Two local organizations charged with supporting Los Altos merchants

By John Flood, Town Crier Staff Writer

Amanda Austin and Tova Korman help Raquel Korman decorate the window of a downtown store as part of the annual Halloween window painting contest, sponsored by the city of Los Altos Recreation Department in cooperation with the Los Altos Village Association.

When you run your own business, the success or failure of the enterprise comes down to you. You meet the customer. You handle the profit and the loss. You hire. You fire. You juggle it all.

But thankfully, no small-business owner is an island in Los Altos. There are sources and resources to turn to for insight, networking and support.

The Los Altos Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos Village Association (LAVA) are organizations devoted to advancing the cause of business interests in the city.

With more than 520 members, the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest chambers serving a city the size of Los Altos in the nation. Its mission is to encourage and promote businesses and to stimulate a vibrant economy in Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, according to the chamber Web site.

The chamber comprises a board and several committees that involve government affairs, economic development and a business roundtable. It organizes special events such as the Fall Festival and networking events called Business After Hours.

“The chamber has four functions,” said Julie Rose, president of the Los Altos branch. “We support a strong local economy, we promote the community and the town, we provide networking and referrals for our members and we represent the interests of business with the government.”

The chamber handles eight to 10 telephone and e-mail business referral requests and 10 to 15 inquiries about general city information per day, Rose said.

LAVA, with more than 200 members, was created in the 1960s because business and property owners were concerned that new shopping centers would lure customers away from the downtown. Its purpose is to promote downtown businesses through advertising and special events.

“They started the village association with the idea of putting on events and doing advertising for the village as if it were a shopping center,” said Nancy Dunaway, executive director of LAVA.

That is still its mission, she said.

Its latest promotional effort will be a new advertising campaign that focuses on the unique qualities of downtown with an emphasis on holiday events and shopping.

“The ad campaign includes radio, and print ads in the Los Altos Town Crier, the San Jose Mercury News and the Palo Daily News,” Dunaway said.

Businesses speak up

Alabasta The Flower Shop, which opened in 2001, is a member of LAVA and the chamber.

“The chamber guides us in the right direction,” said David Wales, owner. “They refer customers to us. They’ve been very positive for us.”

Steve Shepherd, vice president of Northern Trust Corporation, a former chairman of the chamber and current board member, said the chamber serves several valuable functions for local businesses.

“As a community banker, the chamber was a big part of how I developed relationships,” Shepherd said. “People call the chamber to get referrals for financial service providers.”

But for Shepherd, the chamber is not only about networking with other businesses.

“The chamber is also about ensuring that the business environment is healthy,” he said. “We’re a force in land-use questions and government affairs.”

For Vino 100, a wine shop and tasting bar on Main Street, the chamber and LAVA did not factor in its decision to open a store downtown because the owners were already familiar with Los Altos.

“We’re locals. We know this area, and we’ve lived here,” said Paul Carr, co-owner of Vino 100. “We recently joined the chamber and LAVA. The board members came by. They are very nice, very welcoming. LAVA wants to help promote our business.”

The owner of Stuart’s Apparel, Nellie K. Inc., a women’s clothing shop on Main Street, is hoping that the chamber’s events are an important part of promoting her store.

“The Los Altos Holiday Stroll (Nov. 17) is like advertising for us,” said Nellie Kumagai, storeowner.

But when it came to deciding to locate in Los Altos, Kumagai did the research herself. She made her decision after comparing Los Altos to downtown Palo Alto and Menlo Park.

The notion that the success or failure of a business rests on the shoulders of its owner isn’t lost on Christine Campbell, owner of Crimson Mim, a women’s shoe and clothing boutique on Main Street.

“I don’t rely on LAVA or the chamber,” Campbell said. “It’s my business and I have to make it successful.”

When asked what she would like the chamber and LAVA to do to promote her business, she suggested “more events to bring our customers downtown.”

The chamber recognizes the challenges of running a business in Los Altos.

“There are seven distinct business areas in Los Altos,” Rose said. “They all have the same needs, struggles and issues. We’d like people to shop locally.”

Ron Labetich, owner of the Ron Labetich Company, a commercial real estate firm, has been a member of the chamber for about 10 years. He is a board member and is the chairman of the government affairs committee.

Labetich said he believes that the chamber and LAVA are valuable organizations for local businesses.

“The network opens up if you need an opinion,” Labetich said. “It helps commerce and everyone in the loop. It’s a win-win.”

The chamber is the only organization in town that looks at commerce in Los Altos, he said. “It’s a mechanism for people to get together to socialize and do business.”

He agreed that the chamber can be a good source for questions about Los Altos before opening a business.

“The chamber is a good place to come in and talk about it,” he said.

Together, the chamber and LAVA represent a strong asset to business owners, Labetich said.

“It makes it easier to expand your business because everyone is in the loop,” he said, referring to the LAVA and chamber

network.

Keeping downtown beautiful

In addition to promoting the downtown business community, LAVA has taken on additional responsibilities vital to the well being of downtown

businesses.

“The huge issue that’s been building over the past few years, and has come to a head this year, is the condition of downtown in terms of cleanliness,” Dunaway said. “I get three or four phone calls a week, and e-mails, about how disgusting downtown is.”

The organization sponsored a community litter pickup event Oct. 28 called Don’t Let It Fall. Business and community members walked through downtown picking up trash, clearing the streets of debris and garbage.

LAVA works with the city on additional programs to keep downtown clean.

“We’re pleased that city council has voted and asked city staff to create an ordinance that would allow the dollars from the parking fund to come to LAVA to fund special projects like pressure cleaning. It will address the glaring problems,” Dunaway said.

Dunaway cited a list of unpleasant experiences that pedestrians confront downtown, including dirty sidewalks and overflowing trash cans.

“People expect to come to Los Altos and shop in a clean place,” she said. “Our reputation is family-friendly. We are Americana and we stink.”