After 16 years on Lincoln Avenue, owner Carole Demkowski is closing the Three Sisters boutique in Willow Glen at the top of this month after her rent greater than doubled.
“Everyone is demoralized,” Demkowski said of her regular customers' response to the news. “It seems as if all the small mom-and-pop shops are gradually closing.”
In the narrow space off Minnesota Avenue that was once an alley, shoppers could browse an eclectic collection of chandeliers, lamps, jewelry, decanters and glassware — not to say the favored Willow Glen Honey, made by her husband, beekeeper Steve Demkowski.
Three Sisters in Willow Glen's last day of business is July 31, but Demkowski said this weekend is the last hurrah day for patrons searching for deals. Starting Monday, she'll start packing up her belongings in preparation for moving out.
But Demkowski also has a comeback plan. As early as the primary weekend in September, she is going to open a store at Montebello Road, the antiques department store on Bascom Avenue in Campbell, to sell her items. And she's also planning some impromptu events in Willow Glen in the course of the holiday season, when shoppers are searching for gifts.
Part of the issue, she acknowledges, is a general trend toward brick-and-mortar retail stores. Online shopping is eating into business, however the Valley's younger generation — who may not have as much space as their parents — has a unique sensibility relating to spending their disposable income.
“They don't want material things. They want experiences,” she said. The revitalization of Lincoln Avenue over the past twenty years has definitely brought recent restaurants and shopping, with established establishments like Hicklebee's, the Thrift Box, Willow Glen Collective and Bertucelli's La Villa still retaining their old-fashioned charm.
FANTASTIC DEBUT: Jim Angelopoulos couldn't imagine how many individuals showed up Friday for a free burger and fries at Campus Burgers, the brand new downtown San Jose restaurant opened by the owner of popular breakfast spot Scrambl'z. People were already lined up on Paseo de San Antonio greater than an hour before Campus Burgers opened, and Angelopoulos said he hoped his kitchen staff could handle the surge. “I never expected anything like this,” he said.
San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres stopped by to congratulate the owners — and grab an early lunch — and credited the tremendous response to the San Jose Foos social media account. Torres said he expects Campus Burgers to do good business, especially when classes start at nearby San Jose State in August. Incidentally, the regular price for considered one of Campus Burgers' 2-ounce “smashburgers” is $1.99 — not free, but still an excellent deal lately — with higher prices for cheese, extra patties and fries.
PARTY CALENDAR: It looks like Sunday, August 18th, will probably be an excellent day in Saratoga for several good causes. Cancer CAREpoint has already sold out its annual fundraising garden party on the Montalvo Arts Center that evening, with dinner provided by Le Papillion.
JAZZ CATS: The Jazz on the Plazz concert series continues to fill the Los Gatos Town Plaza with music every Wednesday, with the good Nicolas Bearde joining the Full Spectrum Jazz Band on July 31. However, there was a change within the series' upcoming schedule, as Ricardo Lemvo has canceled his August 14 performance attributable to a scheduling conflict. Salsa group Bembé will perform as an alternative.
And Los Gatos Music and Arts has announced that sensational multi-instrumentalist Gunhild Carling – who performed on the San Jose Jazz Summer Fest a number of years ago – will perform at this 12 months's gala on Sept. 22 on the Hotel Los Gatos. Tickets for the flowery event, which is able to feature snacks and drinks provided by Dio Deka, are $225 each. Full details – and the remainder of the Jazz on the Plazz program – might be found at www.jazzontheplazz.com.
A glance into the past: Some readers probably did a double-take after they read a New York Times election report quoting San Jose resident Anna Ayala, a Democrat who said she would vote for Donald Trump in the autumn. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Ayala was the girl at the middle of a fraudulent 2005 lawsuit wherein she falsely claimed to have found a human finger in a bowl of fast-food chili.
Ayala served 4 years in prison after pleading guilty to attempted grand larceny. The New York Times later removed Ayala's quote from the article after learning about her past. I also doubt the Trump campaign will use her in any ads.
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