Los Altos city, business leaders seek to boost sales

By Tim Seyfert, Town Crier Staff Writer

A pedestrian window-shops on Main Street. Right, the Rotary Christmas Tree stands in Community Plaza. The Los Altos Village Association and other members of the community are exploring options on revitalizing the downtown economy.

It’s a gloomy afternoon in downtown Los Altos. A brisk chill fills the air, as a cloudy gray sky hints that another winter drizzle is on the way. Hardly the ideal day for a stroll down Main Street, yet that doesn’t seem to dissuade local resident Evita Twerdahl from attempting to knock out a chunk of her Christmas shopping.

Surely, given the murky conditions, an indoor mall would seem a more fitting option. However, Twerdahl has a reason for keeping her shopping close to home.

“I like the village charm of Los Altos, and I want to support my town,” she said. “I like the boutique character of the stores. Plus, I’d like to think that I’m helping to keep downtown alive by shopping here.”

Twerdahl isn’t entirely off-base on wanting to give downtown a little boost.

Over the past months, declining retail sales throughout the city’s shopping areas have prompted several local stores to pack up and close shop. A few of the casualties include Dennis Rich’s clothing store, the local branch of Naturalizer shoes and Calla women’s clothing store.

“It worries me,” Twerdahl said before heading into Imaginarium, another soon-to-be-closed retailer. “It’s never a good thing when places go out of business.”

To combat the trend, city officials - along with the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos Village Association - have been busy devising plans to make the city’s commercial areas more vibrant, as well as to bring in more foot traffic to downtown.

“Downtown needs the support of residents,” said Ted Garrett, executive director of the Los Altos Village Association. “Along with that, we need to establish Los Altos as a destination for people from other parts of the Bay Area. to come.”

Garrett said one possible way of accomplishing this would be to provide Los Altos with a set of “anchor businesses,” such as a branch of Gap or Restoration Hardware, which already have a mass appeal.

Another solution would be to provide accommodations for overnight visitors. Ron Labetich, a Los Altos-based commercial real estate broker and chamber of commerce board member, favors the idea of having a hotel constructed in the town as a means of attracting more visitors.

“A hotel in this town would increase business activity and provide a constant cash flow,” Labetich said. “It would also add to the character of the town. Los Altos is located very well geographically, and it would give the town a new landmark.”

Since vacancies began opening up downtown, several fast-food restaurants, such as Subway and Quiznos, have expressed an interest in moving in. However, some feel that having too many restaurants downtown would threaten the area’s “village” character.

The Los Altos City Council considered passing a moratorium on takeout restaurants last September to prohibit the taking over of retail space on State and Main streets. The notion was shot down after failing to achieve the required four-vote minimum.

City Manager Phil Rose said the idea of putting a freeze on new restaurants in town would most likely be back for consideration by the new council in January.

“Some cities are actually limiting restaurants to numbers, but we’re not doing that,” he said, citing the abundance of eateries in downtown Mountain View as an example of too much of one thing not being healthy for a downtown area.

As for adding more recognizable franchises, Rose said the limited amount of retail space in Los Altos would most likely keep large chain stores, such as Gap and Restoration Hardware, from “fitting in.” In addition, he said, such stores might not be as competitive downtown due to the fact they also exist in one-stop shopping malls.

Rose feels the important question to focus on is how to give downtown its own niche.

“Downtowns should always build on their strengths,” he said. “It is true that the village character is important, but is that what (all of) the residents want? The city needs direction from the community.”

One tactic being used to entice new business to the area is cleaning up the city. New mayor John Moss issued a written statement to the Town Crier earlier this month, listing several actions being taken to make the city shine. Moss said the city plans to work with downtown merchants to clean up their storefronts, sidewalks and signage. The city will also receive new trash bins and street lamps, as well as work with the village association and chamber of commerce to create a city pride program.

“We are working … to remind everyone that it is the duty of each of us to help keep our city looking good,” Moss wrote.

Another strategy being put into effect is promotion. The village association plans to devote thousands of dollars next year toward radio ads to plug existing businesses and upcoming downtown events.

The city encourages residents to spend their shopping dollars primarily in Los Altos, above other areas.

“Given the choice of shopping in Los Altos or elsewhere, we should remember the benefits to our city when we spend locally,” Moss said. “(Those include) merchants who will stock more items and stay open longer, and increased sales tax revenues to pay for more services.”

Taking a proactive approach seems to be the prefered tactic for breathing life back into Los Altos.

“There can’t be a nicer place to live than here, and it’s up to us to show our pride,” Labetich said. “Our residents need to realize that they live in a great city, and we need to show that pride so others can see it too.”