Local Businesses
by John M. Zukoski on September 26, 2011 | 
5 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses
The Dublin Corporate Center on the corner of Dublin Boulevard and Tassajara Road is now 88% full after recently landing a high-profile tenant and leasing additional space for two current tenants who are growing rapidly. As one of the top Class A campus office parks in the Tri-Valley, the Dublin Corporate Center has had its occupancy rate explode upward from 35% to 88% in less than three years while much of the Bay Area has struggled through one of the roughest commercial real estate markets in history. “Dublin Corporate Center is a superior property in a superb location, and we are pleased that it is attracting and retaining high quality new tenants who want to grow here,” said Tishman Speyer Managing Director Carl D. Shannon.
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by John M. Zukoski on September 2, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Things To Do
The 2011 Harvest Wine Festival in Livermore, CA will feature the fine wines of the Livermore Valley set to a backdrop of great music, food, activities, and crafts vendors during Labor Day Weekend, September 4th to the 5th from noon to 5:00PM. Known for its winery-to-winery shuttle bus service, the 2011 Harvest Wine Celebration is a Livermore Valley Labor Day weekend tradition and will mark the event’s 30th year. Among the many incredible local wineries, Steven Kent and La Rochelle at 5443 Tesla Road stand out for their superb Cabs and Pinot Noirs, unique tasting room experience, and commitment to the Tri-Valley community.
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by Around Dublin Team on August 27, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Announcements · Local Businesses · Things To Do
The Taylor Family Foundation’s 21st Annual Day in the Park event takes place on Sunday, August 28th, from 11:30AM to 5:30PM at Camp Arroyo in Livermore, CA. Proceeds from the Day in the Park auction fundraiser help The Taylor Family Foundation to continue offering the gift of camp to more and more children. In addition to serving children with life-threatening diseases, chronic illnesses, and developmental disabilities, The Taylor Family Foundation is committed to sharing the gift of camp with at-risk youths.
For those who would like to contribute to this great cause but cannot attend the event, they can still help. La Rochelle, an artisan winery focusing on Pinot Noir, announced that seven dollars from every bottle sold of its new 2008 La Rochelle “Bradley Vineyard” Pinot Noir will go directly to the Taylor Family Foundation in Livermore. The winery debuted this single-vineyard release at a “Tasting on the Patio” in July. The L.R. “Bradley Vineyard” Pinot is from Oregon’s well-regarded Umpqua Valley appellation and retails for $28. The wine is specially labeled with the Taylor Family Foundation logo. “It is an honor and privilege to help [The Taylor Family Foundation]. Their longtime work providing camp experiences for children with special needs in our area is inspirational. By donating fifty percent of the wine’s profits, we hope to raise a substantial amount of money to help with their efforts,” said La Rochelle owner Steven Kent Mirassou.
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by Jimmy Huang on August 20, 2011 | 35 Comments | Topics: Announcements · Development · Local Businesses
Paragon Outlet Partners, a Baltimore, MD-based retail real estate development firm, will proudly celebrate the construction of its 543,000-square-foot outlet shopping center with a groundbreaking ceremony in Livermore, CA on Friday, August 26th at 10:00AM. Unlike the recent groundbreaking ceremony at Emerald Vista, the latest mixed-income housing project in Dublin, CA, cars are very much welcomed. Organizers have promised plenty of parking for attendees at 3505 Paragon Outlets Parkway, currently signed as Freisman Road. The new outlet mall featuring many name brands will be built on the huge parcel of land that is kitty-corner to the new Target at Fallon Gateway in Dublin.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 19, 2011 | 4 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Restaurants
The most successful chain restaurants in and around Dublin, CA are really good at pushing buttons. They are able to push the pleasure buttons of diners with an artful combination of fats, salts, and sugars to create an alchemy of flavor that humans have evolved to crave and seek out whenever possible. While some restaurants offer alternative “fit and healthy” menus with reduced calories, saturated fats, and sodium, many restaurants like Applebee’s and The Cheesecake Factory lure diners in with their wonderfully decadent belly buster dishes. Some local eateries offer entrees and desserts that in some cases completely surpass the recommended daily allowance of 2,000 calories, 20 grams of saturated fats, and 2,400 milligrams of sodium.
The 1,520 calories from Applebee’s Provolone Stuffed Meatball with Fettuccine still leaves room for a few more calories to fuel customers through the day; however, the 43 grams of saturated fats means that guests will be reduced to a diet of carrots and figs in order to stay under 2,000 calories. For those who still have room for dessert, Cold Stone Creamery tips the scales with their 2,010-calorie Peanut Butter and Chocolate Shake that also packs 68 grams of artery-spackling saturated fats.
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by Jimmy Huang on August 17, 2011 | 7 Comments | Topics: Local Businesses · Local Issues
Moustafa Yousofi is a successful graduate from Dublin High School and a co-owner of the small but thriving Sahara Market on Dublin Boulevard across from Dublin City Hall in Dublin, CA. Business has been so good for Sahara Market that Yousofi and co-owner Solaiman Safi are eager to expand their current 3,300-square-foot market into a 5,700-square-foot pad to include an 800-square-foot seating area for customers to enjoy the market’s delicacies. Unfortunately, the Afghan-owned Sahara Market’s planned expansion has gotten a chilling reception at the All-America City Hall.
