November 2013 Downtown Dimension Highlights

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

• Downtown Ice returned on Nov. 15th and half a million people are expected to visit Downtown during the Holidays.
• Apigee (a hot tech startup) has moved to a 41,000 SQFT space Downtown at 10 Almaden, leaving behind a 16,000 SQFT office in Palo Alto.
• Malwarebytes and Move.com also recently moved into 10 Almaden.
• Bridge Bank is adding 18,500 SQFT at its corporate headquarters at 55 Almaden.
• Smashburger is now serving up classic burgers at the San Jose Marketcenter [Josh: BJ's is now open as well]
• Thrive Therapy and Social Center is open at 25 Post and offers a full array of autism therapies for kids and young adults.
• Groundwerx spent October pruning overgrown limbs from trees Downtown [Josh: picking up some slack from city services that were cut due to budget cuts].
• On Dec. 15 thee TiVo Santa Run takes place, which is exactly what it sounds like... a run featuring people wearing Santa Costumes. Proceeds benefit Downtown Ice and Christmas in the Park.
• The SJDA maintained a balanced budget during its last fiscal year ($2.9 million budget)
• Aedis--an architectural firm--has moved into 9,000 SQFT of modern office space in SoFA and envisions a mini-San Pedro Square Market for their ground floor. The working title of the project is going to be the SoFA Market and it's scheduled to launch Spring 2014 [Josh: wohoo!!!]

To read the full newsletter, click here!

Apigee is Moving to Downtown San Jose!

Apigee is technology start-up that has become a major player in enterprise API (Application Programming Interface) management. APIs let companies open up their software so that other applications can communicate with them. Whenever you see a function on a website that lets you post to Facebook, Google+, Linkedin, or Twitter... that is all done using APIs.

Now to cut to the chase, Apigee is a hot Palo Alto company with IPO potential and they have decided to move to Downtown San Jose. They are upgrading from 16,000 SQFT at 260 Sheridan to 41,000 SQFT of office space that could house over 250 employees at 10 Almaden. This is the largest office lease for Downtown so far in 2013.

What is surprising is that 20% of Apigee workers live in San Francisco and take Caltrain to work. They found that most San Franciscans actually preferred the Downtown San Jose location since they can take a baby bullet train which does not service the California Avenue Caltrain stop. Hopefully, if Downtown continues on the current trajectory, we might be able to convert some of these San Franciscans to San Joseans.

Some other perks of moving to Downtown San Jose from Palo Alto is that the cost of the office space is far less expensive and there is plenty of room to grow. You also have access easy access to the SAP Center, the remodeled Convention Center, an international airport, Lightrail, and BART in the future. If we can get two or three more of these hot companies Downtown, I think it would have a strong positive impact on the brand of Downtown and put the area on the radar for a lot more hot growing companies in Silicon Valley. Already, the restaurant and residential markets are exploding and retail is improving at a steady pace, so it is just a matter of time before the office market catches up.

Source: SVBJ

TWO BUCK Tuesday Nov. 19th, 7pm

From Phantom Galleries

Join us at KALEID Gallery for this upcoming TWO BUCK Tuesday, November 19th, 7pm-10pm! Come enjoy an inspired evening of performances, live painting, $2 art, drop-in sketching table & quirky people get together! It’s open to all ages and free! Here are some of of the participating artists who will be joining us this time: Carolann Espino will help participants create a "Dream Collage". What if you could have the house, car, man, women, pet, garden, job you want?. Well you can through creating your own unique "Dream Collage" Visualizing your dreams is a powerful tool to create your goals and dreams. "Dream Collage" art feels you with a sense of excitement as you affirm your dreams through the power of art. Supplies will be provided except for canvas boards. (Those wishing to be part of the art can pick them up very reasonably at Michaels, 8x11 is a good size). She will provide stock paper if there are those who cannot afford canvas board. Al Preciado will sculpt large and amazing things out of common household foil. Come and get some sculpting tips from a pro! Nik Caesar will marvel you with his monsters! James Pollard will paint bold images in large strokes. Felipe Jimenez will brighten the day with his colorful artwork. Live performance from our friends Rebelskamp! TWO BUCK Tuesday is November 19th, 7pm-10pm! 88 South Fourth Street (@ San Fernando) San Jose, CA 95112 info@KALEIDGallery.com 408-947-1785 Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, noon -7pm Free admission

Indochino Pop-up Shop coming Downtown!

Indochino is an online menswear store that sells suits, tuxedos, and accessories. To show off their latest collection, they are setting up a pop-up shop right in the heart of Downtown (75 East Santa Clara, between 2nd and 3rd Street). There will be a tailor on hand and every suit purchase comes with an Art of Shaving kit in honor of Movember. For more info, check out the press release below.

