GoBikes Downtown

It looks like Ford GoBikes (formerly Bay Area Bike Share) has some competition. LimeBike relies on GPS self-locking system and you can rent them for just $1 for 30 minutes of use. Bikes and scooters with an electric motor cost $1 for 10 minutes of use. All models are powered by solar panels built into the bike and they use foam tires that never go flat. Unlike GoBikes, they do not need to be rented or dropped off at a station. Just use the app to locate a bike and then drop it off near your destination.

It is hard to believe that in less than 5 years we went from having no bike share options to two competing programs.

Source: The Merc

San Jose will pilot tiny homes for homeless

The city is looking at three different sites to build dozens of tiny homes that would provide temporary housing for the homeless. The homes would primarily be for the 3-5 year period between qualifying for housing assistance and when an actual housing unit is available.

Gensler designed the tiny homes, which are designed for 1-2 people and are essentially boxes with separate common areas for bathrooms and cooking.

Before you become concerned that these will pop up in your neighborhood, all three locations are not exactly desirable areas. One is proposed for the southwest quadrant of the 280/680/101 freeway interchange, another is on a VTA staging area on Mabury Road, and the last is at the intersection of Hellyer Avenue and Silicon Valley Boulevard.

I feel like this is a great initiative to house those that need it the most. However, I am also a bit concerned that the more resources we provide, the more homeless will migrate to the area (look at San Francisco as an example). We should really prioritize temporary housing for those that were born-and-raised in San Jose, if we don't do this already. There needs to be some balance between taking care of our own and not becoming a haven for homeless from other regions. Knowing that locals are living here and not transients would also go a long way towards getting public support of these projects, which are very necessary.

Source: SVBJ

Downtown JC Penny's Building renovation

Built in 1946 for JC Penny's, the 4-story building at 1 W. Santa Clara in the heart of Downtown is getting an impressive makeover. The building already has a timber deck and center atrium, both of which will be prominently featured post-remodel. It looks perfect for hip startup companies or a midsize tech firm. One feature we can all benefit from is the Blue Bottle Coffee shop on the ground floor. Check out the renders below.

Source: San Jose Development Forum, Lift Partners

San Jose is the 8th most diverse city in the US

Anyone who grew up here can tell you that San Jose is a melting pot of cultures. Now we have a way to better quantify it. A new study by WalletHub compared the 501 most populous US cities across ethnoracial diversity, linguistic diversity, and birthplace diversity. After crunching all the numbers we came in 8th place (3rd place if you only look at big cities). San Jose also had the 2nd highest linguistic diversity rank in the nation. Oakland just slightly edged us out at #7 while San Francisco came in #12.

Source: WalletHub, thanks to Barclay Livker for sending this in!

SJC getting a new nonstop to Everett

If you haven't heard of an airport in Everett, Washington we can't blame you. This is a brand new 2-gate airport that is 24 miles north of downtown Seattle. Paine Field is adjacent to the Boeing factory and is currently used for corporate and private aviation (as well as delivery of brand new Boeing planes). When the commercial terminal opens, San Jose will be one of the inaugural routes Alaska Airlines will offer. Southwest is also coming to the airport, so it will be interesting to see if they will offer the route as well.

The San Jose <> Everett flight will be available towards the end of the year.

Source: SVBJ

Wednesday Wishlist: Michelin Star Restaurants (2018 Edition)

Welcome to the 9th annual Wednesday Wishlist post where the topic is getting restaurants in San Jose worthy of Michelin starts. The Michelin guide is the most renowned rubric in the world for measuring culinary success. San Jose's first and only Michelin Star restaurant, Adega in Little Portugal, retained the honor for a second year. I will also have some big news related to Adega later this year.

Michelin has three different star categories:

• One Star - A very good restaurant in its category with cuisine prepared to a consistently high standard. A good place to stop on your journey.
• Two Stars - Excellent cuisine, skillfully and carefully crafted dishes of outstanding quality. Worth a detour.
• Three Stars - Exceptional cuisine with distinctive dishes and superlative ingredients. Worth a special journey.

There are also restaurants in the Michelin guide that do not get a star, but are considered "Michelin Recommended." This is already a significant honor that a very small percentage of restaurants achieve. Within this category San Jose scored a total of 6 restaurants, which is significantly down from last year but it seems like the guide has trimmed the number of recipients throughout the Bay (the book was trimmed by 70 pages this year).

I created a Google doc listing all of the star recipients for 2018, along with tabs for all previous years and some general statistics. Below is an image capture from the doc. This year there were a total of 55 restaurants that were awarded Michelin stars, which is up 1 from last year and an all-time high for the Bay Area. 60% of the restaurants are locating in SF, 20% in Wine Country, 18% in Silicon Valley (split evenly between the South Bay and the Peninsula), and 2% in the East Bay. Silicon Valley is nearly tied with Wine Country when it comes to number of restaurants with stars. There are 5 new restaurants on the list for 2017 and 4 from last year that did not make the cut or were closed down: Aziza, Mosu, Nico, and Solbar.


