Avnet Moving to North San Jose

Avnet is a huge Fortune 500 company that distributes technology components to businesses. The company is headquartered in Phoenex and during its last fiscal year it had revenues of $25.5 billion. Their current Silicon Valley diggs are in Milpitas, but they have decided to move to 52,685 SQFT at the Montague Corporate Center in San Jose's Golden Triangle.

Source: SVBJ

Santana Row December 2013 Happenings

Below is this month's news and events at Santana Row. One big item to note is the Blue Illusions opening. This is a brand with multiple locations in Australia and New Zealand, and they have just opened their first location in the United States at Santana Row.

Santana Row December 2013 Happenings

 and A Look Ahead to 2014

Events, Promotions, New Openings at Silicon Valley’s Premier Destination


San Jose, CA – Happy holidays from Santana Row! The Row is bright and cheery, celebrating the season with traditional festivities. Join us in our community charity drives, including “One Warm Coat” and benefit events for Humane Society Silicon Valley and Second Harvest Food Bank.

Blue Illusion Opens in Time for the Holidays

The new women’s clothing boutique opened in late November featuring a popular selection of French-inspired fashion. Launched in Australia more than 15 years ago by Donna and Danny Guest, Blue Illusion is committed to maintain its charming formula of a local & personal boutique feel. Its first U.S. location is at 355 Santana Row, next to Urban Outfitters.

“One Warm Coat” Drive Continues through Dec. 31

The annual coat drive began on the day after Thanksgiving and continues through the year. Donate a new or gently used coat and it will be given to a needy family this winter. Drop-off locations includeCineArts Theatre, Crate & Barrel, Sur La Table and the Santana Row Concierge. The charity coat drive continues through Dec. 31.

For more information: call 408.551.4611 or visitwww.santanarow.com.

Santana Row holiday hours:

Christmas Eve: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Christmas: Closed

New Year’s Eve: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

New Year’s Day: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Shop, Enjoy and Give” Holiday Wine & Dine Around: A Benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank

Dec. 3, 10 and 17, Tuesdays

Help those in need while you complete your holiday shopping during Santana Row’s “Shop, Enjoy & Give” event that benefits Second Harvest Food Bank. Purchase a $10 ticket on SantanaRow.com or at the Concierge center and receive complimentary food and wine tastings in Santana Row shops and restaurants between 6 and 8 p.m.on designated Tuesdays. Also included: a signature Santana Row wine glass and exclusive holiday shopping discounts. Bring a donation of canned food when you purchase your ticket and receive $2 off the ticket. (Customers must be 21 years or older.)

Mommy & Me & Daddies, Too: “Celebrate the Season”

Dec. 10 and every second Tuesday of the month, through December

The last Mommy & Me & Daddies, Too for the year includes live entertainment from Andy Z, story time with Mrs. Claus, sampling from Happy Baby Brands, mini manicures from Lavande nail salon, a raffle from The Container Store, arts and crafts with Action Day Primary Plus, Balloon Animals and Face Painting and more!

When: 10 a.m. to noon, weather permitting, at Park Valencia. The rainy day/cold weather location is the lobby of CineArts theater. Mommy & Me & Daddies, Too is a free kids’ club held on the secondTuesday of every month from May through December. For more information, call 408.551.4611 or visit www.SantanaRow.com.

Left Bank Brassiere, New Year’s Eve Dining

Tuesday, Dec. 31

Left Bank Brasserie opens at 11:30 a.m. with the last seating at 11:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve to celebrate the late day of 2013. The restaurant is serving a limited regular a la carte dinner menu plus a $64.50 four-course prix fixe menu with main course choices of Rosemary Crusted Wild Boar Tenderloin with balsamic vinegar braised red cabbage and creamy parmesan polenta or Surf and Turf with pan roasted filet mignon, Béarnaise sauce, garlic butter roasted Maine lobster tail, star anise carrot purée and braised escarole. The restaurant's regular lunch menu will be served and there will not be Happy Hour service that day. Prix fixe menu items will be offered on an a la carte basis. Decorations will include balloons and streamers and guests for the evening's last seating will receive a complimentary sparkling wine toast and party favors at midnight.