I really hope we see more pop-ups like this in the future. These are exactly what we need to fill up vacant space until we get more MUJI's and San Pedro Square Markets Downtown. Side-note, Ike's Sandwiches is coming soon to this very same building and ISO: Beers will be across the street yet another neighbor inside of 75 East Santa Clara. This block is going to be completely different 6 months from now.


~~~

Indochino Custom Menswear Debuts in San Jose

with Traveling Tailor Nov 18-24

VANCOUVER BC- November 6, 2013 - Indochino – the leader in custom online menswear – is coming to San Jose for the first time after a series of successful stores in New York, Chicago and San Francisco.  The Traveling Tailor pop-up store lands in the city November 18^th at 75 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 150. The temporary retail experience gives men the chance to get custom suits, shirts and outerwear for a fraction of the price of bespoke.

“Indochino is all about helping guys look and feel great,” explains Kyle Vucko, Indochino Co-Founder and CEO. “I started the company to create the best retail experience for guys – an ecommerce site that allows customization with ease. Traveling Tailor evolves that concept by taking the experience offline, for men who want to meet with a stylist, feel the fabrics and talk through their options.”

Get the deluxe experience with one-on-one personalized shopping – VIP treatment that results in great fitting, stylish clothing that men want to wear every day. Men who book a 30-minute appointment will be guided through the measurement and customization process. Suits start at $449, shirts start at $79 and all customizations are free.

Traveling Tailor San Jose will be located at 75 East Santa Clara Street, Suite 150 from November 18^th to 24^th. Hours are: 8am-8pm weekdays, Saturdays 9am-8pmand Sundays 10am-7pm. Appointments can be made at:http://www.indochino.com/traveling-tailor/sanjose

In honor of Movember, over the course of San Jose’s Traveling Tailor, men who purchase a suit will be treated to a complimentary Art of Shaving kit.

About Indochino

Founded in 2007 in Vancouver, BC, Indochino is leading the retail revolution by providing custom clothing to the modern man who wants to look good and live well. From button stance to pocket slant, lapel width to vent slits--every suit is made to individual measurements and tastes. To learn more about Indochino, visit www.indochino.com. To receive updates on Indochino's latest collections, join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/indochino or on Twitter and Instagram at: @indochino.

Saturday Stats: San Jose #5 in Economic Strength Index

San Jose is the only Californian city to rank in the top 10 local economies list for the whole United States. This study looked at 102 major metros and is based on 18 different components (full details below). Texas continues to dominate with Austin, Dallas, and Houston in the top 5, but it is nice to see San Jose representing on the list.

Source: SVBJ

SOURCES

All raw data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and are the latest available figures as of the second Monday of the current month.

TYPES OF CALCULATIONS

The formula for the On Numbers Economic Index has 18 components. They fall into four general categories:

• Five-year changes are calculated between the latest available data and the corresponding data for the same month (or quarter) five years ago.

• One-year changes are calculated between the latest available data and the corresponding data for the same month (or quarter) one year ago.

• Long-term trends are calculated over five one-year intervals: between the same month (or quarter) five years ago and four years ago, between the same month four years ago and three years ago, between the same month three years ago and two years ago, between the same month two years ago and one year ago, and between the same month one year ago and now. Those five percentages are then combined into a single score.

• Current rates are the latest rates available.

FORMULA COMPONENTS

These are the 18 components of the formula:

1. Five-year change in private-sector employment.

2. One-year change in private-sector employment.

3. Long-term trend in private-sector employment.

4. Five-year change in unemployment rates.

5. Current unemployment rate.

6. Long-term trend in unemployment rates.

7. Five-year change in weekly earnings per private-sector worker.

8. One-year change in weekly earnings per private-sector worker.

9. Long-term trend in weekly earnings per private-sector worker.

10. Five-year change in construction-sector employment.

11. One-year change in construction-sector employment.

12. Long-term trend in construction-sector employment.

13. Five-year change in retail-sector employment.

14. One-year change in retail-sector employment.

15. Long-term trend in retail-sector employment.

16. Five-year change in house values. (House values are updated quarterly. All other factors are updated monthly.)

17. One-year change in house values.

18. Long-term trend in house values.

SCORING

Markets are ranked from top to bottom in all 18 components. The top market in each component receives 100 points; the bottom markets receives zero. Others are evenly distributed in between. Second place, for example, is worth 99.01 points, third place is worth 98.02, and so on.

FORMULA WEIGHTING

These components count for 10 percent each of a market's final score: 2, 5, 8 and 17. (All numbers come from the components section above.)

These components count for 5 percent each: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 11, 14, 16 and 18.

These components count for 2.5 percent each: 10, 12, 13 and 15.

Final scores are expressed on a 100-point scale.

SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM SCORES

Separate short-term and long-term scores are also calculated for each market. Both are expressed on a 100-point scale.

The short-term score reflects recent movement in the local economy, while the long-term score takes a five-year perspective.

Short-term scores are a composite of all one-year changes and current rates: 2, 5, 8, 11, 14 and 17.

Long-term scores are a composite of all five-year changes and long-term trends: 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16 and 18.

50 West And Downtown Property Owners Unveil "The Halo" of Lights at the Circle of Palms!

Brace yourself for a HUGE improvement to Downtown Ice and the Circle of Palms area in Downtown San Jose this year. A state-of-the-art LED lighting system was just installed on the 32 palm trees in the circle. The lights can illuminate in any color, be individually controlled, and can even be synced to music. I love this concept, the SJDA should be really proud of this project! Check out the video below for a demonstration.

This is exactly the type of lighting that we should install throughout Downtown! The best part is that the lighting system will be staying put even after Downtown Ice ends. I think it will complement the San Jose Museum of Art quite nicely.

As for Downtown Ice, it opens today with a special unveiling of "the Halo" at 6pm. Every night from 6pm-9pm there will be a light show synced to music. The rink will be open until 10pm Sunday through Thursday and until Midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

