This week, as I explored the city, I was struck by the number of “Coming Soon” signs I am seeing in various shop windows. Although we still have our share of empty storefronts that don’t yet have such signs, the fact that I ran across eight of them just this week (a number of which have been posted for a while, but still…) seems to indicate that our local economy still has a lot of life in it. And although most are for restaurants or other food services businesses, not all are, which I for one really appreciate. Some of what we should see “soon” are new outlets for stores or restaurants that can be found elsewhere, but a couple are unique to Redwood City. And one is a concept that I never could have imagined; I’ll be fascinated to see how that one works out. Curious? Read on…

Three of Redwood City’s eight upcoming businesses will be located in the “Shops On Broadway” building, which most people know as the downtown building where the Cinemark Century 20 Theaters are located. Two of these new businesses, both restaurants, will be located on either side of Timber & Salt. (Side note: my wife and I had dinner with friends at Timber & Salt the other night, and I’m pleased to report that their food and drink are as good as ever; I’m ashamed to say that we hadn’t been in quite a while, but based on our recent experience we will definitely be going back soon.) To the left of Timber & Salt, “coming soon” we’ll be getting Teriyaki Madness, a chain fast-food type of place that specializes in teriyaki bowls:

On the other side, where Theatre Way dead-ends into Winslow Street, we’ll soon be able to enjoy Limón Restaurante Peruano (“opening soon”):

Limón originated in San Francisco and currently has six locations, five of which are in the Bay Area; Redwood City will apparently be their seventh. They serve Peruvian and Latin food in what appears to be a comfortable setting (both indoors and out). They have menus for lunch and dinner, plus, I’m excited to see, brunch (although not all locations serve brunch; here’s hoping that ours will).

On the corner of Jefferson Avenue and Broadway — still in the Shops on Broadway building — the old Spaghetti Factory space is being converted into Ocean Oyster Bar and Grill: (“coming soon”):

As you might expect, Ocean’s menu is heavy on shellfish, but they also have regular seafood, plus a handful of beef, chicken, and lamb dishes. They also have a couple of pasta dishes, most of which contain shellfish, of course (but for those with shellfish allergies or who just prefer not to eat shellfish, they serve a Chicken Alfredo). There is a kid’s menu, a dessert menu, and a rather extensive drinks menu. So, something for just about everyone, it seems!

Along the closed (to cars) section of Broadway — Redwood City’s “restaurant row” — the old Courthouse 2021 space will soon be reopened as Mazra,  an award-winning Mediterranean restaurant:

Our will be Mazra’s second location. It seems that their first, in San Bruno, has been so popular that they need to open this new, larger location just to relieve some of the pressure. And apparently, once our store is opened, they plan to remodel and expand their San Bruno location. In any case, the owners seem genuinely excited to be opening among the dense cluster of restaurants on Broadway between Jefferson Avenue and Main Street.

Signs on Mazra’s doors indicate that they plan to open “Summer 2023.” Although I have noticed a fair amount of activity inside, there still appears to be a lot to do. Thus, I think that they’ll be missing that particular goal. But an extra month or two shouldn’t make much difference; Mediterranean restaurants seem to do well in our area, and this one will likely have no trouble establishing a firm foothold.

Last in the food service category is a unique-to-Redwood City business that I wrote about last week: The Baker Next Door, which hopes to be opening at 851 Main St. sometime in the first quarter of 2024:

As a reminder, although this new venture is not scheduled to open for a number of months yet, they are currently operating a pop-up shop most Friday mornings (through the end of October, at least) right by their upcoming storefront. Just keep an eye out for the bright green tent, where you’ll be able to buy various kinds of bread, plus buns, cookies, and whatever else they created that week.

Moving away from restaurants, this being Redwood City we naturally have yet another cannabis retailer on the way:

You may recognize this as the old Any Mountain store, on Whipple Avenue at Stafford Street (basically, where the Caltrain tracks cross Whipple). it is currently being outfitted for Airfield Supply Company, who already operate a dispensary in San Jose. They will of course join Embarc (at 1870 Broadway, where Spring Street merges into Broadway) and Juva (on Broadway, kitty-corner from Courthouse Square), both of whom are dispensing cannabis products today from their downtown Redwood City locations. FYI, Redwood City gave the green light to six different cannabis dispensaries; these are just the first three. I’ve put the locations of the other three on my list of things to check for next week; I’ll look for any indication as to whether those will actually be going ahead (or if they’re already open, and I just missed it).

