Category: Shop Burlingame

  • Broadway: Gas Leak Lawsuit

    I was pretty sure a lawsuit would be filed over the extended closure of businesses on and around B’way. I didn’t see the merchants being represented by one of the top 25 plaintiff law firms in the country, but offering local merchants support is meritorious. From the DJ piece

    A class action lawsuit on behalf of merchants in Burlingame’s Broadway area has been filed against the owner and operator of A&A Gas & Mart, who were previously named as responsible parties in a gasoline leak that caused days of power outages and road closures in the business district. 

    Burlingame law firm Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy chose to move forward with the suit, filed Feb. 23, to seek an undetermined amount of damages for businesses that lost customers, revenue and inventory as a result of those outages and closures, attorney Nanci Nishimura, who is representing the plaintiffs, said.

    The merchants mentioned range from Maverick Jack’s at the old train station to Bonne Sante at the other end of B’way. The total number is more than 100.

    In a real twist of fate, the A&A Gas website’s “About us” page shows the B’way station! They appear to have four of their six locations on the Peninsula. We’re not talking Shell or Chevron here so expect some sort of settlement as they realize what they are up against. In the meantime, Broadway is lovely shopping and dining district and there has been a lot of free parking as the city deinstalls the old parking meters and waits to install the fancy new ones.

  • B’way: John Kevranian resigns from the BID

    Broadway was buzzing today with the announcement that the long-time, tireless BID president is stepping down. John’s letter notes:

    After deep reflection, I am formally resigning from my position as volunteer President of the Broadway Burlingame Business Improvement District, effective November 30, 2025. For 25 years, I have proudly served on the Board — including the past 11 years as President.

    Unfortunately, I can no longer continue in this role in good conscience due to a series of troubling developments that have significantly undermined Broadway’s future and my ability to serve with integrity.

    He notes three reasons that I will include here verbatim, so you get the full impact:

    First, the City of Burlingame’s decision to terminate the Broadway Specific Plan — which was intended to guide development and investment over the next 5, 10, and 20 years — reflects a concerning lack of vision and long-term commitment to Broadway’s prosperity.

    Second, the City Council’s continued refusal to support the reopening of weekday Caltrain service at the Broadway station further demonstrates a lack of understanding of the essential role of transit in our district’s history and future. The station, opened in 1910 as Easton Station in what was then known as Buri Buri, was the very reason the Broadway business district and surrounding apartments were built. When weekday service was removed over 20 years ago, the negative impact was immediate and profound. Restoring service should be a priority — not a political inconvenience.

    Third, in late 2023, I opposed efforts by a City Council member and a Beautification Commissioner to weaken Burlingame’s flavored tobacco laws to benefit a personal associate. In retaliation, on October 8, 2023, both individuals called the Burlingame Police Department and falsely claimed I had threatened the commissioner. These fabricated allegations were clearly intended to intimidate and silence me. This misuse of public authority and law enforcement was not only inappropriate — it crossed a line, both legally and ethically.

    I’m hoping BPD did the minimum perfunctory “investigation” of that last item. Item 1 reminds me of the sentiment on B’way that it is the poor stepchild of the Avenue. John has been a leading advocate for said refresh. I like Broadway a lot and actually spend more time there than on the Ave, but it could use a refresh and that takes help from the city. You have to wonder if moving to tiny district elections has narrowed the focus of city councilmembers.

    It’s a shame John is stepping down, but he will always have a prominent voice in all things B’way. You can listen to Mark Lucchesi interview John here as well.

  • Maloufs expand to EssEff

    It was fun seeing the half page spread in the SF Examiner about local luxury clothier Malouf's adding a San Francisco location on Sacramento Street focussed on womenswear.  The journalist asked a nice set of personal questions that are enlightening even to locals who know Sam and Gloria.  Just one example:  at seven years old, Gloria wanted to be a doctor and Sam wasn't thinking about any profession, but knew he loved clothes even before he knew is dad owned a clothing store.

    From Texas to B'game to EssEff.  Congrats.  It takes some grit and confidence to expand brick and mortar retail these days and we wish them the best.  You can download this photo and zoom in for more insights.

