Nine years ago, the Gorospe family began serving their unique mix of Filipino-Hawaiian food from their Hula Truck. It quickly expanded to concession stands at SAP Center and Levi’s Stadium, along with a regular gig at the Shoreline Amphitheater. In March, the family opened a restaurant in downtown San Jose. But no matter the location,...
Unpermitted vendors put San Jose’s Christmas in the Park at risk
Christmas in the Park is at risk of losing some of its magic this year due to unpermitted vendors crowding the streets and sidewalks—but the groups that host the downtown San Jose celebration aren’t ready to give up just yet. Event organizers said unpermitted food vendors pack the streets every year at the annual winter holiday festivities,...
‘A sense of camaraderie’: San Jose businesses bring life to downtown
When Wendy Neff heard a knock on her downtown San Jose brewery door, she was greeted by a tall stack of plastic quart containers. Tomoyo Yoshinaga, the co-owner of neighboring bar Cash Only, was dropping them off as part of the businesses’ container exchange program. Fox Tale Fermentation Project, which Neff co-owns, and Cash Only are two new...
San Jose Starbucks the latest location to unionize
Starbucks employees at a downtown San Jose shop have won their fight to unionize after a 45-day effort. Employees at The Alameda and Julian Street Starbucks unanimously voted to unionize on May 19, despite the company’s historic opposition to unionization. The local shop is partnering with Starbucks Workers United to help complete the restructuring. Only...
Lawsuit doesn’t stop San Jose park concerts
A spring concert series kicked off last week in a downtown San Jose park, and despite an ongoing lawsuit, organizers will not be deterred. Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose, a nonprofit, hosted its first springtime concert in St. James Park last Sunday, the latest step in establishing a permanent outdoor performance venue. The shows will...
UPDATE: Downtown San Jose street to become pedestrian path
San Jose is on the road to preserving pedestrian-only access indefinitely on San Pedro Street—but it will take years and millions of dollars in long-term infrastructure improvements to make it possible. The San Jose City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to give initial approval for plans to repave the street as a sidewalk and reroute the...
New businesses bring light to downtown San Jose’s blight
Entrepreneurs are still willing to take the plunge to open new businesses in downtown San Jose, even as the city’s core grapples with empty streets and storefronts. K&J Sweets and Bakery held its grand opening celebration Thursday morning, welcoming more than 50 people through its doors on East San Carlos Street. The Latino, family-owned bakery is one of several...
Downtown San Jose block party kicks off the weekend early
It may not be the weekend, but downtown San Jose is ready to party. A block party on Thursday night hosted by nonprofit Urban Vibrancy Institute aims to attract hundreds of residents to downtown San Jose, in the hopes these midweek events will keep the momentum going for this long-struggling area. The block party is...
Why dozens of downtown San Jose storefronts are vacant
When Khanh Chung steps out of his barbershop, he wants to see dozens of San Jose workers and residents bustling down First Street, but instead it’s a ghost town. That’s not how he envisioned it when he opened Concept in January 2022. The pandemic was waning and people were returning to work and normalcy. But his...
San Jose Cinco de Mayo street closures seen as ‘racist’
San Jose’s 36-year ban on cruising was lifted last fall—but the closure of 10 different highway ramps over Cinco de Mayo weekend left residents wondering whether the reversal was just symbolic. San Jose police coordinated with Caltrans and California Highway Patrol beginning Friday evening through early Monday morning to close several on-and-off ramps heading into...