Business & Real Estate

Los Altos-based Campi Properties Inc. is joining Golden Gate Sotheby’s International Realty, a merger that closes a chapter on one of the last independently owned real estate firms on the Peninsula.

Founder Gary Campi announced the merger with Sotheby’s Aug. 31 at the Stanford Park Hotel in Menlo Park. In a press release, Campi said the deal is “a natural evolution for the independent brokerage and a strategic expansion for Golden Gate Sotheby’s in one of the Bay Area’s most desirable real estate markets.”

Elizabeth Barcelos/Town Crier
Women Entrepreneurs of Los Altos’ “WE Vibe Block Party” on First Street Saturday brings a lively atmosphere to a usually sleepy part of downtown.

Women Entrepreneurs of Los Altos hosted the “WE Vibe Block Party” on First Street Saturday, inviting local residents to meet the movers and shakers behind the city’s woman-owned businesses.

The event, which served as a coming-out party of sorts for the group, included live music, food trucks and workshops on topics such as “How to Use Instagram for Your Business,” “Positive Life Design through Journaling” and “3 Things You Must Do to Prepare for Presentations” – all taught by local women entrepreneurs.

A survey commissioned by Lightstream revealed that 59 percent of homeowners plan to spend money on home improvement projects this year. With home sales and prices trending upward nationwide, many homeowners are prepared to take on projects.

“A home improvement project can increase the value of your home,” said Denise Welsh, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. “It is just as valuable to homeowners who simply want to enjoy their home.”

Researchers are working on developing Toyota’s first driverless cars – and it’s happening just two miles from downtown Los Altos.

The Japanese company established its billion-dollar Toyota Research Institute in January 2016 on El Camino Real to expand on its exploration into robotics and artificial intelligence in regard to autonomous vehicles.

MEGAN V. WINSLOW/TOWN CRIER
Construction continues at Morsey’s Farmhouse Kitchen & Cheese, which includes an extensive kitchen expansion and interior renovation.

Three downtown locations that have drawn local curiosity remain in the construction process, but the end is in sight for at least one.

Kal and Yulia Morsey’s buffalo milk cafe, Morsey’s Farmhouse Kitchen & Cheese, has begun to take shape at 134 Main St. with extensive kitchen expansion and interior renovation.

Megan V. Winslow/Town Crier
Pharmaca announced it was calling it quits this month with a liquidation sale that emptied shelves.

Pharmaca, the wellness and beauty store at 400 First St., called it quits this month after two years in the new development between Cetrella and Safeway in downtown Los Altos.

A retail-only offshoot of an integrative pharmacy founded in Boulder, Colo., Pharmaca’s opening in 2015 drew curious newcomers, but business petered in the months following. The store’s parent company announced the closing only days before inventory entered a liquidation phase, with 50 percent off everything in the store.