PILATES V JOINS CALIFORNIA AVE. ...

The short stretch along California Avenue from Birch Street to Park Boulevard could fast become Palo Alto's fitness row. Pilates V is slated to open on the ground floor of the Solid Electric Inc. building at 267 S. California Ave., sandwiched between Amity Crossfit -- which opened earlier this year -- and Pure Barre fitness centers. Performance Gaines, which opened in August 2016, is across the street less than a half block away at 310 S. California Ave. Each center caters to a different niche, according to descriptions on their websites. The high amount of foot traffic coming to and from the nearby Caltrain station has made that end of California Avenue particularly attractive for this type of business, Amity Crossfit owner Zach Height said when he opened his gym there. According to the Pilates V website, the fitness center is set to open this fall and is accepting applications for pilates instructors. Palo Alto will be the fourth studio in the family-owned chain, which launched in Sunnyvale in 2015 and has since expanded to Campbell and San Jose's Willow Glen neighborhood and has plans to open a fifth location in San Mateo by early 2018. The studio offers classical Pilates "with a fusion of modern techniques and adaptations," according to its website. Earlier this week, a construction crew was completing interior renovations to the ground floor of the building, which has been divided into two storefronts. Raw Smoke Shop is scheduled to open next to Pilates V in the new, adjoining 951-square-foot storefront, according to city permit records.

-- L.T.

NEW 'COMMUNITY' PHARMACY ... National drug store chain Walgreens has applied to add a "community pharmacy" at 217 Alma St., the location of the former North Face store, according to documents filed with the city of Palo Alto. The company submitted its permit plans on Aug. 15.

The store would be the rear tenant at the 7,622-square-foot building and would occupy 3,350 square feet. The space would include a sales section, patient waiting area, pharmacy, compounding room, community/consulting room with seating and a 40-inch television screen, two consulting rooms, a restroom and three offices, according to the plans filed with the city. The new pharmacy would be called Community, a Walgreens Pharmacy, said Scott Goldberg, Walgreens senior manager of media relations. Walgreens' community pharmacies differ from the larger retail stores by not carrying other products such as beauty supplies and foods. Community pharmacies offer more preventative amenities and help patients manage more complex conditions such as cystic fibrosis, cancer, HIV and organ transplants, Goldberg said. Such pharmacies offer personalized care and private patient-consultation rooms for managing medications, in addition to many types of immunizations, including those recommended for travelers. Walgreens currently has three full-sized retail stores in Palo Alto: 300 University Ave., 2605 Middlefield Road and 4170 El Camino Real. Walgreens Disco Rex, "specialty" drug-compounding pharmacy for patients with complex needs, is also in downtown at 328 University. The new pharmacy would not replace the existing retail store on University Avenue, Goldberg said. There is currently no additional information regarding whether Disco Rex will remain, he added.

-- S.D.