LB Steak, New Year's Eve Dining

Tuesday, Dec. 31

LB Steak opens at 11:30 a.m. with the last seating at 10:00 p.m. and will serve a limited regular a la carte dinner menu plus a $71.50 four-course prix fixe menu with main course choices of Seared Liberty Duck Breast with Anson Mills rice grit cake, caramelized endive and kumquat balsamic gastrique; fennel and orange poached lobster with uova di ravioli, lobster butter, Bloomsdale Farms spinach and shaved truffles; or Darling Downs A7 wagyu rib eye with celery root purée, braised salsify, crispy brussels sprouts leaves and tempura maitake mushrooms. The restaurant's regular lunch menu will be served and there will not be Happy Hour service that day. Prix fixe menu items will be offered on an a la carte basis. Decorations will include balloons and streamers and guests for the evening's last seating will receive a complimentary sparkling wine toast and party favors at midnight.

Rainy Day Rewards, now through March 31, 2014

When there’s a 70 percent or greater chance for rain, shoppers and diners braving bad weather will be rewarded with discounts that include 15 percent off purchases at participating shops and restaurants, a free signature Santana Row golf umbrella for customers who spend $150 anywhere on The Row and a $20 gift certificate to a participating shop or restaurant for customers who spend $300 on a designated Rainy Day.

No need to get wet: On all rainy days, customers can pick up a complimentary umbrella to use while shopping and dining and then return it before leaving. The yellow umbrellas are conveniently located throughout The Row - outside Concierge, Via between Village California Bistro and Lark Creek Blue and the valet parking lot in the Winchester Parking Garage.

Twitter Promotion @SantanaRow Invites Tweets #LifeOnTheRow

For a Chance to Win Gift Cards to Restaurants at The Row

Join Santana Row’s Twitter campaign and photo contest through the @SantanaRow Twitter handle. The contest invites anyone at Santana Row to Tweet photos of a new outfit, haircut, meal, event or artsy shots and then Tweet it to Santana Row with the hash tag #LifeonTheRow. Every month, Santana Row will post an album on Facebook with all of the photos with the #LifeonTheRow hash tag. The person who took the best or most original photo will win a gift card to a Santana Row restaurant.

A look ahead to the New Year…

Wine & Dine Around Benefit for the American Heart Association, Feb. 8, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

More than a dozen Santana Row shops and restaurants host exclusive in-store events with complimentary wine and food pairings and incredible one-time discounts available only to ticketholders, all to benefit the American Heart Association. The wine stroll begins on Olin Avenue at 2 p.m. Tickets are $30 and include access to all in-store events, a Heart Card shopping pass, wine bottle tote bag and a signature Santana Row wine glass. Tickets available in person at Concierge or online at santanarow.com.

Chinese New Year Celebration, Saturday, Feb. 22

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Santana Row celebrates the Year of the Horse with an afternoon of Chinese New Year festivities, including the exciting drumbeats and crashing cymbals of the Dragon and Lion dances and other traditional live performances celebrating the start of a new year.

Third Annual 408K Race to the Row, Sunday, March 2 

The eight-kilometer road race that benefits the Pat Tillman Foundation and its Team Tillman initiative is winding through the streets of San Jose for the third year in a row. It starts at HP Pavilion and ends at Santana Row. The 8K event last year drew more than 4,000 runners.

For information and registration, go to: www.run408k.com

About Santana Row

Santana Row a 1.5 million square foot mixed used development in the heart of San Jose, California, is Silicon Valley's premier destination for shopping,

dining, living and nightlife. Surrounded by landscaped gardens, parks and plazas, Santana Row features over 70 retail shops, more than 20 acclaimed restaurants, a 212-room boutique hotel and six-screen movie theatre. In addition to the dynamic retail collection, Santana Row offers 622 residential units featuring a fitness center, rooftop pool and resort-living accommodations, and 65,000 square feet of office space at 300 Santana Row, its newest office address. Santana Row is a property of www.federalrealty.com (NYSE:FRT), headquartered in Rockville, Maryland. For more information, please visitwww.santanarow.com.

