Campbell business district is a hidden gem for eccentric wares – San José Spotlight

Hundreds of miniature antique soldiers line the shelves, with crouching archers drawing bows and others bearing shields in historic scenes from centuries ago. The market for these novelties is still in demand, as employees pack and ship boxes to collectors worldwide.

The Sierra Toy Soldier Company is one of more than 100 niche industrial and craft businesses that call this tucked-away industrial area of Campbell home. Between Dell Avenue and McGlincy Lane, residents can find an unconventional array of businesses that range from race car parts to wedding dress and historical gown restoration to metal welding. Campbell’s unique corridor is a hidden gem among the suburban sprawl, where local businesses find somewhat affordable rents and the city rakes in significant sales tax revenue. The two streets, separated by Highway 17, are one of the few areas across the West Valley zoned for industrial use.

City Manager Brian Loventhal said the area’s sales tax revenue is sizable.

“Campbell’s really home to small town businesses,” he told San José Spotlight. “We don’t have a lot of large lots, so some of the smaller parcels do serve family-run businesses and smaller businesses. It’s an interesting mix.”

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Between Dell Avenue and McGlincy Lane, residents can find an unconventional array of businesses that range from race car parts to wedding dress and historical gown restoration to metal welding. Campbell’s unique corridor is a hidden gem among the suburban sprawl, where local businesses find somewhat affordable rents and the city rakes in significant sales tax revenue. The two streets, separated by Highway 17, are one of the few areas across the West Valley zoned for industrial use. Learn more the unique business district at SanJoseSpotlight.com. #campbell #siliconvalley #bayarea #smallbusiness #westvalley

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Campbell’s three-year economic development plan, adopted last April, aims to tackle three areas of economic growth: filling vacancies, preserving its trade sector and creating a vibrant downtown hub. The plan’s focus on the trade sector is a boost for Sierra Toy Soldier Company owners Michael and Myszka Hall.

The couple was able to keep a warehouse for worldwide shipping on Dell Avenue after being priced out of their Los Gatos storefront in 2019.

The company started out of their home in 2003 after Michael Hall realized he could turn his hobby into a business and leave the high-tech sector. The business is successful because it’s one of few like it on the West Coast. The Halls now have three employees.

“What makes it special is because it’s crazy. Who else does this?” he told San José Spotlight. “It’s very special, very niche and there’s not many people as crazy as us still around.”

Over the highway on East McGlincy Lane, Brian Preetz, owner of Barrel Dreams, sells his wares out of a small warehouse coated in sawdust. He sells more than 100 different products made from rustic, cabernet-stained wine barrels, including dog beds, coffee tables and Christmas trees.

Barrel Dreams began about 18 years ago when Preetz ran into a man selling wine barrels on the side of a Los Gatos road. He left his corporate IT job to sell his custom-designed barrels — and since then has amassed six employees. His barrels have been featured in the “Throwin’ Down” music video by the band Anchored, featuring Snoop Dogg.

Preetz said the business corridor along McGlincy is unique because it’s designed to fit 53-foot tractor trailers for his shipments of 220 barrels that weigh about 20,000 pounds.

“(Customers) give me a hug. They say, ‘Brian, thank you,’” Preetz told San José Spotlight. “I can tell that it’s so pure and real and I love that. So my goal is to get as many hugs as possible.”

The off-the-beaten-trail location was once known for its endless ranches of fruit orchards and canning. It even has a sordid past that dates back to the 1896 murders that led to Colonel Richard McGlincy’s death — whose namesake marks McGlincy Lane. Industrial entrepreneurs traded in the fruit business for specialized wares and services, including dozens of car service shops such as C G Automotive & Marine.

The repair shop services cars from the 1960s and 70s off McGlincy on Cristich Lane and has been there for years. Inside the garage, baby blue classic cars are parked next to rows of shiny motorcycles.

Kevin Puma, who’s worked at the shop for about 10 years, fell in love with cars at age 15. It started with fixing a 1974 Chevy pickup truck to get his learner’s permit. The shop is a two-man operation with Puma and the owner restoring older cars. Puma’s favorites include a couple of classic Corvettes.

Puma said the Dell and McGlincy area is a special spot.

“It’s kind of a cool little street in the city of Campbell. If you don’t know about this area, you’re like ‘Wait, what?’” he told San José Spotlight. “This is like a whole little industrial area in such a small city. Most people drive right past this and they don’t even know it’s here.”

The Sierra Toy Soldier Company, tucked in the back of an office complex, is easy to miss.

But for those in the know, the area’s eccentric wares create community. Myszka Hall said the shop sometimes brings in 80- and 90-year-olds who grew up playing with metal toy soldiers in red coats, standing proud in the glass displays.

“It’s just fascinating. It’s not like selling toothpaste or something,” she told San José Spotlight. “People have got stories behind their collections — behind the history of it, behind a book they’ve read — so that’s a big fun part, is meeting people, interesting people.”