San Jose continues to search for solutions that help revitalize its downtown corridor.
On Friday, those solutions included pairing up businesses in need with empty storefronts, with the city helping open six more shops on Post Street.
The six women-owned businesses are all housed inside two storefronts that have sat vacant for quite a while. These grand openings were made possible through a collaborative effort involving the city, the downtown association, and Moment, a group that fosters so-called micro retailers.
"To remove blight within our downtown, to add more retail to it, and to make it possible for small business to actually come in and open a store and try it out,” San Jose Downtown Association CEO Alex Stettinski said.
Under the program, the city works with the landlord to negotiate a discounted rent, which the city and Downtown Association then subsidize. In return, the shops give 10% of what they make back to the city's pop-up retail program fund.
For Eugenie Ooi, a shop of her own is a dream come true.
"I did not think I would be here when I started making doodles in my bedroom seven years ago, so this is amazing," she said. "I’m very happy to start this new chapter of my life, especially with all these lovely ladies."
In total, the space houses four businesses where they sell stickers, key chains, apparel, and even customizable keyboards.
Tiny is among the business owners moving in and previously opened up a shop across town, but is now moving into a larger space.
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"We just kind of went for it," said Tiny with Tiny Keyboard Shop.
There are now 15 businesses using San Jose's retail pop-up program. Each are given a year lease to start.
In May, five opened on the Paseo near San Jose State University and appear to be getting results. The city said the 10% profits they returned to the program was enough to cover their rent.
"It’s been a really successful model in filling empty storefronts and incubating new businesses," Mayor Matt Mahan said. "And it’s helped bring new experiences to downtown that’s really fueling the rebound we’ve seen."
The end goal with the program is to give people more options, more experiences, and more reasons to come back to downtown San Jose.
"We're trying to have fun with it, and it's nice to have people to do it with to share the experience," Ooi said.