One place that I know will be coming very soon is the new CVS Pharmacy at the corner of Woodside and Bay roads. I’ve written about this place plenty of times before, but at long last there is a sign on the building, so it might be opening (and the old one across the street closing) almost any day now:

Elsewhere in Redwood City, in the Target shopping center on El Camino Real just south of Woodside Road, we’ll soon be getting a Bath & Body Works store:

Bath & Body Works will be in a portion of what used to be Men’s Wearhouse. The signage on the front says “Opening Fall 2023,” so if you are into what they sell, know that you won’t have to wait much longer.

Lastly, in November an interesting new venture aims to open its doors on Broadway between El Camino Real and the Caltrain tracks — in the space formerly occupied by tech company Avast (and right behind SF Gelateria). Called Sound Union, this new space will be “for people who love creating music with others.” According to their website, they’re building “well-equipped rehearsal studios in a social environment that makes it easy to find and meet others who share the same level of talent, passion and interest in playing and streaming music, podcasting, and making sounds.” If you, like me, aren’t into creating music or podcasts, but enjoy listening, don’t discount them altogether. A special “Audience Membership” (the whole business seems to be membership-based) enables you to enjoy weekly private, house concerts in Sound Union’s loft. And note that drinks of some sort will be available: one of the benefits of membership is “complimentary beverage service at the Well” (I don’t yet know what kind of drinks may be available; I do know that they don’t seem to have applied for a liquor license, at least not yet).

Sound Union is a fascinating idea. If any of this sounds even the slightest bit interesting to you (or if you know someone that might be interested), spend a bit of time exploring their website. They appear to have some membership specials for the first one hundred members in each category, so it pays not to delay too long. To John and Tom, Sound Union’s founders, welcome to Redwood City! And thanks for helping to make the city an even more interesting place to live.

Redwood City really is an interesting place to live, and as you can see it is getting more so all the time. We were fortunate not to have lost too many of our shops and restaurants due to the global pandemic, and we’re even more fortunate that we continue to see interest in our relatively few empty storefronts, be they downtown, along Woodside Road, or elsewhere. I love checking out new businesses, and it seems like I’ll have a lot to keep my attention for years to come.

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Oktoberfest in downtown Redwood City is almost here! From September 20 – 24, the large tent in Courthouse Square will be the place for music, dancing, food, and, of course, cold beer. Ours is one of the premier spots in the Bay Area to celebrate Oktoberfest; because of that, you’ll want to buy tickets in advance to guarantee that you’ll be able to get in (the Saturday evening seating is already sold out, for instance). For more information, and a link to buy tickets online, check out the event website, here.

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This Sunday, September 17, Courthouse Square will be celebrating a different culture: Mexico. Running from 3 – 8 p.m., Fiestas Patrias is a celebration of both Mexican independence and other Latin countries. There will be live music and other entertainments, authentic Mexican food, and a number of arts and crafts vendors. And there will be a special area just for kids. Information on this event can be found here. Unlike with Octoberfest, not only are advance tickets not needed, Fiestas Patrias is a free event. So do drop by on Sunday, and enjoy a bit of culture from our neighbors to the south.

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Inspired by some recent unfortunate events, Redwood City will be hosting three community meetings (one in English, one in Spanish, and one in English with Spanish interpretation) on park safety. At all three meetings there will be a short presentation, after which attendees will be invited to voice their concerns and ideas. The first will be held in the Community Room of the Downtown Public Library on Tuesday, September 19, beginning at 6 p.m. The next, in Spanish, will be held at the Fair Oaks Community Center on September 26, also beginning at 6 p.m. Lastly, on October 19 (at 6 p.m.) the third meeting will be held online, via Zoom. Pre-registration isn’t strictly required, but for planning purposes is most appreciated; you can register online, here. Oh, and note that childcare and refreshments will be provided at the two in-person meetings.