Recent downtown San Jose closings don’t necessarily spell doom

A rash of restaurant closings in downtown San Jose around the new year spurred people to take to social media, lamenting the loss of favorite hangouts and wondering if this was just the start of more bad news for the city’s beleaguered downtown.

Pizza Flora, Ludwig’s, Mas Pizza and Nox Cookie Bar all have closed their doors or announced their closing in the past couple of weeks. Even Flames Eatery and Bar — a go-to breakfast spot for many downtowners who enjoyed bottomless mimosas — appears to have closed its doors on the corner of Fourth and San Fernando after more than 13 years in business. When you add other spots that never reopened after the COVID-19 pandemic started — or those like Cinebar that were lost in the Lawrence Hotel building fire two years ago — it does look a little bleak, to be honest.

(And I know BART is important to San Jose, but it would really help if VTA wasn’t displacing existing businesses like Mexico Bakery, Erik’s DeliCafe and Umbrella Salon. Couldn’t the agency have used the long-vacant Dr. Eu building on the corner of Second and Santa Clara, instead?)

But if you’ve been around downtown for the past couple of decades, you’ve probably lost lots of favorites over the years. I know I have. Fans of the arcade bar Miniboss may not remember when the corner of Second and Santa Clara was occupied by Toons nightclub. And if you go see shows at the Ritz, you might run into a Gen Xer who’ll tell you about F/X (or any of the clubs that hosted shows there in between). Like hanging out at San Pedro Square Market? Some have fond memories of when the Laundry Works was there and others of Hamburger Mary’s.

There are already some new bright spots downtown. Sunday morning, a line of cars was illegally parked on South First Street as their drivers dashed into EggHead Sando Cafe, a new breakfast hit. Scratch Cookery is dishing out hot chicken sandwiches in Fountain Alley, and the new Little Wine House in Little Italy is generating some raves despite only being open a few weeks. Newcomers Mama Kin in SoFA and Dr. Funk in San Pedro Square are drawing good crowds, too.

Alex Stettinski, who took over as CEO of the San Jose Downtown Association in November, has spent the past 25 years working in downtowns in Los Angeles and Reno, and he’s still optimistic about San Jose’s future despite the challenges.

“I know downtowns all over the country. That’s been my passion and my bread and butter for many years,” he said. “COVID has played a number on our downtowns that I haven’t seen, and you hate to see any small business close. But I’m also an optimist, and I have a world view that the pendulum always swings and the status quo is never as dire as it looks like.”

People are still interested in coming downtown, he said, and did so a lot during the holiday season. But the slow pace of workers returning to downtown offices may signal a transition for how downtown does business. Places cater to residents and people working from home — restaurants with a strong takeout or delivery presence, for example — may be better suited to thrive right now.

“I think the workforce will come back, and there will be more residents,” said Stettinski, who also lives downtown. “That will change the entire fabric of downtown. These are all things to look forward to in the future.”

PARK PLACES: Any plans you may have had for a New Year’s hike through Alum Rock Park are going to have to wait a bit longer. San Jose’s majestic park has been closed since the storms that battered the area at the end of 2022, and the trails have suffered some damage.

Daniel Lazo, the spokesperson for the city’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services Department, says the park is closed indefinitely for public safety, but the area is being monitored and maintenance and repairs are taking place as necessary. “Once Alum Rock is deemed safe to be used, it will be reopened for public use,” Lazo said.

One more casualty of the storms was the Hollywood-style letters spelling out “Alum Rock” at the Penintencia Creek Road entrance. No telling when that selfie-spot attraction will make a comeback.

By the way, many trails in Santa Clara County’s parks system are also closed because of the weather. You can check www.parkhere.org or call 408-355-2200 (press 3) for updated information.

TIME FOR A CHANGE: They say elections have consequences, and the 2022 elections in San Jose led, in part, to the closing of Foley Mortgage in Willow Glen after 65 years. Mike Foley — whose father, Gene Foley, opened his loan office on Lincoln Avenue in 1957 — announced that the company, now on Hamilton Avenue, would shut down at the end of January. Pam Foley, his wife and business partner, was re-elected to the San Jose City Council in June and started her second four-year term this month, leaving very little time for a mortgage business, he said in an email to customers.