    Maloufs SF

  • B Street Books comes to the Avenew

    B'game continues to have two vibrant downtowns.  Broadway and the Avenue retail spaces aren't "full", but both districts appear healthy to me.  In another sign of how attractive the Ave is, San Mateo's B Street Books is moving to the west end of the Ave into the space of the former piano store.  I have wondered how a shop like Joe and the Juice could survive in a pretty big space on coffee sales, but I think B Street is quite capable of bringing bookselling back to the Ave.

    They had a sixteen-year run in San Mateo, on B Street of course, so there is a built-in customer base that will like the Ave as much as B Street — or more.  I hope I'm right and welcome to B'game.  Now the B in B Street Books can stand for B'game.

    B St books

     

  • Avenews: Pottery Barn closing

    B'game has avoided the retail doom loop for the most part.  There are always vacancies on the Avenew and on B'way, but they haven't dulled the sense of vibrancy on the streets-yet.  Now one of the largest spaces on the Ave is going dark as Pottery Barn has announced it will close in January.  The Chron did a piece on the closure and how our store was more than just the average PB:

    Malin Kansal, a San Francisco-based real estate agent who worked in Pottery Barn’s corporate office in San Francisco between 2008 and 2012, said that the current “state of affairs” in regard to the retail climate likely contributed to the decision to shutter the Burlingame location.  “As we stand here post-COVID-19, the retail climate is changing so much,” said Kansal. “People love shopping online.”

    Kansal said that the Pottery Barn in Burlingame functioned as the “model store” for the larger brand: “They used the store to display and take photographs of the items before the start of the season.”

    This will be a test of how strong the Avenew is going forward.  If it needs to be broken in half a la Anthropologie to rent that will be telling.  The new vet at that location, Dr. Treats, is now scheduled to open in January.  Say goodbye to Pottery Barn.

    Pottery Barn

  • New Vet in Town: Dr. Treats

    With all of the pandemic puppies and kittens that we adopted over the last couple of years, I've heard some vets are very tightly booked out and short-staffed.  So, it's good to see a new vet with a new business model take on space at the old Anthropologie space.  The photo is a bit shadowy because it was near sunset and the tree we fought so hard to save during the Safeway project is still casting its shadow on Primrose.

    I'll be interested to see how this $149 per year membership service from Dr. Treat works out.  I burn through more than $150 over the course of a year pretty regularly at my vet (which I love).  It's good to see this space occupied and without having to resort to the tactics EssEff has embraced.  The SF Examiner piece about a cafe on Cole St. that could not come to terms on a lease renewal has the numbers:

    The City adopted a commercial vacancy tax in 2020. Its aim, in part, was to incentivize landlords to keep their storefronts occupied, thus providing more negotiating power to small businesses.  Like most taxes, it’s complicated and contains a number of exceptions. In designated business districts, the vacancy tax amounts to $250 per linear foot of storefront that faces the public right of way — if that storefront has been left empty for six months or more that year. The tax escalates to $500 per foot in the second year and $1,000 per foot in the third year and beyond.

    Storefronts on Cole Street are about 25 feet wide, meaning the tax would amount to roughly $6,250 in the first year — less than what the Reverie was paying in rent per month.

    Yet another bad idea that I hope doesn't work its way down the Peninsula.

    Dr. Treat

  • New Bayfront toy store: Meta

    Brick and mortar retail got a boost today–just not on the Avenue or B'way.  Meta (aka Facebook) has announced a shop at the old Drive-in location and  The Registry is regurgitating the press release:

    Today, we’re announcing Meta Store — our first physical retail space, which will open May 9 on our campus in Burlingame, California. In the Meta Store, you’ll be able to get hands-on experience with all our hardware products. 

    Through interactive demos, you can make video calls to retail associates with Portal, learn how Ray-Ban Stories can help you stay present with the world around you, and explore the magic of VR with a first-of-its-kind immersive Quest 2 demo. 

    The Meta Store also features an interactive Quest 2 display wall, allowing you to explore the hardware, its accessories, and the breadth of content available today. Last but not least is our immersive Quest 2 demo area, where you can try Beat Saber, GOLF+, Real VR Fishing or Supernatural on a large, wall-to-wall curved LED screen that displays what you’re seeing in-headset. You’ll also get a 30-second mixed reality clip of your demo experience that’s yours to share.

    Starting May 9, the store will be open Monday through Friday from 11:00AM to 6:00PM PT. It’s located at 322 Airport Blvd in Burlingame, California.