“(Sahara Market) is one of the Ethnic Food Supply stores essential to support the community of Afghans, Indians, Pakistanis, and other ethnic minorities living in the wonderful city of Dublin,” noted Farooq Quadri. Quadri’s plea may not be enough for Dublin’s City Hall.
In contrast to large shopping centers like the popular Shops at Waterford Place and the withering Grafton Station, smaller strip malls like the one across City Hall that Sahara Market occupies are subject to more nebulous requirements that can be interpreted more stringently by City Staff and prevent businesses like Sahara Market from expanding. The City of Dublin allows retail stores in large shopping centers like Hacienda Crossing or the West Dublin Target shopping center to add space for accessory eating and drinking purposes without requiring additional parking. Because Sahara Market is located in a small strip mall, Dublin City Hall is requiring Sahara Market to come up with additional parking spaces that simply cannot be created.
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by John M. Zukoski on August 16, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses
Mayor Tim Sbranti of Dublin, CA recently announced that Valley Care Health System will be opening an urgent care facility in the emerald city. The new urgent care facility will be opened on the first floor of the Gateway Medical Center building that is adjacent to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation building. Urgent care centers are primarily used to treat patients who have an injury or illness that requires immediate care but is not serious enough to warrant a visit to an emergency department.
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by Jimmy Huang on August 10, 2011 | 12 Comments | Topics: Development · Local Businesses · Sustainability
An artisanal grocery store similar to Oakland’s Rockridge Market Hall may be coming to Dublin, CA. True Marketplace will be home to roughly 10 individual purveyors offering a variety of local artisanal products under one roof, including organic produce, green grocery, fresh baked goods, premium meat, high-quality seafood, dairy products, savory coffee, hearty wine, prepared food, and more. As confirmed by Diablo Magazine, Terra Bella Family Farm owner Shawn Seufert is behind the True Marketplace project and has his eyes set on Grafton Station. The deal is currently under active negotiation and may fall through if Grafton Station owner Charter Properties and Seufert cannot reach an agreement. If everything goes according to plan, True Marketplace will open Summer 2012.
The concept of a local marketplace where multiple purveyors co-exist under one roof is not a new one. Mature cities around the world have adopted this age-old business model for countless years. The new artisanal grocery store plans to create a community marketplace where Tri-Valley residents can come to shop, socialize, and enjoy everything the Bay Area’s local food community has to offer. Over the years, demand for locally-grown organic food has steadily increased in the Tri-Valley. The time may be ripe for a central space that provides a holistic and upscale grocery shopping experience like the one at Oakland’s Rockridge Market Hall. Thanks to the expensive sewer hookup fees associated with some of the newer retail spaces in East Dublin, having multiple purveyors to share the higher leasing cost seems like a brilliant strategic move that is good for both the business owners and property owners.
According to details provided by Seufert to Diablo Magazine, a small plates-style eatery, a cozy wine bar, a deli, and a full-service bakery with full barista service may be among the purveyors at True Marketplace. True Marketplace may also have tentative commitments from Baron’s Meat and Poultry and Feel Good Bakery to join the exciting project. Both Baron’s Meat and Poultry and Feel Good Bakery operate out of the highly successful Alameda Marketplace. In fact, Donna Layburn, the founder of Alameda Marketplace, is among Seufert’s impressive list of advisers and executives, all of whom come with extensive background in the grocery business and food industry.
If True Marketplace opens at Grafton Station in East Dublin, it will join the already highly competitive grocery business landscape along the Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor. The Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor includes Trader Joe’s, 99 Ranch, Fresh & Easy, and two Safeway stores. By the end of 2011, Target will join the fray with the new East Dublin store just off the Santa Rita/Tassajara Road Grocery Corridor at the Fallon Gateway. If Walmart has its way in Pleasanton, it will set up a new Neighborhood Market at the retail space formerly occupied by Nob Hill Foods. Perhaps True Marketplace is exactly what the withering Grafton Station needs to bring in the much needed foot traffic.
by John M. Zukoski on August 7, 2011 | No Comments | Topics: Local Businesses
Wolf Camera at 7192 Regional Street in Dublin, CA is kicking off a series of innovative new services, including the very popular Ritz Photo Patrol. Through this one-on-one expert consultation service, Wolf Camera gives customers a working foundation of photography and teaches them how to get the most out of their cameras. “We started offering the one on one service because there are so many people in the community that come to our store needing advice on how to shoot better pictures, or sometimes just can’t figure out how to work their camera,” shared owner Behzad Raufi. The cost of Ritz Photo Patrol is just $99.
“We like to help and associates here are quite knowledgeable, but there just isn’t enough time each day to give everyone the personal attention they need. With the Photo Patrol service we can make sure that we have someone available to teach by reserving time, this way everyone has an opportunity to learn.” Wolf Camera in Dublin also offers group classes at the shop on Wednesday nights from 7:00PM to 9:00PM. The group classes are $60 per session or free with the purchase of a camera. The courses are updated frequently and include topics such as “Photography 101,” “Understanding Exposure,” “Digital Camera Basics,” and “How to Save Display and Share.”
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