clubHOUSE Restaurant Opens on October 15th!

Looks like Downtown San Jose patrons will have yet another restaurant to choose from this Friday. On Twitter they describe themselves as:

"A brand new exciting Restaurant located in downtown San Jose. It's a sports lounge with a Wall Street influence. Located at 150 S. Second St."

And their last tweet says:

"clubHOUSE Restaurant and Sports Lounge to have GRAND OPENING This Friday Oct. 15th! Ribbon Cutting at 4:30pm and official party at 7pm."

Arte Flamenco de San Jose Performing at SCU

San Jose's local flamenco troop is performing at SCU's Mayer Theater this Sunday. Expect some amazing guitarists, singers, and of course flamenco dancers. Click on the image below for all of the details!

2 More San Pedro Square Market Leases!

La Fina Cocina

Celebrating the Mexican Kitchen!

La Fina Cocina, “The Fine Kitchen” is a California based Latino lifestyle company, dedicated to providing unique pro

ducts for the kitchen, that reflect the vibrant and iconic images of the Mexican culture.

The company was founded by Rose Mendoza in 2009. Rose is a Chicana born and raised in California, her goal is to share her life long passion of preserving and celebrating the culture, through these product offerings.

La Fina Cocina, will offer distinctive products found in traditional and contemporary Mexican kitchens to include aprons, table linen, and tableware.

The product line is available in 3 distinctive patterns:

• Old Mexico patterns

• Mexican contemporary patterns

• Chicana - iconic images, celebrated by today's popular culture.

Glo Jewelry

More details soon to come!

Madrid's Mercado de San Miquel - Great Ideas for the San Pedro Square Market!

Target @ First Now Open!

The anchor retail store in the 1.35 million square foot @First development is now open (at the intersection of 237 and First St). It happens to be one of the nicest Targets I've ever seen, and at almost 140,000sqft it's a sizable one as well. Up next for opening looks like one of the hotels and the rest of the Brocade Headquarters. In 2011 we should see some restaurants, small shops, a bank, and a second hotel pop up as well.

TechShop is Coming to San Jose!

As mentioned earlier today, TechShop is planning to open a Downtown San Jose location on 300 S. 2nd Street. At 17,000 sqft it would be one of, if not their largest location. TechShop is membership-based workshop that provides access to tools, equipment, and classes to allow creative people to build whatever they want. It's designed for artists, inventors, entrepreneurs, hackers, roboteers, arts & crafts enthusiats, etc. Instead of buying crazy expensive equipment to create things, you just get a monthly membership and have access to over a million dollars worth of equipment including cool stuff like 3D printers, metalworking and woodworking tools, laser cutters, and fast computer workstations. Think of it as a gym membership for people that want to build things.

What a tremendous resource this would be for Downtown San Jose! This would be 2 blocks away from SoFA (the artist mecca for the South Bay), 2 blocks away from San Jose State University, and in the neighborhood of several start-up companies and incubators. This type of easy-access workshop is exactly what we need to make the fires burn hotter in the burgeoning art and cultural districts of San Jose, particularly the Downtown core. There would also be a retail store open to everyone with basic supplies for projects, such as hardware, paint, pliers, safety equipment, electronic components, and reading materials.

Right now they are looking for help launching this location by asking for volunteers, membership pledges (you would get a membership if the San Jose location is opened), or donations. Fore more information, just click here.

Also here is a list of equipment that you would have access to with membership:

