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San Jose Flea Market owners will pay millions to help vendors relocate amid looming development plans. But it will be some time before the retailers see a cent of that money. Roberto Gonzalez, president of the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association, told San José Spotlight he believed the Bumb family, which owns the flea market,...
San Jose Flea Market vendors upset with long-term rent option
San Jose Flea Market vendors are upset by a new agreement that requires six months of rent in advance to get a better long-term rental option. Vendors asked the market owners for something akin to long-term leases for protection against immediate displacement. But it appears they misinterpreted the flea market’s license offer as a lease. A...
San Jose’s overtime cost highlights shortage of skilled trade workers
Overtime is the only way to keep certain key services afloat in San Jose, with the search for skilled labor a constant struggle. The city relies on some employees working longer hours and picking up extra shifts to keep operations running, a practice officials and experts say is fueled by persistent vacancies and uncompetitive compensation....
Proposed Costco fires up some San Jose residents
Costco wants to grow its San Jose footprint—this time in the Westgate West shopping center off Prospect Road. But the proposal isn’t sitting well with local residents. “Nobody likes seeing empty buildings for long periods of time, so it is important to fill it in with viable businesses or dense housing. But let’s get creative,”...
Redistricting is firing up small business owners in San Jose
Small businesses are riled up over proposed maps from the San Jose Redistricting Commission that they say create a divide and hamper COVID recovery efforts. Groups representing small businesses across the city say maps being considered by the redistricting commission could split their neighborhoods. That could spell trouble for many small and minority-owned businesses. By...
Two San Jose economies: Downtown tanked, Santana Row thrived
With a lack of tech workers and foot traffic, downtown San Jose became a ghost town during the pandemic, but five miles away high-end Santana Row flourished. These two destinations linked by San Carlos and Stevens Creek boulevards and Interstate 280 are worlds apart socioeconomically and the COVID-19 pandemic made that schism wider. Downtown was hit...
Reviving downtown San Jose remains an elusive goal
Downtown San Jose looks like a ghost town. Boosters claim an economic revival is within reach for the heart of Silicon Valley. But those who live and work in the city’s core are skeptical. John Seol, owner of a small cellphone repair shop just blocks from City Hall, told San José Spotlight he hears about...
San Jose small businesses get break on paying taxes
After being hammered by the pandemic, small businesses will have one less expense to incur — at least for now. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a nine-month extension of a program that waives the city’s business license tax for businesses hurt by COVID-19. The extension will run from Oct. 1, 2021...
San Jose tourist attractions struggle through COVID pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic hit San Jose tourist attractions hard, but some have found creative ways to bring back visitors. The Children’s Discovery Museum, Tech Interactive and Winchester Mystery House all closed during last year’s shelter in place, and have yet to fully recover. But through rainy day funds, donors and online programming, they stayed afloat despite...
South San Jose liquor store shut down after 36 years
Faisal Gowani still can’t believe his family business has shut down. Owned by Gowani’s parents, Southgate Liquors was a fixture in South San Jose that provided one of the largest selections of craft beer and liquor in the area for the last 36 years. The shop went out of business on Labor Day after being...