San Jose business district embraces a new identity

Have you been to the new East Village in San Jose? Maybe you have without realizing it. That’s the new branding for the East Santa Clara Street Business Association, which stretches along one of the city’s main arteries just east of downtown.

You might scoff at the New York-type styling of the name, but it’s a lot easier to mention in conversation with a single breath.

The rebranding effort has been slowly taking place since last year, but it got a boost of visibility this month with the addition of artwork near the high-traffic intersection of East Santa Clara and 10th streets. That’s where artist Lila Gemellos painted a streetscape mural showing the pathway to downtown and artist and designer Luis Luna, also known as Artes Luna, colorfully decorated two sidewalk barriers at the intersection — with the “East Village San Jose” name prominent on both.

So what’s East Village San Jose have to offer? You might not realize it, but it’s one of the city’s best corridors for vegetarian and vegan options, with Punjab Cafe, Vegan Bistro and Cafe, Tofoo Com Chay and the Vegetarian House all in the district.

There are other eateries like Pho Passion, Last Round Tavern and Kali Noodles and Tea Bar, as well as retail shops like Needle to the Groove records, Neu2u Thrift Boutique, Flowers By Ivy, Spirit Bros. clothing store and Foto Express. It’s also home to the Roosevelt Community Center and Roosevelt Park, Our Lady of La Vang church and an iconic San Jose Wienerschnitzel drive-through.

All those places were there when the district had its old name, but it is catchy to say that’s all in East Village now.

SHARK HUNTING: The San Jose Sharks are trying to work up a fan frenzy in advance of the June 28 NHL Entry Draft, when the team has the coveted first pick. You might remember seeing the cardboard teal cutouts of a No. 1 with a bite taken out of it making a tour of San Jose and other cities earlier this month.

Now, the team is having a “Chomp & Seek” hockey puck scavenger hunt, with prizes available to people who find the pucks. They were in downtown San Jose on Thursday and Willow Glen on Friday. Check the team’s social media feeds (x.com/sanjosesharks and instagram.com/sanjosesharks) to find out where the pucks will be next. And don’t forget you can join the Draft Watch Party at SAP Center by grabbing a ticket at www.sanjosesharks.com.

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Shozo Kagoshima went from knowing all the secrets of the Winchester Mystery House to finding the most beautiful spots at Hakone Estate and Gardens. But after nine years as executive director of the picturesque and historic Japanese garden in Saratoga, Kagoshima has decided its time to move on.

“After spending 48 years in the travel related field, it is time to turn in my keys, and enjoy retirement,” he said. “Ironically, I have only held two professional jobs in my life, and they were both with historical landmarks.”

Kagoshima won’t be departing for several months to give the Hakone board time to find a replacement. Interested? Check it out at www.hakone.com/employment.

Another historic resource is also looking for new leadership as Computer History Museum CEO Dan’l Lewin has announced he’s stepping down from the Mountain View institution after six years. Lewin, who came to the Computer History Museum in 2018 after nearly 17 years as an executive with Microsoft, steered the museum through the pandemic period and helped it raise about $75 million during his tenure.