• Epilog Helix 60-Watt Laser Cutters
• Tormach CNC Milling Machines
• 3D Printer
• NextEngine 3D Scanner
• Formech 600 24" x 24" Vacuum Forming System
• Formech Heat Strip Bending System
• Morgan Industries Injection Molding System
• Sewing Machines
• Overlock Sewing Machine
• Tin Lizzie Quilting Machine
• Computer-Controlled Vinyl Cutter
• Powder Coating System
• Lincoln MIG Welders (Steel)
• Lincoln TIG Welders (Steel and Aluminum)
• Hand-Held Plasma Cutter
• Sheet Metal Spot Welder
• Sheet Metal Brake, 16 ga x 50"
• Rotary Sheet Metal Punch
• Sheet Metal Corner Notcher
• English Wheel and Planishing Hammer
• Sheet Metal Shear, 16 ga x 50"
• Sheet Metal Roller, 16 ga x 50"
• Sandblast Cabinet
• Metal Grinders and Sanders
• Metal Chop Saw
• Metal Horizontal Band Saw
• Metal Vertical Band Saw
• Computer Controlled Embroidery Sewing Machine
• Electronics Testing and Soldering Equipment
• Epson R1900 13" x 19" Achival Printer with Continuous Inking System
• ShopBot 4' x 8' CNC Wood Router System
• SawStop Professional Cabinet Table Saw
• Panel Saw
• Wood Planer
• Wood Jointer
• Wood Band Saw
• Wood Sanders
• Wood Scroll Saws
• Wood Lathe
• Drill Presses
• Metal Lathes, 14" x 40"
• Vertical Milling Machines with DRO and Power Feed
• Granite Surface Plate with Digital Height Gauges
• Lots of Machine Shop Accessories and Tooling
• Lots of Fast Computer Workstations with 2D and 3D Design Software
• Complete Stocked Tool Room
• Member Storage Rental
• Private Studio / Office Rental
• Meeting Rooms
• Comfortable HackerSpace Areas with Power and WiFi
• Retail Store with Supplies and Materials
• Free Coffee and Popcorn
• ...And LOTS More!

The Latest on the Downtown SJ Retail Front

I haven't checked out the SJ Redevelopment agency reports in a while, so I thought I would do a quick post on the latest info. Below is data from the August SJRA report. The MMoon is obviously already open and I'm really looking forward to Paesano's (the first restaurant in Little Italy), Pho 69, and Soho Cafe. In the SJ Development Forum, sjdowntownguy broke the news of a 7-Eleven coming to 15 N. Second (Dr. Eu building) and Bank of the West offices coming to 95 S. Market (former McWhorter's). Lastly, at the SJDA meeting yesterday I heard some really great news about TechShop coming to San Jose at 300 South 2nd Street. I found some additional details on this and will break it out into a separate blog post for later today. I think they would be a great addition to the downtown community!



New Retail Openings
• Morton’s Steakhouse – expansion (177 Park Ave.)
• Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt (567 Coleman Ave., Ste. 10)

New Retail Lease
• Soho Café (30 E. Santa Clara St., Fountain Alley)

Retail Under Construction
There are four retail stores or restaurants in the Downtown currently under construction or in the permitting process:

Opening Third Quarter 2010
• La Victoria - expansion (131 W. Santa Clara St.)
• Paesano’s Sicilian Restaurant (350 W. Julian St.)
• The MMoon Empanada Restaurant (177 W. Santa Clara St.)

Opening Fourth Quarter 2010
• Pho 69 Restaurant (321 South First St.)

San Pedro Square Market Press Release!

Foodies Rejoice! Bacon flavored ice cream. Spaghetti tacos. Pulled pork sammies with cole slaw and Carolina vinegar sauce.  Watch a martini fly through the air at 15 mph without spilling a drop. Step up to a bar that sells T-shirts, not alcohol. The San Pedro Square Market is coming soon!    A place unlike anything in the South Bay. Flash mobs, tango dancing, Shark away games projected on The Fallon House. We are breaking the mold with this project.   -Saturday morning fitness camps   -Grab a cocktail and walk from building to building while visiting your favorite vendors.   -Free music in the plaza! Everyday!   -Breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings---in the middle of St. John Street.    -Rock climbing walls, big wheel races, treasure hunts and stroller Jeopardy.   If we tell you anything else, it will ruin the surprise!   Foodies rejoice! Finally a we are going to have our own Food Mecca. No more searching for cool food. Our vendors will be pushing the envelope everyday with their products and flavors.