    It looks a lot more interesting than the Amazon store on the Avenue.  Hopefully they move a lot of product and generate a lot of sales tax for B'game.  I do wonder if they designed the parking structure to account for a retail space with non-employee parking access since all of the parking is in the structure.  While we wait for Top Golf out on the Bayfront, GOLF+ may be the next best thing.

    May 25 Update:  I stopped into the Meta store today to have a look.  There's plenty of staff to give you a tour of the Rayban smart glasses and the Portal device.  The glasses are kind of cool and maybe a bit spooky with the dual cameras and video capability.  The Portal looks to be well-designed with more capability than the competition.  It's already a year old (a long time in consumer electronics) so probably wait for v2.  The virtual reality demo requires an appointment, so plan ahead.  Not the most obvious location, so use this photo and the signs to guide you.

    Metaverse store1

  • ADA Lawsuits: Burlingame not immune

    I have heard about the stream of ADA access lawsuits targeting small businesses in B'game over the last few months.  Now the SF Chronicle is reporting that two high-profile, big city DA's (who are facing recall elections) are trying to do something about it.  This strikes close to home because the typical settlement is in the range of $10,000 – 11,000.  That's no small change for a small business.  The Chron notes

    Accusing a law firm of fleecing small businesses in California with thousands of baseless disability-rights suits, the district attorneys of San Francisco and Los Angeles asked a judge Monday to halt the practice and order the firm to refund millions of dollars the businesses paid to settle the suits.  For years, the firm, Potter Handy of San Diego, has been “bombarding California’s small businesses with abusive, boilerplate lawsuits,” District Attorney Chesa Boudin and his Los Angeles County counterpart, George Gascón, said in a suit in San Francisco Superior Court.

    They said the firm sues on behalf of a handful of disabled clients who, in most cases, have never even visited the businesses and claim violations that are typically fabricated.  One of Potter Handy’s clients, Brian Whitaker, has filed approximately 1,700 suits, and another, Orlando Garcia, has filed more than 800, the district attorneys’ lawsuit said. Both live in Los Angeles County but have filed hundreds of cases in the Bay Area.

    I spoke with local litigator Mike Liberty, who has represented one local B'game business in one of Mr. Whitaker's 1,700 lawsuits, about the move by Boudin and Gascón.  He estimates there could be as many as 40 such suits just in B'game.  While Mike agrees that the statute is being exploited, he's not confident that the federal law as currently written will give a judge enough room to side with the plaintiffs and the Mom & Pops.  I often complain about judges legislating from the bench and this is no exception.  The answer may be to revise the ADA itself, but in the meantime I would love to see our Burlingame City Attorney, Michael Guina, jump into support the lawsuit via an amicus brief.

    It would show that our city council's oft-repeated support for small B'game businesses walks the walk and not just talks the talk.  Check out the photo below of an EssEff business that got sued during Covid when it was only doing take-out!

    ADA lawsuit

    May 8 Update:  Here is a paragraph from the Daily Post that is B'game specific.  Can you say "refund"?

    ADA piece2

  • The BAAZ is Dead. Long Live Parklets!

    The two-month-old experiment I dubbed the Burlingame Avenue Autonomous Zone (the BAAZ) came to a screeching halt Monday night.  I noted a number of reservations on the original post here.  The Daily Journal piece today highlights some of the same issues that I was concerned about as well as a few noted later by people venturing into the BAAZ– like speeding skateboarders and bikers.

    Burlingame’s outdoor dining scene proved too popular for its own good, according to frustrated officials who pulled the plug on a program promoting inappropriate partying during the pandemic.  “It just kind of turned into a festival out there with people not doing what they need to do,” said City Manager Lisa Goldman, in advance of councilmembers voting 4-1 to reopen Burlingame Avenue to traffic.

    Furthermore, critics pointed to a recent survey of local businesses which offered mixed perspectives on the success of the closure program, with some merchants claiming it made their lives more difficult.  So rather than provide a forum for unhealthy behavior, Ortiz said he favored a proposal for establishing a network of parklets where restaurants and eateries could set up tables in a more controlled environment.