~~~

Downtown Ice outdoor skating rink opens 

FRIDAY, NOV. 15 in Downtown San Jose

What / When:

FRIDAY, NOV. 15, 6 p.m.  -  PHOTO OPPORTUNITY:  The unveiling of “The Halo,” a light show of high-powered state-of-the-art RGB pixel light strings on the 32 palms comprising the Circle of Palms, choreographed to music.

To see a test of the light display conducted last week, click on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHz0fYeO1ko&feature=em-upload_owner

The lights will be up year-round and were installed to coincide with the opening of Hawaiian Airlines-Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice skating rink at the same location. When not dancing to music, the lights remain on a “screen-saver”-like mode that loops every 40 minutes.

During the skating season, the choreographed light and music shows will take place at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. nightly.                    

Who:            

The San Jose Downtown Association produces Downtown Ice and manages the beautification activities of the downtown PBID. 

CBRE Global Investors, the owner of 50 West, the property on which the Circle of Palms and Downtown Ice rink resides.

Where:        

Circle of Palms located between the San Jose Museum of Art and the Fairmont Hotel, 120 Market St., downtown San Jose.

Visuals:      

The iconic ice rink celebrates its 10th year.  The rink combines two circular ice sheet:  one inside the 32 palms, the other outside the circle of trees.

The palms, which previous shined in white lights, now sport RGB pixel light strings that can produce every color in the spectrum.  The lights can be programmed to form patterns and can change into colors that match a musical soundtrack.

More When:

The annual Hawaiian Airlines / Kristi Yamaguchi Downtown Ice Skating Rink opening celebration is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, just before the official opening of Christmas in the Park.

Rink is open 5 p.m.-midnight Friday

Noon-midnight Saturday

Noon- 10 p.m. Sunday

5 p.m.- 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday     

2013 San Jose Holiday Art Market

Come support local art and artists at the San Jose Holiday Art Market this weekend! The event takes place at the Historic Reed House (San Jose Landmark #160) at 328 North 6th Street from 11am-4pm and you can see some of the items that were sold last year at http://sjartmarket.wix.com/shop. More information below.

PRESS RELEASE

Name of event:  2013 San Jose Holiday Art Market

Date and Time:  Saturday, November 16, 2013 11:00am-4:00pm and

                            Sunday, November 17, 2013 11:00am-4:00pm

Venue:                The Historic Reed House

Street address:   328 North Sixth Street, San Jose, CA

Admission cost: FREE

Contact Person: Dianne Hoffman 415-519-5779 / sjartmarket@gmail.com

Website:              http://sjartmarket.wix.com/shop

Description of event:

The San Jose Holiday Art Market returns to the Historic Reed House for its 3rd annual exhibition the weekend of November 16th & 17th. This exquisite arts, crafts, & design fair is free to attend and will run from 11am - 4pm each day, providing an excellent and fun opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping.

A beautiful Victorian home in the Hensley District, the Historic Reed House is classified as San Jose's landmark #160. A unique and intimate salon setting will feature a top-notch group of select Bay Area talents. Complimentary tea and holiday sweets will be offered on both days.