About Federal Realty

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust specializing in the ownership, management, development, and redevelopment of high quality retail assets. Federal Realty's portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) contains approximately 20 million square feet located primarily in strategically selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and California. In addition, the Trust has an ownership interest in approximately 1.0 million square feet of retail space through a joint venture in which the Trust has a 30% interest. Our operating portfolio (excluding joint venture properties) was 95.3% leased to national, regional, and local retailers as of September 30, 2013, with no single tenant accounting for more than approximately 3.4% of annualized base rent. Federal Realty has paid quarterly dividends to its shareholders continuously since its founding in 1962, and has increased its dividend rate for 46 consecutive years, the longest record in the REIT industry. Federal Realty is an S&P MidCap 400 company and its shares are traded on the NYSE under the symbol FRT.

Alaskan Airlines Adds Salt Lake Route at SJC

Starting on June 9th, 2014, San Jose International will be getting a new nonstop service to Salt Lake City by Alaskan Airlines. Currently, only Delta offers a nonstop to Salt Lake from SJC. The new offering will give travelers more options and competition does a pretty good job at keeping prices low. Now if only we could get a new international flight or two.

Source: SVBJ

Thre Great Flood of March 7th, 1911

Check out yet another short history lesson below from our friends at WMS Media. This video showcases a flood that turned San Fernando Street into what looks like a river. I also love the plug for Orchestria Palm Court, one of the coolest restaurants in the Bay Area.


The Great Flood of March 7, 1911 - San Jose from WMS media Inc. on Vimeo.

Silicon Valley (Santa Clara and San Jose) Hosting WrestleMania 31 in 2015

Levi's Stadium has landed yet another huge event, and San Jose will be one of the key benefactors. WrestleMania is from what I understand like the Super Bowl of wrestling events. The last one completely sold out the MetLife Stadium in New York (2nd photo below), generated $100 million in economic impact for the host area, and over one million people purchased it on pay-per-view. While I was not one of those people, I greatly appreciate the fact that the new stadium is bringing WrestelMania 31 to the area in 2015.

How exactly will San Jose benefit? WrestleMania Axxess--a four day interactive fan festival--will take place at the San Jose Convention Center. The 2015 WWE Hall of Fame Induction will be at the SAP Center, as will the Monday Night Raw event. Other parties and events will likely also be held in the Downtown San Jose area, which make perfect sense given it's just a quick Lightrail or Amtrak ride away. Visitors will most likely be flying in via San Jose International and I bet quite a few extra hotel rooms will be booked Downtown or along North First specifically for this event.

WrestleMania 31 goes down on Sunday, March 29, 2015. I hope we'll see many more big events like this at the Stadium where there is a direct positive impact to San Jose.

Source: Levi's Stadium News

Skyy Vodka is Bottled in San Jose?

Someone mentioned to me a while back that they thought Skyy was manufactured in San Jose. I finally made it over to their Wiki page, and it looks like this is true! Production and bottling for Skyy Vodka is handled by Frank-Lin Distillers in San Jose. Ethanol is delivered using the railroad system, then the ethanol is mixed with filtered and deionized water and flavoring is added (for certain Vodkas).

Now you know that when you order a martini or mixed drink, if you pick Skyy vodka you are benefiting a San Jose company and the local economy. Speaking of which, I have a whole Google Doc filled with local companies that can help you prioritize your holiday shopping selections. You can access it right over here.

Source: Wiki

I Am History San Jose Video

Saturday Stats: Homes Selling Fastest in San Jose

Home listings in San Jose have been on fire lately. 49% of October listings were in contract within two weeks (essentially the homes are sold barring any unforeseen circumstances). This compares to 41% in San Francisco. The average for all the metros that Redfin tracks is 28%.

Source: SocketSite