ShopTalk ShopTalk (November 02, 2005)

by Daryl Savage

CALIFORNIA CAFE AT STANFORD OLD BARN TO CLOSE . . . The California Cafe is closing. The Stanford Management Company and the restaurant reportedly could not reach an agreement on extending the ground lease at the Stanford Barn past March 2006, when it is set to expire.

Restaurant employees, who were told of the impending closure on Friday, Oct. 21, are heartbroken and wondering out loud if there's a way to save the restaurant, according Stanford psychiatrist Deborah Rose, a restaurant patron who was upset herself. She said the restaurant is particularly popular with the Stanford Lively Arts crowd.

The restaurant's last day is reportedly Jan. 3, 2006.

"It's really a shock," Dr. Rose, who works nearby, said of the closure. "It's been reliable in its quality for years."

Though it's been rumored the Stanford Management Company wants to use the space at the westerly corner of the old Stanford Barn as office space, Bill Phillips, the company's managing director for real estate, said plans call for retaining retail in that area.

RICH AND BEAUTIFUL DESCEND ON STANFORD . . . It was a night for the hoity-toity, the ritzy-ditzy and the fancy-shmancy.

The lavish event, which took place last Thursday, marked the grand opening of the new Louis Vuitton store in the Stanford Shopping Center. Champagne and caviar flowed freely among the glitterati and the $1,000 handbags.

"Most of these people are our Louis Vuitton clients. We're delighted to see so many of them here tonight," spokesperson Karen Watkins said. The 200-plus partygoers were treated to a garden maze that showcased the 150-year history of the company. Even a well-groomed, well-behaved, well-manicured dog was allowed to prance among the leather goods and shoes. Clients were also given the opportunity to pre-order two of LV's newest handbags, which won't hit the stores until Nov. 1. "I can't give out the prices on them. That's not our policy," Watkins said. But some subtle sleuthing revealed the bags were priced at $1,110 and $1,350. No, the decimal points are not missing.

Louis Vuitton's philanthropic philosophy for the night was to "give back to the community," according to Watson -- the store donated 10 percent of all sales to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. The total amount of the donation has yet to be determined.

If the Louis Vuitton prices are too steep for some, there is another option, located just 30 yards from the new shop. It's called "Bow-licious Pet Boutique." Among its many pet offerings is the "Chewy Vitton" handbag. It's a furry little number that squeaks when chewed. And it's a steal at just $14.99.

NEW LIFE FOR DOWNTOWN CORNER . . . Bring in a brand new 42-seat-theater, add in the new West Coast home for the official Jerry Garcia Art Collection, extend evening hours for a gourmet coffee shop, and the sleepy little corner of Hamilton Avenue and Alma Street is about to wake up. It will be the permanent site for Dragon Productions Theatre Company, currently under construction at 539 Alma St., which will offer live stage productions in addition to acting, singing and movement classes.

"We have 15 teachers standing by, ready to teach," Meredith Hagedorn, who started the theater company in 1999, said of the impending opening. Dragon Productions first show at its new Alma Street location, "The Heidi Chronicles," by Wendy Wasserstein, will open Feb. 23, 2006.

"We've been nomadic for six years. We're thrilled to have a home," Hagedorn said. Creating a live theater directly across from the Caltrain tracks is not for the faint-of-heart. But the noise factor has already been factored in. "We've talked to a professional who does office sound-proofing for jet planes. He told us the scraps he has from other jobs are more than enough to sound-proof our theater. Everything will be donated," Hagedorn said. Directly next to the theater and sharing the same address is Art21, an eclectic art gallery that also features music, wine-tasting, and poetry readings. It will be the new West Coast home for Jerry Garcia's Art Collection, according to Susan Kraft, Art21 co-owner and gallery director. Kraft said the gallery will feature limited-edition lithographs of the art of the legendary Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead. Continuing around the corner from Art21 is Espresso Bettola, a gourmet coffee shop that opened earlier this year. Owner Wayne Vicker plans on extending the shop's evening hours "to accommodate the theater's performances. We'll be open at least until 10 p.m., maybe 11, depending on when the plays are scheduled," Vicker said.

WAL-MART TO 'BORROW' ALMA PLAZA SPOT . . . This could be headlined: "Wal-Mart Invades Palo Alto." But not quite. Yes, Wal-Mart is coming to Palo Alto, but only for some additional storage space and only until the end of the year.

The long-vacant Albertson's in Alma Plaza has become a storage facility for Wal-Mart. "Their Mountain View store is bursting at the seams," local developer John McNellis said. He said he was pleased when Wal-Mart called to ask if it could lease the space. "A vacant space can be a public nuisance, along with a fire and theft hazard," McNellis said. He cited a vandalism case last month in which Palo Alto police arrested someone stealing copper pipe from inside the former Albertson's store. "They found a guy meticulously sawing away at the copper pipe in the vacant store. A little more time and he could have cut off the entire power supply at Alma Plaza," McNellis said.

Part of the Wal-Mart contract, signed in mid-October, is that trucks can only make deliveries or pick-ups from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. "We don't want to disturb the neighbors," McNellis said. Meanwhile, McNellis is working on getting applications into the city by next week for a 10,000- to 12,000-square-foot specialty grocery store.

"I'm doing it the old-fashioned way; getting all the city approvals ahead of time. It makes more sense to have the size of the store approved first. Once the plans are approved, then we'll find a store," McNellis said.

For history buffs who have followed the evolution of Alma Plaza, the original plans in 1997 called for a 50,000-square-foot Lucky Store. Then Lucky became Albertson's, and the 50,000-square-feet was whittled down first to 45,000 then 37,000, then 29,000 square feet in 2002. Then Albertson's closed its store, McNellis bought the plaza and opted to go for a mix of housing an a much smaller commercial presence. Some neighbors now want more "neighborhood commercial," so the saga may not be over.

There is no truth to a rumor he might sell the property, McNellis confirmed. "Reports of my demise are greatly exaggerated," he echoed the famous Mark Twain quip.

Heard a rumor about your favorite store or business moving out, or in, down the block or across town? Daryl Savage will check it out. She can be e-mailed at shoptalk@paweekly.com.

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