Expect to find a wide variety of incredible handmade goods at the Market - ranging from assemblage, dolls, jewelry, paintings, photography, sculpture, terrariums, and more.

For every $10 spent, customers will receive a raffle ticket to enter in an hourly drawing. Winners will be awarded handmade, original works donated by participating artists.

Gray Matter Analytics Comes to San Jose

Yet another company is branching out to Downtown San Jose. Gray Matter is a data analytics consulting firm based in Chicago. They are hoping to have about 50 employees Downtown by 2015. No exact address has been determined yet, but I'm sure we will be getting that information in the not-too-distant future.

~~~

Gray Matter Analytics Breaks onto Tech Scene with Analytical Predictive Modeling Services

Big Data Company Offers Healthcare and Financial Institutions Opportunity to Gain a New and Distinct Edge Over Competitors

CHICAGO, IL – Gray Matters Analytics, a recently launched consulting firm with offices in Chicago and San Jose, offers data analytics and predictive modeling consulting services for healthcare and financial institutions. Founded by Shelia Talton in 2013 Gray Matter Analytics offers a unique product neutral service focused on business value that helps clients increase productivity, efficiency and revenue growth.

“Analysis shows aggressive growth projections for data analytics, predicative modeling and cloud computing,” said Shelia Talton, CEO of Gray Matter Analytics. “Our strategy is to empower enterprise customers in healthcare and financial services for success by helping them gain insight into their data as well as the industry and public data they need to aggregate in order to make informed business decisions.”

New advances in technology are allowing a simplified yet innovative approach to data analysis and predictive modeling services. Gray Matter Analytics enables clients to ask questions about their data, understand what the data is telling them, and uncover the quick wins that can help identify their return on investment in the implementation of comprehensive data architecture. These capabilities allow clients to rapidly identify the best solution for their business objectives, whether it’s increased productivity, efficiency, growth or all of the above.

“Companies are struggling to solve important business issues and to make better, fact-based decisions,” continued Talton. “With the use of the Gray Matter Advanced Analytics Center, these organizations can leverage critical resources to improve their use of data analytics, an area where they need specialized consulting services in order to compete.”

Gray Matter Analytics provides a “Mind” Assessment that includes a unique, eight-week evaluation with in-depth analysis that provides a comprehensive understanding of client’s business objectives and enterprise architecture. The process is comprised of four phases, define, measure, analyze and recommend. In the first phase experts examine current data usage and business objectives, followed by industry comparisons in the second phase. An ROI analysis and road map make up the third portion of the assessment and the process is concluded with accelerated solutions.

Consultations are provided by professionals with technology consulting experience in financial services and healthcare institutions as well experience in big data, data architecture, statistics and predictive analytics.

For more information on Gray Matter Analytics visit: http://graymatteranalytics.com.

Valley Fair Expansion and New Stores

It looks like that much talked about Valley Fair expansion originally detailed in 2009 is finally moving forward. The recession put a stop to Westfield's ambitious plans to add 650,000 SQFT of retail space, bringing the mall to over 2 million SQFT and making it far and away the largest mall in Northern California. In late October, Westfield applied for a building permit to build a 6-story, 1.4 million SQFT parking structure at the corner Monroe and Forest Avenue, which is presumably to prepare for it's expansion.

Inside the mall, they are continuing to shoot for higher-end retailers. In 2014, Giorgio Armani will be opening a store. Exclusive brands like Rabeanco, Miu Miu, Prada, David Yurman, and Ferragamo have already opened up shop. Others like Banana Republic and Brookstone are upgrading to flagship stores. They even remodeled what was already a pretty nice food court to better cater towards shoppers with expensive tastes. It will be really interesting to see what this mall ends up looking like after the next few years.

Source: Anonymous Poster, SVBJ

The new Prada store at Valley Fair

City Ventures Building 550 Homes at Former IBM Site

Quite a few developments are in the queue for the area where 101 and 85 meet in South San Jose (where there was once an IBM Disk Drive facility). City Ventures will be one of the first to break ground and will turn 14 acres near Cottle and Monterey roads in 550 homes, 400 of which will be rentals (4-story building wrapped around a parking garage). The 150 for-sale units will all feature solar panels and will be prewired for electric cars in the garages. The project is also near the Blossom Hill Caltrain station, giving residents easy access to anything on the Caltrain corridor.

Lennar is also planning to build 840 units on 40 acres. St. Anton Partners is building a 275-unit apartment complex, and Hunter Properties is already under construction with a large retail project in the area. When all is said and done, the area will have almost 3,000 housing units and 320,000 SQFT of retail space.

Source: SVBJ

City Ventures Homes in Morgan Hill