San Jose Michelin Starred Restaurants:

• East San Jose
• Adega (* 1 STAR *)

San Jose Michelin Recommended Restaurants:

• Downtown
• Back A Yard
• Midtown
• Walia
• Din Tai Fung
• South San Jose
• Thien Long
• Lau Hai San
• Camden
• Zeni

The Michelin Recommended restaurants that we lost over the past year were Vung Tau, Swaad, Zona Rosa, Smoking Pig BBQ, Bun Bo Hue An Nam, and the Table. I'm a bit surprised about some of those but hopefully they will be back next year. I'm also optimistic that Adega will inspire other San Jose restaurants to go after stars!

Source: Michelin Guide

8x8 is moving their HQ to Coleman Highline in San Jose

The Coleman Highline office project next to Avaya Stadium just scored an anchor tenant. 8x8 has reserved the entire first building, which is 162,000 SQFT. This is a 22,000 SQFT upgrade over their current headquarters (also in San Jose) with lots of room to grow in the future.

The entire Coleman Highline project will take up 1.5 million SQFT, all connected with aerial walkways. The first phase of the project should be ready by early 2019.

Source: SVBJ

Federal Realty moves forward on 1 million SQFT "Santana West" office project

Now that the legal battles between San Jose and Santa Clara around development are over, Federal Realty--the developer behind Santana Row--is resuming work on their next major project. The Silicon Valley Business Journal go their hands on some impressive renderings of the 13 acre project.

It looks like it will be one massive building covered entirely with outdoor green space. The Century 21 building would somehow be incorporated into the project, but how is not yet clear. "Santana West" is build-to-suit, meaning they are not planning to move forward without a committed tenant.

If all goes well, we will have another flagship office building in 2019 or 2020.

Source: SVBJ

Team San Jose hits refresh with a new website and logo

Partnership with SVCREATES Provides Silicon Valley Arts Organizations and Local Businesses One Event Resource

SAN JOSÉ, Calif. (Feb. 23, 2018) – Team San Jose recently launched a new website in partnership with SVCREATES leading as an event based platform focused on promoting the City of San José to locals and visitors. As part of the website launch, Team San Jose has also announced that it will move ahead with a new consumer brand as Visit San José.

In addition to promoting the McEnery Convention Center to potential clients, the website will serve as an outlet where local storytellers can share their favorite aspects of San José. The new platform includes refreshed content and images, custom engagement and increased focus on mobile users seeking up to the minute information.

“Our new website has been improved to capture moment-in-time searches by leading with a mobile friendly platform,” said Karolyn Kirchgesler, Team San Jose CEO. “As stewards of the convention center, four historic theaters and representatives of our community partners, Team San José is committed to driving economic development for San José and we’re proud to represent the destination with a new look and feel.”

As part of the new website, Team San Jose partnered with SVCREATES to develop a unified events calendar where arts organizations can promote their events to local and visiting audiences.

“SVCREATES is pleased to merge our LIVESV event platform with the new SanJose.org to provide a more robust calendar for arts groups and potential arts audiences,” said Alexandra Urbanowski, SVCREATES Director of Strategic Initiatives.  The new SanJose.org will fill an important role in our community. Our thanks to Team San Jose for recognizing the importance of our creative community to visitors and residents alike, and for spearheading this critical platform update.”

In addition to the new website, Team San Jose has unveiled a new consumer brand, an adaptation of the City of San José’s Office of Economic Development ‘San José’ identity project. Visit San José now becomes Team San Jose’s official consumer facing brand, which will be used to promote the destination at convention functions, client events and throughout the travel industry.

“The Office of Economic Development and Team San Jose share the goal of improving the look, feel, and voice of communications from our city,” said San José Director of Economic Development Kim Walesh. “Our identity initiative is being shared with partners so that our communications consistently reflect our authentic, amazing city.”

###

About Team San Jose

Team San José (TSJ) is an innovative partnership unifying the San José Convention and Visitors Bureau, hotels, arts, labor and venues to deliver an exceptional visitor experience. TSJ manages the San Jose McEnery Convention Center, California Theatre, Center for the Performing Arts, City National Civic, Montgomery Theater, Parkside Hall, and South Hall. For more information, visit www.sanjose.org.

About SVCREATES

SVCreates is a network of leaders who care about the cultural and aesthetic quality of life in Silicon Valley. We are conveners, promoters, incubators, and investors in Silicon Valley’s creative ecosystem. Our mission is to accelerate Silicon Valley’s creative culture. We build the creative sector’s capacity, raise the value and visibility of the creative sector, and increase access to arts and creativity.  www.svcreates.org

About San José Office of Economic Development

The San José Office of Economic Development is committed to a vital, competitive San José economy that increases prosperity for people and companies. OED guides the city's economic strategy, provides assistance for business success, connects employers with trained workers, and provides art and cultural resources to our community. For more information, go to http://www.sjeconomy.com.

