San Pedro Square Market Video (by SJMADE)

Icebreakers Coming to Santana Row

A hot New Zealand company called Icebreaker that specializes in wool adventure apparel is coming to Santana Row. Why is this significant? There are currently only 5 of these stores in the US: New York (two there), San Francisco, and Portland (their HQ is there). Instead of Chicago or LA, they're choosing San Jose for their next store. This is a good sign that we're being starting to be seen as a key city for retail. Full press release below.

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Icebreaker Breaks Ground on Second Store in Northern California

- New Zealand merino wool apparel company to open second California store in September 2012 -

Wellington, New Zealand (April 24, 2012) – Icebreaker, the New Zealand company that pioneered the merino wool adventure apparel category, today announced it will open a new TouchLab store in San Jose, California, in the heart of Silicon Valley. 

Icebreaker’s new 1,500-square-foot TouchLab will open in September 2012, in Santana Row, a mixed-use development in the heart of San Jose and Silicon Valley’s premier destination for shopping, dining, living and nightlife. The store will be located at 356 Santana Row, across the street from Hotel Valencia Santana Row.

“We’re excited to be in the Silicon Valley, where people play as hard as they work and have an affinity toward what’s new and innovative,” says Jeremy Moon, founder and CEO of Icebreaker.

“Icebreaker is perfect for active Californians who value high performance apparel. It has something for everyone - from runners, cyclists and other fitness enthusiasts looking for a natural alternative to synthetics, to Santana Row shoppers with an eye for new and beautiful apparel,” Moon added. 

The San Jose TouchLab store will feature Icebreaker's complete line of pure merino wool apparel, including its Outdoor, Running, Travel, Kids, Underwear and City collections and Socks and Accessories, all made from handpicked merino wool born in the Southern Alps of New Zealand.

The store will allow shoppers to touch Icebreaker merino, known for being so soft that people often don’t even realize it’s wool. The store's Tactile Gallery will have garments that explain the functional benefits of Icebreaker merino – it’s soft, non-itch, odour-resistant and highly breathable. Merino also regulates temperatures, which means it warms in the cold and cools in the heat.

“Merino is so beautiful that we want people to touch the fabric and start a conversation about it,” said Moon.

Icebreaker opened its first California TouchLab store in San Francisco in November 2011. The company has three other USTouchLabs: one in Portland, Oregon (home of its US headquarters), and two in New York City – Soho and the Meatpacking District. In Canada, there are TouchLabs in Vancouver, British Columbia, and in Montréal, Canada. 

The San Jose TouchLab will be open Monday through Thursday, 10 am to 9 pm, Friday and Saturday, 10 am to 10 pm, and Sunday, 11 am to 6 pm.

Note to Editors: PHOTOS OF SOHO (NEW YORK CITY) TOUCHLAB. Credit: Ty Cole.
Click on images to download hi-res images.

San Jose Bike Clinic this Sunday @ SPSM

Bike to Work Day is May 10—are you ready? Do you have a bike that's been gathering dust? Flat tire, creaky chain, sloppy shifting and squishy brakes?

Bring your bike down to the San Jose Bike Clinic Bike to Work Gear-Up on April 29 from noon to 4 p.m., and we'll show you how to fix those problems yourself, as well as provide you with a checklist so you know how to look for these problems on your own on May 10. Or, just come and hang out!

What: Bike repair and route planning classes, bike stands and tools so you can wrench under the guidance of our bike repair coaches, a safety ride to refresh your memory or teach you how to ride safely on the streets. We can even give you a personalized expert consultation on route planning!

When: Sunday April 29, noon to 4 p.m.

Where: San Pedro Square Market, Saint James and San Pedro streets, Downtown San Jose.

RSVP: Please RSVP if you can attend, and share with friends, at https://www.facebook.com/events/373591872685809/.

More Info: If you have questions or comments, visit www.sjbikeclinic.org orwww.facebook.com/SanJoseBikeClinic and leave a comment.

Screening of Marty's Magnificent Day-Glo Dream-a-Thon @ Camera 3 Tomorrow

Tomorrow a feature lengh Sci-Fi / Rock Musical partially shot by SJSU students (as both cast and crew) is premiering at Camera 3. You can check out a trailer right over here: http://vimeo.com/23776687 as well as an animated sequence from the film here: http://vimeo.com/34714726. More info below!

Wednesday Wishlist: Latest Moffett/SJC 2025 Concept

Today's Wednesday Wishlist comes courtesy of Anthony Dominguez. This is actually a revised version of the proposal posted last year regarding moving SJC to Moffett Field. As always, I'm sure there are going to be a lot of comments around this.

The main changes in this version are:

1) New runway is 7,000 ft in length vs. 10,000ft.

2) Hangar One is now envisioned as the iconic airport terminal of a future SJC, vs Hangar's Two and Three.

3) Road access provided via new roadway system and ramps from Ellis Street/101.

4) 40-gates vs 50, which is the maximum now envisioned for current Mineta/SJC.

Click here to read the full proposal!

