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At a San Juan Bautista Planning Commission meeting back on Aug. 27, Chairman Jose Aranda said he had been told that one of the city’s businesses—“a major player here in town”—would likely close in a few weeks. A consensus among the commissioners and city officials present was that nothing could be done to help on such short notice. The 18th Barrel closed its doors three weeks later, ending a seven-year run.
“That was a very big concern for us,” said Aida Pisano, a planning commissioner and real estate agent, in a subsequent interview. “We thought it was a business that brought in people and where things were happening.”
On Sept. 14, during its Last Call weekend, the 18th Barrel was packed inside and out with wellwishers—San Juan residents, business owners, elected and appointed city officials and out-of-city regulars—and irony. Very few recent evenings were anywhere near to being as well attended.
While attending the Last Call, Tami Castañeda-Huaracha, owner of Doña Esther’s restaurant, told this reporter that the shuttering of another business in town that would “stun everybody” would soon be announced. On Oct. 11, she notified her employees that the iconic anchor business that recently celebrated its 42nd year would close at the end of the month.
“My concern at the moment,” said Pisano, “and Chairman Aranda has also expressed it, is that San Juan is dying. Some people say we’ve survived worse, and we’re still here. Well, I don’t want to survive. I want to thrive.”
Certainly, visitors driving onto the Alameda from Hwy 156 next month might be forgiven for having the impression that Pisano might be correct. The gateway to the historic district will be marked by three empty buildings: Dona’s, the Old Brewery, left unfinished for over a decade, and the former home of JJ’s Burgers, forced to relocate two blocks north to the former Mission Cafe site due to rent increases.
Even on weekends, the tourists who used to fill the sidewalks and shops are now few and far between. Many shops are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, as is the most significant economic driver in town: Mission San Juan Bautista. With the closure of Doña Esther’s, San Juan has only three brick-and-mortar restaurants open seven days a week.
“When I came to San Juan in 2002,” said San Juan City Councilmember John Freeman, “we had 13 restaurants where you could sit down and have breakfast, lunch or dinner. Now, a much smaller number is fighting for a declining share of customers. And the milieu of reverse growth is ugly.”
Heliena Walton, owner of Notably Noble Co. and Thankful Co. is a member of Discover San Juan Bautista, one of two local business organizations. She said that the lack of foot traffic has been more than obvious.
“At my shops, we used to average 18 to 22 customers on weekends,” she said. “It’s down to five or six. All you need is a month of heavy rain, or it’s too hot outside, and people will not come out. And even though we hold events, it’s not sustainable for the businesses here.”
Walton said that previously, she leaned heavily on the restaurants to drive customers to her Third Street businesses and that she has had to adapt to having fewer eateries open every day.
“People would come to my store,” she said, “because when they’re waiting for a table, I’m usually the only one open that late. I made more money at night than I did during the whole day. But there is nothing to draw people in on the days they are closed. It is hurtful.”
Jill Pagaran is the president of The Spirit of San Juan, the second local business organization. She said that one solution to the economic slowdown would be for all the businesses in town to “get on the same page” regarding their operating hours.
“If you were traveling,” she said, “and you knew that you could go into five different places and have dinner or lunch, then I think the town would be a bigger draw. But you can’t tell people how to run their business.”
Pagaran said that her committee, which receives a $5,000 quarterly stipend from the city, has struggled to address the lack of tourism. They have, she said, responded by placing ads in travel and food magazines, running commercials on KSBW and having a presence on Central Coast Tourism, among other things. However, she said that she feels the city does not present itself well.
“I go down to Cayucos,” she said. “They have a variety of shops that are open every day and they are selling handcrafted things that are unique to them. This town has more limited choices, and people just want something different.”
Pagaran said the town also struggles with competition within the city. Citing Dona Esther’s drop in business, she said a marked change in consumer habits impacts the city.
“We have tacos at the Valero station,” she said. “Windmill Market has burritos and a permanent taco truck downtown. Burritos at these places will still cost you $10, so it isn’t a big price difference. It’s just a change in the way people are shopping.”
Pagaran said that as the cities around San Juan grow, many people in the outlying areas might be less likely to investigate the tourist town.
“You need to understand what the unincorporated areas are doing,” she said. “Prunedale, which was nothing before, now has several new places. And you’re not going to drive from Salinas to eat here if you can go to Prunedale instead.”
Planning Commissioner Dan De Vries agreed, saying people need a reason to get in their cars and drive to the city.
“For example,” he said, “if I go to Morgan Hill, it’s because I want to go to Monterey Street, which has been redone so beautifully that it is fun to walk around and shop. It’s compelling. Monterey’s Alvarado Street and Carmel’s Ocean Avenue are the same thing. These places create an atmosphere.”
De Vries said that the city has suffered for decades from absentee building owners who won’t do what they should to make the historic downtown district more attractive.
“Third Street needs a facelift,” he said. “It’s not attractive. There’s been talk for years now about a redesign of the streetscape. A dynamic and effective business organization could coalesce around a demand that the landowners themselves improve the buildings.”
De Vries said that the city has not done enough to capitalize on the city’s history or assets like El Teatro Campesino.
“Dio de Los Muertos could be San Juan’s signature event,” he said. “El Teatro does an exceptional job. What has the city done to leverage that? You can envision Bay Area news crews coming to cover it. It could be magical.”
Walton said the city has a choice between letting itself fail or figuring out a path forward by investigating options like California Mainstreet, which guides small cities’ revitalization efforts.
“I don’t really know what the fix is,” Walton said. “Everything we think about costs money. We need more funds allocated to economic development and building tourism—and we need it now.”
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