New Ike's Love & Sandwiches at Santana Row

On the ground floor of Splunk's Silicon Valley headquarters at the very end of the row, you will find a lonely-looking Ike's Love & Sandwiches. While easily one of the best sandwich chains in the Bay Area, I have to feel a little bad for them with Mendocino Farms literally right next door. The placement of these two sandwich shops is questionable, but I'm sure there will be enough business for both. While I love Ike's I would have a hard time choosing them over their neighbor. I feel a turf war coming on.

Bishops Cuts / Color soon to open in San Jose

A bold new hair care shop is opening in the heart of Downtown on March 2nd called Bishops. It will be located at 1 S. Market in the shiny blue "One South" apartment building. The atmosphere is laid back with music videos playing the the background and patrons over 21 even get a free beer to accompany their haircut or color. 

Starting March, the shop will be open 9:00am-9:00pm Monday through Saturday and 9:00am-7:00pm on Sundays. Oh, and to celebrate their grand opening Bishops will be throwing a party on February 28th with a local DJ, drinks, and giveaways. For more info, check out the press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

2/15/2018

BISHOPS CUTS / COLOR SOON TO OPEN IN SAN JOSE

The future of self-care expands to San Jose!

San Jose, California 2/15//2018- Bishops, a unisex hair care shop from Portland, OR announces its first location opening in San Jose, which is the company’s second location in the greater Bay Area. The brand fosters a culture where people can be “different together”. Offering a full menu of cuts and color, the new shop will empower local residents to act boldly and feel more confident in their individuality. From a-la-carte pricing to an unpretentious staff, Bishops is all about accessibility to self-care. In order to celebrate the March 2nd opening, locals are invited to an in-store grand opening party featuring a local dj, drinks and giveaways on February 28th.

With a counter-cultural heritage and a contemporary aesthetic, Bishops is serious about hair and irreverent about most other things. CEO Leo Rivera says, “This is more than a place to get a haircut, it’s a full-on experience.” Customers can expect a laid-back atmosphere, enjoying early MTV-style music videos on the specially curated Bishops TV platform while sipping a free beer (for those over the age of 21). The new shop showcases a vibrant art exhibit. Community impact is a key part of Bishops and the company plans on being as involved with the San Jose community as it always has been in its hometown of Portland.

Retro style barbering chairs are now ready for services from 9:00am-9:00pm Monday through Saturday and 9:00am-7:00pm Sundays.

WHEN: February 28, 2018

WHERE: 1 S. Market St.
San Jose, CA 95113

FOR MORE INFORMATION: bishops.co / https://www.facebook.com/bishops.sanjosedowntown/

ABOUT BISHOPS:

Originally opened in Portland, OR in 2001, Bishops offers an a-la-carte menu of services on a walk-in basis for affordable prices. With shops currently in 8 states and more on the way, Bishops is emerging as a national presence in hair care. Bishops has always been about giving back and over the past couple of years, has donated well over $50,000 in cash or services to schools or non-profits like Bradley Angle, American Diabetes Association, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and many more.

PRODUCT & COLOR INFO:

Bishops has partnered with a renowned collection of hair care companies to offer top of the line services and products to clients and stylists alike. We proudly carry the globally recognized Schwarzkopf Professional product and color lines. We also carry Pulp Riot, an innovative new color line that’s gaining traction nationally. To aid in styling shorter hair, Bishops proudly carries both Joe Grooming, a natural, organic line, and Suavecito, a well-crafted rockabilly line out of Southern California.

LEARN MORE:  bishops.co

February 2018 Downtown Dimension Highlights

Here are my notes from the latest edition of Downtown Dimension:

• A final decision on BART's subway path beneath Downtown should come in the next few months, with construction starting as soon as 2019. The SJDA is strongly advocating for a single bore tunnel which would allow the subway to be built without digging up all of Santa Clara Street.
• Groundwerx is celebrating 10 years Downtown and has issued a new report at sjdowntown.com/groundwerxpbid
• Construction has began on San Pedro Squared which will bring four micro-retail spaces to the ground floor of the Market-San Pedro Garage [Josh: awesome!].
• Heroes Martial Arts has moved across the street to 450 S. First St.
• Nox Cookie Bar is now open at 151 S. Second.
• Vietnoms is bringing modern versions of classic Vietnamese dishes to SoFA Market.
• The 47-room Plaza Hotel opened in January to homeless awaiting more permanent housing.
• TMG Partners and Valley Oak Partners unveiled plans for a 1 million SQFT office at 440 W. Julian.
• Cinequest returns Downtown from Feb. 27 to March 11th.
• The San Jose Jazz Winter Fest takes place from Feb. 15-28.

To read the newsletter, click here!