SJ Beerwalk #2 @ Japantown, Apr 28th

SJ Beerwalk - Japantown Japantown San Jose San Jose, CA SJ Beerwalk is back for Round 2 Japantown San Jose Saturday, April 28th, 1 to 5 pm Bigger. Better. Bolder. Whether you attended the first, sold out Beerwalk in February or missed out on all the fun, the upcoming SJ Beerwalk in Japantown should not be missed! Tucked away minutes from Downtown San Jose, sits the charming Japantown business district. Stoll the streets and discover all the unique boutique shops, art studios, and great restaurants you cannot find anywhere else in San Jose. All while sipping on great beers and enjoying the social enthusiasm of shopkeepers and beer lovers, alike. SJ Beerwalk was created around more than the idea of sampling great beers, but rather to provide the outlet for our community to come together to explore the neighborhoods and small businesses, which help make San Jose the great city it is today. Bigger. More local craft beers with IPA offerings like Firehouse, Rock Bottom, Strike, Faultline, and Campbell Brewing. More participating businesses and pourers to thin out and speed up lines and fill your glasses faster. Better. Consistent pours to ensure everyone experiences every beer. More registration locations with full bars and ticket scanning to speed up the check-in process and provide drinks before, during, and after the event. More bathrooms throughout the walk for your convenience. Bolder. IPA themed, the majority of the beers will be IPAs with a few Japantown favorites, such as Kirin, Napoli, and Primo mixed in. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $30 at Jack's Bar & Lounge or online at www.sjbeerwalk.com. In the case the event does not sell out tickets can be purchased day of for $36. Registration begins at noon (12pm). Event runs from 1 to 5pm. Raffle held at 5:20pm. For more information visit www.sjbeerwalk.com or like us of Facebook at SJ Beerwalk. To benefit the Japantown Business Association (JBA) and Iwaki-Hisanohama Hanabi Taikai 2012 (Japan Relief, see http://hisanohama.wordpress.com) Disclaimer: Event is rain or shine. All tastings are 3 ounces. Only one tasting per each style of beer. Drinks must be consumed inside the tasting locations. We do not guarantee that everyone will make it to every tasting location. We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Drink Responsibly Minimum Age: 21

Contact

Who:	Jordan Trigg
Phone:	408-287-5225
Email:	info@jacksbarsanjose.com
Web:	http://www.sjbeerwalk.com

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Event Owner: SJ Beerwalk On BPT Since: March 28, 2012 Twitter: Follow @sjbeerwalk Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sjbeerwalk

Touchstone Climbing & Fitness is Open in SoFA

This post is long overdue, but better late than never. Touchstone Climbing & Fitness is back in San Jose and this time they actually have some height (their previous spot near Camera 12 only had a 13 or 14 foot wall). Their new space in SoFA was originally a theater, then it became a 3-story nightclub, and now it's been gutted and turned into a cavernous rock climbing gym. This is a perfect example of how eclectic Downtown is becoming. On the same street you have art galleries, the California Theater, The Stage, First St. Billiards, night clubs, multiple restaurants, Singlebarrel, offices, apartments, and now this. I can't wait to see how things continue to develop.

San Jose's Touchstone is at 396 South 1st Street and it's open Mon-Fri 6am-10pm and Sat-Sun 9am-6pm. For more info check out their website over here.

Archaeology Days are coming to History Park

Dig into San José’s Past – Archaeology Days at History Park On Sunday, April 29 and Sunday, May 20 from 11 AM to 4 PM

San José, CA – April 4, 2012 – Dig Into  San José’s Past with Stanford Archaeology Center students at History Park. The students will assist visitors by conducting a mock excavation, screening,  artifact identification and artifact reconstruction on Sunday, April 29 and Sunday, May 20, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 

On Sunday, April 29 at History Park, this family educational program will allow individuals to collect stickers for each activity to place in Archaeology Passports and become ‘certified’ as a Junior Archaeologist. The trolley will be available for a ride around the park, as well as handcar rides. Other activities will include visits to the Print Shop and live music by Fiddle Road throughout the afternoon.

Making fish kites will help celebrate Japanese Children’s Day, and Chinese dragon hats will coincide with the reading of Chinese folk tales, such as Tales of a Chinese Grandmother.

Rae Chang and Adam Tow will be available to present their movie documentary on China’s first feminist, Autumn Gem, which will screened at 2 PM in the first floor conference room inside the Pacific Hotel.  Autumn Gem is a film about Qui Jim (1875-1907 a radical women's rights activist who defied tradition to become the leader of a revolutionary army.  She attempted an armed uprising against the Quing Dynasty and became the first female martyr for China's 1911 Revolution.

Then on Sunday, May 4 History San Jose and Happy Hollow Park and Zoo will celebrate with Kelley Park neighbor, the Japanese Friendship Garden.

Coincidentally, this year on May 4^th marks the 125^th anniversary of the fire that destroyed downtown San José’s Chinatown, where today’s Fairmont Hotel stands on Market Street.John Heinlen, a local businessman, braved death threats to lease property to the displaced Chinese people at Taylor and Sixth Streets. It then became known as Heinlenville, in what is today’s Japantown in San Jose.

Besides ‘Digging Up San José’s Past’ at the Sunday, May 20^th Archaeology Day, History San José will recognize the month of May as Asian American Heritage Month.

To celebrate Asian American Heritage, there also will be Samarai hat-making, Vietnamese lanterns, Chinese drums and more.

As  afiliates of History San José, the Ng Ching Gung of the Chinese Heritage Cultural Project (CHCP) and the Immigrant Resettlement & Cultural Center (IRCC), the Museum of the Boat People & Republic of Vietnam , located inside History Park, will be open.

For more information call 408 918-1047 or visit www.historysanjose.org

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About History San José: 

History San José is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the continuing history of the Santa Clara Valley.  HSJ manages one of the largest and most comprehensive regional history collections in the State of California, from 1784 Spanish governmental records to twenty-first century Silicon Valley technology.  History San José aspires to provide innovative national leadership in preserving and sharing regional history by engaging diverse audiences in exploring the varieties of human experience that contributes to the continuing history of San José and the Santa Clara Valley. 

History San José     1650 Senter Road     San José, CA  95112       408.287.2290

www.historysanjose.org