San Jose Public Market Updates

Last week a few more details were revealed regarding the San Jose Public market. The first 2 tenants have been announced! Taking the anchor spot on San Pedro St. will be Barefoot Coffee. Specializing in fresh organic coffee and based in San Jose (with only a single retail location in Santa Clara off of Stevens Creek), I'm sure this will be a perfect fit for the Public Market. High-end restaurants like Manresa and Parcel 104 choose Barefoot Coffee to serve, as does Zanatto's Markets.

The second tenant, Veggielution, is just as interesting. These guys started on a mission to bring sustainable food to San Jose. They began growing fresh produce in the backyards of homes in Downtown San Jose and now have a one acre urban farm in Emma Prusch Farm Park (less than 2 miles away from Downtown). The only way to get produce more locally grown than Veggielution would be to have a farm on the roof of the Public Market itself.

So far, I think we're off to a great start. Both of these vendors will help create a unique experience that you won't be able to find anywhere else, and I think they'll draw people from outside the immediate area Downtown as well.

San Jose Public Market Vision

Last week I had the pleasure of meeting Mike Maida and Steve Borkenhagen from the San Jose Public Market. Both Mike and Steve actually live, work, and play in downtown San Jose (Steve's family also owns and operates Eulipia). They are both extremely passionate and invested in the future success of Downtown San Jose, and I was honored to receive from them one of the first behind-the-scenes tours of what will soon become the Public Market.

This will just be the first post of many related to the Public Market, as it has become my #1 favorite project in Downtown San Jose that I feel confident will be completed in 2010. When I first heard about this, I thought: what an amazing concept... A ferry building-style market in San Pedro Square? No way it's going to built anytime soon, and if it every does come to fruition it'll be a radical departure from the initial vision. Well folks, I have good news. This is going to happen as originally planned, and the doors are scheduled to open THIS summer. The financing has been acquired, permits have been received, and buildings are being retrofitted and built as we speak.

What I would really like to talk about today, is about the vision for the Public Market. After meeting with Steve and Mike, I didn't get the impression at all that this is going to be a cookie-cutter mini-replica of San Francisco's Ferry Building or Seattle's Pike Place. This is going to be an innovative new concept that both integrates with and enhances the burgeoning San Jose culture. This won't just be a place to buy fresh produce or grab a snack, you will be entertained and immersed in art as well as San Jose history.

I like to categorize things, so I'm going to put the art and entertainment plan for the SJPM into 3 different categories:
1.) Live music and performances. There will be a central stage surrounded by Public Market stores which will feature live entertainment on a daily basis. This aspect is perhaps akin to Park Valencia in Santana Row 
2.) Dynamic art. The first major installation of dynamic art in Downtown San Jose that blew me away was at The 88. Anyone can dial a phone number and completely change the color patterns of the 4-story LED display on the side of a high-rise condo building (FYI the number is 408-287-0128, put in 3 digits then 0 to change the color pattern). The Public Market is going to take this concept of dynamic art to another level with a project should be more dynamic and encompass a larger area.
3.) Spontaneous/Viral Art. This is where it should get really fun. The plan is to make the Public Market a place where every time you visit, you will never know what to expect. This is where the SJ art community can really get involved and come up with some creative ideas. I think the best way to describe this type of viral art is by showing you this video.

Next up in future posts will be information on the retail mix the Public Market is going for as well as some photos comparing what currently exists with the the future plan. Also if you have ideas on what you would like to see in the Public Market, please post them in the comments. Thanks!