Photo Gallery: This Fremont Shopping Center Offers Furniture & Vacancies

South of Stevenson Boulevard, on either side of Allbrae Street, is a shopping district with two brags: it's a great place to get furniture; and it's an even better place to teach your teenager to drive a car.

Perhaps you've driven past it to or from Interstate 880 and seen for yourself.

Aside from a few lively spots like Pho Appetit and the East West Bank, this architectually attractive locale is practically devoid of shopping -- the exception being more than a dozen furniture stores. Yet even they seem tired.

This would be a great place to let a youngster take the wheel, even during the daytime, because the likelihood of hitting another car is small.

But for a shopping center, that's not a good thing.

What went wrong? What would it take to breath life into this attractive but empty locale?