Mom-and-pop milieu offers change from valley chain stores
Nestled in the Santa Cruz Mountains along Big Basin Way, Saratoga’s downtown, nicknamed the Village, has traditionally been something of an anachronism.
The collection of sunny mom-and-pop outfits with 1960s-style storefronts, where shoppers can stroll in and have the store’s proprietor help them with their purchases, are a dying breed in Northern California.
Saratoga clings to that quaint, cozy image largely by keeping big-time commercial stores from setting up shop in the Village. Starbucks, which won the city council’s approval in 2005, was a rare exception. Subway, when it came sniffing around, was sent straight to the gutter.
“Nobody wants another Santana Row or Los Gatos,” said Jill Hunter, a Saratoga city council member, who lives two blocks from the Village. “Saratoga is a respite from the rest of Silicon Valley and a way to get away from the hustle and bustle.”
So, where can a Saratogan get a Jamba Juice or rent a movie from Blockbuster? They have to head out to the Argonaut Shopping Center, which also includes a Longs and a Safeway, four miles away from the Village on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road.
Thus, despite the cozy experience that the Village can offer, merchants there have sometimes found themselves having a tough time drawing customers, and the lack of walking traffic on the sidewalks on a weekday afternoon can sometimes show it.
But thanks to some recent changes – the city council has eased parking restrictions and the exodus of stores has slowed in recent years – the bleak reputation of the Village is going away – and quickly.
“There’s lots and lots of young blood here,” said Deja Laufer, owner of Deja and Co. jewelers, which was recently named one of the top 10 designer jewelry retailers in the nation by JCK Magazine, a jewelry trade publication. “I see the Village going through a refreshing renewal. There’s a lot of really good energy.”