    I'll just file that away in the I Told You So folder.  The piece doesn't mention the Broadway BRAZ but a quick look at Monday's agenda shows the BRAZ was also up for discussion and most likely met the same fate as the BAAZ.  If you are able to access the DJ piece as a subscriber, you will read about some council members suggesting more police enforcement of masks and distance while others think they have more to do than enforce such rules.  I didn't note any discussion of the much ballyhooed "community social worker" idea– a la Berkeley's idiotic approach to handing out traffic tickets.

    Parklets live on as they should have from the beginning.  I saw a couple new ones just sprouting, like Five Guys', and no doubt there will be more now.  Recall the estimate back in July that "the creation of parklets will result in a parking loss of up to approximately 60 to 70 spaces on side streets in the downtown area on both weekdays and weekends."  I'm thinking that will be more like 100-120 now that parklets are the only alternative.  The new parking structure is coming along (the second story is up) so perhaps by the rainy season, we will have more spaces.  Here's hoping our parklets designers have the resources to build nice ones like Truckee.

    Here's an update photo.  I have to say, it's a little weird walking by the pedicure stand, but they were full so I guess it's just me.

    Nails on the Ave

  • Tweaking The BAAZ, Creating The BRAZ

    Tomorrow night the City Council will consider making some changes to the Burlingame Ave Autonomous Zone (the BAAZ).  We're just finishing the third weekend of the BAAZ so Council will be looking to extend it to the end of September and add parklets on the side streets.  Back in May when the original plan surfaced, I had several concerns: impact on non-restaurant businesses, non-BAAZ restaurants, parking, handicap access and the cost.  It appears I was prescient since the proposed tweaks start to address some of these, especially the fairness issue. Non-BAAZ restaurants that want a parklet on Primrose, Park, Lorton, Howard, and Chapin would get permanent ones (meaning seven days a week) since they are too expensive to put in and take out often.  The parklets would be created using heavy duty industrial plastic hydro-barriers — the ugly orange blocks.  San Mateo went the parklet route but only uses the hydro-barriers on the on-coming traffic side as shown below (upper right).  I hope we do the same.

    To further address fairness to our "other" downtown, the one that often feels under appreciated by the City, the BRAZ is under consideration — the BRoadway Autonomous Zone.  It involves Saturday-Sunday closure of Broadway between Chula Vista and Capuchino — the three middle blocks; attempting to leave some traffic circulation since, you know, it's a 101 exit.  Anecdotally, the Broadway restaurants took a bit of a beating the last two weekends–akin to the non-BAAZ restaurants.  One non-BAAZer used the word "disaster" when I asked how it went the first weekend.

    As to parking, the Staff Report notes

    In addition to the previously estimated loss of parking on Burlingame Avenue of approximately 150 to 160 parking spaces when the street is closed on the weekends, the creation of parklets will result in a parking loss of up to approximately 60 to 70 spaces on side streets in the downtown area on both weekdays and weekends.

    Approximately 50 to 60 parking spaces would become unavailable on weekends if the City Council approves the temporary weekend closure of Broadway. As with the Burlingame Avenue commercial district, there are nearby parking facilities on either side of Broadway, but parking will become tight on busy weekends.

    I might suggest putting a cover over most of the EV charging stations in Lot Y so GV's (gas vehicles) can use them because we know EV usage has been quite low. 

    Now the costs:

    Staff estimates the cost of setting up and removing the street closure on Broadway to be similar to Burlingame Avenue, which is estimated at approximately $10,000 to $12,000 per month. Additionally, staff estimates the cost of renting and setting up barriers to create parklets is $20,000 to $30,000 per month. Regarding loss of parking revenue, staff estimates the overall loss is approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per month. The overall total fiscal impact of the pilot program is estimated to range from $60,000 to $80,000 per month. The actual figure may vary and will be determined after the completion of the pilot program.

    We may have our very own Summer of Love.  Like the original one in '67, it would be fun but comes with a price.

    SM Parlklet hydro

The Burlingame Voice

Dedicated to Empowering and Informing the Burlingame Community

RECENT COMMENTS

RECENT POSTS

CATEGORIES

ABOUT THE VOICE

The Burlingame Voice is dedicated to informing and empowering the Burlingame community.  Our blog is a public forum for the discussion of issues that relate to Burlingame, California.  Opinions posted on the Burlingame Voice are those of the poster and commenter and not necessarily the opinion of the Editorial Board.  Comments are subject to the Terms of Use.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

All content subject to Copyright 2003-2026